Garden ? "Teas" instead of store bought fertilizers

[Purseval]

I'm using a tea on my potted plants before I bring them in for the winter and wonder if any of the gardeners out there also do this, and what tea recipes you use.

For those of you who need an explanation: You take a burlap bag, cheesecloth, whatever (in my case we used an old t-shirt with the neck and arms tied off). You then fill the bag with manure, compost, nettles, even tobacco. Then you submerge the bag in a bucket of water for a few days. You then use the "tea" on your plants to revitalize the soil, help make it more disease resistant or, in the case of tobacco, kill insects.

I'm using a manure-based tea on our mandavillias, boogen villias (sp?) and hibiscus but I'm afraid it might be to rich for my tabasco, habanero and ghost chile peppers (bhut jolokia). Anyone have a recipe that would be good for them?

Little disclaimer: hopefully anyone with access to tobacco knows you have to be careful handling the tea.

 

[hipchickie]

My sister uses a straight compost tea on her garden, but I have not tried it yet - I have a full bottle of fish fertilizer to use up first.
I usually only grow jalapenos, do hot peppers not like rich soil? Mine are outside, I never even thought about wintering them...what zone are you? have you ever overwintered hot peppers before?
I love gardening, there is always something new to learn!

 

[Purseval]

I usually only grow jalapenos, do hot peppers not like rich soil? Mine are outside, I never even thought about wintering them...what zone are you? have you ever overwintered hot peppers before?
I love gardening, there is always something new to learn!

No, they don't like rich soil. I am in zone 8 but I have wintered over peppers since I lived in zone 5. My Tabasco plant is 3 years old and my Habanero is 2 years old. This will be the first winter for the Bhut, also first time growing one. The only problem I have ever had is controlling aphids on the habanero once I move it inside. Those little monsters drive me crazy

 

[hipchickie]

That is crazy - do you pinch them back? Even my jalapenos are huge (zone 5B) but I would love to try and pot one and bring it in.
Aphids are little buggers, but give them a little swish in soapy water (plant only, don't get it on the dirt) and that takes care of them.
I used to have 10+ kind of scented geraniums and a ton of other herbs that I brought in for the winter, but I moved a couple years ago and lost all of them.

 

[Purseval]

http://www.hotpepperseeds.com/OverWinteringPeppers.asp

Take note that they don't recommend digging Jalapenos up but if they are going to die anyway may as well give it a try. I grow my peppers in pots from day 1 so all I have to do is move them indoors. We have bay windows on 2 different levels so we just move them near one of them and the house is warm enough to keep them happy all winter long.

Growing peppers in pots also gives you the advantage of bringing them outside much earlier because you can leave them out in the sun then take them back in when it starts to cool down. You don't have to worry about a late frost and you can start a new batch of peppers in September and have them ready to bear fruit by springtime. We are starting new tabascos, habaneros, fish peppers and are hoping to germinate more Bhuts once the peppers we have now turn red.