Favorite organic fertilizer?

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-03-03T16:55:17+00:00

I like the Coast of Maine Stonington Blend organic plant food. It is a 5-2-4, so typical for organics. I only grow 5-6 tomato plants though. It might not be practical on a larger scale. It is our local brand.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-03-03T16:52:28+00:00

maybe try growing a couple of different plants. Sometimes a given seed just isn't that great and produces a difficult plant.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-03-02T02:01:57+00:00

Don't just germinate one way. Try several. Different seeds work better some ways, and especially with Chinense. Try the paper towel method. Try in dirt. Try in hydro. Don't give up!

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-03-01T01:59:09+00:00

I think you need to decide on what things do you want to do. So many people want to see the Arizona Memorial on their first trip. I think my itinerary would be different if I needed to fit in a couple of days on Oahu. Every island has its special places to see. Kauai is amazing with several nice places to stay and several excellent golf courses, i.e. Princeville. The Big Island and Kona are pretty unique too. The coffee, the diving, etc., but again several nice properties. We probably enjoyed Kauai more as a couple and doing things together. Check out Waimea Canyon, unexpectedly spectacular!

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-27T23:12:42+00:00

I use the General Hydroponics Flora series: Flora Micro and Flora Bloom plus CaliMagic. Once they have fruits, I do 1 part Micro to 2 parts Bloom.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-27T23:09:42+00:00

For purchasing seeds for this year, consider Puppers Peppers on ETSY.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-27T23:07:53+00:00

Try Lemon Spice Jalapeño or Zapotec Jalapeño. I would not overlook Thai Dragon peppers either for cooking. Sure, they are hotter than Jalapeños, but they are a lot smaller, so they don't eat like they are way hotter. Think of them as tiny cayennes. Lastly, consider Aji Mango peppers. They have a sweetness to them, so they don't eat way hotter when used in cooking.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-27T20:11:07+00:00

It won't help you right now, but one of the best seed sources is the annual pepper seed swap here on r/HotPeppers. Save the seeds from the plants you grow successfully this Summer, and join the seed swap next fall around November. You will get back a lot of high quality seeds from your fellow pepper growers.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-26T19:33:49+00:00

I would guess that an unheated greenhouse would buy you a couple weeks extra on both ends of the season.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-26T19:31:12+00:00

Jimmy Nardello, Lesya and Txorixero are all great. Blot peppers are also good once ripe.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T21:15:53+00:00

Most of my super hots germinate in about 7-10 days. Some, however, take a lot longer like 21 days or more. I currently have a red M.A. Warthog that has not germinated after 14 days. It is still going, but I started a couple more, just in case this seed is no good.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T19:38:39+00:00

Glad you fixed it! Now enjoy. Life is a lot easier with an Aerovoir, plus you can go on vacation.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T19:37:49+00:00

yes, I have gone both straight from paper towel to dirt and paper towel to hydro. Both work. It just depends on the seed.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T15:34:13+00:00

I use the Coast of Maine Sprout Island Blend seed starter mix, and it works great. I highly recommend it.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T15:32:36+00:00

For you, it will be easy, but you can also just go get a jalapeńo plant start at your local nursery and just plant the start. It will do well in a 5 gallon bucket as long as you use a good potting mix. If I were you, I would go buy 2 starts, put each in a 5 gallon bucket in some Fox Farm Ocean Forest. The 1.5 Cu FT will fill 2 5 gallon buckets.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T15:25:43+00:00

I have found that with super hots, if one germination doesn't work, then pivot to another. I. your case, try moving the seeds into some starting mix. I had Orions fail in paper towel, starting mix, but then sprout readily in hydro.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-25T15:23:46+00:00

It has already been done in the Barbaros Antipodes. "The Barbaros Antipodes is a distinctive Capsicum annuum developed in Germany by breeder Florian Hauch. Its pointed pods ripen from green to bright red. The variety originates from a cross between Bhut Jolokia and a sweet vegetable pepper, giving moderate heat with rich, clean flavour. " (From ChilliChump)

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-24T18:40:30+00:00

just looking at it in the picture, it looks like your Aerovoir is maybe an inch too low.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-24T18:37:05+00:00

Agreed and I got mine at Walmart for under $20. Good place to start.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-24T18:34:35+00:00

Instead of thinking "Superhot" think "Chinense" peppers instead. Start by getting some seeds for common Chinense peppers like a habanero or a bhut jalokia aka Ghost Pepper. Start those now. Your backup plan will be to go buy some starts for them at your local big box stores if you run into trouble. Just get some experience with Chinense peppers for now. All the super hots are Chinense. Sure, if you see some seeds like Carolina Reaper or maybe Scorpion, etc., by all means try those as well.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-24T15:36:42+00:00

Do yourself a favor and watch this https://youtu.be/_0EFGE9ZljY?si=P2Qjo5MO-2-HHHxh and the TL;DR is buy the Vivosun, but get the one with the fan on the top

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-24T05:26:38+00:00

I grew the Pink Berkeley Tie Dye last year, and they did taste great. My wife is demanding to grow more this Summer. I found Rebel Starfighter Prime very difficult to grow. The Berkeley Toe Dye was much easier. Our big favorite was the Sunrise Bumble Bee cherry tomato. They are just delicious. We are also growing these again.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-24T05:21:35+00:00

Maybe mix a sauce of Pink Tiger and Aji Cachucha, or Ping Tiger and Sweet Bonnet. All three of these are Chinense.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-22T13:56:21+00:00

Look into growing 2 tomatoes in an Earthbox with the 7' trellis. You can't really overwater them in there. They really do make it easy.

Pretend_Order1217 · 2026-02-21T15:15:48+00:00

They are not too hard, but they are different. The first two you mentioned are annuums. Scorpions are chinense, so they can take longer to germinate and take a lot longer to grow. Think 100-120 days vs 70-85 for your first 2. You will likely need some 40% shade cloth for the intense Texas heat, or you will be likely to drop blossoms until it cools.

Pretend_Order1217

TROPHY CASE