Growing hot peppers

[hellhound]

I put Miracle Grow soil mix into a pot.. maybe 12 inches tall and 10 inches wide.. had 4 or 5 Habanero peppers and 2 Jalepeno peppers that I cut open, planted the seeds, and added water....
after 2 weeks of chilly and wet weather... I now see 1 sprout.. (Its prolly hours old bursting thru soil surface to greet the sun).
Only open to 6ish hours of direct overhead sun due to position of the house I live in.. I do have a Gro-N-Show flouro that I was hoping to only need to use later in the autumn.

Any hot pepper growers w/ tips/help?
Google search had sites that said they prefer a drier soil to a wetter soil... but is that in the fruit bearing stage vs the seed-popping sprouting stage?

Am in Baltimore (mid-east coast USA) and storms that are causing tornados in the midwest have been dumping alotta cloudy/rainy weather in my area of late.

Moving indoors, under flouros, adds more direct light.. but even if wet cloudy day.. the spectrum of the sun, even if indirect, kills mold/fungi of a wetter growth medium.

I'll admit... I have things that occupy my time... (health, relationships).. where I wont be hovering over the sprouts 24/7.. IMO.. Indoors requires more "hovering" than outdoors.

Luv me spices... If some way to patent my "Hot Burgers" (spices added to ground beef then grilled).. I'd be rich (along w/ my steak-burger recipe).... welll maybe peeps have close recipes.... but mine are damn good... some peeps can make lasagna, or ribs, or pulled-pork BBQ... My niche is spiced burgers over a charcoal grill

[hellhound]

arrgggh.. had way too many sprouts in the 10 gallon starter planter... and, I think, when I added water, that alot of the seeds kinda "pooled" into one spot. Tried to separate and transplant some of the sprouts to another 3 gal planter. I think I damaged some of them in doing so, but fig I got enuff coming up that losing afew shouldnt be a problem. I also got some Miracle Grow enriched potting soil from neighbor and that got him interested in planting again.. so he went out and got himself a tomato plant and some flowers.. and got me 2 - 8 inch tall "Hottest Habanero Peppers" (as the tag was labelled). Afew of the leaves on them were kinda brown/crispy from what I think might be lack of water... and when broke apart the peatpot "shell" to plant them... saw that root growth was extreme (possibly "root bound"?). I'm guessing he bought them for me cause they were on discount somewhere.
Keeping fingers crossed... my knowledge base/study is almost totally indoor, in-organic, and hydro based.. where climate, light, pests, etc are completely controlled.. delving into unknown territory in outdoor gardening.. but its kinda exciting.

Edit: BTW the person that afew years ago clued me into those Ghost/Dahlia (whatever) peppers.. and offered to mail me some seeds... lemme see how I do with these 1st... I'd luv to try yours tho.. sounds so very interesting

[xibalba]

I would like to grow Naga Viper or Trinidad Scorpion, but I am not a pepper eater I prefer sauces that are rated 1,000,000+. My dad use to grow habaneros. He just planted them, watered them every now and then and would get tons of them. Then would dehydrate them and grind them up and use them in making of beef jerky mostly.

[hellhound]

mmmmm Habanero beef jerky sounds delicious. My bro-in-law's sister lived in Australia and wsas somehow involved w/ an emu farm that made Slim Jim-style emu-sticks.. the tastiest were jalapeno spiced

[xibalba]

Here is a pic of my dehydrated habaneros ground up in a coffee grinder, I had to wear a cartridge respirator when doing this I couldn't breath without it. Since I started without the mask I only got a half a bottle because the burning in my nose and throat lol.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/xibalbathirteen/Picture0012.jpg

[frankiethewaffle]

I don't know about growing things.

I would like to but my land is about 40 feet from a train track. (Not exaggeration) and there was a derailment that spilled tons of diesel into the ground. So between the exhaust in the air and what ever is in the ground, I don't bother.

I would be much happier if the local chain grocery place was easier to shop for fresh stuff, but it sucks too.

So for those people that do grow and dry and make their own stuff? I'd buy it you know. Fresh spices and all? I am in!

[frankiethewaffle]

Oh, and about the hot peppers. I love'em. Here's the thing.

Going in? I can take that and a punch to the face for every pepper I eat. I don't cause it has to come out sometime and.....ouch then!

[hellhound]

I don't know about growing things.

I would like to but my land is about 40 feet from a train track. (Not exaggeration) and there was a derailment that spilled tons of diesel into the ground. So between the exhaust in the air and what ever is in the ground, I don't bother.

I would be much happier if the local chain grocery place was easier to shop for fresh stuff, but it sucks too.

So for those people that do grow and dry and make their own stuff? I'd buy it you know. Fresh spices and all? I am in!

get afew 5-10 gal. buckets of topsoil/potting mix... my "backyard" is a parking lot.

Totally stoked! Habanero pepper "buds" started.... the jalapenos alive but notgrowing much at all after transplant to larger containers. If all goes well inside under flouros when the weather gets cold... wanna try one or 2 of those mini-bonsai fruit trees. peewee peaches would be so kool

[hellhound]

I have oldschool Gro-N-Show fluorescent fixtures (Home Depot - $25) which I bet cost more in electric than the new CFL grow Lights.
found this youtube vid of guy that grows peppers lettuce, radishes, basil and sage under bulbs comparing CFLs..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-6ligbr1yA

WOW! watching the vid gets me turned on to making an herb garden (get your mind outta the gutter :) I have 600W HPS setup for when I wanna cultivate my own medicine). I'm always out of Cilantro, and Oregano etc (I buy crushed red pepper, parsley and garlic in bulk).

I live in Baltimore... last winter we had so much snow in a week.. that it warmed abit and what was already snow turned to ice, then got more snow ontop of that.. I couldnt leave my apt for 5 weeks... so indoors w/ lights is best off-season.

anyone grown under the newer CFL bulbs that can gimme input where maybe the electric cost might be negated by needing a heating pad under seedlings cause of the lessened heat?

I'm hoping that someone in the new-tech savvy Rev3 community has tried out this new breed of bulb and can gimme some input.

[murphy1d]

So I was at Aria in Vegas in May and my "I'll try any hot sauce you have because I'm 6'5" 300lbs and I eat the hottest foods" friend had the "Firecracker Burger" with bhut jolokia pepper inside.

He made it through 3 bites and had to stop. He noted it only hurt when he breathed.

[xibalba]

So I was at Aria in Vegas in May and my "I'll try any hot sauce you have because I'm 6'5" 300lbs and I eat the hottest foods" friend had the "Firecracker Burger" with bhut jolokia pepper inside.

He made it through 3 bites and had to stop. He noted it only hurt when he breathed.

sounds yummy, the bhut is rated 850k to 1.5million+ on the Scoville scale the hot sauce i use sometimes is 1mil+ so i'd try it.. I plan on buying some sauce that's rated 5-6 mil cost so much though.