Devv's Dirt Grow-Almost done..

Weekend March 2-3:
I’ve been working on the garden for years; it was dormant for a few years (like 10) while I changed careers. The base soil if you want to call it that is sand. I added heavy black dirt to the upper 2/3 years ago; I’ve since added heavy red dirt (clay ) to half of the lower 1/3. For two years straight I’ve added 4”s of compost to the upper 2/3 and this year 4”s to the bottom 1/3. I clean horse pens for the free manure; kitchen waste is added to the compost. Our property is on a slope and heavy rains cause erosion problems. Above the garden the land is heavily terraced to divert water runoff.
Finished concreting the base of the fence, used 22 80lb bags, the Waskily Wabbits should be done, until they find another way in. They have been a real menace! I tried a hot wire system, it was not too effective and killed birds and squirrels; I didn’t like that.

Planted the Onions January 15th, Garlic was planted September 15th. They took a beating with the 30mph winds, 55 mph gusts last Monday.

Tilled and my wife planted corn, cukes, watermelons, bush beans and cantelope.

Bush Beans above

Cukes, and Melons behind the Rosemary above.

Corn below.

I started these the first week of January; I think I got carried away.

The Potatoes, planted February 15th are coming up. I planted then 8”s deep and I keep covering them up, and will do so until the ground is level where planted.

Never ending mulch pile.

Hmmm.. too many images...

 

[gfinnil]

Impressive pics, I have family in Victoria that I need to get on the pepper game

 

[stickman]

 Quote: "Yes, new production has stopped, just picking as they ripen. Pulled up most of the Annum's 2 weeks ago. Fall is definitely here, some plants are dropping leaves, I think due to shorter days. Fine with me, it's been a long, long season.
For next year I'm hoping to do the pulling until the tomatoes are done, which is early July. Gives me and the soil a break. I have the most of the Chinense germing that I intend to plant. For most I'm shooting for 2 seeds to germ and then I'm sure will be gifting plants, as for most 1 plant is all I have room for. So far 33 have popped, that's about 2/5 of the planting. Annuum's get planted Dec 1st. I'm going to OW the driveway plants, all of them. Undecided about the Funky Reaper, OW or cuttings? No new Reaper seeds this next season".
 
You've had a great first season with the superhots Scott, and being a Long Island native, I'm sure you'll roll with a "cold" winter down in Tejas. How are the "bag ladies" doing? They're mature plants, so aphids are probably not your biggest worry right now, but keep a close eye on them... I just learned that aphids have a winged form to spread themselves out when they've sufficiently weakened and/or overpopulated their host. I found 2 winged forms and about 30 wingless on my OW plants last night. Jumped right on it as you can imagine! I broke out the spinosad spray and will continue to monitor to keep them from being more than minor pains in the butt... I'm planning on starting my long-season seeds in about 7 weeks and it wouldn't do to have the plant-suckers in the near vicinity when I do. A tip of the hat to Greg (pic1) for cluing me in to that one! It took a 14x magnifying glass to confirm aphids... I'll have to find out how much magnification is required to spot mites...
     Have a great weekend!

 

[PaulG]

sounds good, Scott.  No frost is good frost!
 
We're mucking along at high 30's-low 40's at night outside,
so most of the plants re losing yellowing leaves here, too.  Our
highs are in the low 50's.  Greenhouse ranges from low 50's night 
to 60's day, 70's with a sun break or two.
 
But pods are still ripening on the vines.  Go figure.  
 
I went back and looked at your harvest pics again - woah,
Scott, you are a grower, dude.  Congrats.  Can't wait to see
next year's grow now that the greenhouse is broken in!

 

[Devv]

Impressive pics, I have family in Victoria that I need to get on the pepper game

Thanks!
 
Victoria a few hours from here and even warmer with more rain, should be ideal growing conditions there. I bet they rarely see a frost.
 

 Quote: "Yes, new production has stopped, just picking as they ripen. Pulled up most of the Annum's 2 weeks ago. Fall is definitely here, some plants are dropping leaves, I think due to shorter days. Fine with me, it's been a long, long season.
For next year I'm hoping to do the pulling until the tomatoes are done, which is early July. Gives me and the soil a break. I have the most of the Chinense germing that I intend to plant. For most I'm shooting for 2 seeds to germ and then I'm sure will be gifting plants, as for most 1 plant is all I have room for. So far 33 have popped, that's about 2/5 of the planting. Annuum's get planted Dec 1st. I'm going to OW the driveway plants, all of them. Undecided about the Funky Reaper, OW or cuttings? No new Reaper seeds this next season".
 
