Highalt's 2012 Grow Log

Pinoy83 · Jun 27, 2012

highalt said:
Taking advantage of a little cloud cover to snap a few more pics. Hope I'm not overdoing it with the updates!

Here is a long shot of the veggie bed here at the house. The tomatoes are finally about to pass up the peppers in size.

Sandia

These next two managed to set pods in spite of temps in the upper 90's this past week.

Melrose

Fresno

Found Fresno peppers in the produce department at Walmart last night. That's a first! They were dark red, and maybe a little on the far side of ripe, but I was still glad to see something other than jalapenos, serranos, and bells there!

The rest are flower shots, so look away now if it offends you, LOL!

Here's the long view of the walkway beds leading to my front door.

I think I need more red in there, too much yellow and orange ...

Anyway, here some close ups. This one is Scarlet Pansy daylily.

My NOT 'Irish Eyes' Rudbeckia

Another of my many daylilies 'Mended Heart' with Achillea 'Walter Funke' in the background.

and finally Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons' with Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed). Would have been a perfect shot if it wasn't for all the grasshopper damage to the petals!

Hope you enjoyed!

what a beautifuuullll flowerssss and a wonderful garden

highalt · Jun 30, 2012

Thanks Pinoy!

I was in a bad place this week! Between all the fires, the temps near 100 every day, with strong winds every afternoon, all of the bud/blossom drop, dealing with the bindweed infestation here at the house, and the irrigation issues at the CG, I was feeling very negative, and had to step away from THP for a few days. Didn't want to spread my negative vibes!

Today was encouraging though. The plants down at the community garden are really taking off, even if they aren't setting any pods right now. The garden here at the house is pretty much the same, but the bright spot is the containers on the patio. They get enough shade, and protection from the wind, that a few of them are managing to set pods! :dance:

This first pic is the Black Hungarian in the veggie bed.

Earthbox #1 - If you scroll back a couple of weeks in my glog, you can really see how much growth has happened! From left to right = Putzstagold, Melrose, Patio Red Marconi, and Alma Paprika.

Earthbox # 2 - Had to turn the camera sideways, because the Guajillo has gotten ridiculously tall! From left to right = Biker Billy, Guajillo, Jaloro, and Fresno.

Here's a shot of my Biker Billy. It's doing a lot of blooming, but none of them are setting.

Don't know if you can get a sense of how tall this one is, but I'd say close to 30". It's Cosa Arrugada.

Fresno, one of the few setting pods right now.

Close up of the biggest pod.

Patio Red Marconi has also managed to set a couple of pods in the heat. If this one produces like it did last time I grew it, I should have plenty of sweet peppers for roasting later this summer!

My non pepper pictures of the day ... Reliance grapevines. These are what's providing the shade for my container peppers, and they are loaded with bunches of tiny grapes!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

romy6 · Jun 30, 2012

Looking really nice Bonnie. That grape vine is amazing.

capsidadburn · Jun 30, 2012

Very beautiful Bonnie. I am envious of your lovely lawn and landscaping. Mine has deteriorated to a very sad state.

I had an Alma Paprika ripen finally. They are creamy white for a long time and then redish. I took it to work and it fooled everybody as a tomato impersonator. The plants can hardly hold up the pods and kind of lay over. As thick skinned as a bell pepper.

I love making the jams and giving them to my friends and my sister's.

Good evening to you and yours (Happy anniversery)
Mike

stc3248 · Jul 1, 2012

Glad to hear from you lady! Was afraid you'd been evacuated! Your babies are lookin good! Might be tough with the wind you have, but some shade cloth might help your community plants. I saw a couple of those earthboxes at the nursery today and though about yours...and getting a couple for myself. Until I saw the PRICE!!! $75 for those things!

You making any wine with those grapes?

stickman · Jul 1, 2012

Hi Bonnie, glad to see you're hanging in there in a high stress environment. Hopefully the weather changes for you soon so they can get those fires out and send a little rain. I'm not surprised the grapes are doing great... vinyards seem to thrive in the poorest soil with the least water of anything I know. When I was a kid my dad worked with an older Italian gent who made his own wine and grappa. That was an experience I'll tell you... He's been gone almost thirty years now, so the BATF can't do anything about it.

