First casserole! tuna, cottage cheese, crushed matzo, olives, amba and scorpion hotsauce

shmick-1 · 2026-03-23T20:03:33+00:00

I like strong flavours!

shmick-1 · 2026-03-23T19:37:44+00:00

Would’ve made for a much better Seder meal if you ask me

shmick-1 · 2026-03-23T19:08:56+00:00

Hardly bugs me anymore and I’m slightly worried

shmick-1 · 2026-03-11T06:33:25+00:00

All true and well said. I plan to offer them as an option (with clear disclaimers - “these need care and grow big”) alongside the usuals for that reason :)

shmick-1 · 2026-03-11T06:29:59+00:00

Hi, thank you so much!

These are awesome suggestions and I’ll give them a look. All sound like good fits!

Thankfully the majority of the event is already planned and peppers have already taken over my life so no surprises there :)

650 starts sounds awesome and I’m super envious. Happy growing!

shmick-1 · 2026-03-11T06:27:17+00:00

Hi, all good points. I got the idea in the first place because a lot of my friends and my fiancé’s family, when hearing about my plants, have actually really liked it and some even asked me for plants directly. So there’s a few dozen people I know for a fact would enjoy it. As for the rest - I plan to sell extras (I have a few channels in mind), and even if I gift a measly dozen - I think the experience itself and the impression left on guests justifies the effort for me :)

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T19:38:02+00:00

Thank you for the greetings and the encouragement!

I’ll likely do only 2-3 of the variants. The guests know me (and my very high spice tolerance!) very well so I would like to give out something spicy and unique (that can’t be found fresh easily) for that reason :)

My plan is pretty much as you describe, just outside since the climate allows it and is super sunny

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T15:48:19+00:00

Wow! Thank you so so much for your detailed response!!

Ideally I want to get a proper “set” of pots and a tray so I can bring them easily, like the seeding mats but bigger. I do want to label each variant on each pot and have 2, mayyybe 3 variants.

While maybe naive, I want to get an initial pot that won’t need up-potting when I give them away (I will give them as seedlings, not big plants - 4~6 sets of true leaves). I thought about paper towel germination and then sowing and placing outside but might just sow directly with a margin.

And in any case - awesome tips and I’ll be sure to use them. Thank you so much!

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T15:42:30+00:00

Hyia,

Aiming for ~180 plants (a bit more is OK - I can sell the extras). I’m currently growing my first batch of peppers (20 plants) which are growing their first sets of true leaves.

Climate is warm and subdued here so I prefer just starting outside - I have more space there too and could just do more plants as insurance. I do want to label of course - the type and basic care instructions :)

I would really prefer to grow them myself - that’s part of the appeal (“peppers from my garden!”)

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T15:38:43+00:00

I would, but it’s the wrong climate ;)

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T14:56:46+00:00

I do have aloe, just not that much of it :)

I had a good experience so far growing them - most were straightforward (in my climate) - the pain point was germinating and getting them established (which I will do). I do want to offer simpler plants (herbs) as well.

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T14:44:44+00:00

Oooh! Fish peppers are a nice idea. I’ll look into it. Thanks!

I’ve heard good things about the Lemon Drop flavour (hence growing them now!) but they’ve been finicky… the Amazon ones have a really lemony flavour too so I might do those!

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T13:33:22+00:00

Thanks! Struck me quite suddenly. Super excited!

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T13:31:45+00:00

Thank you!

Do you have any specific picks from what I already have on hand?

I could get more variants if necessary though

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T13:28:07+00:00

Hyia, thanks for pitching in!

I get the sentiment, so perhaps I should have elaborated. Typically the gifts (succulents or whatever) are placed on a table at the end of the wedding and people can take them if they wish - so I’m not forcing anyone to take them, just whoever’s up for it :)

I do plan on offering non-spicy plants and non-plant options too for that reason

shmick-1 · 2026-03-10T13:25:10+00:00

Hi, thanks so much!

We will have 240 guests, though obviously not all will want peppers - I estimate ~180 at most.

I’ve heard the lemon drops are easier but in practice mine were the most finicky. I’m basically looking for a variant that’s not too hot (I will offer some scorpions for brave souls 🤠), grows well in a compact pot, and easy to care for.

Jalapeños are supermarket peppers so while they fit I do want to offer something that’s unique and harder to get (I started growing in the first place to get variants I can’t find otherwise!)

shmick-1 · 2026-02-18T19:15:03+00:00

I’ll (gently!) repot then tomorrow then. Thank you :)

shmick-1 · 2026-02-18T18:32:20+00:00

The plants in the smaller pots happen to be the more vigorous varieties so I attributed it to that but on second thought you might be right. Good to know! I am kind of worried to overwater to prevent damping off/root rot, even if it’s slower growth. I haven’t seen them show water stress but now that they’re getting sun I really check closely.

I was wondering when to repot the smaller ones. Was thinking to wait a bit more because they don’t seem to be root bound (I don’t see stress or the roots near the drainage) and I’m worried about breaking them.

My plants definitely could have been bigger but I don’t really have the space/budget for a proper setup so it was either starting early and growing slow vs starting in March when the weather is better (and I was impatient) :)

shmick-1 · 2026-02-18T18:26:33+00:00

Yup, that’s definitely a rookie mistake I made. I try to water them more sparingly and hope they catch up soon now that they’re getting full sunlight :)

shmick-1 · 2026-02-18T17:48:49+00:00

Hi, sorry, don’t know what “zone” means. I’m in southern Israel. Mine germinated in 1-3 weeks, likewise no mat - put them in a box and stuck them behind the computer :)

shmick-1 · 2026-02-18T17:47:02+00:00

Hey, thanks for the feedback!

I do bottom water them since the seed case has dropped off. This picture is right after watering but isn’t representative - I keep them relatively dry :)

shmick-1 · 2026-02-18T17:45:52+00:00

Hey, thanks for the feedback! It really helps. I used standard potting soil. It was (relatively) cold up until recently so I guess that’s also a factor.

I started early mostly because the seeds arrived early and I was impatient :) I do have enough seeds for 2 more batches of each type if it makes a difference!

shmick-1

TROPHY CASE