You've had a great first season with the superhots Scott, and being a Long Island native, I'm sure you'll roll with a "cold" winter down in Tejas. How are the "bag ladies" doing? They're mature plants, so aphids are probably not your biggest worry right now, but keep a close eye on them... I just learned that aphids have a winged form to spread themselves out when they've sufficiently weakened and/or overpopulated their host. I found 2 winged forms and about 30 wingless on my OW plants last night. Jumped right on it as you can imagine! I broke out the spinosad spray and will continue to monitor to keep them from being more than minor pains in the butt... I'm planning on starting my long-season seeds in about 7 weeks and it wouldn't do to have the plant-suckers in the near vicinity when I do. A tip of the hat to Greg (pic1) for cluing me in to that one! It took a 14x magnifying glass to confirm aphids... I'll have to find out how much magnification is required to spot mites...
     Have a great weekend!

Thanks Rick!
 
Been gardening since the early 80's so I did have experience to fall back on. But the Chinense surprised me, they start out so slow..I sent my brother seeds, he's in Ohio. I said plant them now, two weeks later he still hadn't, so he finally did. Then he calls me, "don't these grow? They just sit here" Exactly
 
Pics of the bag ladies forth coming, they have the fall look going on as do the ones in the garden. As I OW them they will just be moved to the shop on cool days, still trying to decide whether to cut them back and put them in new soil or leave them in the bags. My concern is if I leave them in the bags the root area is huge....I think I just answered my question..because I intend on putting them in the dirt in the spring.
 
I've read a 40x is needed to see mites, such a small critter can do so much damage.
 
Back atcha on having a great weekend!
 

sounds good, Scott.  No frost is good frost!
 
We're mucking along at high 30's-low 40's at night outside,
so most of the plants re losing yellowing leaves here, too.  Our
highs are in the low 50's.  Greenhouse ranges from low 50's night 
to 60's day, 70's with a sun break or two.
 
But pods are still ripening on the vines.  Go figure.  
 
I went back and looked at your harvest pics again - woah,
Scott, you are a grower, dude.  Congrats.  Can't wait to see
next year's grow now that the greenhouse is broken in!

Thanks Paul!
 
Next year should be better, I learned a ton this year growing and reading here at the THP.
 
Glad the pods are still ripening, can't beat that!.
 
I have pics to post but LB has dinner ready..
Here's some pics of the "bag ladies" on the driveway, some are just tired. The days are shorter and their leaves are yellowing and dropping.
 
JA Hab, this one is one of the better looking ones.

 
Red Caribbean, pretty loaded up with pods.

Red Bhut, leaves are looking weak...but we harvested quite a few pods from this one today.

 
Orange Hab, simply loaded with nice ripe pods.

 
Red Bhut in the dirt, looking a bit rough too, but harvested a lot of pods from this one too.

 
Reapers are still ripening, but also showing the signs of fall.

 
Group shot of the once "jungle" now tinned out a bit..Gonna mow the cover crop tomorrow..

 
Today's pull, I think we have a few like this left before we're done.

 

 
I have a few more, and would appreciate a bump..

 

[stickman]

You got the bump brother Scott! What's showing looks fine! Let's see what else ya got!

 

[Devv]

You got the bump brother Scott! What's showing looks fine! Let's see what else ya got!

Thanks Rick!
 
Ok from where I left off:

Don't know why this pic looks the way it does, took two and they both came out the same.

 
So I decided to make brother Bill's Apple Butter...didn't have Fatalli's, looked up the scoville heat and thought JA Habs would sub just fine..

 
Gonna can the mix in 20 minutes.
 
We cut up 2 trays worth before we decided we had done enough for one day

 

Reaper and Ghosties, right now they are really strong smelling!
 
 I was in the shop most of the day working on my grow station. Ordered a T5 4 bulb fixture today, have a T8 on the seedlings..not quite ready for pics yet, but soon.
 
That's it for today.
 
Enjoy the weekend!

 

[stickman]

Whoo... four T5s, eh?  We'll definitely wanna see how the seedlings like it when you fire up the turbo! Continued success with the last few pulls Scott. No rest for the wicked, eh? You won't be getting any breaks from the garden until midsummer.   Have a great rest of the weekend!

 

[gfinnil]

Impressive pods...wish we had a longer growing season up here,
Jerry

 

[GA Growhead]

If those are the HO T5s you are going to be impressed. My two bulb strips are like the sun's little brother and the starts seemed to double every time I would look at them. Definitely the way to go!
Have a great weekend too!

 

[megahot]

Very impressive glog Devv!   Looks like Ive been missing out on some pics

 

[PaulG]

Awesome finish you've got goin'there, Scott!  Those harvest
shots are the cat's meow, for sure!
 
+1 GAGH - the HO T-5's kick it square in the can.

 

[WalkGood]

[SIZE=medium]Great pulls you keep getting, you will have no shortage of heat thru da winter ... [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Almost as it is in Florida, your season will never end as long as you don’t get a frost but the difference is we don’t get that frost in the south as we’re in da tropical zone. Your plants have a wonderful looking green lush coloration, da pods look beautiful. I wish your plants a Spock Vulcan winter … live long and prosper, hehehe[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Your version of Bill’s Apple Butter looks awesome, how does LB like da taste? [/SIZE]
 

 

[Penny]

Very impressive looking plants and harvest, and the apple butter looks so good.
 
