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.

If you build it, they will come...

So the greenhouse is up!  With the assistance and expert advice of my dad (veteran of half a dozen greenhouse builds) we were able to get the whole thing done in one day.  It wasn't entirely without a hitch as we did install a few parts back to front but thankfully nothing that couldn't be swiftly changed.

The expert hard at work (whilst the pupil hides behind the camera)

The greenhouse is an 8'x6' Simplicity Classic from The Greenhouse People.  Delivery was efficient and on time (and even on the bank holiday Monday).  The instructions, although not perfect, were pretty good although I would recommend reading them to the end several times as often the stage you think is missing is included later.

The triumphant builder poses with the finished article.

The greenhouse was a package that included a louvre and two vents with auto vent openers.  These seem to be working very well with minimum tinkering. Of course there hasn't been a lot of sunshine so far but the end of this week is shaping up to be sunny and warm.

The greenhouse nestled into the garden

I've been planning the layout of the greenhouse to find out how much I could fit in.  For some time now I've had the idea of including a large water tank, not for irrigation but to act as thermal mass.  The idea is that the tank absorbs excess heat during the day, helping to keep the greenhouse from overheating, and then the stored heat is released at night.  In addition, the rectangular tanks I've sourced should provide a suitable shelf/bench for storing plants. Water is very efficient as a thermal mass and has been used to good effect in Earthships and Solar Greenhouses for years and I'm intrigued to see if it could have an effect on a domestic level.

An early plan for the layout of the greenhouse using Greenhouse Sensation Chilligrow and Quadgrow planters.

However, the water tanks are quite pricy so this is a project that may have to wait a little while to be realised. For now I'll use the space for spare chillies and a few hydroponic ideas I've been toying with.

Ups and downs

So it's been a frantic couple of weeks with lots of changes. I've been working on a number of garden projects alongside the chillies with the aim of including a little bit for everyone in the family.

The first major build was the raised beds. Tucked in the corner of the garden these sleeper-built beds will grow some fresh salad crops for the kitchen as well as some marigolds to attract the beneficial insects. 

Raised beds fully planted, the peas are still in hiding, the cloches seem to be keeping the pigeons off at least.

Next up was the forest bed - a mixture of ferns, tree stumps and rocks tucked in the shade beneath the cotoneaster tree. 

Finally, and most critically, is the greenhouse build. I've just received a toughened 8'x6' greenhouse, complete with louvres and auto vents for plenty of ventilation. The concrete base has been built and the ground prepared. I've assembled the galvanised base and we'll erect and glaze it on the weekend.

Hopefully I'll have something left to put in the greenhouse. After a disastrous episode with an over concentrated soap spray (and forgetting to wash it off afterwards) I've managed to kill nearly all of the seedlings and damage most of the young plants. They've now been washed off and moved iutside to the small growhouse in a hope that the sunshine and fresh air will aid their recovery. 

The little growhouse, dragged out if retirement and housing the few remaining plants that survived the winter and the haphazard care.

Potting on

Not much to report this week. I've repotted the Joes Long and Ancho seedlings that had outgrown their cells and burried them deep so the stems are supported. Chillies planted in this way will also throw out roots from their stems underground, further supporting and feeding the plant.

Having moved house recently I couldn't find my plastic plant pots I'd so carefully packed and had to resort to the terracotta pots that had been gathering moss in the garden. I like the patina on these pots, they've got a certain charm to them, unlike the shiny plastic variety. Perhaps when my greenhouse is built I'll switch to terracotta pots all the time for that retro Victorian feel.

The new seedlings have been potted on and are looking happier in the larger pots

I've been moving the overwintered plants into Root pouches, taking the opportunity to shake off the old compost and pot them into fresh new compost. Hopefully this will encourage them to start throwing out new roots.

Some of the overwintered plants are showing new growth.

Whilst others have yet to sprout.

Somewhat surprisingly some grass has started to sprout in the new pots, in supposedly sterile compost. I quickly tracked down the culprit,;a small mouse, hiding out the winter in the warm chilli shed, had eaten holes in a packet of wild bird seed which, in turn, had spilt into the potting tray where I'd been storing the compost. So now I'm busy pulling flourishing grass stems from the pots at every opportunity. I suppose I should be grateful that something is sprouting in those pots.

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.

