Dear Kinich Ahau, the chilli plant tribe and I are writing to ask if you are going to gift us with any summer weather this year, or are you instead just going to keep it very spring-like as you have done so far this season? We also send our thanks and appreciation to Chaac for keeping the rain down to a bare minimum these past few weeks, and if you so desire we could give you Mr Matos as a sacrificial offering in exchange for clear skies and plenty of sun. Okay, so we know there will undoubtedly be lots of gristly bits, but I'm sure you could salvage some meat from the legs. We'll even throw in a ripe Moruga for good measure. Yours sincerely, Spicemad and the tribe. 😁
Chilli Plants in the Porch - 1st July 2021
The plants are progressing nicely, and four days ago I took some photos of the entire tribe. Here are some of the photos showing a few of the individual varieties you've met before. As mentioned in previous posts, I'll refrain from posting photos of any newcomers to the tribe until towards the end of the season, when I know for certain that they're true to type. I didn't take a group shot of the new varieties this time around either. It was a breezy day when I took the photos and I didn't want to risk having any plants get blown over and damaged.
The outdoor Aji Largo plants are doing great and have become host to multiple aphid colonies and an army of ladybird larvae. Both the outdoor plants are growing in 12-litre pots and the indoor plant is growing in a 7-litre pot.
Aji Largo - 5th June 2021
Aji Largo - 13th June 2021
Aji Largo - 27th June 2021
Aji Largo - 27th June 2021
Aji Largo - 26th June 2021
Aji Largo Flower - 13th June 2021
Aji Largo - 26th June 2021
Aji Largo - 26th June 2021
Aji Largo - 13th June 2021
Aji Largo - 26th June 2021
Aji Largo - 26th June 2021
Aji Largo - 27th June 2021
Aji Largo - 26th June 2021
Aphids on Aji Largo Leaf - 15th June 2021
Parasitised Aphids on Aji Largo Leaf - 26th June 2021
Ladybird Eggs on Aji Largo Leaf - 27th June 2021
Ladybird Larvae on Aji Largo Leaf - 27th June 2021
As mentioned in the previous post, I have two Aji Lemon plants this year. One is growing in a 7-litre pot in the greenhouse and the other is growing in a 3-litre pot in an upstairs window. It's always surprising how many chillies you can get from Capsicum baccatum varieties, even when they're grown in small pots. The upstairs plant has already produced over 50 chillies.
Aji Lemon - 26th June 2021
Aji Lemon Flower - 26th June 2021
Aji Lemon - 26th June 2021
Aji Lemon - 26th June 2021
As always, the old faithful and much-loved variety, Aji Mochero, is doing great and has recently started setting fruit. Last year's Aji Mochero chillies made for a very nice hot sauce, and although it's a Capsicum chinense variety and I would typically avoid adding chillies of this species to Indian food, I've discovered recently that they work quite well in Indian vegetarian curry. Obviously they're hotter than the typical green finger chillies often used for spicing up Indian food, but after being cooked for a while they don't seem to impart the same strong tropical fruity flavour that is so synonymous with Capsicum chinense varieties.
Aji Mochero - 26th June 2021
The Chocolate Habanero plant is also doing great and has recently set its first five fruits. This is by far one of the tastiest and hottest Habanero types there is, in my opinion. I absolutely love these chillies and look forward to them every year!
Chocolate Habanero - 26th June 2021
Chocolate Habanero - 26th June 2021
The Dorset Naga plant is nice and healthy but the flowers aren't producing any pollen at present, which I assume is due to inadequate light levels. I know humidity can also be a factor, but the humidity seems fine. This is one of the perils of growing chilli plants in the window. Some varieties do just fine, such as my Orange Habanero plant, which is growing next to Dorset Naga and has already set 15 fruits, and others can be a bit trickier. In my experience, superhot varieties require lots of light for the flowers to produce pollen. That being said, two years ago I grew a Trinidad Moruga Scorpion plant in the same spot as this year's Dorset Naga plant and it did really well. If it continues then I'll have no other choice but to find it a new spot.
Dorset Naga - 26th June 2021
There's not much to report about these next three varieties, except that they're all coming along nicely.
Inca Berry - 26th June 2021
Inca Red Drop - 26th June 2021
Malawi Bird's Eye - 26th June 2021
Malawi Bird's Eye - 26th June 2021
Both Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero plants are doing good, and this year they're growing in 5-litre pots. One is growing in the porch (left) and the other is outside in the greenhouse. The greenhouse plant doesn't seem as happy as its indoor counterpart on the left, and yet it's growing in the same compost mixture and gets the same feed and water, except less frequently.
Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 26th June 2021
The only real benefit I see for plants growing in a walk-in plastic greenhouse is that they don't get wet when it rains. Apart from that it's a bit like camping out in a shitty tent. For example, my walk-in plastic greenhouse is only 5-foot square and the door is opened every morning at 7am and then closed in the evening around 9pm. If the door isn't opened and the sun comes out it can get far too hot inside. It's also vital that the plants get good airflow. The only time the door isn't opened is when it's chucking it down with rain. Given how it's such a small greenhouse (if we can even call these contraptions greenhouses) the plants are pretty much exposed to the elements for 14 hours each day when the door is open, and I think this can sometimes be a problem for a few of the Capsicum chinense varieties.
Chilli Plants in the Greenhouse - 13th June 2021
Chilli Plants in the Greenhouse - 26th June 2021
Ninety Six Degrees Fahrenheit in the Greenhouse - 29th June 2021
Chilli Plants in the Greenhouse - 1st July 2021
My over-wintered Peruvian White Habanero plant has bounced back nicely and I've already picked several ripe chillies. I'll be interested to see if it produces more fruit this year than last, but at this stage in the season I'm going to take a punt and say no.
Peruvian White Habanero - 26th June 2021
Peruvian White Habanero - 26th June 2021
I've only been able to open the upstairs windows very slightly this year because we have a nest of bumble bees living in the roof, and they spend the day flying around outside the bedroom windows. It's likely that the two shown mating in this next photo are from the nest, and if so then they appear to be tree bumble bees (Bombus hypnorum).
Bumble Bees Mating - 10th June 2021
Here's a short video clip, filmed on the 13th June, showing them flying around outside the bedroom window.
The chilli plants have been quite thirsty as of late, and being the good bartender that I am, two weeks ago I gave the RO/DI unit a good wash down with soapy water and changed the pre-filters. We only serve the best here at the Chilli Plant Luxury Hotel and Spa. The guests always enjoy their complimentary weekly crudités and champagne with Mrs DeVere in the penthouse.
Reverse Osmosis Unit
It's another one of those years where I'm growing more plants than I can easily house, but it didn't stop me from buying an Apache plant at a local garden centre in early June. I've grown this variety several times in the past, although not recently. I think the last time I grew it was in 2013. From memory the chillies are very tasty and have a good heat level. It's just annoying that it's an F1 hybrid; otherwise I'd have saved seeds from it long ago. Here are a few photos of the plant.
Apache - 5th June 2021
Apache - 26th June 2021
Apache Flower - 16th June 2021
Apache - 26th June 2021
Let's hope that July isn't going to be a complete washout like it was last year and we get to see some decent summer weather. It's been very overcast all day today and has felt more like early spring. I believe Canada is currently experiencing a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 45C. I like the hot weather and wouldn't be fazed by that, but I know that many here in the UK would be, so if you're reading this, Kinich Ahau, we'd like clear skies and temperatures in the high 20s or low 30s, but the mid-40s might be a bit too much. All hail the Chilli Gods. 👿
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