I can see clearly now the rain has gone...

Gale force winds all night and today, but blue skies and its warm. Not for long, but I'll take this weather with grateful hands! The plants are all getting good sun, but sheltered from these crazy winds.

Had quite a few people thru today and my collection of plants is somewhat smaller... 

  

After having to run like mad every time a storm hit, my task will be much easier now!

Got to meet some really great people and got some unexpected gifts as well.

Tony and Jan from AntJan Sauces gave me some Strawbz dessert sauce and Yikes Hot sauce.

 I tried the Yikes just after they left, and have fallen in love. Check the Sauces category on www.thehotpepper.com for a review.

 Dave (Sci) also gave me some of his homemade sauce which was very tasty with a nice Hab burn also. My first thought was a glaze for roast pork... Neil from THSC tried it and strongly suggested producing it commercially. Its good!

He also gave me a bottle of some homemade Bourbon (which Im enjoying with some Soda as I type). Nice way to finish a really cool day.

So to all I met today and got to have a chat with and swap ideas...

CHEERS!

Gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiney day

Now its raining in my heart....

Nuts. Nuts to this f***ing weather.

We've had nearly 3 days of rain, and as I type, its belting down. 

Last night the rain came down harder than Ive heard it in years, the winds were almost knocking the windows in... these are photos taken this morning (not by me) at Rocklea - 10 mins from here;

I knew what we were in for and brought my plants in last night, flooded in the morning, and put them outside once the water subsided. Cleaned all the debris that washed in under the back fence from the culvert behind and then the winds came back... brought all the plants in again...one gust was so strong it knocked the lid off a kettle BBQ! Scared the shit out of me too...then the driving rain with everything bobbing around on around 80-100mm water.

Water subsided and the conditions have eased, so the plants out once again and I just can't be arsed cleaning up the crap. Again. 

 I've got three plants to send to Mel from the hot pepper forum, started to worry about the lack of light over the last few days and then I noticed some Yellow Bhut and Big Reds that have germinated and are looking leggy...

So, next to the one fluoro in the house. Up on top of the cupboard. Everyone seems happy with the arrangement! haha

Rain, it's on my mind, everyone's first topic of conversation and it seems that for 6 weeks, every time I look out the window......gloom.

 I don't consider myself a whinging Pom, but I could have this weather in my beloved Newcastle (UK) and at least get to see NUFC play every other week!

  

 Where is the love?

From little things, big buggers grow...

Another few varieties planted out today;

 Cili Goronong

 Yellow Bhut 

Yellow 7Pots

7Pot Jonah

I also planted out the last of the Red Habs and 'Big Reds' that I got from Moshman on thehotpepper.com

Im keeping a close eye on the 'Reds, as they are aggressive growers and whilst still plenty hot, they sound like they get big enough to stuff! And I gots me a recipe in mind... ;)

Weathers good - up to around 27/28C and so far no rain for 2 days. Strange but true. Supposed to be storms late afternoon, but nothing yet. Shitty weather is forecast for the rest of the week tho'.....

Peri Peri are still going beserk, and most varieties have their standout plant. Douglahs are the slowest of the lot tho'. They were amongst the first to germinate too!

Here's one of the Scorps;

And a cracker Chocolate Hab;

Gave all the plants a 'medium feed' on Monday (1 1/2 tsp per litre) of the Growth Technologies product I mentioned last update, and quite a few plants have really taken off. Whether its the good conditions, the product or both, I don't know.

What I have noticed is that the amount of plants on their second and third true-leaf  has better than tripled over the past three days.

Once the roots of the plants are heading out of the peat pots, they are into shit potting mix, so having the product in the mix will help. Good re Nitrogen, but lower on Potassium and Phosphorous.

Onwards and upwards.

From Little Things Big Things Grow - Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody

The Story of a Soldier

Continuing on with the post titles coming from songs/lyrics, it had to be the one from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly......

 The Good: Everything is moving along nicely.

  

 The Bad: This humid gloomy weather that is plaguing us....I was almost nervous when the sun appeared today. "What is that?" 

The Ugly: The BOM released their Qld Seasonal Outlook 2010/11 today. Some pundits are suggesting that is a similar situation that occurred around the 1974 Brisbane floods (where parts of the city were under 2m+ water). But, as I live on higher ground, and this is a chilli-related blog... I can be selfish...

 Two seasons ago I grew (with a great degree of difficulty) my first ever 'superhots', the Bhut Jolokia. We had a reasonable storm season, but nothing that harmed the chillis. Til' the day I was working out past Goondiwindi in Western Qld, and in the afternoon, whilst on the laptop, saw on the BOM radar these ugly storms destined for Brisbane....carrying hail.

  

 I rang my wife and suggested she might be able to form some kind of temporary shelter and she baulked. I secretly hoped she'd be happy to stand there with a solid barrier to protect the plants, but I didn't dare ask.

 Returned two days later to find every pod obliterated, every leaf was now mulch and the stems were scarred.

 They all died within around 3 weeks, never producing another leaf or a pod. 

So.

  

I was recommended a product made by Growth Technologies in Western Australia by a Sandgroper from the hotpepper.com forum, and looked into it today. I spoke with their chemist, Carl, who provided me with not only the tech advice, but some general chilli advice that has completely turned about my train of thought.

I'm going to use their 'Herb Focus' 1lt (which can be bought from Bunnings in the liquid fert section) whilst they are seedlings and in pots, and then their 'Chilli Focus' 20lt

Given that I'll keep 2 of most varieties, I may as well experiment?

I was looking at huge pots, soil, and a heavy, cumbersome system, with some plants in earth at my brothers, and my ex-wife's (bless her)...yet I should be able to get a good result from a sort of outdoor hydro set-up that will allow me to have complete control over their well-being.

And eliminate storm damage.

So I'm going to experiment with a few varietals  - one in soil, one in a coconut peat mix with the Growth Tech products. If, one way or another I lose a few pods? Hell, I was never going to be able to store all the pods anyway. Its experimentation time, which makes it more fun!

Well this has been a waffle. 

 Potted a fair few new varieties today. My older 7Pot Yellows , came up finally (obviously too deep in the Jiffys) and most of the newer ones are up too. Put down some Red Habs and 'Big Red' that I think are on steroids. 100% with both. I want these varieties as good bases for sauces.

Got a couple of 7Pot 'Jonah' too. Few bits and pieces to come up, no White Habs (not fussed) and my Yellow Bhuts from Ajijoe that I will give all the time in the world...

...and these Peri Peri that trounce the competition. Lots of lateral growth and the best stems of all..

The story of a soldier..