Bike808 getting Dirty in Jersey

Well, it's that time of year where old fashioned folks are making resolutions, and I want to resolve to work on my GLOG consistently in 2019. 2018 was a great year, despite some considerable setbacks. I managed to grow far more chiles than I could ever hope to eat, so I gave tons away. In the end, a few disappointments aside, it was an overall successful season.

The same cannot be said for my GLOG. I neglected the fark out of my 2018 GLOG. This year, I want to post at least once a week, no matter what.

At this point, I don't want to post lists or anything because I have a herculean season ahead of me. See, I intend to overhaul my yard, build some beds, order up some topsoil and compost to fill then, amend the soil with all kinds of other Bullshit, and have all that done before it's time to plant out. Of course, before then, I'll need to have started all my plants and I'll need to know what I'm looking at in terms of density and (dis)organization. Hmmmph.

But, long story short, I'm learning from past mistakes. Only using the right kind seed starting soil. Going to be more diligent with my seeds as I sow them, to avoid leggy-azz seedlings. Harden off early but slowly, and methodically. Try to figure out fertilizers, and maybe develop and enact a strategy as far as that goes, rather than randomly dumping Alaska Fish Ferts on my plants whenever the whim hits me. In summary, take another step towards becoming a real gardener.

So, yeah, I plan on planting less densely this year, so I need to figure some shit out, but a GLOG ain't a GLOG if the first post doesn't include some name-dropping as far as intended varieties. This year will be my usual: far too many Yella Bonnets, a bit too many red, orange, and chocolate Bonnets, various Superhots of the Seven Pot and Ghost/Naga groups, some low heat Habs, many Jalapeños (strictly Zapotec this year), mild to mid Mexican kitchen staples, random other shit, and I have some baccatums to try out this year. (I bought a Bishop's Crown plant from CCN in 2018 and I'm stoked to try others now...)

Oh, and Fataliis. Plenty of those little yellow treasures. The best.

Thanks for reading. Oh, and if anyone wants to be my accountabili-buddy on this one, i'd appreciate it. Just making reminders in case I neglect my GLOG again, LOL...

-rob

 

[Bicycle808]

So, I pulled this from my google doc that helps me plan my grow.  I wanted this Glog to replace that kinda document, but I guess I'm still just a little bit too private for all that.
 
First Draft Grow List:
 
Yella Bonnets
SB Schneider Farms (4)
SB Al Boatman (4)
SB Papa Dreadie (4)
SB Foodarama (6)
SB TFM (22)
    Totals: 40 plants, start mid-February
 
Other Bonnets, various chinense
SB Safi Red (2)
SB Freeport Orange (2)
Congo Trinidad Yellow Giant (2)
SB Chocolate (WHP) (2)
Macapa (2)
Bahama Goat (2)
SB7J (Juanito´s) (2)
Yella Fatalii (4)
    Total: 18 plants, start mid-February
 
Mexican Kitchen Staples
Poblano (2)
Mulato (2)
Guajillo (2)
Puya (2)
De Arbol (2)
Texas Pequin (2)
Orange Habs (2)
Pasilla Negra (2)
Serrano Tampiqueño (2)
Jalapeño Zapotec (22)
    Total: 40 plants, start late March (Habs start mid-February)
 
Baccatums and Low-Heat chinense
Brazil Starfish (2)
Sugar Rush Peach (2)
Aji Lemon Drop (2)
Bishop’s Crown (2)
Aji Jobito (2)
Cream Fatalii (2)
NuMex Trick or Treat (2)
NuMex Suave Red (2)
NuMex Suave Orange (2)
    Total: 18 plants, start mid-February
 
Sevens and Such
7 Brain Red Cappy (4)
7 Brain Yella (2)
7 Douglah (2)
7 Barrackpore Red (2)
7 Barrackpore Yella (2)
7 Cinder (2)
7 Jonah (2)
Some Yella Super that JediSushi said he’s sending me (2)
    Total: 18 plants, start mid-January
 
