Beaglestorm vs. 2012 Grow Log

After disappearing for the last 6 months I have finally got time now to start growing some chile. I did not have the time to start any plants from seed this year but I did get a nice selection from Cross Country Nurseries, The Chile Pepper Institute, and my local Nursery (OK OK I also bought a few from Lowes). Here they are relaxing under the eaves on their way to being hardened. This is the fist year I had no issues with it. I think the main difference is the lack of wind. It has been a nice warm spring with only 4 or 5 really windy days.

I just finished getting all my plants in the ground yesterday. Here are a few shots...

Here is the overall shot

The area of the beds on the right with no straw have too much shade to plant. If anybody has some recommendations of what might grow well with maybe 2 hours of direct morning sun please let me know. My peppers that were there last season only grew a few inches. Is there a vegetable or fruit or herb that does well with shade? Heck even a flower plant to attract bees that will work in the shade would be OK. here is a birdseye shot showing the extent of the shade...

Oh and before I forget here is my grow list for 2012:

1 - 7 Pot
1 - 7 Pot Brown (Overwintered)
1 - 7 Pot Douglah
1 - 7 Pot Yellow
1 - Avenir (Overwintered)
1 - Antillais Caribbean
1 - Aribibi Gusano
1 - Bhut Jolokia (Nmsu Cpi)
3 - Bhut Jolokia (Local)
2 - Bhut Jolokia Yellow
2 - Biker Billy Hybrid
1 - Bonda Ma Jacques
1 - Cumari
1 - Fatalii
1 - Harold's St. Barts
3 - Heritage Big Jim (Nmsu Cpi)
1 - Naga Morich
1 - Petenero
1 - Pimiento De Padron
1 - Rocoto Red
1 - Serrano
1 - Scotch Bonnet Red
1 - Scotch Bonnet Yellow
1 - Thai Red
1 - Thai Yellow
1 - Trinidad Perfume
1 - Trinidad Scorpion
3 - Trinidad Scorpion (Nmsu Cpi)
1 - Trinidad Scorpion Butch T (Overwintered)

1 - Lemon Grass
1 - Thai Basil
1 - Cinnamon Basil
1 - Sweet Basil
1 - Lemon Basil
1 - Greek Basil
1 - Greek Oregano
2 - Artichoke
2 - Orange Mint

 

[Pr0digal_son]

Nice to see you back. Maybe empty those beds and turn them horizontally along that stone wall. Hahaha Anyways good luck this year. Looking forward to seeing your reviews again.

 

[Torno]

Welcome back to the darkside! That raised bed is wicked... are those steel beams?? haha

-J

 

[MGOLD86]

WOO HOO!!! Lookin forward to havin you back in the fold.

Good luck!

 

[Beaglestorm]

Nice to see you back. Maybe empty those beds and turn them horizontally along that stone wall. Hahaha Anyways good luck this year. Looking forward to seeing your reviews again.

Thanks! I suggested that to my wife... she did not even bother to respond. LOL I need to cut the trees above but they are 50 year old Mulberry trees. Not a easy weekend task... it will have to wait till the winter.

Welcome back to the darkside! That raised bed is wicked... are those steel beams?? haha
-J

Thanks, and Yes, leftover scrap steel (I know what your thinking ...Who has 3 tons of scrap steel just laying around?)

WOO HOO!!! Lookin forward to havin you back in the fold.

Good luck!

Thanks Matt.... I feel myself getting sucked back into the void ..... feels good.

 

[saugapepper]

Great to see you back buddy!!! Send me a PM later this summer and I'll get those seeds off to you.

 

[SocalChilehead]

Can not wait to see your progress through the season and see more pod reviews. Welcome back

 

[Justaguy]

Nice start. As was already said those raised beds are wicked. Hope you need a step ladder to pick this season.

 

[gnslngr]

Lovin the raised beds...definitely understand the sun shades for West West Tejas...I was gonna ask about the serated leaves but the grolist answered the question ..Artichokes.I grew up on those things and may have to find a few.Not real common in the swampland.This was the first year I DIDN'T get any plants...so far all from seeds and overwinters.I did say "SO FAR"..HEHE. I've got some Brown 7's, and some Chocolate 7's from seeds someone sent(zanderspice??) sent me last year-be interesting to see how they turn out comparitively speaking..well good to see you back-
Cheers
DJ

 

[HabaneroHead]

Hi Beaglestorm,

Good to see you on board again, you have a really good selection of plants!
For the shaded part of your garden I suggest to sow lemon balm. They grow like weed even in shade, and their flowers attract the bees. And on the top of that snails and aphids does not like their scent, which can also be beneficial. Their root is spreading like the roots of the mint, so be careful with them.

