• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

randyp 2016 IOWA,,Older and (bud) Wiser grow.

  Hello my friends,I am still in the cold  and slow time of year.I have my first(3) seedlings of the year.The first plant was the "Mystery Wine".A Chis Joyner masterpiece that eluded my garden last year due to my failure to do a good job drying seeds.I got this from a pod the reigning Growdown Champ (terry) sent me.Not many changes this year,And I still need the right hip replaced,I am holding out as long as I can,(7 years till I retire)I will update what's going in the garden when I see them in a pot,I put out a list before that never rang true so we will delay my "Wish List"
   Thanks for stopping by all you old and soon to be friends.My updates will pick up when my weather does,
Good luck to all of you this year.
Randy
 
 
 
To go forward we must look back.
the top is my first grow out of buckets 3 years or so ago,the bottom is the 2015 grow with beds and an automatic water drip system
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this is the new grow room which was raised  to 30 inches.I can get down fine,getting up is a bitch,lol
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installed doors on the seed starting station to help control temps..(my daughters old dollhouse I made her at 5 years old)I used parts lids I got from work.One had a neat drawing from a fellow co-worker must have worked up while not working.I liked it and decided I am an art collector.
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There are 2 types of trays.Jiffy pucks(top) and a 3 mix starter I made.My starter had the first seedlings by the way.
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Joyners "mystery wine"
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LOT-Jalapeno-onion-garlic and carrot ferment started 2 weeks ago.
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A pork butt cooked today to take to the AC/DC concert in Kansas City Sunday.Mini vacation,3 days in BBQ town.
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one more and I'm out.My furniture eating jack russell-shih tzu dog Ryley will also be back to rid my yard of cats.
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stickman said:
 
With the exception of Clear plastic or Infrared Transparent plastic mulches. Both retain moisture and use the sun to warm the soil, but only the IRT mulch also blocks weeds. That's what I use for my in-ground Cucurbits, Chiles and other Nightshades.
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Great explanation Rick.I use a cedar mulch I think dresses up my yard for a little while.It gets tilled in for next year's bed starter at end of the season.
 
stickman said:
 
With the exception of Clear plastic or Infrared Transparent plastic mulches. Both retain moisture and use the sun to warm the soil, but only the IRT mulch also blocks weeds. That's what I use for my in-ground Cucurbits, Chiles and other Nightshades.
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 You nailed it Rick!
 
Here that's not an issue, unless I really want to push things.
 
Ah, you learn something new every day! Thanks guys, I didn't realise mulch cooled as well. I always thought it was mainly for retaining moisture and feeding the soil (depending on what sort of mulch you use), with the addition of sometimes keeping weeds out. 
 
randyp said:
Great explanation Rick.I use a cedar mulch I think dresses up my yard for a little while.It gets tilled in for next year's bed starter at end of the season.
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Randy, do you find that you need to fert your garden with more high-N nutes because you have the cedar mulch tilled into your garden?  I am making an assumption that when the cedar mulch breaks down, it uses up Nitrogen.  I ask here because I used cedar mulch last year.  It worked great.  I loved it.  Then I tilled it in and I thought afterwards that maybe that wasn't the greatest idea, like perhaps I should have just shoveled it out and replaced it this year....  I don't know...  What are your experiences?  Thanks!
 
bpiela said:
 
Randy, do you find that you need to fert your garden with more high-N nutes because you have the cedar mulch tilled into your garden?  I am making an assumption that when the cedar mulch breaks down, it uses up Nitrogen.  I ask here because I used cedar mulch last year.  It worked great.  I loved it.  Then I tilled it in and I thought afterwards that maybe that wasn't the greatest idea, like perhaps I should have just shoveled it out and replaced it this year....  I don't know...  What are your experiences?  Thanks!
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   Ben it's nice to have you visiting virtual Iowa.This is my 3rd year in the beds for peppers.Each year the ceder mulch gets left for the nightcrawlers,I get the same style every year from my local HY VEE store.(no dye)Brother Rick is the man to see about testing your soil.
     I think I am getting enough variety of material in the beds that I even cover the beds with the neighbors leaves in the fall.What does not blow out gets tilled under with the old mulch,5 gallon bucket top soil and other goodies.Don't sweat it Ben it will not be a problem
    
 
    Not hardened very well(10 work days don't allow it)The plant's love me for holding back on the mulch for 3 weeks.
 
 
red peter pepper
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C.Joyners Mystery Wine
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Chocolate Bhut
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Orange Jalapeno
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Jamies Brazilian Starfish
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The 2 inches of rain on tuesday at my work 
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Devv said:
Glad to see they're in the dirt, now I'm waiting for the explosion of growth!
 
Keep it going!
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+1 on #66! That rain'll help with the explosion no doubt. :party:
 
Actually, I don't think that decomposing wood uses up Nitrogen in the soil so much as the soil  microbes that do the decomposing need the Nitrogen to reproduce. When I spread shredded leaves on my garden in the fall, I overspray with a diluted mixture of cheap cola and ammonia. This provides what the microbes need for food, and come spring, the leaves have almost completely broken down. Wood and leaves are both cellulose so it's the same process for both.
 
Devv said:
Now we're talking!
 
Looks great Randy!
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The weather has put a delay on my sun.But watching Texas weather I feel blessed Scott.
 
stickman said:
+1 on #69! Rock n' Roll with those gorgeous plants Randy!
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Thanks Rick,good luck on your plant out buddy.
 
OCD Chilehead said:
Nice looking grow. Very organized. Can't wait to see them fill in . Glad I stopped in.


Chuck
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Chuck thank you for swinging in.Compliments from pros like you are comforting.
 
 
 
Garden needs some sun
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Chris's 4 plants 
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Random pics some with small hail I got in the middle of the night.
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Plants look to be adjusting well. As soon as those roots are stretched, theat foliage will too.

Thanks for the compliment. I'm no pro, I take tips and tricks from the rest of you guys. Most my grow is based on Stickman, Devv, and Pepper Guru's technique's. Of coarse, I tweak things a little. On that note, I might borrow from you next year.

Thanks for sharing

Chuck
 
OCD Chilehead said:
Plants look to be adjusting well. As soon as those roots are stretched, theat foliage will too.

Thanks for the compliment. I'm no pro, I take tips and tricks from the rest of you guys. Most my grow is based on Stickman, Devv, and Pepper Guru's technique's. Of coarse, I tweak things a little. On that note, I might borrow from you next year.

Thanks for sharing

Chuck
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     Thanks Chuck.And any help I can be,I'm here buddy.Happy Memorial Weekend.
 
Looking good Randy!
 
You know, we've been lucky here. No hail, no wind damage (just critters), and we'll never flood being 200' above Devine. The only worry we have as long as it doesn't hail, tornado, or straight line winds, is erosion. I have the place terraced, as we're on a pretty good slope. So far it's hanging in there.
 
Enjoy the long weekend!
 
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