DesertChris' High Desert Extreme Gardening Glog

DesertChris · Mar 10, 2013

AMG4heat said:
Very cool grow. Can't wait to see the bare patch of desert turn into a lush forest. Good luck!

Thank you!

I can't wait too! I've had gardening fever all darn winter long....lol

Here are a few sunsets

meinchoh · Mar 10, 2013

Awesome pics, Chris! Pic #2 looks like a fireball!

DesertChris · Mar 10, 2013

Thanks

I love that photo too.

The funny thing is I can never seem to get a photo that really looks as good as the sunset....just almost as good....oh well, cellphone cameras have their uses, and limitations too....

Ok, so the neighbors garden with us, and today their three kids were helping me transplant herbs like sage and thyme.
It was cool to help a 4 year old learn how to pot up a sage plant

I just wish our teenagers had any interest at all in gardening.

TheFanMan · Mar 11, 2013

is that goat asleep in the garden for milk, lawn mowing or dinner?

DesertChris · Mar 11, 2013

TheFanMan said:
is that goat asleep in the garden for milk, lawn mowing or dinner?

It looks like she is sleeping in the garden, but she is on the other side of the fence. I relocated them from the Pen that previous people here used for goats for many many years, to that big fenced area they are in now, with a barn to sleep in at night.

There are 3 goats total, they are our landscapers

Main job is to eat tumbleweeds, and second job is entertainment....they are funny animals.
Third job is to make fertilizer....lol....someday if they fertilize it enough, that big area would be a great area for a pepper field!!

Pulpiteer · Mar 11, 2013

Was that earthquake anywhere near you today?

DesertChris · Mar 11, 2013

Pulpiteer said:
Was that earthquake anywhere near you today?

Where was the quake at?
I didn't feel anything, but I was busy fixing the well resevoir tank.....ended up getting an Ice Cold Bath/Shower/Drenching during the adventure/repair....LOL

Sawyer · Mar 11, 2013

DesertChris said:
I didn't feel anything, but I was busy fixing the well resevoir tank.....ended up getting an Ice Cold Bath/Shower/Drenching during the adventure/repair....LOL

I can relate to that. You have my sympathy.

Pulpiteer · Mar 11, 2013

4.7 magnitude, says it was near Anza, south of LA. Here's the article.

http://www.weather.com/news/earthquake-felt-california-los-angeles-20130311?fb_ref=local-fb-activity

Your state is huge...

DesertChris · Mar 11, 2013

OK figured I should list the insane amount of other stuff I have seeds for....
Hopefully we will have room for, and plant all this, if not then hopefully most of it

The Herbs are all small or larger plants I started in November, or overwintered from last years grow season.

Herbs:
Rosemary
English Broadleaf Thyme
Sweet Basil
Garden Sage
Mullein
Thai Basil
Marseilles Basil
Cilantro
True Greek Oregono
Parsley
Giant of Italy Parsley
Dukat Dill
East Indian Lemongrass
Mint
Pepppermint
Spearmint

Onions/Leeks/Kohlrabi:
Crystal White Wax Onion
Walla Walla Onion
Yellow Sweet Spanish Utah Onion
Evergreen Bunching Onion
Peking Green Kohlrabi
Giant Musselburg Leek

Lettuce/Greens:
Romaine Lettuce
Salad Bowl Mixed Lettuce
Terroir Seeds Blend Lettuce
Mesclun Medley Lettuce
Jericho Lettuce
Little Gem Lettuce
Sainte Anne's Slow Bolting Lettuce
Agretti
Vates Blue Curled Kale
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Spinach-Beet Greens Swiss Chard
Red Aztec Spinach
Garden Cess
Spicy Greens Mix

Carrots/Radishes:
Yellowstone Carrot
Cosmic Purple Carrot
Easter Egg Blend Radish
Japanese Minowase Winter Radish

Grains/Etc:
Mennonite Sorghum
Faro Quinoa
Teff
Golden Flax

Turnips/Beats:
Purple Top White Globe Turnip (Sown and Germinated already)
Detroit Dark Red Beet

