Grow Diaries: Jeff's Super-Hots on the Deck in Lexington, Kentucky
Welcome to the first one of these.
I've been wanting to start a grow diary for a while now. Somewhere to show what you're all growing, not just what's happening out here on the farm in Nebraska. You plant the seeds, you do the work, and honestly your grows are the best proof there is that the genetics are good. So this little corner of the site is yours.
First up: Jeff, down in Lexington, Kentucky, running a few super-hot plants on his deck.
Here's the lineup he's growing this season, all from seed:
That's a proper super-hot spread for a deck. In his words: "Peach ghosts, red habaneros, California reaper, chocolate habanero. Lexington, Ky." Short and to the point, which I respect.
Where Jeff's At vs. Where We're At
Kentucky sits a couple of zones warmer than us, roughly zone 6b/7a, so Jeff's clock runs a few weeks ahead of Nebraska. While we're just getting rolling up north, he's already got plants set and working toward pods. That's the thing about these diaries: every grow zone is on its own schedule. There's no behind. A grower down south can have pods hanging while somebody up in zone 4 is still babying seedlings, and both of them are exactly where they should be.
And growing in containers on a deck is a great way to do these. You can move the pots to chase the sun, pull them under cover if a storm rolls through, and keep an eye on them every time you walk past.
A Tip for Everybody at This Stage
If you're like Jeff and your plants are flowering right now, watch for flower drop, meaning flowers that fall off before they ever set a pod. Nine times out of ten that's heat stress or just not enough airflow to move pollen around. Two things that fix it:
- Give the plants a gentle shake every couple of days. That knocks the pollen loose and helps them self-pollinate.
- Water early in the day, not in the evening heat.
Works for me every season.
The Long Game
For anyone newer to this: super-hots are a patience crop. From the day you put a plant in a pot or the ground, you're looking at roughly 90 to 160 days before the first ripe pods, depending on variety. The hottest of the bunch sit at the slow end of that. So if Jeff's pods are still green, that's normal. Green now, color later. Don't rush it.
Your Turn
This series only works if you send me your grows. It doesn't matter what stage you're at: seedling under a light, first flowers, or pods already hanging. A few pots on a deck count just as much as a backyard full of plants. Reply to any of my emails with a pic, or tag us on Instagram. I read every single one, and the best ones end up right here.
Grab seeds for next season while you're thinking about it. Everything's grown in isolated tents here in Polk, Nebraska, so the genetics come true.
Happy growing.