Hi folks! I have lurked for a quite a while and finally joined. This is a very informative group of folks! I have not seen a specific post or thread on this topic, so I thought I would start a new one. I am developing a hydroponic system for peppers and tomatoes which i intend to use year round inside to complement the outdoor garden. I am looking for pepper (Bell through Anaheim) that are a "dwarf" type or at least shorter and stockier than normal. This is to keep my lighting system in budget. Any help would be appreciated!!!!
Well I grow a lot of chilies these days. So I have got seeds for Explosive Ember right now - Will exchange them for Dwarf Sunflower seeds (the type which don't grow taller the 2 feet, but give a flower of about a foot in diameter). As for the lighting system, when I was trying out Hydroponics, I found out that a combination of low pressure sodium lights, along with metal halide lamps worked best. But the electricity bill was big - However this was before white LEDs came into being. So now, we can build perfect LED arrays to suite just about any kind of lighting condition!
The LED are the future in all lighting I believe. I am using floros for the hydroponic system as of now because I am only growing lettuce and some basil. No need for the red spectrum. You are right about HID type lights...very expensive to buy, run, and cool (for my applications). I am researching LEDs for my venture into flowering veggies.
Well we over here now import ultra cheap LEDs (of every color) from China. I buy them wholesale, one bag has got 1000 LEDs. So all you then need to do is solder then together in order to build an array. Best thing about them is that they have no heat (which is why they are so energy efficient).
I do believe I have found a suitable pepper for indoors and maybe add one to a porch container this spring. The Tepin pepper! Never heard of this little beauty until recently. It will bush out, last for several years, continuously fruit, and add a very nice pepper flavor to about any dish. Still searching for more dwarf types for indoor growing.
Well I will soon have seeds for this type that may suite your task. It is called Holiday Cheers - The plant does not grow teller then 18 inches at the most (usually it is always around a foot or under). The yield of chilies is also very good, and the plant is robust! It is the only chili pepper that is totally round like a ball. However it is not hot but slightly sweet tasting (and is actually full of water)! I'll send you the seeds when the chilies mature on the plant (which should be in a few weeks). I'll exchange them for Dwarf Sunflower seeds if you've got any. Holiday Cheers 1 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
I wish I had some dwarf sunflower seeds!! Those look great. Full of water? Sounds like a tomatillo a bit. I know a guy who makes salsa with tomatillos and it is amazing how many it takes because of the amount of water in them. Thanks for sharing, that is an interesting pepper. :idea:
OK, what other seeds have you got? How about the red, orange, and yellow Bell Peppers? I ask because here in Pakistan, we have only got the green one. OK I've got an even better idea! How about I send you the seeds for this one (when they mature on the plant) - And you grow them in hydroponics, and share the data with me. This why you win on the account of seeds, and I too get some data. Besides, this particular type of chili was is very hard to find over here. So God forbid, if anything ever happens to my crop, then I'll at least know someone else out there - From whom I'll again be able to get the seeds and start over! Getting Dwarf Sunflower seeds for myself is perhaps now just a pipe-dream. Sure, they are being sold on a few places over the Internet - But just click on "add to cart" and "checkout" tab, and you soon discover that they only sell seeds to the continental US and Canada... Besides, nearly all payments on the Internet are either made through PayPal, or some sort of a credit card - Both of which I despise!