Beans/Peas:
Black Valentine Bean
Rattlesnack Bean
Henderson Lima Bean
Kala Chana Garbanzo Bean
Lazy Housewife Bean
Lincoln Pea
Telephone Pea
Oregon Giant Sugar Pod Snow Pea
Mammoth Melting Snow Pea (tried a couple times starting back in November, so we'll see if any make it)

Melons/Squash/Pumpkin/Cucumber/Berry/Etc:
Wonderberry-Sunberry
Vine Peach-Mango Melon
Golden Beauty Casaba Melon
Prescott Fond Blanc Melon
Sugar Baby Watermelon
Golden Midget Watermelon
Jack Be Little Pumpkin
Gele Reuzen Pumpkin
Jarrahdale Pumpkin
Lumina Pumpkin
Connecticut Field Pumpkin
Spaghetti Squash
Table Queen Bush Acorn Squash
Waltham Butternut Squash
Bergess Buttercup Squash
Poona Kheera Cucumber
Everbearing SMR-58 Cucumber
Boston Pickling Cucumber

Sawyer said:
I can relate to that. You have my sympathy.

It Sucked, But was an easy repair luckily....I suppose I needed a shower anyway, but didn't really want a 40 degree one....LOL

Pulpiteer said:
4.7 magnitude, says it was near Anza, south of LA. Here's the article.

http://www.weather.c...cal-fb-activity

Your state is huge...

Yep, this State is a big one...I've lived from one end of it to the other too

From the Coastal Redwood Forests in the north, to Sunny San Diego, and a few places in between

Just Checked... 4.7 quake.....Looks like it was in the Anza Borrego Desert.....kind of closer to San Diego (I did a lot of Snake and Lizard hunting, Camping and Hiking out there as a youngster!)...100 Miles Southeast of Los Angeles, and we are maybe 60 miles North of Los Angeles on the very North edge of LA County.

Having grown up here in Southern California (San Diego) I rarely notice the "small ones" like 4.7
Now when they get over 6.0 that's when I start noticing them

Devv · Mar 11, 2013

Hey Chris,
Thanks for the irrigation pics and info. No bubblers in SA

So I have to order them and wait.

The irrigation system was effective last year, and very cheap. (already had the pipe, and some of the sprinkler heads and bubblers)
I just wish I had a timer on it, but finding a cheap timer that can handle the flow rate needed, is virtually impossible....

I do think I can use those cheap hose timers at Home depot ($20) on the other 2 gardens, since they will be set up a little differently, with one pipe and one row of bubblers using perpindicular trench rows....

I did a real scientific test, lol, my well will fill a 5 gal bucket in about 25 seconds. So I ran the water 15 seconds with and without the timer inline, the difference was about 3/8" lower with the timer. I'm using the Orbit timers, they cost about 25 bucks around here.

Keep on Chooglin,

Scott

DesertChris · Mar 11, 2013

Devv said:
Hey Chris,
Thanks for the irrigation pics and info. No bubblers in SA

So I have to order them and wait.

I did a real scientific test, lol, my well will fill a 5 gal bucket in about 25 seconds. So I ran the water 15 seconds with and without the timer inline, the difference was about 3/8" lower with the timer. I'm using the Orbit timers, they cost about 25 bucks around here.

Keep on Chooglin,

Scott

No problem, glad to share

Your test sounds scientific enough!

Here are the bubbler heads I have been using, I got them at home depot....maybe $1 each, and the risers were maybe $.25 each

I have an electrfonic timer and a couple rainbird valves, I should test them out and see if they'll work...only problem is no electricity out there, and not sure how long the backup battery would last.....Op

Oh....as I was typing the added growlist stuff, my gal got the mail

and there was an envelope with those seeds you kindly sent me!
Thanks again Andy/Pulpiteer

I was talking to the neighbor (our gardening partners) about a few more varieties we might like to get (but certainly didn't need), from pepperlover.com, and so we made a little list of Bhut Jolokias we wanted (a few colors/strains) of them....Last night she says "I ordered them, and a bunch more"....I think she must have clicked "add to cart" on everything that had Jolokia in the name, because her checkout total was a lot higher than we had discussed!