Balázs

 

[Beaglestorm]

Great to see you back buddy!!! Send me a PM later this summer and I'll get those seeds off to you.

Thanks Conor... Looking forward to giving them a try next year.

Can not wait to see your progress through the season and see more pod reviews. Welcome back

Thanks SC, I am not growing very many untested varieties this season but hopefully I will be able to win a few auctions this fall to review some good new ones.

Nice start. As was already said those raised beds are wicked. Hope you need a step ladder to pick this season.

The wife was really afraid when she saw the steel beams delivered and dumped in the backyard. LOL Now that they are finished she loves them as well. Thanks for the kind words!

Lovin the raised beds...definitely understand the sun shades for West West Tejas...I was gonna ask about the serated leaves but the grolist answered the question ..Artichokes.I grew up on those things and may have to find a few.Not real common in the swampland.This was the first year I DIDN'T get any plants...so far all from seeds and overwinters.I did say "SO FAR"..HEHE. I've got some Brown 7's, and some Chocolate 7's from seeds someone sent(zanderspice??) sent me last year-be interesting to see how they turn out comparitively speaking..well good to see you back-
Cheers
DJ

Thanks DJ. I have never grown artichokes before, but the local nursery said they were extremely easy to grow in my climate and that they do really well. Once the plants get established and after our 100+ degree days end in August I plant to pull the shade.

Hi Beaglestorm,

Good to see you on board again, you have a really good selection of plants!
For the shaded part of your garden I suggest to sow lemon balm. They grow like weed even in shade, and their flowers attract the bees. And on the top of that snails and aphids does not like their scent, which can also be beneficial. Their root is spreading like the roots of the mint, so be careful with them.

Balázs

Thanks for the suggestion I saw that at the nursery but had never hear of it. I have some containers next to my raised beds now (that is where I put the mint)... I will give it a try.

So here are a few more pictures. After saying that I have had really nice weather this season... Another sandstorm hit last week. Here it is swallowing up the city. I work on the opposite side of town.... my house (on the other side of the mountain that you can't see anymore) has already beeen swallowed in this picture. Luckily the winds were manageable as they are really only bad on the opposite side of the mountain that the winds originate from. So my house had 20 MPH winds the other side of the city had 50-60 MPH gusts after the winds hit the mountain and travel back down. You can see the bright blue spring sky (which was completely clear 1 hours before taking this picture) disappearing in the upper left of the picture...

Oh and every year there is always a question on how to mark your plants to identify what they are. A lot of tags fade or blow away or get lost. There have been lots of good ideas posted here including using metal venetian blind material cut to length as the tag you stick in the ground and using those brother label makers to print out a nice weather resistant sticker. For smaller gardens like mine I don't bother labeling my plants. I just put the names and locations a spreadsheet on the computer and print it out whenever I need it. By the end of the season I have pretty much memorized what is what and it is easy to double check the google docs spreadsheet anytime using my phone. Here is what this years looks like:

 

[Eephus Man]

Welcome back, BS. Lemon Balm is a great recommendation. Some alliums will do okay in the shade. I say make an her corner out of it. You can do stuff like parsley and dill, too, till they seed out. We just buy starts a few times a year. You *might* get hibiscus to flower in the shade, and I KNOW Hoja Santa will grow there like mad, but that stuff will take over unless you build a divider (and possibly even then - my bedrock slows it considerably, but I have it potted now).

Good luck and looking forward to watching.

 

[MGOLD86]

Thanks SC, I am not growing very many untested varieties this season but hopefully I will be able to win a few auctions this fall to review some good new ones.

Auctions??? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA...............HA....

Wait till I start raking in the heat, there is NO WAY IN HELL I can use 75 plants worth of pods....that means there will be boxES with your name on it. You can be in the auction if you want, but it is gonna be a one person auction, bids starting at 0, and max bid at .01.

 

[loafers]

That's a gorgeous garden setup you've got. I can't wait to see those peppers thrive. I'm especially curious how big those overwintered ones will get.

 

[Chewi]

How does that Cinnamon Basil taste? Good patch of herbs to go with that HUGE pepper variety!!

 

[chileaddict]

Great to see you back with a 2012 growlog and hope you have a great season. I just spent the last two weeks in ELP and enjoyed the glorious weather you are having.

