Summer months

So despite the lack of updates, the garden has kept growing.  I had a disappointing crop of seedlings from the seeds I planted.  Only about 50% germinated and I lost many due them drying out.  Whilst I took every care to keep the seedlings watered, the Root Riot cubes seemed to be very quick to dry out and I lost many due to a moment's inattention.

However, the seedlings that made it were duly planted out in one of the Quadgrows and a Chilligrow. In order to save me having to check for watering so regularly (yes, I am that lazy), I then hooked them up to an additional 25l reservoir which would supply the 'grows via a water level valve (Greenhouse Sensations again).

Once that was done, I practically ignored the plants and just let get them on with the job of growing...

The greenhouse is looking full, time for a prune

Plenty of lush growth in the Chilli Forest

Twilight Chillies, this year's chilli challenge plant.

More Twilights

Even more Twilights - Just the one plant but it seems to be thriving. 

Peach Bhut Jolokia 

Flowers on the Cayenne

Kashmiri Mirch chillies, mild chillies with a brilliant red colour (when ripe) which are used to add fantastic colour to curries without excessive heat.

Joe's Long Cayennes - these were the chillies we used last year for the chilli challenge. These could be record breakers by the time they ripen!

It's not just chillies in the greenhouse. The Sweet-Millions tomato is also doing really well in a Quadgrow.

New year, new start

So things have been dormant for a while.  I've not had time over the winter to do much with the greenhouse but now spring is springing and I thought it was about time to dust off the propagators and get the seeds started.

Last year I planted the seeds nice and early but was then stuck with a mass of rapidly growing seedlings and nowhere for them to go until the greenhouse was built.

This year I've left it a little later to plant the seeds and I'll keep them well away from the overwintered  chillies to avoid transmitting aphids to the new seedlings when they arrive.

As for the overwintered plants, most have succumbed to mould. I didn't get round to installing the planned passive solar system in time for winter and the greenhouse has been quite damp. I'll get the heating sorted in time for the new seedlings but last year's stock has effectively been written off.

I've opted for 16 different varieties this year, a mixture of old favourites and some new superhots. I've using Growth Technology Root Riot cubes this year to see how they perform.  Although more expensive than seed trays or jiffy pellets, with fewer seeds to plant the expense is less important than the germination and survival rate.

So here are this year's contenders...

Kashmiri Mirch, Chocolate Scotch Bonnet, Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion, Trinidad 7 Pot Brown

Black Naga, Peach Bhut Jolokia, Hot Lemon, Paper Lantern

Moruglah F2, White Bhut Jolokia, Joe's Long Cayenne, Twilight (this year's Chilli Challenge seeds)

Chocolate Habanero, Fatalli, Naga Morich, Bubblegum 7 Pot

The heated propagators are up and running, the lights will come in to play once the seedlings start sprouting.

Endless summer

Whilst there's plenty more work to be done in the garden the greenhouse is settling in nicely

There's plenty foliage inside. The drip feeders for the Root Pouches can seen on top of the pots.

The habaneros to the right are producing good sturdy stems.

Sweet Banana

Some of these were the seedlings I damaged with the soap, it's good to see they've recovered.

Padrons collected from Galicia.

Black Pearl

The beautiful variegated leaves of Orozco

Superchilli

Lots of fruit on the Cheyenne plant.

Black Tongued Scorpion

Nepalese Snakebite

June greenhouse photos

Asides from a few chillies developing on the Cheyenne, there's been no major developments this week, just plenty of growth and a steady stream of aphids to kill.

Random chillies on the nursery table including Superchilli & Black Pearl

Chillies, melons and even a Christmas poinsettia on the nursery table

Not much top-growth from the seedlings but plenty of roots developing below

Flaming June

With the hot and humid weather recently the greenhouse has really taken off with plants springing up all over.

The third batch of seeds that I planted have popped their heads up and started growing. They're so late in the season that I'm not expecting any fruit off them this year, it's just to replace the more valuable plants that I killed in the "Aphidgate" incident.

Ancho seeds popping their head up

The Padrons harvested from Spain are growing well

The bought plants are growing well in the Chilligrows and putting out plenty of new leaves. There have been some Aphid incursions but I've been dealing with them with a jet of water (no soap this time!) and so far, so good.

The Habs in the second Chilligrow are beginning to settle in

Fed up with plant labels washing clean, I invested some time in stamping out copper labels with the aid of a letter punch set. Not too bad for Loco and Padron but a bit time consuming for Black-Tongued Scorpion. Still, they should last a few seasons, at least.