Nagas, Bhuts, and Friends
Naga Morich (2)
Bhut Jolokia II (2)
BOC (Andy’s King) (2)
Bhut Assam Yella (2)
JPGS (2)
Forbing Naga (2)
NagaBrain Chocolate Naglah Brown (2)
Nagabrain Yella (2)
Shabu Shabu (2)
    Total: 18 plants, start mid-January
 
Troy Primeaux Tribute Bed
7 Primo (4)
Big Black Mama (4)
7 Primo Yella (2)
7 Primo Chocolate (2)
JPGS x Primo (2)
    Total: 14 plants; start mid-January
 
That's 166 plants total, and it doesn't include my wife's tomatoes/etc bed.  Plus, today after I finished typing all of that shit up, she demanded Beni Highlands out of nowhere and it also doesn't take into account the Biquinhos I'm planning to grow in pots.  And yeah, all of that is very ambitious, given that I have a tiny yard and not a whole lot of space/lights indoors for my seedlings.  I mean, I have the space, and I can do it with just a bit more lighting.  But, truth be told, I'm freaking out about the scope of this thing, plus I will be building/rebuilding raised beds at home, and I gotta build my deck b/c the existing one is rotten as shit. 
 
Thankfully, I am still a member at the Community Garden, and I can cram a lot of plants in over there.  Although, I want to "cram" a little less this year; i'll still be packing plants in tighter than recommended, but it'll be 33% less cramped, on average, than last year.  I also have a buddy who wants to take over on e of my beds at the Community Garden, and he'll also gladly plant it up with my culls.  He ain't never grown shit before, so I think he's just kinda feeling the whole process out at this point.
 
Here are some "before" pics of my yard.  It's tiny but, thankfully, my wife is amenable to devoting most of it to gardens, with some patio vibes and a new & improved (but slightly smaller) deck.  
 

Aerial view of my yard, from the third floor window.  Very tiny; the wooden raised beds are 8'x4', for scale.  Yes, my home is ghetto as f___.  As I mentioned above, I gotta rebuild my deck and I intend to rework the beds into bigger ones....
 

Ground-level view of the same shit
 

Side yard....  I never planted anything in that tiny little bed; that was there before we bought the place, a little less than 2 years ago....  I intend to cram a few beds over there, too.
 

Another view of the side yard, from the front....
 

Nice-sized bed between my front stoop and my neighbors'; I intend to deepen it a smidge, refill it with fresh topsoil/compost/amendments/etc.  And yeah, I live in the 'hood.
 
So, yeah, it's gonna cost some money, and take a whole lot of work....  but my whole yard is a shitshow, and if I can't make it beautiful, I can at least put it to work growing some beautiful chiles.  
 
As always, I'm looking to get advice, opinion, criticism, etc.  Feedback I am looking for specifically:
- am I stupid/crazy/utterly unrealistic?  (I grew 125 plants last year in less space...)
- I know my grow is heavy on the Yella Bonnets (and that ain't gonna change) and on the Supers (which is one of those things that I know is stupid, but I just feel helpless as I watch myself make the mistake in slow motion....)  I have like 2 weeks before I start my Supers; do I need to revise this?  Or should I just allow it to happen?
-in Zone 7, I think i'm starting the seeds very slightly early, which is by design b/c I tend to procrastinate, so if I shoot for mid-January, i'll get'm done by February 1st.  Although, so far this year I've been pretty motivated to get this garden shit done....
 
I think this is going to be my last year growing as a total idiot.  Next year, hopefully, I'll only be half an idiot, with fewer varieties that I can grow a few more of.  And, with the remaining beds, I can maybe concentrate on growing other shit, aside from just peppers.  I'm not really planning on growing anything else this year; this is what happened when I tried to consider growing othershit this year:  
What's up, HomeGirls? (Mexican Oregano)
 
 
Thanks, as always, for reading.  And thank you in advance for any feedback!
 
