DesertChris' High Desert Extreme Gardening Glog

DocNrock · May 18, 2013

Dude, 700 plants in one day?!? You are da man! No way in hell I could/would do that! It all looks great, though. Glad the fires didn't make it there. Had to LOL at RM's "chipotles on the vine" comment.

That grilled cheese and chicken as well as the calzones looked great!

DesertChris · May 18, 2013

Super busy day....

Cleaned and filled the dogs "pool".... All 8 had a dip

Pulled some turnips to have with dinner

They were great! Made Calzones again, and had the neighbors over to eat with us.

Braided and hung up the garlic to dry... in the kitchen.... the kitchen smells like garlic no...hahahaha

And best of all... cleaned up garden #2, the retired goat pen (tons of junk was out there...)
Then dug the trench for the water system

Tomorrow I will put in the irrigation

highalt · May 18, 2013

Well that space ought to hold a pepper or two!

DesertChris · May 19, 2013

highalt said:
Well that space ought to hold a pepper or two!

That's what I was thinking

The soil is nice and dark underneath too.
The plan is for the chinense varieties to go in there, except for Red Bhuts which I have a lot of, and those will all go into garden #3.

The only bad thing about garden #2 was when cleaning it out, I stepped on a board that had a big ole nail sticking out...
Went through my shoe, and then most of the way through my foot... bled a lot, and hurts like heck...but I got the clean up done

DocNrock said:
Dude, 700 plants in one day?!? You are da man! No way in hell I could/would do that! It all looks great, though. Glad the fires didn't make it there. Had to LOL at RM's "chipotles on the vine" comment.

That grilled cheese and chicken as well as the calzones looked great!

Thanks! Our daughter helped me plant them. And some were in groups of up to ten plants that I didn't separate.
Most were in pairs or single plants though. I definately paid the price, and was sore as heck the next day...lol

stc3248 said:
Yeah...two nodes, two sets of true leaves then two stems from there on up...if its a single plant it'll just have one node.

Looking at it closely, it does look like 2 sets of cots, and looks like it'll have 2 sets of leaves, but only time will tell for certain.

Devv said:
I guess that's a chicken Calzone? It sure looks good!

I've gotten quite a bit of good cooking ideas from everyone this year.

I've been mulling the mulch idea too, the county offers it for free. While it would certainly help water consumption...My concerns are about the ditch watering, as it is the larger pieces of the bio char always wind up in the down hill portions of my ditches. In large garden it would be hard, I would want to scape it into a pile at the end of season as it's slow to decompose and would tie up nitrogen, this would be much easier to do with smaller plots. Hay and newspaper would be a better choice for me but it also poses problems. One is it's hard to find hay that's not coastal here, one would never want to use coastal, if it has seeds, you're introducing a real invader. Everywhere I've set a coastal round bale for the cattle has sparked a circle of coastal growth. I'm considering using hay grazer (sudan) if I can get it. But once used I would expect to be forced to use it every year, because it will seed too, and in my experience it will grow along side the plants..

I'd love to hear more ideas on this subject..

Yep, Chicken Calzone, and it was good enough to invite the neighbors over tonight, and make it again

Mulch....the neighbor has 6 bales of straw, which we could use, but we haven't decided yet.
The darn wind would blow it around too easily.
I do find that once the plants get big enough, they fill in the area, and almost act like mulch by shading etc... so we might just wait for that to happen.

WalkGood said:
Chris, fantastic looking dinner … reminds me of our empanadas but we don’t top with cheese but rather use it inside the empanada. Killer looking scorpion seedling can’t wait to see that one grow up, have a great weekend mon!

Thanks Ramone

I love cheese, so it was inside and on top too...lol
I appreciate the compliment on my cooking. Because your food pics look fantastic, and if you think mine look good, it means a lot!!

OK, Way too tired to catch up on glogs tonight, so tomorrow I'll be doing that

Good night to everyone

DocNrock · May 19, 2013

I would see a doc about that nail injury if I were you. Foot injuries like that can get infected easily, especially if the nail went through a shoe (P. aerugenosa). Also, you need a tetanus booster if you haven't had one in the past 10 years.

Sorry, it's the doc in me coming out.

Garden 2 looks great, man. Lots of work that will pay off hugely!

DesertChris · May 19, 2013

DocNrock said:
I would see a doc about that nail injury if I were you. Foot injuries like that can get infected easily, especially if the nail went through a shoe (P. aerugenosa). Also, you need a tetanus booster if you haven't had one in the past 10 years.

Sorry, it's the doc in me coming out.

Garden 2 looks great, man. Lots of work that will pay off hugely!

