And here we are again. Another year, another grow. Another chance to ride the roller coaster of emotions that trying to grow chillies in the North West of England’s less than ideal climate brings.
Truth be told I very nearly didn’t bother this year. The last two years haven’t been brilliant as far as growing goes. The whole Covid 19 thing. Our adopted Greyhound, Bobby, was sadly lost to medical complications on Boxing Day. The overly long and cold winter.
All less than inspiring.
But – I’m a big believer in doing things you know you should be doing even if you don’t really feel like it and so I got out my trusty seed box, dug out my electric propagator and got to planting.
February 13th
Actually quite a late start for me, I’m normally planting seeds on the 1st January in eager anticipation. But, we are where we are this year.
One of the first things I decided on was that if I was going to force myself to get some seeds in dirt this year I was going to be practical about it. Normally I grow some stuff just for the sake of growing it. But this year, just stuff that I’ll use and use properly. Tomatoes and Chillies form the basis of most of the cooking I do, so they’re a given. Bell Peppers and Onions form the rest but I’ve had practically zero success with either of those in previous years and so I gave them a miss totally. The only other thing I decided to grow was Cucumber, I discovered that I actually do like a good Gherkin if I make them myself.
I carefully selected the seeds to grow out of my collection. I actually started with tomatoes. I don’t have a massive selection of tomato seed varieties but I do have some favourites, and I found some I’d never tried nestled in the seed box that I’d previously bought.
Sunchocola, Pink Charmer and Shimmer are the new kids in the propagator this year for tomatoes. The rest are tried and tested varieties. Black Cherry, Gardeners Delight, Garden Pearl, Moneymaker and Roma.
But, this isn’t the Tomato Diaries, so enough with that.
I started with the Chillies I use most in cooking. The ones I normally end up buying in even though I’ve a garden full of them.
Poblano (to dry for Ancho), Mirasol (to dry for Guajillo), Anaheim, Ohnivec, Serrano, Stoopid Big Scotch Bonnet* and Jalapeno where all the no brainers here.
(*Stoopid Big Scotch Bonnets – I’ve no idea what these actually are but I thought them as Scotch Bonnets from a local marker, they grow BIG, have a Habanero taste and are delicious)
The waters began to muddy after this point, I still wanted to grow practically, but did I need the ones I’d choose next, probably not.
Purple Jalapeno, Peach Sugar Rush Twisty (my first consent to a chilli because of how it looked over use), Peach Sugar Rush Stripey (in for a penny, in for a pound), Aji Limon, “Candy Cane” (probably Fish from the picture on the packet), Fatalii, Dorset Naga, Padron, Hungarian Hot Wax, Gold Bhut Jolokia, Cherry Bomb, Komodo Dragon, Yaki Blue, Purple Naga Viper Brain, Hungarian Black (SO pretty), Fidalga Roxa and finally Gibbering Idiot.
At this point – I was pretty much at a loss – I’d already planted everything I wanted but I still had a column on my propagator to fill. I still wasn’t in the mood for planting seeds for planting seeds sake and I knew whatever I choose next would most likely be a waste. Well, not a waste as such but would be meaningless compared to everything else I’d planted.
And that’s when I noticed the bottom of my seed box.
In the process of selecting seeds I’d pulled out all of the packets and put them on the counter so I wouldn’t keep tripping over them.
But at the bottom of my box I’d got some seeds that had escaped their packets. And that was pretty much that, into dirt they went.
25 seeds of completely unknown origin. They could be anything, literally, anything. I mean, OK to be fair, an educated guess would give me them as chillies, or tomatoes, they’re that kind of seed.
Then suddenly, my propagator was full.
Of course, as “meh” as I was about the grow this year my nerves immediately asking me if I’d planted all the seeds correctly, would they grow, was my electric propagator working and of course, had I missed anything out?
February 16th
Well. It took a WHOLE three days, but I had an answer. I’d at least planted my Cucumber seeds correctly.
February 17th
Rise of the Tomatoes – Lots of them. Not bad for four days.
February 18th
And on the fifth day, “Candy Cane”
February 19th
Anaheim. Actually one of my nemesis grows, I tried in my first couple of years to grow this and had no luck. Maybe another couple of years under my growing belt will help this year?
February 20th
Jalapeno and Hungarian Black popping up.
February 22nd
Well – At this point any fears I had about not doing something right where well and truly gone. Every time I look in the propagator there is something else waving back at me.
Still a couple of no shows but I definitely well on my way to having a good selection of plants for the year.
No mystery seeds have bothered though – Disappointing, but not the end of the world and there is plenty of time yet – I really can’t complain about where I am two weeks after planting.
The cucumbers are on overdrive, they’ve got leggy already and so I’ve repotted them and buried those suckers deep.
Actually quite glad about that as hopefully they’ll get a good root system going off the back of it and give me some nice strong plants. I need all the help I can get with Cucumbers.
February 23rd
And, spoke to soon – Today would be the day that mystery and intrigue descended upon my Propagator. Obviously no idea what this is, but it’s got a purple stem so hopefully it’ll be something interesting.
February 28th
Still, more and more coming through each day. Still some no shows, which I’m both surprised and disappointed with. Cherry Bomb, normally a good grower and no problems with still haven’t popped. Dorset Naga, one of the tastiest chillies known to man hasn’t bothered showing itself. Poblano also hasn’t grown, not that disappointed in those as Ancho are bought easily enough but I do like being able to use my own stuff when cooking and I use those quite a lot.
And, that’s the end of this month.
I can’t complain really as I was so “meh” about it at the beginning of it all. I’m looking at about 80% germination on the Tomatoes, 100% on the Cucumbers (well, there was only 5 planted 😉 ) and 60% on the Chillies.
Most of the Tomatoes are starting to show their second set of leaves now so they’ll be potted up shortly, some of the chillies have as well but they’ve only just started to develop so I’ll leave those till the plant is a little stronger.