Economy and hobby gardening in apartment.

Time to start to think again and make some reflections on the economical figures of this plant growing hobby.

Book bought about chile peppers = 250 kr
Seed storage box = 200 kr
Lamp with ballast and bulbs = 700 + 200 = 900 kr
Seedling trays = 50 kr
Soil totally during one year = 60 + 80 + 80 + 100 = 320 kr
Bought plants = 3*100 kr
Sold plants totally = -1200 kr
Bought seeds = 400 kr
Fertilizer = 300 kr
Electric bills based on 15 hours/day with 72 W bulbs = 600 kr / year
Vermiculite and Perlite = 250 kr
Pots of different sizes = 300 kr
Sold fruits = -100 kr

Some of the figures like the electric bill have been exaggerated. I sure dont have the plant lamp on 15 hours/day whole year. But I am more out after a maximal cost for myself.

Down with maximal for 2010  = -2570 kr = -270 euros = -369 $.

I need to compensate the loss with not too much effort put into it. Only way is to sell plants or making sauces and selling them on a hobby basis?

Have bought seeds for next years chile pepper projects. Inclusive real bonsai projects.
Going organically when it comes to fertilizers. Have not found a reliable and suitable organic fertilizer when it comes to the P/K fertilizing. Good P/K fertilizer is essential in some cases when it comes to fruiting development. When it comes to Nitrogene it is easy. Diluted pee is the way to go economically. Notice, have yet not tried it indoors. With full potential that is. Need to try it in one pot for a specific time to evaluate eventual odour problems.

Next years economical figures:

Soil = 350 kr
Vermiculite and Perlite = 200 kr
Pots = 100 kr
Light bulbs = 200 kr
Electric bill (already taken care of, paid in advance) = 0 kr
Might need to buy another lamp, putting 200 kr at a side for it until lamp breaks = 200

Year 2011 = -1050 kr = 150 $ = 111 euros.
 
All this have to be in relation to the fact that I have actually also gained fruits with some economical value. The value of the fruits are itself a variable. And also the joy of learning something knew. Be it volountarily or involountarily. I have not given either of these factors any acknowledgement. This due to the fact that I am balancing it toward the time consumption ( which to be honest is very little).


Any comments, feel free to make an input. I made the calculations to point out that growing plants indoors as a hobby is a very cheap hobby indeed. Compared to many others like fishing etc. The other advantage is that you have your hobby in your room. You dont need to travel somewhere else. Another reason is why I post this input is that I have been asked this before but in real. Happy reading .

Seed storage..

Computerproblem..

I messed a little bit with the HTML code of this web page. My conclusions are that I messed a bit too much and that I am therefor not able to post any pictures on the page. Naturally, I could easily just change it back to the more standard versions. But I am not like that and I need to understand how the HTML code works so I can have the same layout and be able to put in pictures. I guess you could call me stubborn?

A reminder of UN Declaration Rights..

I realize that this has nothing to do with peppers. But our feet stand on a planet that does not always focus on peppers. And as such we need to make some reflections with our eyes open. A small reminder for us humans about the importance of UN human right declaration. Be it if you are a from Gabon, Peru, USA, Spain, Japan or Indonesia. I think there should exist a compulsory test to see the knowledge we have of the human rights as according to the UN. In fact, we should maybe have it as a compulsory citizen test periodically. So we can develop peaceful ideas into people. For the ideas and thoughts are there. It is the reminding process that has been forgotten. We need to accept that we have a short term memory and long term memory. If not for us and our immediate attention, for our children and their future. This is just a small reflection. From a simple modest man with a simple dream about acceptance.













Sometimes, like the leaves of this Piementa De Neyde, even the same twig can have a variation of leaf colors. That is just fine and we need to accept that.

I proposed marriage to my Jolokias and broke monogamy rules without remorse.

My chocolate Jolokia is flowering a lot.




























