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Rairdog's glog 2015 First smoke!

I will start of with the starting chamber I made.  It is basically a window box that is inside my deck greenhouse.  I also have aquaponic growbeds in the GH.  The fish tank is in the basement to keep fish through the winter.   I wanted to utilize the sun light and solar heat that the GH generates.  I can typically get a 50 deg increase on p. cloudy days and up to 70 deg increase on sunny days.  It is to cold to grow in for 18 hrs a day without heating.
 
Here is the chamber.  It has dropped to 45 with sub zero temps but usually stays between 55-60 at night and up to 90 on sunny days.

 
This makes it very easy to pull the plants out for some play time when GH is warm.

 
Here are the peppers.  They get morning and afternoon light from the T8 and sun the rest of the day for a total of 16 hrs. 
 
All plants were started in Optisorb DE.  I have very lightly fertilized with buffalo loam, maxicrop with iron, compost tea and shultz'.
 
View from inside the house.

 
Here is the heat mat for germinating and keeping the peppers warm since the chamber can drop to 55.  It is flexwatt tape and jumpstart thermostat.  I have 2 ft and 4 ft sections.

 
There is a fan in the window that kicks on at 75 in the GH to exchange air with the house.  It also keeps chamber from overheating and strenghtens plants.

 
Other veggies in DE

 
Click to expand...
moruga welder said:
nice setup !   whatcha groing ?     :onfire:
Click to expand...
 
So far
 
Hot pepper
Serano
Orange habanero
 
Sweet
Anaheim
Cal Wonder
China giant
Greek pepperochini
Corno di toro
 
I really need to work on some more hots and the reason I joined here.  The goal is for chile powder for chili, tacos, enchiladas etc....Something mild for the girls.  Then I can add zip to my meal with some sauces.  Right now there are close to 100 peppers, and 3-400 greens including pak choi, chinese cabbage, kohrabi, chard, lettuce, spinach.  All cool weather crops for the aquaponics and garden.  I have a few tomatoes started and will have 20 or so varieties and 50 plus plants.  Everthing else will be direct sown.

On a normal year most of the greens would go into AP GB's around 3/15.  This would free up the starting chamber for peppers and tomatoes that would go out between 5/1 and 5/15.  I have a feeling its gonna get cramped and there will be sacrifices.
 
I have great riverbottom soil but the ph is alway high from the river and well water.  Last year I grew some peppers in 5 gal SWC.  They did much better than those in the garden and AP.  I used 1-1 mushroom compost and peat/soiless.  They did fizzle out towards the end turned pale.  This year I have Promix and have not decided what to mix it with.  I have peat, perlite and compost.  I would need more compost.  Pine bark is not available.  I also think it needs some epsom salt, bone meal and other stuff added for the long haul.  Any suggestions?
 
Runescape said:
Not sure about the soil mix, but if you're looking for seeds, I believe there are two free seed giveaways going on right now (March 3, 2015)...
 
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/52289-sasbe-seed-giveaway-reopened-for-10-more/page-4#entry1125188
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/53034-seed-sasbe-7-varieties-looking-for-a-few-varieties/
 
What varieties of tomato are you growing, and which do you recommend?
Click to expand...
 
 
Thanks, I'll check them out.
 
Tomato list.   These are new to me OP's via seed exchange
 
Ambrosia Gold - sweet golden small cherry, very high brix
BKX- Black Krim Potato Leaf
Black and Brown Boar- striped brown 4oz fruit, tasty, heavy producer
Carbon- wonderful large fruits, abundant producer, great taste
Girl Girl's Weird Thing- from 5oz to over 1 lb striped fruits, productive, tasty
Indian Stripe Potato Leaf
Malachite Box- many peoples favorite GWR  (stays GREEN)
Paul Robeson- famous delicious mediom ,brown fruits good producer
Sakharnyi Pudovichok- huge, abundant, sweet red fruits with good shelf life, a keeper!
Sugar Drop- from JandL, sweet large orangy cherries, abundant
Terhune- large pink juicy superb Brandywine, low production but worth it!
Wes- med to large red meaty abundant delicious hearts, growing second year in a row
Limbaugh's Legacy Potato Top. wonderful beefsteak, delicious, great production, PL
Black Cherry
KBX
Mazarini
Rebel Yell


Returning.....

Pineapple- orange with red and hints of fruit
Cherokee Purple- smokey sweet
Martino- fat meaty paste

Backup and alway have a place...productive and resistant on bad years

Super Beefsteak
Better Boy
 
You can't go wrong with most cherries.  Easy to grow and very productive.  The pineapple and cherokee are fairly easy depending on the year.  Not real productive here but big fruits.  Shoot me a pm if you want some seeds of the returning.
 