Thank you.

Yep, had a booster a few years ago.
Luckily the nail wasn't rusty, and I was wearing fairly new and clean sandals.
It bled a lot too, which I figure helps clean things out.
Then I used peroxide on/in it, and then soaked it quite a while in water.

But.... if it starts getting infected in the slightest, i'll be down at the doctor for sure!!

I can't wait to get the new garden areas finished and planted!!
Still lots of "ground" work to do!

annie57 · May 19, 2013

Damn! Gorgeous Chris and who says a desert can't be irrigated! I agree with ya on foot--probably hurt like mofo but if you've had tet booster, blood helped clean it . . . sandals . . . that desert thang! "Ground work" hurts but well worth it!

DesertChris · May 19, 2013

annie57 said:
Damn! Gorgeous Chris and who says a desert can't be irrigated! I agree with ya on foot--probably hurt like mofo but if you've had tet booster, blood helped clean it . . . sandals . . . that desert thang! "Ground work" hurts but well worth it!

Hahaha, yep, it just takes more water. Thank goodness the well is deep

It also helps that there is decades of manure decomposed into the sand...lol

Yes, it did hurt like a mofo! Luckily it was in that area between the big toe, and the next toe, about an inch back from the skin between, so went mostly through skin, not muscle or bone!

The digging wiped me out...again...
Shoulders and right arm are super tired/sore, but all I have to do today is cut and glue pvc pipe, and bury it

In the next couple days, I will make the channels and start flooding them to get it prepped for planting.

Then it is on to gardens #3 for the red bhuts (much looser sandy soil), and garden #4 for squashes etc.. all the sprawling plants (hard packed cow manure and sandy soil that has been piling up for decades...i'll have to rototill that one for sure)

Devv · May 19, 2013

Sorry to hear about your foot, that's not even fun!

Ton of work getting things going, goat pen looks good!

Did you use water when trenching to soften things up?

StupidJerk · May 19, 2013

Damn! Nail almost all the way though? I haven't done that one since I was a kid. I was walking around barefoot yesterday and stepped on a the lid of a cat food that my dog pulled out of the trash, but it only went in about a centimeter. Not quite a impressive as your injury.

DesertChris · May 20, 2013

OK, spent mpst of the day digging, cuttimg pvc, glueing, etc...
My arms are seriously shot...lol
Here is the Goat Pen progress...

So, I put the bubbler heads on, buried the water lines, turned it on, and EPIC FAIL....
The 100' hose I used to get water from one side of the yard to the other, was not good enough to deliver adequate water to the 17 bubbler heads....
Waaaaah waaah waaah....
So I now have to run a 1" pipe instead

And dig the 100' ditch for it

And dig out part of the water system to tie it in

Devv said:
Sorry to hear about your foot, that's not even fun!

Ton of work getting things going, goat pen looks good!

Did you use water when trenching to soften things up?

Yeah, foot was not fun, but feels good today

Luckily I heal super fast.

Yes!! Water is vital to soften things up for digging....goes from rock hard to soft as butter

I am wiped out from the crazy amount of work!!

StupidJerk said:
Damn! Nail almost all the way though? I haven't done that one since I was a kid. I was walking around barefoot yesterday and stepped on a the lid of a cat food that my dog pulled out of the trash, but it only went in about a centimeter. Not quite a impressive as your injury.

Hmmmm, I would almost rather have the nail than a cat food can slice!!!!

stc3248 · May 20, 2013

I might have looked into renting a ditch witch for a day and just trenched everywhere I might need it...that is a ton of work! That space does look really nice though, I have a vision of a large shade cloth stretched across it! Stay away from those nails brudda...I have done that too many times, and it takes forever to heal up. Can't wait to see them all in the ground!

DesertChris · May 20, 2013

stc3248 said:
I might have looked into renting a ditch witch for a day and just trenched everywhere I might need it...that is a ton of work! That space does look really nice though, I have a vision of a large shade cloth stretched across it! Stay away from those nails brudda...I have done that too many times, and it takes forever to heal up. Can't wait to see them all in the ground!

Thanks!! I think it's going to be a great garden spot

Lots of wind protection too.

I would physically benefit from using a ditch witch, and a rototiller, but the garden is already way over budget!!
Plus the physical labor might perhaps have some benefit for me...maybe...if it doesn't kill me. LOL
I am in my midforties, so exercise is a good thing. (even if I am sore as heck right now)

You must have been reading my mind!! I would love to put shadecloth over the top of that area, the peppers would love it.
Maybe i'll be able to squeeze that in somehow, but probably not. Next year would be more likely.

