Guru's Garden - Traveling the World in Search of Peppers

Portuge · Feb 24, 2014

Received your package today in the mail Rich... Thank you kind Sir...

Pepper-Guru · Feb 25, 2014

jlacosta said:
Hi Guru, I got a couple of sacks of rice hulls from a miller and was supposedly going to be converted to biochar. Unfortunately, my first attempt got me in trouble with the neighbors so charring them is no go. I'm afraid to use them in my mix as I think they might be carrying pests, excess foliar fertilizer, weeds seeds and whatnot. Any advice on the best way to clean or sterilize them? Do you get yours ready for use? TIA -JL

Sounds like some douche neighbors. Who wouldn't like the smell of roasted rice hulls? A prime example of the pussification of our society. I just rinsed used these as is. If you wanted to you could rinse and then sterilize in the oven a bit, but I don't see the point. Nothing in there is gonna hurt your soil life unless your rice hulls came from some frankenstien gmo roundup monsanto farm

PIC 1 · Feb 25, 2014

Ha.........Yashica rangefinder. I can relate to that...mention the word "Darkroom" around some of the youth nowadays and they might think that refers to the "party room"...heh

Best of luck with the outdoor grow...

jlacosta · Feb 25, 2014

Ok I guess I'll just rinse mine as well and probably cover the top with a different mix (one without hulls) just in case weed seeds are present, they'd be easy picking. Thanks, PG!

Pr0digal_son · Feb 25, 2014

I remember my Dad's yashica...damn. Bringing back some of my earliest memories. I am going to snag one of these tonight. Any good leads on film? I have an old mamiya of his that I want to start shooting with.

Pepper-Guru · Feb 25, 2014

Film is better! I go hybrid and develop my film in the kitchen sink, then it's into the Epson neg scanner. Would love to get a nice vintage enlarger to do big prints. Scanning is cool but it doesn't do the grain just right all the time. Almost need a diffusion glass or something. Scanner is "too" focused so you get some digital aliasing at times. Nothing post can't fix in photoshop! Or like I said, a frosted piece of glass.

PIC 1 · Feb 25, 2014

Pr0digal_son said:
I remember my Dad's yashica...damn. Bringing back some of my earliest memories. I am going to snag one of these tonight. Any good leads on film? I have an old mamiya of his that I want to start shooting with.

Yay...I remember those brands too.... Yashica, Mamiya,..~~Godzilla~~......and there were the other allies....Leica and Voightlander...............

John was the Mamiya a twin lense reflex or an slr

Pepper-Guru said:
Film is better! I go hybrid and develop my film in the kitchen sink, then it's into the Epson neg scanner. Would love to get a nice vintage enlarger to do big prints. Scanning is cool but it doesn't do the grain just right all the time. Almost need a diffusion glass or something. Scanner is "too" focused so you get some digital aliasing at times. Nothing post can't fix in photoshop! Or like I said, a frosted piece of glass.

Dang, I got rid of an Omega D2V a few yrs back. Couldn't sell it so I donated to a girls high school...........which still offered a photography class and had a darkroom.....It's funny, like everything else there's always tons of stuff on ebay.

Pepper-Guru · Feb 25, 2014

Got some seedlings popping on the pepper side and things to pot up on the herbs/veggie side today.

Peppers sprouted so far are:

Holy Mole
MOA's
White

Gonna use the over cast weather for their initiation to some HPS they're about to get downstairs

As for the herbs and veggies: Of the ones lanky enough for me to do so, I gently pried them apart, taking care not to tear any roots, and put them in their own hole in some larger containers I had around.

Herbs/Veggies so far:

Cherry tomato
Beef Master
Collards
Thyme

ronniedeb · Feb 25, 2014

Looking good Guru. How do Collard Greens compare in flavour to Kale or Cabbage? They are not so widely grown over this side of the Atlantic. I'm presuming they are not too demanding in terms of temperature and sunlight, much like other brassicas.

Pepper-Guru · Feb 25, 2014

To me, they actually taste a bit like Kale and cabbage mixed! I find that if I plant them now, they get really big during the summer and I only harvest as many older leaves as I need at any given time. This allows them to continue to grow through the fall, keeping a a mass of new leaf at the end of an ever growing center stalk.
Here's a video of a late summer harvest a couple years ago:

I like to use collards instead of cabbage in my corned beef sometimes as well!

ronniedeb said:
Looking good Guru. How do Collard Greens compare in flavour to Kale or Cabbage? They are not so widely grown over this side of the Atlantic. I'm presuming they are not too demanding in terms of temperature and sunlight, much like other brassicas.

ronniedeb · Feb 26, 2014

Thanks, that's great. Might give them a go on the Allotment.

