Author | Lightnews

Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 20h

Yes, I know what you mean, but I think it's either the marks of a horny mollusc radula, or shrinkage lines as the wound dries out. The plant is on a high shelf in a brand new glass greenhouse with a latching door.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 20h

I've never seen a young cabbage look so munch free at this time of year. Either you're right, or you're blessed 😊

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 20h

Failed to get my celeriac seeds sown this year, so I picked up a pot in a garden centre. When I got home, I discovered that the princely sum I'd paid had got me a single root, with 3 separate tufts growing out of it. So I split them. They've grown ok, but I've little hope for what's underground.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 20h

Also I've been led to believe that N2 fixing is no bad thing.

Righteous handle, btw! ✊

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 20h

Every time I've done it here, the new seedlings outcompete the old plant by orders of magnitude. But I don't have good indoor space for overwintering, whereas I can easily set up a grow light to kick start a bunch of seedlings

Don't know Cabai but surprised by that - isn't it Malaysian?

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 20h

This noble false widow, Steatoda nobilis, had two distinguishing features:
1: She was the biggest I've seen by a country mile, fast, sure-footed and genuinely impressive.
2: She was outdoors, unlike her many cousins who are gumming up our house with their insanely tough & extensive webs. #ukwildlife

A noble false widow spider, up close, on a bit of old oak flooring that I kept spinning around in order to keep her in the light long enough to get a photo. She really really wanted to be underneath it, so with only one hand (my phone was in the other), I struggled to manipulate the floor board to get her on the top-side long enough for the auto-focus.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 21h

That was ace 😊

Also, you coped way better than I would.

Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 22h

Yeah, it's the maddest thing; I've a couple of small green rocotos that went the same way - maybe still in the fridge waiting till I get a green ferment going - and a couple more jalapenos which I ate.

Ah yes, spot of mould on the damaged bit, but otherwise intact. It's kinda surgical 🤷

A half-grown rocoto pepper, with one side surgically planed off, presumably by a mollusc.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 22h

That's a good approach with these types 🤞 It's one of the few I'd bother overwintering - I got nothing at all from mine last year.

Weirdly, the C. pubescens I had in the greenhouse 2 years ago died spectacularly on the first frost, while nagas etc all survived, so I haven't tried since.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 22h

Many of the predators have slowed up or gone to ground, and the pests are ascendent. This has happened to a few Jalapeños and Rocotos now, and it's got to be slug or a snail. But it's very different to the chomping pattern I normally see.

Anyone else had similar?🌶️🌱

A large, green jalapeño, attacked by some pest or other, presents a smooth, white, uncannily flat face. The effect is as if one side has been planed away.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 23h

Lay off the nitrogen though. Reckon your best bet now would be to wrap them up or move them and see try to get them through the winter for next year. Mine took ages to fill out and ripen, and even with this supposedly cold-tolerant species, growth practically stops below 13°C

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 1d

I had that last year, and this year's was late. They can certainly be a bit particular. I don't know where you are or what your weather's like, but one tip is to not let them get too hot.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 1d

I'm sure you're right 🤞 Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 2d

This is very much in line with my understanding of labradors 😊 I definitely see why you'd be worried - if you ever fancy trying them, there are plenty of super-mild types you could start with.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 2d

And it does!

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 2d

I'm trying to fix the Hot Peppers feed by migrating it to Graze. The entire community there has been really helpful, but there are weird things that come from having emojis as search terms. So I've set up another test. Here's a pic of Capsicum flexuosum to see if the🌱🌶️ gets picked up.

All stages of Capsicum flexuosum, from flower to dropped flower, to ripe and unripe berry.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 2d

I'm quite the wuss myself, and I've no plan currently to change that - I like to make food I can share, and if I get too desensitised I'll end up be eating alone.

That said, I always try at least a sliver of what I grow, but after the 7-Pot experience I find myself procrastinating over Mystery #2

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

True. And while I'm lacking a few of my standard faves, I've got a bunch of random superhots I never expected.

3 mad chillies, sitting in a tree.
You don't know what they're called
And neither do we.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

I called a few more in today. Mostly Jalapenos, Aji Amarillo, Berbere Brown, Green Trinidad, and the still unidentified Mystery #7 & Mystery #2.

Mystery #2 looks like it's AI generated, but it's definitely real. Shiny like burnished bronze, the colours seems to cycle with the angle and the light 🌶️🌱

A trug of chillies - rocoto, aji amarillo, berbere brown, jalapenos, tangerine dream, hungarian black, green trinidad, cherry bomb, and a bunch of mystery peppers, some of which look like an AI-generated alien spawn built of copper and bronze.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

If I had to guess what was going on, I'd say the fleshier chillies needed more sun than they got. All well and good with the April heatwave, but that wasn't when they were ripening. Smaller & thinner-walled peppers were on much better form. A few late habs have missed the ⛵ entirely

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

"But when the second Rocoto arrived, it was as big as an apple!" 🌶️🌱

A large, red, rocoto pepper. The leaves are massive too, so it doesn't look as big as it is. But it IS big.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

Sometimes the colours on this RH Lilac chilli are hard to believe. 🌶️🌱

RH Lilac peppers on a variegated, green, white and purple plant. The peppers in the background appear bright red and dark purple, but the two in the foreground are a blend of oranges and purples, with green stripes.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

Naga Morich and onion. And not much else?

a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee in front of a fire with the words this is fine .

Alt: a cartoon dog is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee in front of a fire with the words this is fine .

media.tenor.com

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

Looks lovely. I find a good, concentrated paste keeps really well and offers a lot of flexibility (also I sometimes freeze small batches), so I'll probably have a go at something similar myself.

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Chilli Chirps @chillichirps.bsky.social · 5d

I can't decide whether to pull my green pods or leave in the hope of a few more ripe ones. Jalapenos are the main issue - they had a slow year, and I had plans for poppers, pickles and chipotles. Picked my red ones today for the smoker, green is good for poppers, so it's pickles I'm gambling on 🤔

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