-rob
 

 

[CaneDog]

Wow man.  That's a hell of a list of peppers!  Hope it's an awesome year for you.  I'm kinda dealing with a similar situation of wanting to grow a lot of varieties this year - it's hard not to try new and cool stuff - but don't want my grow to get overwhelming either indoors prior to planting out or outdoors when the season heats up.  The way I'm planning to deal with it is to grow fewer plants of most of the varieties - even just 1 in some cases of new varieties I'm trying out.  That's really different for me because I've pretty much always tried to grow at least 2 (usually more) of each to have a back-up and a bit more production.  But heck, seems like I always go into the season thinking I need more plants of each variety, but by the end of the season the plants really produce a lot and I get more peppers than I can deal with anyway.  This year I'm just going to take the risk that if a certain variety under-produces is a hybrid or whatever I'll just have to make do until next season.
 
I use the community gardens too.  Have 2 plots each 10' x 40'.  Just a bit of a pain to get out there regularly to tend to the plants especially during the heat/drought periods of the season. I'm planning on setting up some irrigation, even if it's just a manifold and soaker hoses to make the watering easier.
 
What amount of space do you get at your community garden and are you setting up any irrigation in your yard or at the community plots?  That can sure help a lot when things start getting crazy.
 
CD

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

 
I didn't read those tags until just now... made me laugh!     

I missed them too until you said something marc

Rob you crazy

 

[Bicycle808]

Wow man.  That's a hell of a list of peppers!  Hope it's an awesome year for you.  I'm kinda dealing with a similar situation of wanting to grow a lot of varieties this year - it's hard not to try new and cool stuff - but don't want my grow to get overwhelming either indoors prior to planting out or outdoors when the season heats up.  The way I'm planning to deal with it is to grow fewer plants of most of the varieties - even just 1 in some cases of new varieties I'm trying out.  That's really different for me because I've pretty much always tried to grow at least 2 (usually more) of each to have a back-up and a bit more production.  But heck, seems like I always go into the season thinking I need more plants of each variety, but by the end of the season the plants really produce a lot and I get more peppers than I can deal with anyway.  This year I'm just going to take the risk that if a certain variety under-produces is a hybrid or whatever I'll just have to make do until next season.
 
I use the community gardens too.  Have 2 plots each 10' x 40'.  Just a bit of a pain to get out there regularly to tend to the plants especially during the heat/drought periods of the season. I'm planning on setting up some irrigation, even if it's just a manifold and soaker hoses to make the watering easier.
 
What amount of space do you get at your community garden and are you setting up any irrigation in your yard or at the community plots?  That can sure help a lot when things start getting crazy.
 
CD

 
Yeah, it's definitely too much, and it's definitely liable to get crazy, especially the indoor and hardening-off phases.  I've cut down everything but a few of my top favorites to just 2 plants....which, tbh, seems risky.  So, trying just 1 plant would probably really get me paranoid.  I grew a lot of shit last year, and some varieties never came to fruition.  I got over it.  I'm just kinda one of these "go big or just half-ass it" kinda guys; in some ways, i feel like i'm doing both..... half-assed attempts to go big.  
 
The Community Garden is a weird situation.  Each bed is only 16'x4', but i have multiple beds.  There are always a few fallow beds, so i can probably get even more going.  Irrigation over there, sadly, isn't really an option.  It's not even 3 blocks from my house and is basically on my way to/from work, so it isn't a big hassle to get out there.... but, once I get there, watering is pretty tedious.  It's weird how my plants seem thirstiest when i first plant out, but by the time the real summer sun/heat is on full-boil, they seem to need less h20.  
Irrigation at my home is definitely a possibility, and something I intend to try if I can find the budget and time to design and build it.  I had far too many chiles last season, and if I manage to pull off my ambitious plans outlined above, i'll have even more.  But, at the same time, the number of family/friends/local eateries that will take pods off my hands is growing, too.  So I oughta be OK.... I hope.
 
But yeah, realism might set in and I may scale back, but I cannot predict for sure.  I'm a bit of a nut-job, that way.

 

[Bicycle808]

 

Rob you crazy

Guilty, as charged.

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

Rob, as for the garden and space I think you can pull off a successful grow even in the allotted space. Personally I would have run 2 beds parallel to the street/fences so that its less cutting of boards with a walkway in the center leading up to the stairs. Make use of the space ya got and have fun with it. My 2 or cents lol

 

[Ruid]

You're gonna have a Totally Fuckin' Massive amount of TFM bonnets.

