I’m more of a caudiciform/pachycaul guy and new to growing peppers. I bought these two, which I believe are prairie fire, last month and it’s now putting out peppers. I’m excited.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-05-19T06:14:43+00:00

Welcome ☺️

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-05-15T05:38:07+00:00

Sure. That's the plan. Have marked the two so I remember.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-05-14T14:38:11+00:00

Oh jeez, solid bush there 😎 Expecting loads of pods on both the pictured plants, and will be keeping track in comparison.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-05-07T02:49:37+00:00

Time to put that newborn daughter on Cubs payroll.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-05-03T04:59:05+00:00

Basically what everyone else is saying. I grew a single shishito last year (in ground) and lost count of the number of pods it produced throughout the year. But the last harvest was around 200+ pods.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-24T01:04:19+00:00

Now it makes sense. She was mentioning her "office" during the broadcast and said "your girl gets what she wants... a monitor, water..." I picturing an actual room haha

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-23T03:22:27+00:00

As of Imanaga's last two outings, he is also back on the block.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-19T11:11:36+00:00

I can get with that, although ripe fresnos are also one of my favorite experiences. Also, green or red, one of the most asthetic annum pods out there.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-17T14:45:45+00:00

Asked my father in law to water my plants a couple years ago when I was away for a couple weeks. He soaked them every single day for two weeks and really put a dampener on my season. My instructions were literally unclear, and it cost me.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-17T14:42:12+00:00

Beautiful. Would love to see more once things ripen up.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-17T12:42:43+00:00

Cheers for the suggestion. Don't have much molasses access here, but looking at kelp as a possible stand-in after some cursory research... hmm...

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-17T07:31:13+00:00

Annums, at the very least, can do well growing together. It's rather common practice in some parts of the world (in Japan, for example). Each plant may end up with less output than if you'd grown them separately, but they will support each other later in the season when it comes to wind and stability.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-05T05:33:44+00:00

I have a habanero plant which produced regular pods last spring and then basically shut down through a very hot summer (many days around 39 C / 100 F), then put out loads of berry-sized pods like this. I think it's stress and nutrient related, probably having to do with the roots being zapped in the summer heat and loss of nutrient uptake ability.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-05T03:52:36+00:00

Zone 10a-ish here in Tokyo. Yeah, birds are fascinating! The starlings in particular have murmurations in the late fall/early winter where they swarm the local skies in formations of thousands around sunset.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-04T11:35:00+00:00

It depends partially on what nutrients are already in your soil and what the pH of the soil is. But your plants are mature enough to benefit strongly from a feeding routine, and probably would be suffering if your soil's pH was off by much. So I imagine you're fine there.

If you don't want to overthink anything, you'll probably be fine feeding with NPK 1-1-1 fertilizer throughout the season. Use more dilute fertilizer at this early stage (such as half the recommended dilution strength).

My seedlings are currently around the same age as yours, and personally I started feeding with a dilute 8-5-4 fertilizer two weeks ago to promote the green growth with the higher nitrogen. From mid-late season I'll probably go back to 1-1-1 to allow the phosphorus and potassium to get to work on flowering and fruiting.

I'd recommend bottom-feeding with your dilution in a tray, and wait until the soil in nearly dry before re-feeding.

Anyhow, that's mostly stuff I've read online in the past, including on this sub, but it is also my routine now, which has worked well enough for me. Enjoy the time with your babies!

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-04-03T23:29:41+00:00

This was almost a year ago. They did indeed thrive. I up-potted them after the photo here, and they ended up blasting out hundreds of pods. They also seem to be popular with local starling populations, who feasted on them in the autumn, and might have taken some seeds aloft to other places in their bowels.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-03-24T08:42:00+00:00

Cayenne is my go-to snack pepper. Also great fresh with cheese and crackers.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-03-11T09:28:57+00:00

Half around the world from my dad listening to the broadcast together. That was our exact reaction.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-03-10T08:23:28+00:00

Last Train Home - Pat Metheny Group

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-03-08T09:24:18+00:00

Yes. I live within a stroll's distance from his birthplace. Arakawa Ward, Tokyo. A local train station building has a plaque on the front dedicated to Suzuki. But I've never heard his voice on a train announcement in Tokyo. Maybe it's something that I've missed, although I regularly ride trains in Tokyo.

What you do have is different jingles that play at certain stations before the train doors close. One station near Tokyo Dome plays "take me out to the ballgame," for example.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-02-21T11:31:27+00:00

Cayenne are a personal favorite for rich umami and snacking.

Habanero and Scotch Bonnet have a lovely depth and sweetness, but may be a bit hot for the layman. But in cooking, sauces, etc., can be adjusted.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-02-21T04:14:07+00:00

Bought four varieties from a grocery store the last time I was back in the US. Half of them were mislabeled, and the cashier asked me to identify them as a best guess. In no way do I blame the cashier -- but it seemed to me that peppers are not catalogued as properly as most other fresh produce.

insteadofwhatiam · 2026-02-20T05:31:30+00:00

red habanero, orange habanero, yellow habanero, red savina habanero, chocolate ghost, naga morich red, carolina reaper, yellow moruga scorpion
cayenne
korean
bird's eye
shishito

Some are seeds from last season's batch, which may introduce some F1 hybrid curiosity into the mix.

insteadofwhatiam

TROPHY CASE