I think I have truly lost my mind, and also made another small seed order, this one with PepperJoe.....
Red Savina
White Habanero
Scotch Bonnet (sowed a few seeds StupidJerk gave me, but might need more...lol)
Jamaican Pepper (some kind of Jamaican Habanero strain)
Bolivian Rainbow

Yep....I have officially lost my mind now.....

A few photos of the porch full of pepper/tomato seedlings and plants

These I run in and out of the house and gardening shed, so they can get sunlight during the day if it is warm enough.
Bunches of seedling cups are also under the lights in the dining room, but that is hard to photograph

And the three goats/landscapers

Also, piles of Sheep and Pony Manure, for the #3 garden spot

Oh.....and baby turnips in ground

I can't wait to eat them, I haven't seen a single turnip for sale at the local grocery stores

Pulpiteer · Mar 11, 2013

What a grow list :shocked:

I think if I had more land, I'd probably be in a similar position. You see seeds for this thing that looks neat, then want to try this other thing, and next thing you know... Looks awesome. Again, I'll stress - wood chips. Get them from that neighbor you talked about. That'll hold moisture in that desert you're in, plus combine it with that manure and you're in great shape. Are you growing the grains for your animals? Do you have much luck with greens? I need to do better with those, but I think I always start them too late and it gets too hot. Cool stuff you've got going on! I'll be excited to see how those seeds turn out for you - glad I could contribute to your effort to green the desert!

DesertChris · Mar 11, 2013

Pulpiteer said:
What a grow list I think if I had more land, I'd probably be in a similar position. You see seeds for this thing that looks neat, then want to try this other thing, and next thing you know... Looks awesome. Again, I'll stress - wood chips. Get them from that neighbor you talked about. That'll hold moisture in that desert you're in, plus combine it with that manure and you're in great shape. Are you growing the grains for your animals? Do you have much luck with greens? I need to do better with those, but I think I always start them too late and it gets too hot. Cool stuff you've got going on! I'll be excited to see how those seeds turn out for you - glad I could contribute to your effort to green the desert!

I really appreciate the contribution too!

Our Neighbors/Garden partners went nutty with buying food crop seeds...LOL
And virtually everything is Heirloom Varieties too

We just have dogs, chickens and goats, Next door they have Ponies, Sheep, Chickens and Dogs.
There should be plenty more Chicken.Goat, Pony and Sheep manure to blend in too, before planting time.
We don't grow the feed for them, but the goats and chickens eat quite well during gardening season...They get lots of stuff from the garden.

I need to find a free source for wood chips, the landscaper across the street doesn't chip or mulch anything there, but he did give me a gazillion nursery pots!! :onfire:

We did pretty good with greens last year, some better than others. I can honestly say that swiss chard produces big time all season long!!! and it lived until the super cold nights hit us in January.

The cool thing is that we sat down with the neighbors, and chose food crops that do well in hot places

So I expect to do pretty well with most of the stuff on that crazy list.

The few grain/grass varieties on the list will be an experiment, just for fun.

With this crazy list of stuff, I just hope we aren't biting off more than We can chew (pun intended) LOL

I am contemplating mixing in a few bales of alfalfa hay into any holes we dig for planting.
The Butch T in Goat Pen Soil mixed with Alfalfa is doing great, and the drainage on that pot is far superior to the one with just straight goat pen soil.
The dirt in the yard/garden is funny...it gets compacted and rock hard over time, but if you get it wet, it gets soft and loose.....So just watering the garden keeps it looser. But I would bet mixing in the alfalfa hay would make it pretty darn awesome, Plus as the alfalfa hay decomposes it'll release Nitrogen

DesertChris · Mar 12, 2013

Not a big update, but it was 80° today...woohoo...and at 8:30pm it's still 60°.....gotta like that!

