CaneDog 2020

2020 is underway, so it's time to start the new season's glog!  Odd times though, as I'm still harvesting stragglers from last season while the earliest of my 2020 starts are already up.  Grow areas are a bit disorganized as a result 
 
This season's grow should be a little more balanced than last season, though I'll still have a ridiculous number of rocotos - many OW's plus a bunch of new varieties - and quite a few carry-over OW wilds, too.
 
A big "thanks" to all who shared seeds with me for this season.  I'm appreciative and excited to have lots of cool varieties in the mix, many of which I got to watch you grow last season and can now try myself.  I think I'm current with everyone, but if by any chance you were expecting seeds from me that may have slipped through the cracks just shoot me a PM.
 
As I mentioned, things aren't super organized right now, but here's a few pics anyway.
 
I planted a few seeds early, just because I couldn't hold off the extra few weeks without planting something.
 
Amarillo de Arequipa Rocoto just popped- Thanks CTB!

 
Ecuador Sweet Rocoto twins - and a big shout out to the two peeps who sent me seeds for these. Both sources germinated and I'm really happy to have them growing.  Disclaimer: they may look overly wet, but these just got sprayed (to avoid HH's) and it's a very porous medium.

 
Put another few rocotos in to soak today.

 
This is a galapagoense that popped a few days back, exactly 100 days after sowing.

 
And this pod contains Jalapeno Zapotec x Purple Jalapeno F1, one of a couple F1 JZ crosses I'll be growing out this season. The other is Tekne Dolmasi x JZ.

 
Finally, I got a solid recommendation on a new media mix I'll be trying out this season in a few variations. The mix is heavy in partially composted bark fines, a fir/hemlock mix as pine's hard to get locally. It's proving to be a veritable mycelium factory.  Bodes well for good symbiosis with the appropriate fungal species this year.

 

 
Heck, they're even fruiting out the drainage holes... 

 
 
That's it for now.  Good luck to all in 2020!
CD

 

[HeatMiser]

Nice work CD! How many plants are you planning on growing in that plot?
 

 

[CaneDog]

Nice work CD! How many plants are you planning on growing in that plot?
 

 
Always bringing the classy ducks, HM.
 
Currently I have 8 tomato plants at the near end of the plot and out of frame, but my back deck's jammed with peppers ready to move.  I expect I'll transplant some 45-50 peppers into that plot.  It's 40' by 10' in dimension, so it can hold up to perhaps 4 rows of 20, but I don't plan to max it out. 
 
The other plot should have about 40 when I finish planting it.  It has two 10x5 raised beds and two 10x2.5 raised beds dedicated to peppers this year.  I also have raspberries and strawberries and a few other things around the perimeter.  
 
Most of what's going into the plots will be annuums.  There'll also be a handful of chinense, plus a couple/few each frutescens, baccatum, rocotos, and wilds, but most of that will stay at home in pots.

 

[lespaulde]

Impressive efforts CD, and I'm sure it'll pay off for you BIG time despite the slightly late plant out. Enjoy yourself a nice cold beverage or 2 after all that hard work and then you can just sit and watch the plants cranking out pods for ya!

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[dragonsfire]

Looking great

 

[BDASPNY]

max out the plot! grow all the plants!!!
 
 
now that's out of my system. you always grow some of the most beautiful plants. I cant wait to see going full blast!

 

[solid7]

I don't know how community gardens are set up - but did you ever consider doing a no-till crop, with a fresh layer of cardboard and manure at the beginning of every growing season? (followed up by a topping of straw)
.
I'm a "never pull weeds if I can help it" kind of gardener.  I suppose there's a certain trade off there - it's either additive gardening - which comes at some personal expense.  Or it's subtractive.  (which involves pulling weeds and breaking up the soil)  But honestly, I've always gotten my best grows with the "additive" approach.

 

[CaneDog]

I don't know how community gardens are set up - but did you ever consider doing a no-till crop, with a fresh layer of cardboard and manure at the beginning of every growing season? (followed up by a topping of straw)
.
I'm a "never pull weeds if I can help it" kind of gardener.  I suppose there's a certain trade off there - it's either additive gardening - which comes at some personal expense.  Or it's subtractive.  (which involves pulling weeds and breaking up the soil)  But honestly, I've always gotten my best grows with the "additive" approach.