Death in the shadows. The chocolate Jolokia ( Capsicum Chinense ) really taste wonderful. But it is not as aromatic as for example the scotch Bonnet ( Capsicum Chinense ) varieties. The difference in comparison to the chocolate scotch Bonnet is that the Chocolate Jolokia has a deeper impact with its heat. Whilst the Chocolate Scotch Bonnet is more like a shallow aromatic impact. Both are doing their jobs though. Highly stimulating the endorphine production and the taste buds.









A single chocolate Jolokia Flower.










Here is a single B. Jolokia flower. I post it up so you guys can compare it to the Chocolate Jolokia. For those of you are real geeky ( = me ).












Here are a pair of B. Jolokia flowers. The B. Jolokia can have everything from 4 to 6 flower petals. I like this picture a lot. Click on the pictures to enlarge.


















My B. Jolokia is still producing some pods. But they have become smaller and smaller. Not that I need more chile pepper fruits to be honest.










My cut down B. Jolokia. I will definately keep the B. Jolokia and Chocolate Jolokia. The Chocolate Scotch Bonnet is also a keeper in my book. I guess this is my first marriage. My past knowledge reminds me that science has divided nature into five kingdoms. Funghi, Plants, Animals, Protista and Monera. In my case I can state that I did not completely succeed with the marriage considering it was not even within the same kingdom.





My honorable readers might also have noticed that my Camera technique seem to have been improved lately. The fact is that I still have the same limited capacity of my ancient Digital Camera. What I have done is that I have enhanced its abilities with something called photoshop. Wonders of the world. Time to hit bed again and wait out the fever.

The purple Piementa De Neyde + the weirdest ( mushroom I saw for four weeks ago)

My Piementa De Neyde ( Capsicum Chinense x Capsicum Annuum) looks more purplish then black. The taste was not documented before. Other pepper growers have found this variety to be yuck in taste. I think it is easy to make the misstake to dislike the taste of this variety if not harvested during the right time. I know that I harvested way too early and pod was a bit bitter. Something I do not value highly.





Typical flower of the Pimenta De Neyde. The colour of the flowers can vary slightly.













The stem lignifies over time. Changing colour from black to white. Pattern can be quite beautiful because of that. I am pretty sure it does not show that good on this picture though.











I have no idea what the hell this is. But it is a photo taken for three or four weeks ago when I was in the forrest picking mushrooms with the neighbours Daughter. The red dots were fluidy. The white thing was a bit spongy like a mushroom. I assumed it was a kind of mushroom back then. Maybe some of the reader have seen something similiar and can explain what this is? I welcome any good suggestion.




Time to hit bed and wait out this fever. I do it with the taste of some chocolate Jolokia and garlic in my mouth.

Ghost Rocoto and the Chocolate Jolokia Pod transition phase.

Having a bit of fever and being ill in real. I realized that not all of the plants have received grandpas attention. Allow me to present to you a variety I am not particularly fond of. The reason of that is that I think it sucks taste wise. That said, I should inform the readers that this Rocoto is a popular variety. I call this one for Ghost Rocoto. It was supposed to be Rocoto Orange ( Capsicum Pubescens) . But looks more like a Rocoto Canario ( Capsicum Pubescens). The only thing I know for sure is that my taste buds do not approve of this variety.


The Chocolate Jolokia ( Capsicum Chinense)
A mutant variety of the B. Jolokia. Very good taste 9 out of 10 for sure. Heat strength? Well, it is HOT ! The pod of this variety is helping me to kill whatever is in my mouth disturbing my economy, sleep and income possibilities.











Unmature Pod of Chocolate Jolokia ( Capsicum Chinense)












The transition phase of a pod from unmature to mature state . Variety = Chocolate Jolokia ( Capsicum Chinense). It seems as the time of the transition phase might also be depended on the size of the container ( except, warmth sunlight or light etc). But it could be my imagination. I have not documented it.







Fully mature Chocolate Jolokia Pod.












Transition phase of a pod of the 7 Pot ( Capsicum Chinense) species. It shows the letter C on the pod. As in Capsicum Chinense ! Thanks mr. Pod. I was unsure of what species your were.

My room, some pods and a possible Bonsai project..

My room as it was a couple of days ago. I have two pretty big plants left whom I am not too sure of how to overwinter.











