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2019 Hay Bale Pepper Patch

I've been a member for a while but never posted a grow log. My usual garden is too boring for that. I use 20-30 pots and overwinter my mama plants in a hillbilly winter shelter. Our ground here isn't good for in soil gardening and I've not been enthused enough to undertake the work and expense to build raised beds.
 
Now I have my peppers working the way I want and have the need for a much larger grow to supply a project. The main peppers I'll grow will be reaper, douglah and fatalii. For a couple of years I'll do hay bale gardens and heap tons of organic trash into the area. I have monumental amounts of pine straw, oak leaves and bonfire ash every year to dump in the walkways. I think this will do a world of good to make this new garden area mo'betta for eventual in ground growing.
 
I closed off a 38x38 patch in the NE field that gets full sun. This is the area I chose. The big painted guy is my fertilizer supplier.
 
The little painted guy is my running buddy and load inspector.
 
 
 

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skullbiker said:
Better watch those wasp stings, I read that they are cumulative. I got stung a bunch when I was younger and now whenever I get stung it swells up worse than the previous time. The last was a sting on my forearm and it got swolen like a football! And hurt like hell.
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These wasps are really getting to be a pain. I got tagged on the hand again today. They don't seem to realize that's my pepper patch but I'm not sure what to do since I can't find the nest in the jungle. I know the general vicinity and I've been spraying with Bengal flying insect killer but they're not impressed.
 
When I was (25 years) younger I got stung a bunch too. I mowed over a bumblebee nest, pissed them off and they came after me and worked me over good. My wife tried counting the stings all over my neck and head but gave up after around a hundred. I put about a gallon of nuclear strength dursban downhole for revenge. I wish I could hose the jungle with dursban but that wouldn't be cool for edibles.
 
Fortunately, my accumulation may not be too heavy now but this one still hurts. I know how things can be, however. My wife is terribly allergic to insect venom of all kinds.
 
 
Mr.joe said:
Deceny CB Professional Bee Keeping Suit Cotton Full Body Beekeeping Suit Jacket with Veil Hood (XL) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QYZSS62/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fNoKDbDZJ5A5H
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Mr.joe said:
Dang double post. Just thought you may need some gear for the jungle
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Thanks. Gear for the jungle is great but I don't think I could tolerate wearing something like that for picking peppers. but I am definitely gonna start wearing a good pair of mechanic gloves for picking and be more proactive with a preventative fog of flying insect spray before I pick in that certain area.
 
My morning. I picked three faces in three hours while soaking two shirts, two sets of sweatbands and drinking two liters of ice water. For this. I don't know how much it is but I know it's way too much.I still have more than five pounds in the freezigerator.
 
On the right is the requisite bucket of scrap for the compost tea.
 
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DWB said:
My morning. I picked three faces in three hours while soaking two shirts, two sets of sweatbands and drinking two liters of ice water. For this. I don't know how much it is but I know it's way too much.I still have more than five pounds in the freezigerator.
 
On the right is the requisite bucket of scrap for the compost tea.
 
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Like Fred & Barney would say, Thats a Yaba Daba Dooooo.....zy of a haul.
 
Nice haul (again!) ;)
 
Those wasp's might just be there hunting. I see quite a few in my garden. They may also be looking for some sun relief, and moisture? I usually don't wear gloves when gardening but I sure do working with the mulch and firewood. I've been stung way too many times by Scorpions. And they do seem to be cumulative; the last time I got stung I couldn't hold a coffee cup. I sure hope the bees and wasp's aren't like that with me!
 
Do you keep an EpiPen for the wife?
 
PaulG said:
Whoo-E-E-E-E   :party:
 
Y'all a victim of y'all's own success  ;)
 
Well done. DW!
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Y'all got that right Brother Paul. Poor planning on my part has created an emergency for me :)
 
I had high hopes for this grow but should have been paying closer attention and doing more of the math. I do have two of the large and extremely flexible  Nesco machines with the standard 8 ft² capacity for each. I should have realized much sooner that wouldn't be enough. Now I have a total of 20 ft² and that will grow to 28 ft² tomorrow when the mail comes but I doubt even that will be enough.
 
 
Nice thing about the Nesco units is they automatically adjust to accommodate 30 trays each. I run them at max temp for at least 48 hours when doing peppers. That's the second of the three sterilization processes.
 
Now I'm doing more of the math and realize the two totes plus misc containers of sterilized peppers in the freezigerator are enough to fill 30-33 trays with prepped pods. I coulda/shoulda/woulda emptied 16 trays last night and sliced up a new load but I was lazy. The other trays are due to finish today. Unloading and crushing to flake doesn't take long but prepping that many peppers does take a long time plus everything in and out has to be weighed and documented.
 
My Douglah aren't even going into the dehydrators. They're slowly filling a freezer.
 
Unless we have a 'cane or even a decent tropical storm, I can't see where this can possibly slow down for a long time. I keep telling myself I need to up my game but there's only so much game time available in 24 hour days when life interferes. Regardless, I won't bend to the will of the patch :)
 
 
Devv said:
Nice haul (again!) ;)
 
Those wasp's might just be there hunting. I see quite a few in my garden. They may also be looking for some sun relief, and moisture? I usually don't wear gloves when gardening but I sure do working with the mulch and firewood. I've been stung way too many times by Scorpions. And they do seem to be cumulative; the last time I got stung I couldn't hold a coffee cup. I sure hope the bees and wasp's aren't like that with me!
 
Do you keep an EpiPen for the wife?
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I suppose we have scorpions here but I never see any and never got tagged by one, even in AZ where we had a lot of them. Good idea on the wasps. Very possible. I started wearing gloves yesterday and that worked well except for I had to lose my finger blade. No wasps yesterday but the bees were working all around me, as always. They're very hospitable compared to the wasps.
 
No, my wife has never remembered to ask for a prescription for epi so I keep a lot of benedryl and other antihistamines in various forms around. She's only had one close call but that was from her first and only flu shot some years ago. I was up all night watching her and ready to haul her to the ER. It was scary.
 
Uncle_Eccoli said:
Holy crap, Dub!   :shocked:
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It's out of control Unc.
 
 
BDASPNY said:
with that many I'd consider trying to sell some before they can go bad.
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If push comes to shove, I can easily fit five of these into the freezigerator and a sixth can be stuffed in if need be. The freezigerator will hold temp ±1° while keeping the humidity above 75%. Chile peppers can stay good under those conditions for weeks.
 
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CaneDog said:
What's the scoop on the freezigerator?  I've got freezers, keezers, and fridges, but I sure don't got no freezigerator!
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im with CD on this.   need some details. would be good to know how you're able to store so many for that long.  it sure would make it easier when having so many pods.  I hate to lose any I don't have to.
 
DownRiver said:
Every time I walk by these fellas, I think of you DB. :P
 
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Yep, except for mine have brighter tail stripes, that's them bastids. They haven't been screwing with me since I started wearing the gloves although one did go directly overhead when I was picking this morning.
 
The jungle is still in high gear. I just went in one direction today so I know I left a lot behind for next time. I don't think it's quite as bad today as it was Tuesday but it's still an overload.
 
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