 
Hey Solid.  Yep, I've totally considered something similar to that before. I have a neighbor out there who did something similar - cardboard and straw and such - last year.  It seemed to work well for him and kept weeds down.  I'd love to build layers of the thick loose loamy soil I associate with no-till, but no-till is out of the question for this plot.  As a "seasonal plot," I'm allowed access only between March and October and it's rototilled - no exceptions - at the beginning and end of the season.  My other plot, however, is a year-around access plot - like that of my neighbor who does the cardboard lasagna - and those aren't rototilled.  If I did a no-till, it would have to be in the raised beds in that one.
 
This is my first year with the above plot and I know it was lawn just two years prior.  We have a layer around here - I can't think of the name ATM - which is basically hard-pan with gravel and it's not far down.  Essentially no bio-matter.  Also, there are lots of big roots from trees and such running through many of the plots.  Many people don't deal with this and simple try to garden around it, so when you take over a new plot the condition can be a mess. As a result, any time I take over a new plot I give it a solid dig through to get it into a good starting condition. 
 
Going forward, however, I'd rather spend my effort improving the soil.  While no-till is out, things you're talking about like straw and and manure layers and adding compost and such are options.  They'll just be getting tilled in though instead of sitting loose and letting the mycelium develop big networks and such.

 

[CaneDog]

Impressive efforts CD, and I'm sure it'll pay off for you BIG time despite the slightly late plant out. Enjoy yourself a nice cold beverage or 2 after all that hard work and then you can just sit and watch the plants cranking out pods for ya!

 
Heck yes, LP!  That's the plan right there.
 

max out the plot! grow all the plants!!!   You should see my back deck right now.  Now THAT is maxed out!
 
now that's out of my system. you always grow some of the most beautiful plants. I cant wait to see going full blast!

 
Thanks man.  I'm excited for the possibilities.  It's a late start, but with a good September it could still be a great year.  And even without that it won't be a bad one.  

 

[HeatMiser]

 
Always bringing the classy ducks, HM.
 
Currently I have 8 tomato plants at the near end of the plot and out of frame, but my back deck's jammed with peppers ready to move.  I expect I'll transplant some 45-50 peppers into that plot.  It's 40' by 10' in dimension, so it can hold up to perhaps 4 rows of 20, but I don't plan to max it out. 
 
The other plot should have about 40 when I finish planting it.  It has two 10x5 raised beds and two 10x2.5 raised beds dedicated to peppers this year.  I also have raspberries and strawberries and a few other things around the perimeter.  
 
Most of what's going into the plots will be annuums.  There'll also be a handful of chinense, plus a couple/few each frutescens, baccatum, rocotos, and wilds, but most of that will stay at home in pots.

 
Daaaamn - so two plots with ~40 plants each... that's quite a few, so I can understand why the recent weather has been frustrating to deal with, but summer seems to finally be here with better days ahead. Can't wait to see those harvests! 

 

[Downriver]

What is the PC-1 like? Wondering, just in case I need to add it to my grow list, ha, ha... I’m growing the aji Guyana too from the seed train. They are not really tall, but have a lot of pods, all still green.

 
 

 
Hey Roper.  I spent a good while looking for a (non-commercial) source for the "right" PC-1 and I'm hoping this is it.  I heard "the really hot one is a frutescens" but what I ultimately believed was that the "right" PC-1 is just an uncommonly hot annuum with a tendency toward more upright pods.  I got the seeds just before this season so this is my first experience with it and it appears to be annuum as I was told these would be.  For me, the plants have grown very upright and with a tenancy to put on height with looser node spacing than most.  I'm not sure if they will bush out well later, as some do, or if they're simply a type that should be planted in greater numbers and closer together to get the best production. These could be a spectacular looking plant if they got big and bushy.
 
I'm hoping DownRiver will hook us up with a little more info about them.  It was good to hear the favorable opinion on flavor - makes me hope I have that same variety!  I'll certainly post more after they ripen and I get to try them, but in the meantime...
 
Hey DownRiver!   Can you let us know a little more about your PC-1?   
 
Thanks! 

 
Ha! I went to look for any pics I might have and forgot to reply. Oops.
 
Anyway, I would say it's like a cayenne, only a little hotter. Thin-walled, seedy. I use it mainly as a powder, but have also used it to flavor vinegar. It could probably work in a stir-fry as well. Nice subtle flavor that complements the food, along with a nice heat that is not overpowering. I started growing it in 2008 from seeds sourced from two different places - 1 commercial (USHotstuff) and 1 a seed swap with a guy in Texas. I have no idea which one I'm growing now lol.
 

 

 

 

[dragonsfire]

Yummy Mmmmmm

 

[CaneDog]

+1 DF - those ripe pods look awesome!
 