One of them is the plant with the dark leaves. My Pimenta De Neyde. It has not produced much fruits for me. I tasted one for a week ago.













A pod of the Pimenta De Neyde. I thought one month was good enough time for maturity. I was wrong. The fruit color did not help much either since the color remain the same all the time.

The pod does not mature as fast as they did back in June and July. I am waiting for them to feel soft to the touch before harvesting.

















This pod is from the variety 7 pot ( Capsicum Chinense)

It is considered to be top four regarding hot peppers.
I call this specific pod for the "Van Gogh" Pod...
I just realize that might be enough symptom to lock someone into some kind of institution?












Pod was hot....real hot. I love it. When it comes to the heat of the 7 pot I can not say it is stronger then the B. Jolokia or Naga Morich. I do know one thing. The pods from the same plant have bigger variation in heat then by comparing the pods to the variety of Naga Morich or B. Jolokia. Basically what it tells me is that the heat stability of a plant is something that tend to fluctuate.

I can not say this often enough though. The strongest peppers are the ones which are tastiest. It does not mean one have to be masochistical and force oneself a whole pod. But taking a bit of it is enough for a good culinary experience. If the good taste experience will not occurr. Well, then it will be one hot culinary experience.



This B. Jolokia ( Capsicum Chinense) will be turned into a bonsai this year. Or as uncle Jukka Kilppinen would call it, Bonchi.

I have cut it down during different stages. And still waiting for a protest from the plant. There has yet not been such a warning and as such the plant will get some more hair cut in the future. Just to increase the aesthetical qualities of the plant. All this to please us human beings.

The Heritage Of Herminya, year 1987....

In the year 1987, I had not developed my first pubic hair and I looked like this.




In the year 1987 I doubt that the legendary chile pepper grower Mats Pettersson had graduated from the university.

Yet, some interesting events occured during that period.

My neighbour, whom I call "general Soto", moved to Sweden 1984.

( General Soto himself, enjoying a dinner)

With him he had his daughters and wife. Seeking a better life in the colder regions of this world.
I guess he got tired of getting tortured and needed to make some distance from past events and regime. Considering a disturbing political climate nationwise and internationally it is good to remind people of the reason why some people actually move from their native countries.

Enough politics.

When he moved to Sweden he realized that the swedes were not actually using the spices he was so accustomed to in Chile. But that did not disturb him so much. Not as it would do to a lady friend of him who was going to visit him.

The name of the Lady was Herminya. And the year was 1987. Herminya brought with her 20 Ristras of a pepper sort called "Aji". As a somewhat rather knowledgeable pepper grower, we do know that there exist quite a lot of "Aji" pepper varieties. So this is as close as it gets when it comes to identifying the variety.

Unfortunately, It came to be that this Herminya died 1994 in cancer. My neighbour, who is a very warm-hearted fellow, decided to keep a part of a ristra as a memory of her. Why he had actually left one ristra even 7 years after he had obtained the ristras I do not understand.

But 23 years later. In the year 2010, the year which I started to grow peppers seriously. It became so that my neighbour entrusted me part of this ristra.


He told me " This is my memory of Herminya. When someone brings me something. I usually keep it as a memory of that person. Especially if that person perishes. It would be interesting to see if you could actually get something growing out of this."








I thanked my neighbour for the trust. And initiated a sowing seed ritual of wich I had grown somewhat familiar to. This time, a feeling of awe was blended with curiousity. Seeds from a 23 year old pod. The Pod had been transferred over the Andes, the Atlantic Ocean and probably part of Europe. I myself was transported in the year 1984 from the middle east. Over the mediterranean to Sweden. Some weird circumstances has led one of the pods of this Ristra to get into a blind date with someone as me.

In a way it is a strange and beautiful world. In the year 1987 I had not developed my first pubic hair, nor do I think anyone could expect me be the one who carried some form of a legacy of the lady Herminya to the world. At least I did not. This "Aji" pod have had one interesting and long journey. Let us see if there is still some DNA willing to give a living legacy to this lady Herminya. I am sowing some seeds of this "Aji". In memory of my neighbours "amigo". This I do with hope and respect.