Devv's 2015 - 16, Life is good!

Well here we go again!
 
I just got finished planting seeds for 70 plants. Scaling back a bit this year; last year was a lot of work! That and I have to do more than garden this season
 
My apologies as I can't remember shit where I got all the seeds from. Some were harvested from pods some I saved, and some were sent to me. I can say this 99% originated from the most generous THP members!
 
Without further ado, here's the 2015 list:
 
Red 7 Pot Lava: Mikey
Black Thai        : Mikey
Yellow Jonah  : Mikey
Jack’s Choc Superhot: Mikey
Red Bhutlah   : Mikey
Tepin x Lemmon drop
Pimenta Lisa : Stefan
Brazilian Starfish
Bell
Poblano
Billy Biker
Jalapeno
Jimmy Nardello
Bishops Crown
Sweet Hungarian Paprika
Bahamian Goat
Urfa Biber
Jelly Bean White Hab
Jigsaw
Nagabrain F4
Numex Jalamundo
Cream Fatalii
Isabella Island Hab: Jim
Cherry Bomb: Jim
Moa
Kurt’s
JA Habs
White Bhut
Anaheim
Jigsaw
Burgundy
Ma Wiri wiri: Jim
Pepperdew: Jim
Pimenta De Padron: Jim
Wild tepin: Jim
Jigsaw
Six secrets from Stefan
Orange Primo: Mikey
Choc Bhutlah
Scotch Bonnet x Indian Red
Red Lava: Mikey
White Hab
Naga King: Rick
BOC: Rick
 
I leaned more towards peppers my wife can eat. After all she helped me quite a bit, I might as well grow some for her
 
Last season was a challenge regarding what was what. I eventually figured them out, but was not happy with the confusion. And yeah, I'm easily confused.
 
Here's a pic of the 70 starters:
 

 
Trying something different, the Jiffy's are numbered and will be entered into a spreadsheet. As they pop, they will go into the solo cups with permanent marker to label them.
 
This year I'm starting things in the converted hunting room (man cave?). LB wanted the extra bedroom back   The room is part of the shop; 24x8 and insulated. It's been rather nasty for the last 4 or 5 days, damp and temps below 52°, but it was 68° in there a few minutes ago. Also I'm trying a heating mat to help with germination, which was abysmal IMHO last year.
 
Anyone who knows how I fly, knows I like to grow in the dirt. I have a few in containers from last season, but they just don't do as well.
 
I put a ton (literally) of work into the soil since the start of last season.
 
I feel soil preparation is the key to success:
 

 

 
I tilled in over 24 yards of RCW and 10 yards of shredded leaves after pulling the plants in the fall.
 

 
I then planted Crimson Clover and Rye as a cover crop, this pic is from 2 weeks ago..
 

 
The area I planted the cover crop in is 2,300 to 2,500 square feet. Half is framed for sunshade. A must in the 100% summer sun the garden gets. There's some Comfrey of the left
 

 

 
Dec. 6th I tilled in the whole shootin' match. I waited too long. But I do like it when it darkens up. This is what it looks like after 2 2" deep passes. If you wait too long the roots form a sod, this makes for a bad day of tilling. I got this far and decided to call it. Shiner time!

Once I'm sure most is dead and wont come back when I water crop 2 goes in.
 

 
On 12-10

The grass on top has dried, and rain is forecast through Sunday (yeah right), so I tilled again. It brought up the grass from below and now the garden looks like last Sunday. I went a couple of notches deeper this time to break up more of the roots. I spread rye seed and watered for 45 minutes. It should come up quickly as the weather is warm for a week or more. 50's-70's.
 

 
This is the garden today, the second cover crop is just coming up. And I have to prep an area for onions, which hit the dirt January 15th. The rest gets tilled in at the end of the month.
 
I fly out of here tomorrow afternoon, and won't be back until a week from now. So I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
 

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Hope the bad weather down these misses you.  And if it doesn't, stay safe!!!

 

[Devv]

That amp looks like a nice little piece of equipment - a tube amp, nonetheless.

 
Andy I lucked out on that, I felt a $100.00 one was too low end, They were trying to sell me a $600 one, so I took the middle of the road.
 

 
I thought they'd determined that was healthier than abstinence. 

 
My brother was an FFA employee, that's what they told them every physical. Daughter was told that by the VA too. They "say" that they're trying to change that little statement because people say if 2 is good 4 is better...
 

 
Oh well, I guess that isn't the worst thing I have been called.
 
Bottoms up.

 
LOL
 
One of them actually called me that   So now I'm drinking 2 fingers of Cranberry-Cherry juice.
 

 
a beer or wine for a woman, and 2-3 for a man ... yup.

 
That's what I'm talking about!
 

I'm glad to see your doing much better. I'm a recovering alcoholic. I laugh when they say two or three beers a day makes you a alcoholic. In my case try 12-15 beers and a pint of whiskey every night. The world is a better place now that I don't drink.LOL.
I hope those weeds aren't to bad when you get back out there.

 
Good for you, that was way too much, and I was close in my late 30's to that...we all grow (hopefully)
 

Now we just be Pepperholics instead!  Now I only trash my face, tongue and insides!

 
Hah, forgot backsides too

Hope the bad weather down these misses you.  And if it doesn't, stay safe!!!

 Thanks Jeff!
 
So far it's slipped South, some cells still rolling out there...