 

[Bicycle808]

Rob, as for the garden and space I think you can pull off a successful grow even in the allotted space. Personally I would have run 2 beds parallel to the street/fences so that its less cutting of boards with a walkway in the center leading up to the stairs. Make use of the space ya got and have fun with it. My 2 or cents lol

 
Yes, I am considering that layout.  I plan on moving/enlarging/etc the existing beds, so I have a blank canvas.  Just need the Missus to agree....
 

You're gonna have a Totally f**kin' Massive amount of TFM bonnets.

True dat.... last year, I only grew 18 TFM plants, and a total of 34 Yellow Scotch Bonnet plants.  Moving up in the world.  (I'll have a shit ton of Zapo Jalapeños, too....)

 

[PaulG]

You have lots of nice spaces with various micro climates
to squeeze in a bunch o' peppers, Rob. Go for it!

 

[Bicycle808]

Yeah, thanks Paul. I feel like it might not be perfect, but it's at least possible, right?

I got at least as much going for new as I do going against me. It'll take some hard work and dedication, but so will anything worth doing...

 

[Ruid]

You grew 18 TFM plants last year and you don't have pounds of pods in your freezer while also stocking them in your friend's freezers?

 

[Bicycle808]

OK, hopefully I can figure out a way to make my pictures less huge, but here's the updates....
 
I've long been a fan of germinating seeds in ziplocs and coffee filters atop my fridge, but my life ain't complicated enough, so I got me a 60"x21" length of Flexwatt incubator tape with a dimmer switch so I can try to dial in my temp at 85F for (hopefully) better and more consistent results.  Flexwatt is some very user-friendly incubator equipment; I got mine at incubatorwarehouse.cm b/c they seemed to have the best price for my exact application, back when I researched it and bought this shit last year.  (Yeah, I had it last year but I kinda tossed it in a closet and forgot about it; didn't even open the package until today!) I used narrower lengths of these BITD when I used to F around with snakes.  In conjunction with a dimmer switch (aka rheostat), it made for a great controlled warm spot in a terrarium, but I found that an aquarium half full of water with an aquarium heater, a plexiglass top to keep the humidity up, and tuppers full of moist vermiculite made for better incubators when it came to snake eggs.....but I digress!  
 
Who wants to talk about snake eggs when there are pepper seeds lying around, all over the house.
 
So, I got me a 60"x21" length of tape, bc I ordered this thing before I even had my shop-style shelves for my seedlings and I wasn't sure what size my sleves would be.  Turned out I got 48"x24" shelves, so I sloppily chopped off a foot of my tape before I got to wiring this thing up...

 
Dang, these pictures are huge.... but above, that's a pic of the tape, rolled-up.

Above is a shot of the rheostat which plugs into the walls.... the female(socket for plug) end was cut off, and the wires were stripped and fed into the little clamp-on connectors. The male end(plug for the wall socket) is intact....

Connecter gets crimped onto the tape....

...and then you wrap it up with the tape to insulate it, to prevent electrocution and fires.  The same tape gets wrapped around the other end, for the same reason.

Here's the heat tape, stretched out on the shelf.  I plugged it in to see if it works (and it did); my buddy Harry came over to talk bike shit for a minute, but I'm about to go back up to my shelves, plug it in and watch to see what setting will get me to 85F, and make sure it doesn't start any fires, LOL.  I'll be starting all my Sevens and Ghosts and such, at the same time....

Here's a sneak-peak at my t5 lights or t8s or whatever they really are....
 
Wish me luck on getting these seeds started; I hope the 85F temps help get it sorted pretty quick!
 
-Rob

 

[saiias]

Pass?

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Bicycle808]

Pass?

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

 
Haha, yeah it passed... I edited that last post above for some actual content.  I have been having trouble figuring out the right link to use from imgur….

 

[MarcV]

I would have replied "icle"

 

[saiias]

I would have replied "icle"

Lol. Missed opportunity.

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Bicycle808]

You grew 18 TFM plants last year and you don't have pounds of pods in your freezer while also stocking them in your friend's freezers?

I got some frozen, a bunch smoked and/or powdered, and a lot of sauce, but those are the ones I supply to some local eateries and such, plus my friends are big into them, so they are the easiest to find homes for LOL.
 