allaKAZAAM · Mar 8, 2014

Hello 'Guru!
Just wanted to ask you about seedlings...
I am gonna do my best to go ALL organic this year, with my Peppers, Vegies and herbs.
I have followed your Grow Logs since I got onto the THP and really like your method and abundance of harvest.
I live in Norhtern Ontario Canada, and it is a short grow season here. So have to start seedlings early and get them to fruiting size just in time to go outside. And into a greenhouse I made from 2 skids I got from the grocery store here.
Anyway, I have hooks and small seedlings coming up and wante to know when/if you started the organic nutrient suppliment to the feed the young'ens!???! Or when it should be done. If you have any info that would better describe how to start and grow seeds to Fruiting plants, I would be very happy to learn. Also, I started a worm box last Autumn and it is thriving very well.
On a side note, the fishing is INSANE up here! Brook, Speckled and a ocean running trout that comes in from Hudson Bay (I am in Moosonee). Then there is the pike, pickerel, sturgoen, whitefish...to name most of them.
Anyway, much appreciated if you could give some advice!
Mark

...tried to PM yah this, but was good that it didn't get through. Since others will benefit from your response I am sure!

Pepper-Guru · Mar 8, 2014

allaKAZAAM said:
Hello 'Guru!
Just wanted to ask you about seedlings...
I am gonna do my best to go ALL organic this year, with my Peppers, Vegies and herbs.
I have followed your Grow Logs since I got onto the THP and really like your method and abundance of harvest.
I live in Norhtern Ontario Canada, and it is a short grow season here. So have to start seedlings early and get them to fruiting size just in time to go outside. And into a greenhouse I made from 2 skids I got from the grocery store here.
Anyway, I have hooks and small seedlings coming up and wante to know when/if you started the organic nutrient suppliment to the feed the young'ens!???! Or when it should be done. If you have any info that would better describe how to start and grow seeds to Fruiting plants, I would be very happy to learn. Also, I started a worm box last Autumn and it is thriving very well.
On a side note, the fishing is INSANE up here! Brook, Speckled and a ocean running trout that comes in from Hudson Bay (I am in Moosonee). Then there is the pike, pickerel, sturgoen, whitefish...to name most of them.
Anyway, much appreciated if you could give some advice!
Mark

...tried to PM yah this, but was good that it sisn't get through. Since others will benefit from your response I am sure!

I dont feed them anything really. There may be an aact or worm tea before they go in the ground/permanent container but only if they are growing really fast and I see something in the leaves. Young seedlings don't need anything more than what trace minerals are already in most mediums to begin with. Once they hit the container or ground is where they should start getting the goodies. By this time the plant is ready to take all that in. The permanent soil medium is what you should focus on. I always make mine pretty hot. I even like to let the soil "cook" for a few weeks before transplanting into it. This period allows things to even out and all the microbial life to get a good head start before the roots even touch the new home. I think of my "soil building" just like I treat my compost pile. Honestly, I should just start growing in my compost pile...lol

allaKAZAAM · Mar 8, 2014

Thanks!

Pepper-Guru · Mar 23, 2014

Sorry I didn't get to this on the day, but ..... HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

I started by HAND tilling the 20x25 plot.

Then I raked oak leaves into the plot and burned it down... :high:

Then I harvested the goodies from the chicken coop and applied to each row...

Then, with the help of a buddy, we applied the compost to each row....

Then the mulch (most important part) went on...

And finally, the most rewarding brew is drank in indulgent fashion ...

Spring is here... IT HAS BEGUN!

ronniedeb · Mar 23, 2014

Looks great. Looks like you've had some nice weather too.

Pepper-Guru · Mar 23, 2014

The weather has been good for about two weeks now. I figured I'd take advantage and get the mounds cooking for the next month or so. Im actually hitting the Appalachian Trail again for a while and wanted to get the plot done with before I go. This way, when I get back I can just start planting. I'll get some more pictures of the wee little seedlings in the morning. Collards can be planted now, but peppers and the rest will have to wait until April 20th...

Portuge · Mar 23, 2014

Well done Rich...

JoeFish · Mar 23, 2014

Nice looking spot, looks like a lot of work too! Those are some tall rows dude. I have access to some cow manure close to the house, do you think I should pile it up on my row and put some wood chips from my city in top now? My plant out is about a month away.

Pepper-Guru · Mar 23, 2014

JoeFish said:
Nice looking spot, looks like a lot of work too! Those are some tall rows dude. I have access to some cow manure close to the house, do you think I should pile it up on my row and put some wood chips from my city in top now? My plant out is about a month away.

Do it. Give it the month. Watch it steam and give the babies a super awesome hole to call home.