 

[Pinoy83]

amazingggg your garden us full of greeenns, and those comfreys awesommeee

 

[Devv]

amazingggg your garden us full of greeenns, and those comfreys awesommeee

 
Thanks Jericson,
 
Mother nature  has been pitching in, I think I've watered 2 times so far
 
 

 
A poor attempt to get all the peppers in one pic. Some plants are still yellowish
 

 
The sweets and milds.
 

 

 

 
Well at least a few are jumping into the game. I'm thinking about skipping all the amending this fall and going straight to a cover crop. My line of thinking is it's tying up to many nutes. By the end of May things have usually gone crazy, so it has to be a tie up.

 

[tctenten]

Pods already, nice Scott. Like the spacing you have for your peppers. Plenty of room for them to grow.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Alright buddy. Nice to see you out and about. The garden looks really good. Amending takes some time, but if the cover works go for it. You've been amending that soil for how many years now. LOL. Always enjoy seeing what's going on down there. Hope your feeling better. Thanks for sharing.

Chuck

 

[stickman]

Nice looking plants Scott! Sure some may be a bit yellowish, but the first natural rain will take care of that I'm thinking. I decided to take a page from your book and try planting my Kapija plants in hilled rows and water by flooding the ditches in between. I'll still use the IRT plastic mulch on top of the rows, but I'll mulch the ditches with straw and leaves to keep down the weeds. Here's where I am at the moment...

 

[PaulG]

Looking good, Scott!  Those yellow-ish plants will be green monsters in no time!
 
I hope you are feeling better every day, buddy.
 
As for the alkie thing, someone said it best:  I rather be a known drunk than an
anonymous alcoholic!  Two drinks a day keeps the doctor away!   Eating right 
is more important for health, to me.

 

[Devv]

Pods already, nice Scott. Like the spacing you have for your peppers. Plenty of room for them to grow.

 
Thanks Terry!
 
Also we're trying to get closer to planting what we use, not that we mind giving produce away. But it's a ton of work! And I find other things are not getting done.
 
 

Alright buddy. Nice to see you out and about. The garden looks really good. Amending takes some time, but if the cover works go for it. You've been amending that soil for how many years now. LOL. Always enjoy seeing what's going on down there. Hope your feeling better. Thanks for sharing.

Chuck

 
Thanks Chuck!
 
I went to the doctor (my call) yesterday, I guess now I'm a bit paranoid
 
But at this point I feel better safe than sorry.
 

Nice looking plants Scott! Sure some may be a bit yellowish, but the first natural rain will take care of that I'm thinking. I decided to take a page from your book and try planting my Kapija plants in hilled rows and water by flooding the ditches in between. I'll still use the IRT plastic mulch on top of the rows, but I'll mulch the ditches with straw and leaves to keep down the weeds. Here's where I am at the moment...

Thanks Rick!
 
I think you'll like the ditch flooding, the first time I flood it takes a while for it to reach the end, after the second time it takes around 2.75 gallons to flood the row. They're about 17-19' long (I'd have to measure)
 
I wanted to put the hoop houses and the IRT this spring but just wasn't up to it.
 

Looking good, Scott!  Those yellow-ish plants will be green monsters in no time!
 
I hope you are feeling better every day, buddy.
 
As for the alkie thing, someone said it best:  I rather be a known drunk than an
anonymous alcoholic!  Two drinks a day keeps the doctor away!   Eating right 
is more important for health, to me.

 
Thanks Paul!
 
One step at a time, keeping the doctor away is the game plan   We eat really well around here, LB cooks, a rare occasion when we eat out of the box or fast food.
 
We got close to 2"s of rain today, fast and hard. The garden handled it without any erosion It seems the rains have returned!

 

[randyp]

   Looks good Scott,glad your getting wet.Take it while you can buddy.Stay safe and healthy.Just like yer plants.

 

[Devv]

   Looks good Scott,glad your getting wet.Take it while you can buddy.Stay safe and healthy.Just like yer plants.

 
Thanks Randy!
 
We got another 3"s this morning, fast and hard. Garden still hung in there. Just some minor erosion at the bottom where it's sandy. This reminds me of the early 80's, I never had to water back then...

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Wow Scott. You've got a bunch of rain lately. Have the reservoirs come up in the area? I remember last year it was bad.

 

[Devv]

Wow Scott. You've got a bunch of rain lately. Have the reservoirs come up in the area? I remember last year it was bad.

 Hi Chuck,
 
The Edwards Aquifer has come up 10' it's still 20' low. The last 2 rains were "run off" rains. That's what we need to do some recharging.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

That's good news. Talked to my dad in San Diego and nothing has come up. They also use a bunch of it. Well as long as you get just what you need on that garden I'll be happy. Not to much though

Have a great weekend

 

[Devv]

We had some weather last night.
 

 

 

 

 

 

[jcw10tc]

We had some weather last night.
 
 

Wow, looked like a pretty bad storm.  I hope everything bounces back OK for you. 

 

[Ozzy2001]

Damn. There's a chance for severe stuff around here today. Hopefully it's not as bad as what it looks like you got. I hope your stuff pops back into shape ok.

 

[Pepper Ridge Farm]

Damn mother nature that looks like a small twister touched down in your yard? Really hate it for you Scott but hopefully after a little straightening up and some days of nicer weather you won't even know it happened.  Makes you just want to yell out loud mad, but I bet some Californians would take your rain any way they can get it.  Going to check my forecast but not like there is anything you could do to protect your plants from that!   

 

[LA 2 the Bay]

Californians would take your rain any way they can get it.     
we got rain and wind last night and I planted out my bhuts and a few other things hope they faired well

 

[jedisushi06]

hey buddy got a picture of Jack's Chocolate for me yet?  How yah been?