The shiny new copper labels

The drip feed system is working well (except when I forget to switch it off)

Even some of the casualties of the super-soaping have begun to recover. Again, it's unlikely that they'll fruit to year but if I can overwinter one or two of these more slow-growing varieties then it'll give me a head-start next season.

A 7 Pot Hab making a slow recovery

On non-chilli related issues, the new compost heap is working well with plenty of heat being generated. The hotter it gets, the faster it'll break down the cuttings and sterilise any seeds or roots that have found their way into it.

The compost bin is generating plenty of heat thanks to copious grass cuttings

Meanwhile, the tomatoes are racing away and now need to  be supported. Rather than go for the traditional canes (A.K.A. Punji-sticks-of-hideous-eye-death) I've opted for these string Yo-yos which are altogether neater and safer. It did require an additional bar to be screwed into the roof to support the strings but a piece of aluminium profile took care of that. 

Potting on

With the greenhouse up and the pea-shingle base laid, it was time to start potting on the plants into their new home.

With many of this year's chilli seedlings still suffering from the aphid attacks I'm keeping them in quarantine until I can clean each plant one by one.

The overwintered plants from last year have been moved into Root Pouches and placed in the greenhouse. I suspect that eventually I'll need to place them on slabs as their roots will start burrowing into the shingle.

The greenhouse looking surprisingly tidy

Chilligrows waiting for their plants.

The first Quadgrow has been planted with a variety of tomatoes which, hopefully, will not only provide us with plenty of fresh fruit all through the summer but will also form the basis for many of the chilli sauces. With the acquisition of a dehydrator I'm looking forward to making my own sun-dried tomatoes for tapas and cooking.

Tomatoes in the Quadgrow. L to R Ildi, Croatian, Yellow Boy, Gardeners' Delight

Underneath the thick layer of pea shingle is a strong layer of landscape fabric so hopefully weeds will not be a problem.

The second Quadgrow will hold sweet peppers (when I've bought enough compost to fill the very generously sized pots.

Before planting up the Chilligrows I need to wash the pots and disinfect them with Jeyes Fluid to keep contamination to a minimum.  Because of my stupidity in killing a lot of my seedlings, I've had to resort to buying in a few plants to make up the shortfall.  Whilst I have nothing against buying in plants, the choice can be somewhat limited and often the plants are forced in tunnels to make them fruit early.  Whilst this looks good in the shop, the plants can suffer when relocated to the average garden.

Fortunately a local supplier, Dundry Nurseries, produces a good range of unusual varieties and, because they buy their seed from Simpsons Seeds, I was able to pick up exact replacements for the plants I'd decimated, including Black Tongued Scorpion and the Yellow 7 Pot Hab.

Expanding the empire

So the plans for world domination continue.  Another batch of seedlings are growing in the heated propagator and this time I've had success with the Padrons that I collected from Galicia last year.

Alongside these seedlings I've also got some more Dorset Nagas, 7 Pot Habs and Scotch Bonnets growing.  As one of my favourite chillies, I don't believe there's such a thing as too many Scotch Bonnets so the more plants I get going, the better.  

I've also planted a variety of sweet peppers for bulking up the chilli sauces and also some marigolds to help attract beneficial insects to the garden.

The main project has been the purchase of a greenhouse. After plenty of due consideration, weve plumped for an 8'x6' greenhouse with toughened glass and plenty of ventilation.  It's not due to arrive for a week or two so the time has been spent preparing the garden for its arrival.

Because the garden is north facing and quite shady there isn't a lot of options when it comes to siting it. I've tucked it into the north west corner of the garden, sufficiently far enough from the fence to allow access all round for maintenance and to minimise the shade from the fence and the trees.

Marking out the area for the greenhouse. Initially I'd considered a slab base but decided on something more permanent.

Digging the footings - 6 inches deep and 8 inches wide.

You can see some of the overwintered chillies from the growroom have been moved outdoors into the little growhouse.  Moving the plants outside will slow their growth but also inhibits the aphids which are becoming a real problem in the growroom at the moment.

Adding the shuttering - cheap and cheerful feather-board fencing.  Not particularly strong but with plenty of bracing it will do the job.

3 inches of ballast added to the base and tamped down hard.

3 inches of concrete on the top and expertly smoothed by my father.

There's a pressure treated timber base to be added on top of the concrete which will help level out any roughness in the concrete, as well as adding a couple of extra inches to the height of the eaves. Once that's done and the greenhouse erected, the centre will be covered with tough landscape fabric and a layer of pea shingle.

In terms of growing space, I've added two new Quadgrows to the two existing Chilligrows which, combined with the pots I already have, should give plenty of growing space.