1st set of true leaves

Well here is a Saturday Nov 30 update. The plants are receiving 16 1/2 hours of "daylight", which is down from 18 on the Cayenne's. Reasoning: Other things (herbs) in the garden grew TOO FAST and I couldn't use them all. Speaking of, Rosemary has re-joined the collective (thanks Shaun).

OK, so the cotyledon leaves have given way now to the emerging first set of true leaves. These should get quite big over the coming weeks, and really increase the amount of photosynthesis the young plants are able to accomplish. I remember how it seemed to take a while for that first set of real leaves to come out on the Cayenne's, too, but then I remind myself how the plant is doing significant root growth (especially after transplanting) and the growth will become exponential soon! I'm watering lightly twice per day. I am very pleased with the temperatures in our new garage, as even when it's 0F outside, it still stays about 70F under the grow lights. I think that'll work out just fine.

Also of note, the TOMATOES were planted in the greenhouse last Wednesday evening (Nov 27), and hopefully we'll see some sprouts within 3-5 days.

Potting #1

Well here they are in their interim homes. I have opted to pot twice with these plants, rather than immediately going into the big pot (like what I did with the Cayennes). The hope is that it will be easier to control soil moisture and reduce the chance for Bacterial disease to become established.

They look so small! :)

10 days old

...and 100% germination! A few more days and it will be potting time!

Dixon Microfarms, v2.0

Alright, time to get serious here. The Jalapeños have sprouted, which meant I needed to get the grow set-up in some kind of working shape. I had mounted the light a few days ago, but had some power source issues. Now that that is rectified, it was time to get these newbie plants under the light and get the photosynthesis rolling! Interestingly, the strongest plant that sprouted and was significantly taller than the others had totally stalled and within 24 hours had begun to turn an even more pale green color. After 3 hours under the light, it was already turning a nice green again. What this tells me is the stored energy in the seed really is just BARELY enough to get that bad boy up above the soil. Anyway, phew!

I should explain why I am NOT growing Cayenne's again, since it was SUCH a wild success. As you may recall from the start of last growing season, this whole thing is a big experiment. Growing quasi-tropical plants in the dead of winter in Alaska is a deliciously antithetical thought. The Cayenne's were a starting point...and now I have a year-long (or more) supply of crushed red pepper flakes in my cupboard. In reality, they are TOO spicy for most things. I am intrigued by the different types of heat that peppers can display. The cayenne's are the quintessential thin-walled hot pepper, and the heat they bring when you eat one plain starts slow and dry, and builds like a gigantic destructive freight train until you're lying on the floor crying in the fetal position. Seriously, those "Ring of Fire" Cayennes were blazing hot (just ask my daughter, friends, and other co-workers). And now that that experience has been a success, it would not be as exciting to grow them again right away. Why Jalapeño's? I dunno. I like them on sandwhiches, and they seem like they may potentially be more broadly enjoyable than the extreme heat of the Cayennes. I'd also like to do a little comparison to see if these things get the same bacterial leaf spot disease as the Cayennes (I'm cleaning all garden implements with bleach to ensure no bacteria make it into the Jalapeño soil).

So, last wednesday (1 week ago,Nov 13) I planted the seeds in the green house and germinated on top of the hot water heater in the garage. It is now wednesday Nov 20, and the picture below represents the 1 week point for the newest young pepper plants in Alaska (ok, well, probably).

As soon as I get the peppers out of the greenhouse and potted, I plan to grow some bush-variety Tomato plants this time, as well. So...look forward to that! Even though I do not like Tomatoes, everyone else in the house loves them, so that will be rewarding to see them love on some FRESH produce (assuming they grow). I will be getting the Rosemary plant back from Shaun that he's been taking care of most recently in our round-robin of moving and unpacking. Kendra has requested Cilantro and Basil again, so I will oblige.

So to recap, I anticipate that in a month the garden will feature:
2 X Jalapeño Plants
2 X Tomato Plants
1 X Rosemary
1 X Cilantro
1 X Basil

OK, without further ado, here is a picture of the growing space....

And here are the brand new Jalapeño plants!

Germination

Well, the Jalapeño seeds were planted last Wednesday, November 13, and sprouted yesterday (Monday November 18) which was Day 5. Faster than the cayenne's I think. Shaun has once again decided to join me on this journey, so I think we will each choose 2 of these 6 plants in a few days, and then I will plant the TOMATO seeds!!!!!

Jalapeño

New house. New plants. NO RULES!