Other diary years to look at:

These are the newer typeslisted below for this year, a few others have also been grown to sell the plants at Farmers Markets, which are also shown below in the diary.

Anaheim: Good size bush with fairly large fruit is 8 - 10 cm long. This is a great chilli to cook with, also known as California Chili and Chili Verde. With its modest heat level it is widely used for all purposes. May be used green or red, slightly hotter when red.
Hot Paper Lantern: Heavy yielding with wrinkled, lantern-shaped fruit , ripens earlier than other habanero's. Fruits light green to orange to deep red.
Hot Banana: Traditional fairly thick fleshed Hungarian variety that matures yellow to red, 15 cm fruits, produces long sweet chillies that are pleasantly succulent when harvested at pale yellow
Naga Jolokia:Though to originate in northeastern India, when ripe Nagas measure 60mm to 85mm long and 25mm to 30mm wide with an orange or red color. Similar in appearance to the Habanero pepper, but have a rougher, dented skin.
Nu Mex Twilight: Tiny sunset-coloured fruit, starting purple, ripening to yellow, orange and then red.
Rocoto Yellow: All of the Rocotos have blue flowers and produce black seeds. ability to survive more cold than others and resemble miniature bell peppers, this is the yellow fleshed version.
Santa Fe Grande: st. The conical, blunt fruits ripen from greenish-yellow, to orange-yellow to red. The peppers grow upright on 1 metre plants. Santa Fe Grande's have a slightly sweet taste and are fairly mild in pungency.
Serrano Del Sol: Fairly hot 7-8cm long by 2cm wide, matures from green to red, produced on small bushy plants with unusual hairy leaves. Fruits are chopped and used in Salsa
Super Chilli: Masses of upright 6 x 1cm hot green/orange/red fruits. Use fresh, dry or pickled.
Thai Mound: Small bullets, 7-8mm x 1.5cm on low bushy plants. Good for windowsills. Hot deep red fruits.
Zimbabwe Bird: Heavy yields of very hot bullet like fruit. Low growing plants. Fruit mature to deep red.

March 1: Awaiting for some decent weather and to get the electric down to the greenhouse again to plug in the propagators
March 12: Planted about 180 seeds (Trays: 10x6 cells : 3x6 cm deep) in small heated propagators in an unheated greenhouse, taking a risk this year but at least they will get good all around light all day instead of directional on a windowsill, if they germinate!
March 27: Two weeks later, good germination rates off most, the only one not showing as yet is the Nu Mex Twilight. Started another 120 off for the Markets.
March 31: Nu Mex Twilight now germinating, so even with the colder nights we have had a really good germination this year just from bottom heated propagators in a cold greenhouse, now with good light for them I'm hoping for some thicker stronger plants, and not leggy ones trying to grow toward the window light.

April 24: Plants all transplanted into 6cm square pots and most have true leaves on, weather still not too good as there were 2 frosts this week, although daytime temperatures are rising on sunny days, have to be careful not to lose any by drying out in the sun, before they freeze again at night.

May10 : Although on good days now the temperature is rising to 100F in the greenhouse these days are still a scarcity. Watering once a day to keep constantly damp.
Some will now be sold in the next few weeks, while others will find their permanent position either a 20-30cm pot or straight into the ground in the greenhouse.

June15 : Karneval Yellow has now a good crop of ripening chillis, been trimmed up a bit top dressed and a tomato food watering, this over wintered plant is about 3 months ahead of a new grown seedlings, so is well worth trying to keep a few plants going over winter.
June25 : Most of the plants now have small flower buds appearing. The Super Chilli which we grow each year for its huge crop for the freezer has a few small chillis developing.

June30 : Above, is the Rocoto Yellow from the pubescens species which means hairy as can be seen.
Right, the only Naga which came up from 10 seeds is a bit behind for a chinense to get a ripe crop from, perhaps I will try and keep over winter for an early start.
Right, the Santa Fe Grande had the dreaded leaf curl 2 weeks ago with a few aphids around the tip, so I just nipped the whole top off and it's now recovered into a healthy little bush.

July30 : The Naga has flowered so we will wait and see. The Rocoto Yellow is still growing upwards like mad with an odd flower on, and will fall over unless staked up, a lot of stalk with not much else. Small chillis now appearing on the Hot Paper Lantern, all the Thai style ones are covered in flowers and small fruits. Super Chilli now beginning to be full of chillis and time to try an Anaheim I think. Lemon Drop is in a pot, and now beginning to flower.

Salsa