Nice!!

 

[Devv]

Whoo... four T5s, eh?  We'll definitely wanna see how the seedlings like it when you fire up the turbo! Continued success with the last few pulls Scott. No rest for the wicked, eh? You won't be getting any breaks from the garden until midsummer.   Have a great rest of the weekend!

Hi Rick!
 
Mom sent me some B-day $$$$ so I decided to splurge on a PH meter and the lights, can't wait until they get here in a week or so. No rest is true, almost looking forward to Monday's nowadays :
Been hitting it hard in the shop working on the grow station, hoping to have it ready by next weekend.
 

Impressive pods...wish we had a longer growing season up here,
Jerry

Thanks Jerry!
 
Be careful what you wish for, it's non stop work
 

If those are the HO T5s you are going to be impressed. My two bulb strips are like the sun's little brother and the starts seemed to double every time I would look at them. Definitely the way to go!
Have a great weekend too!

Thanks Jason!,
It's a 4 bulb unit with 6400K's, I have a T8 4 bulb with 4100K's over the germ trays. I should be good!
Never using lights before I'm unsure of how far to keep them above the plants, kind of winging it.
 
Back atcha on the weekend!
 

Very impressive glog Devv!   Looks like Ive been missing out on some pics

Thanks!
It's been a long season but I've had fun.
 

Awesome finish you've got goin'there, Scott!  Those harvest
shots are the cat's meow, for sure!
 
+1 GAGH - the HO T-5's kick it square in the can.

Thanks Paul!
 
They sure are keeping us busy!
 

[SIZE=medium]Great pulls you keep getting, you will have no shortage of heat thru da winter ... [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]Almost as it is in Florida, your season will never end as long as you don’t get a frost but the difference is we don’t get that frost in the south as we’re in da tropical zone. Your plants have a wonderful looking green lush coloration, da pods look beautiful. I wish your plants a Spock Vulcan winter … live long and prosper, hehehe[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]Your version of Bill’s Apple Butter looks awesome, how does LB like da taste? [/SIZE]
 

Thanks Ramon!
 
I say we're on the East end of the desert country, an hour and a half West and the terrain changes. Last year no killing frosts, but this year, I dunno. We have 35° forecast for Thursday morning, so the bag ladies get moved into the shop...that means I have to cleanup in there..LOL.
 
LB likes the Apple Butter, it's not too hot for her, just right actually. Gonna try some with some Ham this evening.
 

Very impressive looking plants and harvest, and the apple butter looks so good.
 
Nice!!

Thanks Penny!
The Apple Butter is worth doing!
 
Here's the link:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/42643-fall-sauce-making-2013/#entry906209
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
Back to the shop, gonna glue up some boards..

 

[GA Growhead]

With fluorescent lights you adjust to keep them as close as you can without burning them. The plants can touch T8s without burning, especially in the centers. The T5s are much hotter.

 

[Devv]

Thanks Jason, so far I've kept the lights about 12"s. I was afraid to roast the newly popped plants.

 

[Devv]

In honor of those who served:
 

We thank you!

 

[Devv]

Today is a special day where we observe those who have served. My Father in-law drove ammunition to the front lines during the Korean war, my father served in the Army during the Korean war, my brother served in the Navy, and my daughter served in the Army. I thank the good Lord she wasn't shipped out to Iraq.
 
God bless those who have served in the past and those who now serve so we can live a secure peaceful life here. An extra special prayer goes out to those who have lost a loved one while serving.
 
Amen.
 
 
Tomorrow a wicked cold front is going to blow in, expecting high winds and 36° Wed, 35° Thursday mornings. I expect wind damage and hopefully no frost, need to look at the dew points. The "bag ladies" have been moved inside the shop. They get moved one more time and downsized to 3 gal pots. The 20 gal bags and the size of the plants is just too much weight and space to go in and out all winter. I'm going to take cutting of the plants I want to keep that are in the dirt and hope for the best. we're long over due for a cold winter and this year it looks like we're going to see it. This is the 4th or 5th cold front and they're cooler and earlier than what we've been seeing the last several years.
 
If this is it, well it's been a real learning experience and a lot of fun. I have a ton of seedlings coming up and am quickly running out of room light wise, guess they will go on a rotation
 
Enjoy your week and God bless America!

 

[stickman]

I hope you get those T5s wired in and mounted before you have to re-pot, trim, and take in the plants Scott... ready or not, here they come!

 

[PaulG]

Thanks Jason, so far I've kept the lights about 12"s. I was afraid to roast the newly popped plants.

I read that the T-5 HO's can be 4-10 cm from your plants (about 1.5"-4")  I have mine at about 3-4" and have few problems.  When a leaf grows up too close, it does get crispy, unlike with T8 or T12.  The Goat's Weeds seem to  tolerate the heat better - the lights are about 2" from them.