2022 Outside-In

[CraftyFox]

Everyone seems to have wonderful little seedlings sprouting, and I'm still messing around with the 2021. I figure if I start a new gLog, it'll force me to start some seeds. Turns out that it isn't that hard to reset an aphid invasion, so I kind of shot myself in the foot with that idea. At least the predators have plenty to eat.

Coral Volante / Peach Volante X- Kinda over them. I've still got a few that are going, but they didn't fare very well indoors. I probably could have pampered them more, but why?
Little Red Hottie is still here, putting on the pods again like it isn't confined to a solo.. So there are exceptions. And I keep trying other small containers, but the solo cups really do seem to be the easiest to maintain.. I just need to set up a source for getting them secondhand.

Really struggling to keep the humidity up now in the greenroom and find it dipping below 40% now.. So I'm working that out today, I hope. Since keeping the peppers moist tends to kill them in here, I'm going to be working some other plants into the mix that tolerate the damp better, along with some other moisture sinks. The Orius are still a presence, as are the Aphidius, but the numbers are definitely on the decline suddenly and I can only attribute it to the reduced humidity.

Also down to just a few predatory flies now, but I think I've taken care of the problem with that..
Audax males camping the window, too good to eat the gnats. I tried moving them into different areas, but they just return to the window and started hiding when I'd come in the room. Not sure what I'm going to do with them now, and sure hope the orange-spotted female is still around. They don't seem to mind the containers much, but I can't see keeping them like this long.

I've almost got the greenroom ready for the next step though, just wrapping up the issues, like these. I thought I was going to fit everything into the room, but I think I'm going to keep the Overwinter-go-Round for now, as it seems to be working well. And I've just got too many for one room!

Yep, not a Paper Lantern.. But I'm not sure yet if it's a hybrid or maybe a mislabeled PeppaPeach.. Sure looks like one. One of the many label-gone-missing plants from last year. Couple of the remaining Volante X on the green stand there, with a couple GoatsWeed X that aren't very happy with me. They are pretty hard to kill.

Only 3 of the Bonchi have made it this far.
Peruvian Sweet Red Aji

Padron.. Setting pods.

Pretty sure this one is a White Fatalii, but I don't recall, as you can see.

 

[CraftyFox]

Thought I found a dead spider along the windowsill this morning, and it turned out to be a clump of hatchling ladybeetles! Needless to say, they were put right to work.. Before they could cannibalize each other any further. Strange place to find them.. I would have thought they'd lay where there was more available prey.
Moisture is also holding above 40 today.. Which could have more to do with the break in the icy weather than anything I did yesterday.. Still aiming for 50+.

 

[CaneDog]

Looks like it's time for those guys to get to work!

 

[CraftyFox]

Apparently, they weren't all of that generation.. I found some others roaming around that look a bit bigger.. Maybe a few days older, or more well-fed.


Also found one of the little green wasps frozen to the inside of the outer window.. Started twitching pretty soon after I got her out of the ice, and a little warmth from my finger got her back and moving in short order. Amazing creatures! I found a second one today, but it didn't revive. Neither did the two large Orius I found frozen.
Another sling web in the window latch this morning.. Which means more Jumping spiders. I've seen at least two more I haven't been able to catch yet, but they won't evade me forever. Meanwhile, the predatory fly count is back up to 3.. Far cry from the couple dozen I had before.
Now that it's colder, the humidity dropped below 40% again.. No surprise. I'm working on it. I think I can tackle two birds with one stone if I manage to seal up those windows better next year.. Maybe some plastic over them and just forget about using the sills. I'll miss the little fresh air xchange, but that can be worked around too.
The windows of this room could be replaced entirely, but the house has other needs with more priority right now.

Finally got a lead on a couple of 10x15 plots for this year.. I was beginning to think we'd never find one. Now I just need to secure them.

 

[ahayastani]

Which means more Jumping spiders

Jumping spiders (saltarinas) are the most prevalent type of spiders in my (tropical) urban terrace garden.

 

[CaneDog]

Nice. A couple 10 x 15 plots will generate a lot of peppers!

 

[CraftyFox]

Been a busy week! Almost out of aphids now, again.. And the new generation of Harmonia are almost done growing. Think I'll forgo the reset and plant some new peppers instead.. Seems like this month has gotten away from me!
Still struggling with the humidity upstairs, and lost another wasp to the window frost. There must be a certain temperature or amount of time from which they do not come back. I've only found the green wasps in the window, and haven't seen the little amber ones since probably last week. I have a feeling they were Audax'd, or became the victim of some other predator in there.. There are many.

The solo LemonDrop started setting pods again this last week.. Quite a contrast to my experience with them last time I tried to overwinter them. Besides the Lemondrop, I have Padron, Aji Peruvian, and Pretty-N-Sweet which all seem to feel the low humidity isn't too much of an issue to flower.. Even if they aren't setting many pods.

Still working at getting all the spiders in the green room collected. I haven't seen the large Attulus in a while, but there are a number of little ones roaming around. Between those, the funnel-webs, and many cobweb spiders that have taken residency, it's a bit of a wonder I have so many juvenile beetles still.
Hope you all are staying warm and healthy!

 

[CraftyFox]

As usual, I'm probably juggling more than I should. I started the Pubescens a couple weeks ago, and so far I've had 3 Aji Largo show up, one of which doesn't look to promising. Still hoping to see something from the Mini-Olive and Mini-Red.

Dropped another 144 pepper seeds in soil today and another 72 to go, but I'm getting there.. Just Baccatum and Chinense left now. Still a lot of peppers left from seasons past. Looking forward to getting outside again next month. I've been struggling with spider mites all winter and plan on doing a complete once over of the greenroom this year. Something seems to be working against them now, but there have been more than a couple sacrifices to get there. We'll see what happens.