Rairdog said:
Tomato list.   These are new to me OP's via seed exchange
 
Ambrosia Gold - sweet golden small cherry, very high brix
BKX- Black Krim Potato Leaf
Black and Brown Boar- striped brown 4oz fruit, tasty, heavy producer
Carbon- wonderful large fruits, abundant producer, great taste
Girl Girl's Weird Thing- from 5oz to over 1 lb striped fruits, productive, tasty
Indian Stripe Potato Leaf
Malachite Box- many peoples favorite GWR  (stays GREEN)
Paul Robeson- famous delicious mediom ,brown fruits good producer
Sakharnyi Pudovichok- huge, abundant, sweet red fruits with good shelf life, a keeper!
Sugar Drop- from JandL, sweet large orangy cherries, abundant
Terhune- large pink juicy superb Brandywine, low production but worth it!
Wes- med to large red meaty abundant delicious hearts, growing second year in a row
Limbaugh's Legacy Potato Top. wonderful beefsteak, delicious, great production, PL
Black Cherry
KBX
Mazarini
Rebel Yell


Returning.....

Pineapple- orange with red and hints of fruit
Cherokee Purple- smokey sweet
Martino- fat meaty paste

Backup and alway have a place...productive and resistant on bad years
Super Beefsteak
Better Boy
Click to expand...
Wow, nice list... the other day someone mentioned that the Paul Robeson is one of their favorites...
 
I should be good with seeds for now, but thanks for the offer.
 
Last year I put out 2 tomato's in the common area in front of the house as an experiment.  It is on the river and never needs watering due to rich river bottom soil and natural wicking.  The punk kids like to get drunk and go 4 wheeling when it is muddy leaving big ruts.  They get stuck and all their friends show up to pull them out leaving more ruts.  If they're too drunk they just leave the vehicle and come back the next day so they don't go to jail.  Myself and a couple others mow it to keep it looking good and give kids access to the beach.  I have discussed planting a community garden with them and no one objects.  The neighborhood association has fizzled out and there are no board members.
 

 
My plan is to fence off a section with tomato cages and reflective tape.   Any suggestions?
 
 
My seedling train went on a day trip today.
 

 
My first hots to come up.  Serrano and Habanero. 

 
 
Fired the aquaponics system up this morning and checked on some of my gills.  They look good for no circulation for 2.5 months.  Didn't loose any this winter.

 
Then me and the lady went ice fishing.  Lots of dinks but a couple keepers.  Ice will be gone in a week or so.


 
Seed train back at the station

 
Great day...it's beer:30
 
Got my seeds from Capsiburndad soaking in 1 Tbs HP to 1 cup water for 24 hrs. 
 
Here is the list
 
  1. Pimenta Lisa - It will start out dark purple and ripen to whiteish.  Not hot  C. chinense F3 2014
  2. Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion - not as prolific for some.  C. chinense Isolated seeds 2012
  3. 7 Pot Barrackpore - One of my all time faves.  Blocky pod and productive 2012 C. chinense
  4. Chocolate Bhut Jolokia - Ext. prod. very hot.  paper thin for powder  C. chinense 2012
  5. Trinidad Congo Red -heavy producer with terrific flavor and good heat C. chinense 2011
  6. Yellow Scorpion CARDI -  fav. heavy producer and great taste, plenty of heat  C. chinense 2012
  7. Yellow 7 Pod (Brain Strain like)  Massive heat, not your standard Yellow 7.  C. chinense 2012
  8. Bonda Ma Jaques X Yellow 7 Pod-  Very popular on THP forum for heat, flavor and prod.  C. chinense 2014
  9. Brown UBSC - (Unknown Brain Strain Cross)  Very Hot C. chinense 2014 (normally red)
  10. Yellow Tobago Scotch Bonnet -  fav. of all Scotch bonnets except maybe MOA C. chinense 2014
  11. Naga Morich (Naga like anyway ?)  pleased with production and heat.  Red C. chinense 2014
  12. BOC  (Bhut Orange Copenhagen)  All the rage on the forums last couple years besides MOA and
  13. EOB (Elysium Oxide Bonnet)  x Douglah and a Scotch Bonnet   C. chinense 2014 F4 Superhot
  14. EOB Mustard -  turned up last year, not as hot, Good flavor and prolific.  C. chinense 2014 F2
  15. Yellow Barrackpore -                                                                                        C. Chinense 2014
  16. Inca Red Drop -                                                                                                   C. Baccatuum 2011
  17. Fatalii -                                                                                                                  C. Chinense 2011
  18. 7 Pot Jonah -                                                                                                        C. Chinense 2012
  19. Bhut Jolokia Indain Carbon -                                                                             C. Chinense 2011
  20. Aji Limon -                                                                                                              C. Baccatuum 2012
  21. Beni Highlands -                                                                                                     C. Chinense  2012
  22. Peruvian White Hab -                                                                                           C. Chinense 2011
  23. 7 Pot White -                                                                                                          C. Chinense 2012
         7 repeat? Yellow 7 Pod (Does not include Brain Strain like in description, seeds seem larger)        C. chinense 2012
 