Growing pains

Still snug and safe from the winter storms, the seedlings are rapidly growing in the Chilli Room.  The heated propagator is so efficient that the Joe's Long and Ancho have shot up to tower over the habs and are in danger of keeling over.  They'll be potted on within the next few days and the lid removed from the propagator to harden them off.

The seedlings are growing rapidly, if somewhat leggy.  Tine to pot on.

Not all of the overwintered plants have survived with a few dying in the last few weeks.  There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason why, with identical plants sitting next to each other where one thrives and one doesn't.  I've potted on a few into Root Pouches with fresh compost to kick-start them back into life and also extended the lighting time to convince them that spring is on the way.

Some of the overwintered 'sticks' have been potted on to fresh compost in Root Pouches

The plants from the Chilligrows have been overwintered with varying degrees of sucess.

Not all have made it through the winter.

Sadly the aphids have been attacking everything in sight and with the soapy water and fly traps failing to make a dent in them I've had to resort to an organic bug spray.  I'm not a fan of sprays but it's too early in the year for their natural predators to thrive and the artificially warm environment of the chilli room has has given the the aphids the perfect conditions to multiply.

The traditional Hallmark festival of valentines has just been and gone and suffice to say that this year Cupid must have had spicy tastes.  Not only did I receive chilli chocolate but a great looking Chilli Cheese bomb from Shorrocks Cheese. I've yet to taste it but any present that combines two of my favourite foods is bound to be worth waiting for.

Nothing says 'I love you' like a Chilli Cheese Bomb...  

Also in Cupid's quiver this year were these two sauces from Pip's Hot Sauces -  Nagatropolis and La Boca Del Diabolo.  I've not come across Pip's sauces before but looking at their website they seem to have a superb range of flavours and their presentation is second to none with their brown-paper and string wrapped bottles and the great looking white stencilled labels. Their Nagatropolis label has more than a passing resemblance to a certain sci-fi epic. Could this be a new line in cult-film and chilli crossovers?

...Unless it's Nagatropolis Chilli Sauce!

I'll report back on these sauces and cheese when I get a chance. Meantime, I've finished my bottle of Upton Chilli Hot Habanero Sauce (delicious as expected) and am now working through a bottle of Walkerswood Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce.  I love Scotch bonnets and this is a really tasty sauce with lots of spice and flavour as well as the heat of the fruity Bonnets.

Meanwhile, we've demolished several blocks of the Tesco Scotch Bonnet Cheddar.  This has to be one of the best chilli cheeses ever, with a fruity tingling heat and great texture.  Even non-chillihead friends love this cheese (although possibly not in the same quantities as we do...)

Spring has sprung (sort of)

Things have been somewhat quiet on the growing front recently.  The chilli house is performing as expected, keeping most of the plants alive.  I've lost a couple due to die-back (expected) and a few have been ravaged by aphids (not expected).

To counter the green, munching pests I've lowered the temperature in the room slightly and given the affected plants a hosing-down to remove the tenacious critters.  A couple of yellow, sticky fly traps have helped remove their flying cousins as well.

Soon I'll up the temperature and light in the room and kickstart the plants back into life - doubtless the aphids will return then so I'll need to find a suitable solution to them, perhaps this is the year to invest in some Ladybirds.

The seeds that I planted recently have been doing well. The germination rate has been superb for the seeds purchased from Simpson Seeds with a hit-rate over 90%, however the Padron seeds I collected from the family's plants in Spain have so far failed to produce a single seedling. This is a little disappointing but I had to collect the seeds from unripe fruit (Padrons are picked and eaten green), we'll just have to have another holiday in Galicia soon to collect some more...

Seedlings coming up - clockwise from bottom left: Chocolate Hab, 7 Pot Hab, Black Tongued Scorpion, Joe's Long, Ancho 

Chocolate Habanero

Due to a lack of space under the growlights I thought I'd risk the south-facing bedroom window. The weather's been a bit erratic and consequently some of the seedlings have grown a bit leggy.  When I transplant them I'll make sure the stems are buried nice and deep so they shouldn't keel over too easily and they should be ok.

The larger varieties, such as Ancho and Joe's Long, are looking quite leggy, compared to the slower growing habaneros in the background

In the meantime I've kept myself amused with some photography.  I've been drying out last year's crop of chillies in the oven and was taken with their translucent quality. A lightbox and macro lens later and I had some chilli portraits to show for my efforts.