Plus, I'm not as good a grower as some folks are.  Some of my SB plants produced 100s of pods/each. Most of them produced dozens of pods, each.  I have figured out that it's a lot to do with light and ventilation, as I was planting in very tight conditions--- 3 rows deep-- and the central row had all the plants that under-produced, presumably b/c limited light produced fewer blossoms, and then limited ventilation/exposure to pollinating critters led to fewer of those blossoms yielding fruit.  Which makes sense in my head, but i'm mostly moved by direct observation.  So, the same beds that housed 3 rows last year will only be home to 2 rows this year.  New beds built to similar widths will only get the 2 rows, as well.  Trying to work smarter, rather than harder.
 
More evidence of the "smarter" approach--- I separated all of my seeds into envelopes marked "January," "February," and "March."  I'm about to label another big ol' Ziploc "Done-ski," where I can put the baggies with extra seeds in them....which will make it easier to find backups should tragedy befall any seedlings, plus make it impossible to accidentally germinate the same variety twice.  Last year, I tried to germinate pretty much everything, same day.  This time, I have like 2 weeks to get all the January stuff done, but I can just do a few varieties in a day.  And, if I update this Glog as planned, i'll have a running log of exactly what day I tried to germ each variety, what day they actually hooked, etc...
 
I also had wanted to update this Glog weekly, at minimum.  Seems like it's been 2 weeks since my last real post, which is fine b/c there ain't much happening at this point.... BUT I had noticed that my Glog was at the bottom of page 2. My goal, for now, will be to keep this thing off the third page OR every week, whichever makes more sense at the time.  (I know this sub-Forum will get really busy, before long...)
 
Thanks for reading/responding/et cetera, y'all!
-Rob 

 

[Bicycle808]

I'm feeling pretty thankful for today.  Thankful for a partial day off, so i can work on some shit.  Thankful to Dr. MLKing, for the good shit he worked on, that earned us this holiday in the first place.  Thankful for all the generous THP Members who hooked me up with seeds, for free or in-trade.  Thankful for the vendors who filled in the rest of the blanks, at reasonable prices.  Thankful for my wife for putting up with this shit. Thankful for my cat, who had the wisdom and consideration to stay out while i effed with these seeds....  
 
Started today, January 21 (5 seeds/each, unless otherwise noted):
-Red Brains, Cappy Strain, multiple sources (10)
-Naga Morich
-Bhut Jolokia
-7 Brainstrain Yella
-7 Douglah
-BOC
-JPGS
-7 Jonah
-7 Cinder
-7 Barrackpore Red (6 b/c "oops")
-7 Barrackpore Yella
-Bhut Assam Yella
-Shabu Shabu
-NagaBrains Yella
-Forbing Naga
-Naglah Brown
-JPGS x Primo (WHP)
-Primo Yella
-Primo Choco
-Primo Red*
-BBM*
-Caramel Brainstrain
-Choco Brainstrain
 
Here's some photographic evidence.  I use both white and brown coffee filters, 1 each per bag, so I can use fewer ziplocs but still keep track of what's what.  I document which is which on each bag, b/c I cannot trust this brain of mine anymore.  I got the candy thermometer crammed between the tape and the shelf; temp is steady holding at like 83F.  I'll probably have to check frequently, what with changes in ambient temp and stuff.  I don't mind if they get a little cooler than i'd like, but I am worried about cooking them.

 

[Bicycle808]

PS- I just want to make a note, for my own personal info, that i have 84 sets of the right-sized solo cups on-hand, plus a bunch of the other ones that are too short/fat to fit in my trays how i like.  I re-use solos, and just like cross-out the old lables and relabel them with a Sharpie.  I guess i'll keep doing that until they are too marked-up to be useful anymore, but the inner ones i don't label so i gues i can keep using them until they split open or whatever.  But, this year, I'm resolving to use smaller lettering and shorthand, to help preserve the service-life of these danged cups.
 
Waste not, want not, or so they say.  I try not to be wasteful, but there's still plenty i want for.  

 

[Trident chilli]

Looking good Rob ....bonnets and all