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.
 
 

 

[PtMD989]

Thanks [emoji4]
Are Oak leaves better than other Tree leaves,eh [emoji848]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[solid7]

Thanks [emoji4]
Are Oak leaves better than other Tree leaves,eh [emoji848]

 
Probably if you have more oak trees than other ones.  LOL
 
Short answer, though - no.  The only to stay away from is probably black walnut.  (might be others, but I lost most of my familiarity with deciduous trees years ago)

 

[PaulG]

And while that doesn't always work in containers, it's a great approach in ground.  The forest doesn't fertilize - and yet, creates the most fertile conditions.

 
I think in the larger containers, say 15 gallon and up,
the forest soil approach might be good. In the larger
containers, you are basically growing in ground since
you have a pretty deep pot. I just use a spading fork like
a broad fork to loosen up the top, and then put leaf mulch
on top for the winter. I try to use the small Japanese Maple
type leaves. Since there isn't the deep root system bringing
up nutrients from deep underground, some organic amend-
ments (mostly meals) help.
 
I'd like to do more with this idea.

 

[solid7]

 
I think in the larger containers, say 15 gallon and up,
the forest soil approach might be good. In the larger
containers, you are basically growing in ground since
you have a pretty deep pot. I just use a spading fork like
a broad fork to loosen up the top, and then put leaf mulch
on top for the winter. I try to use the small Japanese Maple
type leaves. Since there isn't the deep root system bringing
up nutrients from deep underground, some organic amend-
ments (mostly meals) help.
 
I'd like to do more with this idea.

 
You can never really get a big enough container to do it right.  But leave the bottoms out of the container, set them on earth, and you're a whole lot closer.
 
Meals are good, but the leaves create a whole new layer, which has a multi-faceted effect.

 

[PaulG]

Agreed. 

 

[DWB]

I added a totaling column to my spreadsheet last night. I probably shouldn't have done that. Nothing makes my back howl like slicing peppers for hours at the time and this really fills in the blanks.
 
118.242 kg (260.679 pounds) of pods have gone into the dehydrators so far this season.

 

[Mr.joe]

Impressive season, now the pressure is on to beat it next year.

 

[DWB]

Impressive season, now the pressure is on to beat it next year.

 
This season may not be over for another month or so.

 

[BDASPNY]

I added a totaling column to my spreadsheet last night. I probably shouldn't have done that. Nothing makes my back howl like slicing peppers for hours at the time and this really fills in the blanks.
 
118.242 kg (260.679 pounds) of pods have gone into the dehydrators so far this season.

that's a crazy amount of peppers. would you this is record or the usual?

 

[Downriver]

118.242 kg (260.679 pounds) of pods have gone into the dehydrators so far this season.

 
Ya know DW, when people say "pepper tonnage", I don't think they mean it literally.
 
That's nuckin' futs....and impressive as hell.
 
...and you're not done yet!
 
Wow. Well done my friend.

 

[Walchit]

260 lbs! I should have weighed mine, nowhere near that much, but my back felt it for sure lol

 

[Uncle Eckley]

+1 on #810!

 

[skullbiker]

Super good job on this years grow.[emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]
Are you going to keep track of dried weight to see how much weight was removed by drying?

 

[DWB]

that's a crazy amount of peppers. would you this is record or the usual?

 
I haven't done an industrial duty grow since 1994 and IIRC, this garden far exceeds the output of that quarter acre of habanero. Beyond that, I haven't grown in the ground at our newest property in 20 years because of the wilt. I decided to give it a try and see if I could beat it this time. Turns out that wilt is pythium and I think I got it figured out.
 

 
Ya know DW, when people say "pepper tonnage", I don't think they mean it literally.
 
That's nuckin' futs....and impressive as hell.
 
...and you're not done yet!
 
Wow. Well done my friend.

 
Thanks DR. Nope, not over yet. I have two of those 7 gallon totes in the freezigerator ready to slice and load when space is available. Gotta pick again today, too. So glad it's cooled off some and I can leave some pickings outside for a while.
 
 

Super good job on this years grow.[emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]
Are you going to keep track of dried weight to see how much weight was removed by drying?

 
Thanks skull. Yes, I'm keeping records of that. It looks like the yield is averaging around 13%.

 

[DWB]

260 lbs! I should have weighed mine, nowhere near that much, but my back felt it for sure lol

 
It's too bad the weather shut you down. Your plants were producing a ton.
 
I'll kinda be glad when we have a hard freeze coming in. I think I'll cut everything and pile it under tarps and do the final picking off the cut branches. That will be the easiest pick of the season.

 

[Uncle Eckley]

I think I'll cut everything and pile it under tarps and do the final picking off the cut branches. That will be the easiest pick of the season.

 
Be sure to get pictures of that!

 

[PaulG]

Thanks skull. Yes, I'm keeping records of that. It looks like the yield is averaging around 13%.

 
That's about I have read. A 6 or 7 to 1 ratio of
fresh to powder, depending on the pods.

 

[CaneDog]

Super impressive numbers from an equally impressive grow DWB - and not over yet!  
 
Really amazing that you've moved that kind of volume.
 
I'm going to have to go back sometime soon and look through the posts and pictures since what, last October when this started?

 

[DWB]

It looks like my growing season will be done Tuesday night with this new freak of a cold front heading our way. I'm seeing forecast temps for Wednesday morning from 25 to 31. None good.
 
I suppose I'll try to find everything  that's ripe tomorrow, then start trying to extricate plant parts to lay down under tarps on Monday. After the cold has passed I'll hang them on the fences to see how many more pods can ripen.
 
If it starts looking more like 31 for a low, I may try covering the middles with the frost blankets to get more time out of them.
 
This climate change is some weird stuff. I can't believe the possibility of a hard freeze so early.

 

[BigCedar]

Alright DW... I'm divin in!