Corn + Ammonia Nitrate = Shazam wizbang bang boom!

[CrealCritter]

We just a toad choker thunderstorm roll through. My daughter text me this.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ha - that's cute!

 

[baymule]

Zinnias are both pretty and easy to grow. Do Japanese beetles like to eat them?

 

[Beekissed]

Zinnias are both pretty and easy to grow. Do Japanese beetles like to eat them?

Yes, they do. And they also tend to get some fungal infections at times. But...they are STILL lovely!

 

[CrealCritter]

Well my Ivory & California wonder pepper cross experiment isn't going so well. The peppers grow to large for the stems to hold them up. In turn during a heavy rain or windy day the whole stem breaks off at the main stem. I suppose the plant structure it'self is not strong enough to hold the weight of the large peppers. I'm kind of at a loss if I should cross in another pure ivory or if I should cross in a pure California wonder. Right now I crossed in a California wonder flowers into a ivory host plant. Which produced what I have now which I've grown two years in a row (second generation).

My goal is to create a significantly strong structure to support the weight of the large peppers. Or I guess I could just quit now with tasty crisp striped peppers and know the plants will need some type of external support like a tomato cage or something.

I really enjoy crossing tomatoes but peppers are proving more difficult. Kind of wish I had some level of education, then it wouldn't be so much guess work. But then again education might confuse matters also...

Does anyone know of a sweet pepper variety that grows very strong stems?

 

[CrealCritter]

In 2013 I crossed two pepper plants. In 2014 I grew 1 plant from that cross. The results were crazy stupid... I wound up with 1 pepper plant 6 foot tall and spread out a good 4 foot diameter. The peppers grew upside down and were so numerous it was stupid crazy. That year I kept track and I picked 14 gallon of peppers off that one plant. We picked and picked and picked that plant but we found out the more you picked it the more it produced. My wife put up 26 quarts, I dehydrated a bunch and I gaveway I have no idea how many more.

They wood stake in the front is 3 foot tall for reference

This is some of what I picked off this one plant. Yes that a 5 gallon bucket full and a quart canning jar box.

They are HOT little buggers but are great to soak in some vinegar for spicing up ham beans, collards, mustard, spinach.

They remained firm during canning also but lost their bright color.

I have no idea what to call this pepper other than Explosion because of the heat of the peppers and it's crazy proflific growth. The red ones are like 2 times hotter than the green ones and retained their color after canning.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That's pretty awesome - Explosion for sure!

 

[CrealCritter]

That's pretty awesome - Explosion for sure!

I need to get you all some seeds of my evil pepper crosses next year to try and grow.

This is just some of what I grew from crosses in 2014. I stopped crossing peppers to focus on tomatoes. But I'm happy with my tomatoe crosses for now so I'm going to pick up pepper crossing again starting next year.

I think this red cheyenne cross got a little confused. Maybe a good name for it is Legs?

And have you ever seen yellow cheyenne before? Result of a pepper cross gone right.

I suppose next year I might as well put a bunch of these signs up around the pepper patch. :Lol

 

[sumi]

Wow, just wow, on those peppers! You should try and sell them at a farmer's market, or maybe a greengrocer, the "different" ones. I never crossed them, or tried anything other than just growing a few plants for us and to sell in our garden nursery, back in S.A. A number of people asked me if they can have one of each "A green one and a red one and a yellow one." I was torn between telling them they all start green and then turn red/yellow and just selling them the 3rd plant and let them figure it out themselves.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Dang - what are you some kind of garden scientist experimentalist seed producer? I LOVE it! Those peppers are awesome - and "legs" are cool and kinda creepy at the same time!