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Growing hot peppers

BigFoot

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Have you checked any growing/gardening maps for your region? They will have recommended planting schedules.

I'm way South of you and I do not move plants outside till the second week of May! There is still a risk of frost up till then and one frost will most likely kill your plant. Not worth the risk.

Do you have seeds yet? If so what are you planning on using to start them?

These work very well!

GardenersEdge.com and the 5262 Seed Starting Kit - YouTube
Yeah, huh? I'll have to check. Certainly dont want to f it up. I'm going to start them similarly to that tray. Maybe ill start them a bit later, ill be able to keep them inside for at minimum a month. So maybe ill germinate in a week or 2. Thx

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itallushrt

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Yeah, huh? I'll have to check. Certainly dont want to f it up. I'm going to start them similarly to that tray. Maybe ill start them a bit later, ill be able to keep them inside for at minimum a month. So maybe ill germinate in a week or 2. Thx

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You should expect to have them inside growing for around 8 weeks, and then at the end of that period there should be no chance of an overnight frost outside.

What kind of artificial light, if any, do you intend to use? If you are using sunlight in a window sill I'd definitely not intend on having your plants inside longer than 8 weeks unless you have a true South facing window you can put them in.

Engage your county extension agency. They are a wealth of information, most of the time free, and sometimes have valuable information available online such as planting schedules, etc.

Lets talk outside now.

First time gardening?
Raised beds?
Have you measured the amount, hours, of full sun your intended spot gets?
Had the soil tested?
If not raised beds how do you plan on breaking the soil? Is grass there now?
Tools - you don't need many, but some make life a million times easier.
Water with water company supply or gather rain?

My advice...start small. You want this to be enjoyable and a large garden can quickly overwhelm a first timer. Remember this is almost a DAILY endeavor if you want optimum results. Going on vacation for a week in July? You'll need someone to water, etc.

I don't want to see you spend money and time and not get the results you are after. This will make you less likely to keep trying. I highly recommend engaging a local resource who knows your area/climate, and I don't mean Joe at Lowes or Home Depot. Call your extension agency this is their job!

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/county/
 
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So what causes buds to form and then just drop? That's what happened to me for 3 months. I had the habanero bud, and drop, bud and drop. Then finally one day, a pepper grew and a bunch of others followed.
 

itallushrt

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So what causes buds to form and then just drop? That's what happened to me for 3 months. I had the habanero bud, and drop, bud and drop. Then finally one day, a pepper grew and a bunch of others followed.
Buds or flowers?

If it is actual started fruits then it could be over watering or cool nights/days. You mentioned prior that you thought you had a high nitrogen content. Did you fertilize the soil ever? If so what with?

I don't recommend using anything more than a 10-10-10 application to soil 3 weeks prior to planting. Then 1.5 months or so into the grow cycle I like to "side dress" with a scoop of 10-10-10.
 

BigFoot

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I will be doing a full till of the area to be used. Then I will be constructing a semi-raised bed with some wood because I need to have the area enclosed due to rabbits and stuff. I'd say the bed will be 6 inches high and then I will fill the bed with some sort of soil mixture. Prob due a mixture of organic soil, manure and maybe some worm casing as well. I may even incorparate some worms as I can use them for fishing too (may keep the worms seperate so they're easier to get). It gets sun all day long, still doing some research as to the best possible scenario for me. I'll be getting some sort of timed water release as I had in my last house.

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Great advice from all the brothers. The only thing I would add is to put your bed on the southern side of your house if possible. This will give you the best amount of sunlight.
I'm assuming your growing season is short in NJ but you can help your plants along with a little cheap florescent light if as italshrt said you don't have a true south facing. Also when you transfer your plants from inside to out take them outside for a few hours then bring them back inside and plant in the morning. This will help them ease into the outdoor environment without shocking the plants and holding them back a lot less when you transplant.
Good luck!
 
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itallushrt

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Wow! When you say hot you mean HOT!! What do you plan to do with so many little little napalm bombs?
Whatever you want!

I grew 14 varieties of hot peppers last. If my count is right it was 51 plants.

If you like spicy, then the sky is the limit. The last few years my favorite, besides stuffed jalapeno poppers, is smoking habaneros on the big green egg, dehydrating and then crushing in either a mortar/pestle or in a coffee grinder. Great way to add some spicy, smoky flavor to about anything.
 

BigFoot

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I got mine going, they sprouted about a week ago. They are growing pretty slow. How big do you let them get before you plant them?
I'll keep switching containers till its time to go out side. Which I'm hoping is by may 15 or so.
 
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