Funny, I am surprisingly excited that 3 pequin seeds popped so far.
They are from a bag of dried pods from a local hispanic market.
I liked the flavor of the pods, so I can't wait to grow some of those little buggers...lol

meinchoh · Mar 12, 2013

Yeah, you sure did lose your mind! The good thing is that your gal isn't going to help you find it any time soon!

DesertChris · Mar 12, 2013

I think she gave up...lol

Plus I have a bunch of mild varieties on the list, just for her

It was funny, we had breakfast for dinner....i liberally sprinkled some manzano powder (that stupidjerk sent me) all over the eggs and fried potatoes...at the end, my gal snagged a piece of sausage off my plate and took a bite.
Well apparently there was some residual powder on it...lol...she said "i'll never take food from your plate again"

stc3248 · Mar 13, 2013

Glad I found this Chris! Keep the great pics flowing! Good luck this season...that's a lot to manage.

DesertChris · Mar 13, 2013

stc3248 said:
Glad I found this Chris! Keep the great pics flowing! Good luck this season...that's a lot to manage.

Thank you!

Believe it or not, it is way more work now than it will be later. Putting all the plants/seedlings outside during the day, and carrying them back in at night...sowing, watering transplanting..etc etc...
But on second thought, you know exactly how it is! lol
Later when most stuff is in the ground, I can just turn on the water systems while I feed animals, and watch things grow

I love your glog, you have some fantastic plants!!
I wish I could get them to look that nice here, but it'll never happen....mine will be like the weatherbeaten distant cousins hahahaa
But they will be lovingly grown regardless of how ragged they may look when it gets really hot here in the summer

DesertChris · Mar 13, 2013

OK, we placed an order with ghost-powder.com on 2-18...The Red Bhut seeds came yesterday.
They were cheap, so we thought we would try them. I hope nobody else does, because I now have my doubts about the seeds and the vendor!

Here is the opened package....

The sum total of contents was a blank piece of white paper with the seeds inside a piece of aluminum foil that was taped to the paper. OK, once again, not a real big deal, but surprised it wasn't in a paper envelope or plastic bag.... But if you charge $4+ to ship in a plain white envelope, maybe it is a good idea to splurge the $.10 for a plastic bag or little paper envelope....

I proceeded to open the aluminum "pouch", and here was the contents...

Now the first thing to know is that the camera made them look a bit better than they really look in person. These have to be the worst looking bunch of seeds I have had my hands on.

But the real questions are 1) will they grow ? (some maybe, some maybe not) and 2) what will they grow? (won't know for months, but can probably tell a little from leaf shape....maybe....)

Then I took 5 of the best looking ones and taste tested them for a couple minutes....well....no real heat on them, but still that doesn't prove anything yet.... They did taste weird...I immediately washed out my mouth after the test.... (yes , I know, probably shouldn't have tasted them, might get the cooties)

All in all, the price was low, but the looks of their quality seems to me low as well.

I will soak a pile of them tonight, and sow them to see if they even germinate. If not, oh well....

Luckily Ed (thanks Ed) helped me out with some great looking red bhut seeds that are nice and fresh And my neighbor/garden partner placed an order for what I think may be every Jolokia pepperlover.com sells...

So if they grow, I can compare them to 2 other strains.

Personally, so far, I can't say I could possibly recommend these seeds to anyone......But that may change if they germinate, and if they grow nice pods.....

OK, I sowed 176 seeds (the ones with no black) into 36 peat pellets today, 3-14-13.....after soaking in chamomile tea for a couple hours. 4-5 "seeds" in each pellet.... Threw away at least 30 that looked "burned"

To be continued......

Oh...on a lighter note, I received some Yellow 7 Pot and Red BrainStrain seeds from Pulpiteer

Sowed those today too. And they looked quite lovely

Thanks Andy!!