 
 
I don't know if anyone else has experimented with starting seeds in DE here.  It is by far the best germination, easy to water and no damping media I've ever tried.  The plant pulls out easily by the stem and with a couple shakes it is clean.  The roots hold their shape like a spring.  The small particles cling to it supplying moisture when transplanting and I'm noticing less shock.  1-25# for bag 15 bucks has started close to over 500 plants and there is 1/3 left.  It can be re-used and baked if you are worried about disease.  I wanted to try it for the AP beds to make it easier to clean roots and keep soiless media out of growbeds.  I am impressed and will use it for all veggies. 
 
Good luck Jim, but doesn't look like you will need it! Yes there was a another Yellow 7 pod I added in there which is the normal phenotype. There wasn't a yellow Brainstrain when I got a couple plants among my Yellow

7 pods. Here's a pic from that season; 2012


Cool on the DE germination media!

Jim, I spotted a mistake I made on the label of #8. It should read; Bonda Ma Jaques X Yellow 7 Pod it was created by Charles/ Spicegeist. Sorry
 
capsidadburn said:
Good luck Jim, but doesn't look like you will need it! Yes there was a another Yellow 7 pod I added in there which is the normal phenotype. There wasn't a yellow Brainstrain when I got a couple plants among my Yellow  That's what I figured

7 pods. Here's a pic from that season; 2012 

Cool on the DE germination media! 

Jim, I spotted a mistake I made on the label of #8. It should read; Bonda Ma Jaques X Yellow 7 Pod it was created by Charles/ Spicegeist. Sorry  No prob....fixed the list
Click to expand...
socalgardengal said:
I'M Jealous!!!! What an Awesome set-up!!!! I heard about DE @tomatoville, been wanting to try for germinating in. Same stuff you buy @ auto store for putting on oil spills. I'll try to link the thread here later.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks.  I found out about it at TV as well.  I was tired of washing roots for the AP beds.  I started with my early brassicas and lettuce.  Everything went so well I just kept going.  I get mine at Fastenal which is Optisorb and larger particles than Ultrasorb.  I think EP Minerals has mines and is based out of Reno. 
 
The tomato's at sundown.  These were supposed to be germination tests and thrown out.  I have not even started the planned tom's.  I am experimenting with a slow cool grow to keep them from stretching out.  I don't have room for a full battalion of them this early.

 
My army of sweets to rule the world and take back what was stolen from their heritage.  They are programmed to seek out hot hybrids.
 
Hopefully next year I will have my ship together and have an early army of hot soldiers.
 
The cool weather infantry were sent onto their mission in the aquaponic beds and hopefully prepared for the incoming cold.  Red Rogue lettuce, Giant Ceasar, Black Seed, Spinach, Kale, Kohlrabi, Chard, Baby Pak Choi, Muchilini Cabbage and some culled peppers. 
 
Bed 1-4



 
Jim,
Your Glog is looking awesome! You are much more ambitious that I am... LOL
Also, your AP setup looks great, is there a thread on your AP? I love the large GGs!
I am thinking about setting up a couple of lower grow beds. The beds on my IBC setups are so far off the ground, that it is difficult to pick from taller plants. I may bury my tanks to lower the grow beds or build a whole new setup using a large kiddy pool for a tank.
 


I don't know if anyone else has experimented with starting seeds in DE here.  It is by far the best germination, easy to water and no damping media I've ever tried.  The plant pulls out easily by the stem and with a couple shakes it is clean.  The roots hold their shape like a spring.  The small particles cling to it supplying moisture when transplanting and I'm noticing less shock.  1-25# for bag 15 bucks has started close to over 500 plants and there is 1/3 left.  It can be re-used and baked if you are worried about disease.  I wanted to try it for the AP beds to make it easier to clean roots and keep soiless media out of growbeds.  I am impressed and will use it for all veggies. 

 
That root ball looks awesome! It looks like diatomaceous earth is the way to go, especially for those of us that are contemplating planting in an aquaponics setup. If you have time, I would really appreciate a "How To" on using DE for starting seeds (or a link to one). I have been using the damp paper towel/Ziploc method to germinate my seeds. Then planting in an earth mixture and then washing the roots in a bucket of water, before adding them to my grow media. Like you said, it is a PITA...
 
Thanks,
Bill

 
 
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