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Ratman667's 2011 Grow log

I will be the first to admit, I didn't have that great of a season last year. I got overly optimistic and crowded my garden with too many plants. I lost over half my plants due to it. Lesson learned and moving forward:

I also didn't build my raised bed very well either. The timbers I used to build it, warped and split over the winter, so I am scrapping the entire thing and starting over.

Since I am limited to the space I can use, the dimension will remain the same, 8'x16'. I will be making the base out of 2”x12” with a 4”x4” post every 8'. Plus another placed 3' from a corner for the gate. I would prefer to use 1”x2” wire, but can only find 2”x4” locally. The top will be surrounded with 2”x4” to help support the wire. The surrounding fence will be 4' high to mostly keep neighborhood kids from accidentally eating the peppers...

I didn't really care for the way the sprinkler hoses I used last year worked, so I will be devising another irrigation method. Again, I will have to comply with local water regulations... Whatever I use will have to pump out enough water in 30 minutes to water the whole garden. I also only have 2 days a week I can water. I am open to suggestions on this... I understand that peppers don't require a lot of water, but the ground dries out fast here.

As for the layout of the plants, I will be making 3 rows of 4 plants. I have decided to only grow peppers this year as I still have several cans of tomatoes put up. Plus, I just don't have the room. I also plan to have another 12 plants in containers.

I have decided to plant 6 or 7 types. So far I have ordered:

1. Thai hot – Local
2. Bhut Jolokia – NMSU
3. Datil – NMSU
4. Aji Lemon – NMSU
5. Red Fatalii – Local
6. 7 Pot “Douglah” - Local

The seeds acquired locally I am pretty certain are true as they were grown separately in mini-greenhouses by a friend of mine. However, only time will tell.

I would really like another super hot, but can't/haven't found anything else that grabs my attention. Open to suggestions (handouts?) on this one as well.

I also need to setup my germination “box” and grow lights. I had to take it down to make room for my new macaw's cage.

I will update more as it happens, but it will be a slow process over the next few weeks. I still have to gather supplies and go scoop up a few hundred pounds of manure. Not to mention all of the labor to get everything ready while trying to juggle working full time and helping a friend get his restaurant ready to open.

Wish me luck guys and gals.
 
maybe you could fill a resevoir in those 30 minutes with enough water to last a few days. Or have you considered micro-irrigation? That would be more discrete than using a sprinkler and could be set on a timer to go off at night when al are asleep.

I hate it when people try to control what I do in my own yard. Is it a HOA that's telling you how long you can water?
 
It is the city that sets the water regulations.

What I don't get, I even if I caught rain water in a drum, the time limit still takes effect. They aren't so much worried about water usage as they are run off polluting the river.

I am thinking that if I use a soaker hose looped around each plant, then place a sprinkler hose between each row, I should be able to get enough water out. Then maybe a sprinkler or two if I need it.
 
I live in Jax too and have the same issue I just keep it discreet and it's in the back yard so no one has said anything yet. Mandarin area
 
I used shrubblers, set for an 8" fan for 5 mins a day this last year, and will again this year. Although I am looking to get 1 or 2, 216gal IBC containers to catch run-off from the roof and use to irrigate with. I'm out at the Beach.
 
Glad to see I'm not the only one from Jax here. I'm out near NAS Mayport.

The only problem with watering "descreetly" is my ass of a neighbor. He is the main reason I used the soaker hoses last year. I had them under the mulch and I could turn them on without hom being able to report it. Only problem with that is, those hoses don't put out enough water to bother with.

I actually had an idea earlier to use a large diameter pvc pipe with a "T" spaced every few feet. I would attach this to a standard garden hose. This would allow the pressure to stay low enough it wouldn't act like a water pick, but allow enough water out to keep the plants happy. I dunno...
 
Too bad you cant run a hose with injection lines into the root bases so no one sees the water. LOL dont know man I still think the rain water idea is good. research the laws on that one man.
 
I actually had an idea earlier to use a large diameter pvc pipe with a "T" spaced every few feet. I would attach this to a standard garden hose. This would allow the pressure to stay low enough it wouldn't act like a water pick, but allow enough water out to keep the plants happy. I dunno...

AJ had a setup with PVC this last season. Here is the thread...
 
AJ had a simpler idea than I did. I think I think this is what I will do. Maybe modify the idea a little to suit my needs.

Now if it dries up some in the next few days, I will be able to gather supplies and get everything started.
 
What about running 1/2" black vinyl tubing with 1/2gph drip emitters at the base of each plant. I doubt that the city would notice any significant increasein water usage. And that neighbor of yours might get an infestation of armadillos. Tell him it's voodoo armadillos coming to get him for not minding his own damn business.
 
Check your local laws, but I know here in Atlanta when there are watering restrictions they dont apply to food,so I can water my garden all day every day! even during droughts.I've often thought of putting peppers in my flower beds to avoid the watering restrictions on my bushes.
 
I got a chance to get started on the bed today. Got the mulch from last year raked up and hauled off along with several miles of dollar weed roots... Made a run to home depot to get everything to build the new bed:

3 - 4"x4"x10'
4 - 2"x10"x8'
6 - 2"x4"x8'
36"x50' roll of wire
4 - 3/4" x 10' pvc
misc pvc fittings
nails
hinges
latch
fencing staples
skill saw blade
15' garden hose
3-way spigot manifold

There are some small things I'm missing. I got home the first time and found that I had gotten the wrong size blade, returned it for the right one, got home and saw it was missing a tooth...

I still have about half the fence to finish, I ran out of daylight today. I'm gonna try to get that done tomorrow and get started on the irrigation system.

Next Wednesday, I'm gonna haul in about a yard of compost manure. Gonna mix that in and keep turning it for a few weeks to get all the roots out.
 
Here are a few pics of what I have done:

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IMG_20110128_163142.jpg


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I barely had time to snap off a few pics before the sun went down.

I also got my germination box set up. I'm letting it run tonight and tomorrow till I get home from work to see how the temps are holding. If everything is OK, I will get my seeds in the dirt. I will be starting 6 seeds of each type. The strongest three of each will make it to the garden/pots.
 
Really nice looking project Ratman,I mean that is a seriously cool garden area! How many plants are you gonna fit in there?
Kevin
 
I will have 12 in the garden and another 6 in pots. I have about another day of construction left, then I can get to the playing in the dirt part. Since the dirt here has a hard streak in it, I want to dig past it so the roots can grow unobstructed.
 
Got the seeds started today.

I am aware I misspelled Fatalii.

IMG_20110131_110106-1.jpg


One more day of work then I get to finish up the fence around the garden.
 
We do have water restrictions here. If you use emmiter spikes or drippers with each plant, you will need to add some moss or peat to your soil mix so the water will be absorbed (spongelike) through the bed. Last year watering everyday with the shrubblers, we still only used 3000 gal a month for the total household.
 
I was in the Atlantic Beach City Hall paying my water bill and asked the ladies the rules for watering. For my address (I know not the same for your address) winter days are only on Sunday. However this is only for sprinklers and in-ground irrigation. You can hand water with a hose any day as much as you want. Very odd.
 
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