predatory ladybirds

picked up a dozen ladybirds last week, enclosed them in a jar and fed them with a generous aphid diet (predatory beast munching a green aphid in pic!). the ladybirds have been mating, laying eggs and the first larvae have started crawling in the jar. now that a 2nd generation is secured, i have released the parent ladybirds amongst the pepper plants, see if they like their new habitat and settle...

mini harvest

collected some stuff for dinner, a tomatillo and a couple of (seemingly orange) pusa jwalas for a green thai curry.

lleida tomato

the first lleida tomato has sprung to life!

hang jiao & pusa jwala (II)

the hang jiao is the first chilli to ripen in the 2007 season (was reported to have been pollinated in may 9th). the pepper has matured in about 140 days after germination, about 60 after being repotted, which is by all means rather fast! the pusa jwala, pollinated about the same time, is also about to mature.

brazilian pimentas

brazilian week, the espora de galo ("rooster spur") has flowered and the olho de peixe ("fish eye") has started developing tiny pods.

pimentón de la vera

late arrivals in the growing season, the varieties used in the pimentón de la vera. here's an excerpt from the Official Journal of the European Union:
"Paprika with the Protected Designation of Origin ‘Pimentón de la Vera’ means the product from grinding the totally red fruits of the Jaranda, Jariza and Jeromín varieties of the ‘Ocales’ group, and the Bola variety, of the botanical species Capsicum annum L. and Capsicum longum L. collected when they are ripe, healthy and clean and have the colour typical of the variety, free of pests or disease, dried using oak and/or holm oak wood in the traditional fashion of the Vera, and which comes from the designated area of production."

first rocoto

first pod from an overwintered rocoto (did not produce in 2006). grown from seeds from fresh pods collected during a trip to santiago.

aphids

aphids have been developing a civilisation and colonising different plants. been fighting them with rotenone, neem oil and potassium soap. time for chemical weapons of mass destruction...

last repotting

season is over, as far as repotting is concerned! all peppers and tomatoes have been moved into their final containers (a couple of lleida tomato bushes shown).
one knows one's capsicum mental condition is serious when one grows more capsicum varieties than one's country botanic garden does. visited madrid's royal BG yesterday, they have about 8 or 9 spanish varieties in the horticulture section. need to go back later in the year when they have grown.

seven pod

pepper garden brought about a nice surprise today, a fearsome 7 pod flower! the trinidadian urban legend is that only one 7 pod (pot!) is needed to cook seven pots of stew...