 

[roper2008]

I was wondering why you were so quiet. I'm growing a lot of different basils and also lemon grass.
Be careful with the lemon balm, it can be invasive.
Back in the early 90's I was driving from Dallas to California along hwy 10. I hit a dust storm. You
could not see anything. There were troopers right before the dust storm telling you what speed to
drive, so you don't crash into anybody. It was crazy. Never experienced anything like that, and I'm
sure I never will since I live in Virginia now.

 

[Beaglestorm]

Welcome back, BS. Lemon Balm is a great recommendation. Some alliums will do okay in the shade. I say make an her corner out of it. You can do stuff like parsley and dill, too, till they seed out. We just buy starts a few times a year. You *might* get hibiscus to flower in the shade, and I KNOW Hoja Santa will grow there like mad, but that stuff will take over unless you build a divider (and possibly even then - my bedrock slows it considerably, but I have it potted now).
Good luck and looking forward to watching.

Thanks for the suggestions. I decided to just try a few more extra easy to grow Serrano plants and they seem to be doing ok. Much better than last year's c.chinense plants in the shade. And my C. Pub - Rocoto is actually doing very well on the rim of the shade. Let's see if we get any pods.

Auctions??? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA...............HA....

Wait till I start raking in the heat, there is NO WAY IN HELL I can use 75 plants worth of pods....that means there will be boxES with your name on it. You can be in the auction if you want, but it is gonna be a one person auction, bids starting at 0, and max bid at .01.

Thanks Matt... I think.... judging from the amazing pictures of all those evil looking pods in your Garden you posted... I am torn between my brain saying I love you and my stomach thinking I hate you. LOL

That's a gorgeous garden setup you've got. I can't wait to see those peppers thrive. I'm especially curious how big those overwintered ones will get.

Well let me say that this year is going better than any past year but I still have a long way to go. My plants have podded up early from the first time ever. We had a very mild May-June and most of my plants including the superhot's have a decent first harvest coming. My overwinted plants was neglected all winter... they basically were the plants that survived with zero care or water so they are coming back slowly. I hope they have a very strong finish.

How does that Cinnamon Basil taste? Good patch of herbs to go with that HUGE pepper variety!!

The Cinnamon Basil is average. Tastes alot like a mild fennel. More a very light licorice than cinnamon. I don't think I would grow it next year. The surprise for me is the Greek Columnar Basil. It is just a stunning looking plant. All my other basil's grow out of control this one grows up, compact and extremely bushy. No flowers just tons and tons of beautiful dark green leaves. Nice flavor too. Next year I think I will grow only the Thai, Sweet and Columnar Basil.

Great to see you back with a 2012 growlog and hope you have a great season. I just spent the last two weeks in ELP and enjoyed the glorious weather you are having.

Thanks CA! Glad to here you made it back to EP. With the exception of the last 2 scorching weeks (and I was out of town for them heheheh) we have had great weather this year.

I was wondering why you were so quiet. I'm growing a lot of different basils and also lemon grass.
Be careful with the lemon balm, it can be invasive.
Back in the early 90's I was driving from Dallas to California along hwy 10. I hit a dust storm. You
could not see anything. There were troopers right before the dust storm telling you what speed to
drive, so you don't crash into anybody. It was crazy. Never experienced anything like that, and I'm
sure I never will since I live in Virginia now.

Been very distracted this season but at least the plants got in the ground and now that I have a bit of time I can enjoy them. Dust storms are about the only thing that keep us from having the best weather in the country. Not like San Diego best weather all the time but best in that you still get just enough of the 4 seasons with out the extended extremes in temperature or humidity.

I was out-of-town most of June but my irrigation system seems to have keep working through the mini-heat wave we had the last 2 weeks. Came home and most of the plants have some great pods. Here are a few shots:

New Mexico State University Trinidad Scorpion

NMSU Heritage Big Jim

CCN Douglah

Greek Columnar Basil (I love this plant)

Artichoke (I did not realize they get this big)

 

[patrick]

Michael! Man it's so good to hear from you! I've been doing the "where'd he go" thing myself lately. I've got a few pods starting to show up so I imagine I'll be around a bit more. I hope you had a great off season and welcome back buddy.

 

[Hendrix1326]

Excellent selection of chilies, Michael! My Rocotos are doing quite well in full sun, though full sun up here in U.P. Michigan is like shade down in Texas! I thought I would lose them all at some point, and suddenly in less than a month, 2 out of 3 of them are a foot tall and bushy as can be with a dozen buds apiece! Can't wait to see some more footage, and some 2012 pod tests, perhaps, hmm?