Hey DR.  Thanks for putting in the effort and digging up some photos.  I'm glad to have more info on this.  The ripe pods look outstanding. 
 
Your plants look a lot like mine, especially in the foliage, so I have my fingers crossed they have the good flavor as well.
 
 I have a couple plants in smallish pots with some pods that should be ready to ripen, so hopefully I'll be able to try it soon.

 

[Sinn]

 
 
 
Ha! I went to look for any pics I might have and forgot to reply. Oops.
 
Anyway, I would say it's like a cayenne, only a little hotter. Thin-walled, seedy. I use it mainly as a powder, but have also used it to flavor vinegar. It could probably work in a stir-fry as well. Nice subtle flavor that complements the food, along with a nice heat that is not overpowering. I started growing it in 2008 from seeds sourced from two different places - 1 commercial (USHotstuff) and 1 a seed swap with a guy in Texas. I have no idea which one I'm growing now lol.
 

Naga Jolokia ng.JPG
 

Naga Jolokia PC-1 2.jpg
 

Naga J.jpg

Wow those look incredible what dehydrator you use?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[Downriver]

Wow those look incredible what dehydrator you use?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 
Thanks. I use an Excalibur 9-tray. Not the  cheapest out there, but I've had it for years and it does a great job.

 

[podz]

 I also have raspberries and strawberries and a few other things around the perimeter. 

 
Raspberries are aphid magnets, be careful!

 

[ahayastani]

 
Hey Solid.  Yep, I've totally considered something similar to that before. I have a neighbor out there who did something similar - cardboard and straw and such - last year.  It seemed to work well for him and kept weeds down.  I'd love to build layers of the thick loose loamy soil I associate with no-till, but no-till is out of the question for this plot.  As a "seasonal plot," I'm allowed access only between March and October and it's rototilled - no exceptions - at the beginning and end of the season.  My other plot, however, is a year-around access plot - like that of my neighbor who does the cardboard lasagna - and those aren't rototilled.  If I did a no-till, it would have to be in the raised beds in that one.
 
This is my first year with the above plot and I know it was lawn just two years prior.  We have a layer around here - I can't think of the name ATM - which is basically hard-pan with gravel and it's not far down.  Essentially no bio-matter.  Also, there are lots of big roots from trees and such running through many of the plots.  Many people don't deal with this and simple try to garden around it, so when you take over a new plot the condition can be a mess. As a result, any time I take over a new plot I give it a solid dig through to get it into a good starting condition. 
 
Going forward, however, I'd rather spend my effort improving the soil.  While no-till is out, things you're talking about like straw and and manure layers and adding compost and such are options.  They'll just be getting tilled in though instead of sitting loose and letting the mycelium develop big networks and such.

 
I used this system when I was living in Europe. The region where I lived was famous for its poor sandy soil. I made raised beds and filled them with mushroom compost. Weeds easily controlled, water drainage and conservation was perfect (impossible with ordinary sandy soil), all plants healthy, ... On the garden paths, I put shredded bark. Here is a link with all you need to know, and certainly check out his youtube channel. When I began my garden, I bought two containers of mushroom compost (~12 m³/container) and paid €10/m³.

 

[CaneDog]

I snapped a few shots today while reorganizing the deck for optimal space and sun.
 
This is a rocoto cap 1242.  It's proving to be a super robust variety, maturing quickly.  It's also really hairy.  It can be surprising sometimes what you see in pictures that you didn't notice while taking them.

 
CAP 1491 x USDA Cardenasii

 
Jimmy Nard's

 
Lanceolatum

 
Piri Piri

 
And mature pod

 
Sugar Rush Peach. No surprise it's full of pollen and setting.  Seems you couldn't stop these things from cranking out pods if you tried.

 

[BDASPNY]

 
Heck yes, LP!  That's the plan right there.
 
 
Thanks man.  I'm excited for the possibilities.  It's a late start, but with a good September it could still be a great year.  And even without that it won't be a bad one.  

 
I'm right there with you on late start. but there's still time to make it up.  if the weather holds up we should be able to grow well into October. 

 

[karoo]

Great pics , some good pepper porn.

 

[CaneDog]

Raspberries are aphid magnets, be careful!

 
You know, I've grown raspberries for about forever and don't remember ever having had an issue with aphids on them.  What I get here is rust.  Never too bad, but seems like always those little orange spots on the lower foliage.  At least it doesn't spread to the peppers  
 

Great pics , some good pepper porn.

 
Hey, Karoo!  Thanks.  Hope the off-season is treating you well and that you have at least a few OW's keeping you company.