The monsters have been let loose again, and they haven't wasted any time. I haven't seen any Coenosia for a while now, so there isn't much point in keeping them from hunting. We have so many Attulus running around now, maybe they will put a dent in them. There is seemingly no end to the Hoverflies.. As long as I keep one of the bins nice and wet anyway.

I wasn't sure I was even going to follow thru with this season.. No point in discussing it, I doubt I'm alone. Some of the other projects I have going..

Training my minions to eat everything. I started these guys off a couple years ago with like 20-30 adults and have thousands now.. Seems like there are always pregnant ones just about to give birth. Everything you see on the rock was gone within 12 hours.. And this was only one of their two feedings that day.

A few of the HW cuttings I've got going.

Prunus spinosa and my aggressive cardboard-devouring fungi.

With any luck, I should have some more seedlings soon. Hope everyone is doing well out there and off to a good start for the season!

 

[CraftyFox]

Amish Hot Fingers are popping with the Piri-Piri coming right behind them.. Looks like most of the tray in 6-7days. The second tray is lagging.. Along with those Mini-Reds and Mini-Olives. The nearly headless Largo seems to be pulling thru!

 

[Bou]

Why are you farming pillbugs?

 

[CraftyFox]

Food for bigger critters.. That is a Dysdera tank they are in there. They were also our main composters until we started keeping worms again.

 

[CraftyFox]

Finally retiring my old ballast buzzers and pretty excited to work with these.. Caught them on sale for 18$ ea. Anyone else mess with these yet? For LED, they put off a little heat, but not excessively. I'm guessing they will work great for heating the shelf above them enough for starting the Chinense, but we'll see. I haven't broke out the heat mats this year, and have no intentions of it.

 

[CraftyFox]

Still no sign of life from the Mini Reds or the Mini Olive Rocs.. Also a few stragglers from the 2 flats, but mostly they are up.
Also guess I planted them a little too shallow this year, as I seem to be playing head surgeon an awful lot.

Trying to resist the urge the water some of these dry looking ones that are starting to separate from the cells.. I have an issue with watering them too often at this stage and haven't mastered it yet. I've tried watering individual cells and watering the whole flat, but always seem to be doing it too often, or I kill them by not. To me, it looks like the LRG and at least one of the AHFP could use a watering, what so you see?

All of these have been soaking overnight.. Think I'm going to stay with the 24hour period, as it seems to produce the fastest hooks. So far I've had pretty good germination, it'll be interesting to see how the 2012 Peach Caterpillar seed play out. Running out of old blinds to recycle, so I'm cutting up plastic gallons for tags now.

This Challeano is looking good.. Along with the other one. The flavor was very reminiscent of Bishop's Crown, which isn't my favorite Baccatum flavor, but they seem to produce a lot faster so it will be interesting to see how they play out this year. I think I might throw them in the Community Garden, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Still so many leftovers from last year, a lot of which I've lost track of names. Now it's "Chinense, Baccatum, Annuum.." And even a couple of those I'm not sure about. There's a few that are really tempting me to take cuttings, but I've got enough space problems for now.

 

[CraftyFox]

I knew things had been going too smoothly. Went to add a dab of coco coir to the cells, as usual, and was lucky to notice the mold on the first pinch. I had just opened that when I started the first 2 trays. Distracted with a faucet replacement and other plumbing work and ran an hour past my target for a 25 hour presoak.

Noticed a radicle starting on one of the CP-203 already.. My hands were soiled and no time, so you'll have to take it on faith. The Peach Caterpillar seeds look fairly promising too, or at least still alive.

I need to remember to get the other Sunchoke tubers back in the ground before they expire.

Feels like it was sure a long day, for seeming so short.. Maybe it was just me. We got quite a bit done, but most of it wasn't on the original agenda. I'm starting to really think it's going to Spring around here.

 

[CraftyFox]

So far, just the Pendant Lemondrops have shown, the first one on the evening of the seventh..

Soaked some Roselle the other night, that was from a tea bag, and was happy to see a radicle when I went to plant them last night.

Other than that, a few cuttings snipped, and the newbies are all seemingly doing well, scarred or not.

 

[PaulG]

Off to a good start, CF. When is your target date for plant-out?

 

[CraftyFox]

Off to a good start, CF. When is your target date for plant-out?

I'd like to have the plot in around the 23rd, but I might hold off , depending on how these look then.
Still trying to decide which ones from last year I'm going to keep, and those started moving outside today. I don't know what next week has in store, but it looks pretty warm for the remainder of this one.

 

[CraftyFox]

Finally making some headway in the Greenroom.. Reduced by one tower of shelves. Now I just need to get the dresser and the hutch out and I'll be silver!
And lookit who showed up yesterday.. 2012 Peach Caterpillar!!

 

[CraftyFox]

Fencing in the Amelanchier is looking to pay out this year.

TS is working hard, but still has a ways to go.. Before and after stirring.

Black Raspberries are still around, even though the rabbits find them, regardless of pot or place.. Like most things twiggy. I think I hear Elmer singing..

 

[CraftyFox]

Seedlings getting some Sun today.. They got some cold last night. Thankful for the return to more seasonal temperatures, even if just for a spell. Most of the tomatoes and other juicy nightshades are popping now. Trying to upstage everything into solos a little faster this time around.. Hopefully this isn't too soon.
Can I take these peppers right to ground yet or should I hold off a bit longer? I'd like to get that community garden plot established.

American plums still hanging in there, despite all the rabbit pruning they've had in the last couple years. Debating where I want to home them permanently now.. This is their 3 season, though they might not look it.