Yeah, dang nails!! It already seems fairly good, no pain, swelling, redness, or bleeding etc....
I was fortunate it was in a less meaty spot on the , about an inch back from the toe web area, and between the toe bones, where there is less stuff to hurt.

WalkGood · May 20, 2013

Holy backBustin work but great job on irrigation, I feel for you to find out in the end you have to redo the initial run … that kinds thing happens to me. Or when you finish some hard project and you think of all the ways you can make something better, hehehe. Hope your foot feeling better mon and have a great week!

koskorgul · May 20, 2013

Damn dude and I thought I did alot this weekend.
Looking good though sorry to hear about your foot. Had one go through my foot when I was a kid. Luckily I was at the Dr's office with my mom so I was all fixed up in a matter of 10 mins. LOL

Sanarda · May 20, 2013

That is a ton of work. And I thought I did a lot. You have me beat by a mile. Glad your foot is better. Don't over do it. Ave some energy for actual planting. Aahahahaaa

Devv · May 20, 2013

Well Chris you could always run the line and bury it at your convenience. Save that work for winter.

My irrigation this year is temporary, decided to do it after I planted..

My run is 3/4" about 80 to 100' from the well. It wasn't designed for irrigation, just watering, so three bublers is all it will effectively run.

After the first flood of the season it fills a lot faster..

DesertChris · May 20, 2013

WalkGood said:
Holy backBustin work but great job on irrigation, I feel for you to find out in the end you have to redo the initial run … that kinds thing happens to me. Or when you finish some hard project and you think of all the ways you can make something better, hehehe. Hope your foot feeling better mon and have a great week!

oh yeah, I am beat down now....lol
But got a lot more done today

koskorgul said:
Damn dude and I thought I did alot this weekend.
Looking good though sorry to hear about your foot. Had one go through my foot when I was a kid. Luckily I was at the Dr's office with my mom so I was all fixed up in a matter of 10 mins. LOL

I'm sure you got a lot done too!
Spent the day doing more

I'll be ready to watch everything grow soon!

Sanarda said:
That is a ton of work. And I thought I did a lot. You have me beat by a mile. Glad your foot is better. Don't over do it. Ave some energy for actual planting. Aahahahaaa

Hahaha, well i'm sure you did a lot too.
I'm just trying to get it all prepped, and my helpers are all busy with other stuff, so it's mostly me doing the work right now.
I will be out of energy by the time planting happens, so buckets of coffee will be needed

Devv said:
Well Chris you could always run the line and bury it at your convenience. Save that work for winter.

My irrigation this year is temporary, decided to do it after I planted..

My run is 3/4" about 80 to 100' from the well. It wasn't designed for irrigation, just watering, so three bublers is all it will effectively run.

After the first flood of the season it fills a lot faster..

Well.... the 100' long 5/8" hose was an epic fail, but the 100' of 1" pipe with a dedicated ball valve seems to be delivering enough water now

Yep, you heard right, I done did it.
My gal, and the daughter helped dig the 100' long 3" deep trench across the yard. Just deep enough to keep it underground and safe

I put it all in, and buried it too.
(Oh, I also put in the irrigation and trenched the Red Ghost Pepper Garden which is about 23' x 23')

OK here are the photos

This is the water line upgraded for the Chinense garden (Goat Pen / Garden #2) Still lots of "ground work" to do, but now with adequate water supply, it'll be much easier!

Used water to soften the trench area! It was rock hard!!

Water Valve and Hose Bib I put in instead of just the hose bib that was there before.... now I have both...

Pipe in the trench.

And it's all buried!!

Here Is the Red Bhut Garden (Garden #3) I put in the irrigation, and the trenches Today!!

Still some "ground work" to do, but a good bit of it done!

OH, spotted this guy... about a 5' Gopher Snake patrolling the back yard! Woohoo!!
I hope he gets some ground squirrels for lunch

WalkGood · May 21, 2013

Whoa I'm tired just reading about all the work you've been at, hahahaha ... Great job Chris!!! I agree, all this irrigation work will pay off in the long run, just think once everything is done you can enjoy a cold beer while watering the garden \o/

annie57 · May 21, 2013

Dear God, Chris: brilliant irrigation work!!! Hard work that'll pay off in major way!!! Thank you for your inspiration! Love the gopher snake and puppy shots too

. I asked mine, after I came in, why they weren't earning keep digging holes. Again just excellent work. Like that manifold set up, the testing, just excellent, thoughtful, hard work! Me thinks I may consult you--when you're having that cold beer enjoying the fruits of your and your fam's labor.