KiNGDeNNiZ · Jul 1, 2012

hi bonnie....hope your air there is getting better... living here in socal.. we know what its like to have smoggy air.. also have wild fires from time to time.. if its bad for us to inhale... im sure its just as bad for the plants... this too shall pass and you'll have pods galore like some of the others on here... love the grapevines... planning on doing those next year.... no update is too much...

denniz

highalt · Jul 1, 2012

romy6 said:
Looking really nice Bonnie. That grape vine is amazing.

Thanks, Jamie! They were planted in '09, and finally reached the top last year. This year, it looks like the two sides will finally meet in the middle. My only issue with them is once the fruit is ripe, the wasps go crazy for them. I have to wait until evening to pick them, or get run off by angry bees!

capsidadburn said:
Very beautiful Bonnie. I am envious of your lovely lawn and landscaping. Mine has deteriorated to a very sad state.

I had an Alma Paprika ripen finally. They are creamy white for a long time and then redish. I took it to work and it fooled everybody as a tomato impersonator. The plants can hardly hold up the pods and kind of lay over. As thick skinned as a bell pepper.

I love making the jams and giving them to my friends and my sister's.

Good evening to you and yours (Happy anniversery)
Mike

Thanks for the compliment about the lawn! You can't tell in the photos, but it is overrun with bindweed. Since I chose not to use chemicals, it means a lot of time pulling weeds.

Alma Paprika is one of the first peppers I ever grew, and still a favorite for making a mild homemade paprika.

A good portion of my canned goods gets shipped out to family during the holidays. I save enough for our family's needs, and give the rest to friends, the kids school teachers, etc. It feels good to be able to share something I made with my own harvest!

stc3248 said:
Glad to hear from you lady! Was afraid you'd been evacuated! Your babies are lookin good! Might be tough with the wind you have, but some shade cloth might help your community plants. I saw a couple of those earthboxes at the nursery today and though about yours...and getting a couple for myself. Until I saw the PRICE!!! $75 for those things!

You making any wine with those grapes?

Thanks for your concern, Shane! I'm happy to say I'm safe and sound!

Yeah, I had kind of planned to put up some sort of shade cloth over there, but have pretty much spent my gardening budget for this season. Besides, with the winds, I'm concerned about how to secure it enough to keep it from becoming a giant sail.

Haven't tried to make wine with the grapes, but I did make a batch of grape jelly for the kids last year. Most of them get eaten fresh though. They are so sweet, it's almost like a dessert!

stickman said:
Hi Bonnie, glad to see you're hanging in there in a high stress environment. Hopefully the weather changes for you soon so they can get those fires out and send a little rain. I'm not surprised the grapes are doing great... vinyards seem to thrive in the poorest soil with the least water of anything I know. When I was a kid my dad worked with an older Italian gent who made his own wine and grappa. That was an experience I'll tell you... He's been gone almost thirty years now, so the BATF can't do anything about it.

BATF?

I think the key to my success with them was the location. It's on the east side of the house, so afternoon shade and some wind protection. Of course, now that they have reached the top, they are a little more exposed to the wind than before. Had a little bit of frost damage when the leaves were first coming out this year, but as you can see, it wasn't enough to set the plants back any.

There are several vineyards/wineries in Palisade, which is just a few miles away from that fire that we can see the smoke from. Their temperatures are a few degrees warmer than where I live though, so most varieties of grapes are borderline hardy enough to make it here.

KiNGDeNNiZ said:
hi bonnie....hope your air there is getting better... living here in socal.. we know what its like to have smoggy air.. also have wild fires from time to time.. if its bad for us to inhale... im sure its just as bad for the plants... this too shall pass and you'll have pods galore like some of the others on here... love the grapevines... planning on doing those next year.... no update is too much...

denniz

You're right, patience is key here, and something I'm usually lacking in ... just ask my kids or my spouse!

I went back and checked my records for previous years, and I've never gotten a ripe pepper before the last week of July, so I'm really not behind schedule for my location. The difference is that before this year, I wasn't exposed to other chile heads around the country, and didn't think about the fact that my season was so much shorter than a lot of folks. Out of sight, out of mind ...

AlphaHydroponics · Jul 1, 2012

Bonnie,

Everything looks gorgeous! I really like the grapes...
We love having our plot at the community garden too.
It is a great way to diversify and meet some like minded folks! Have learned a great deal from other members too!
Glad to hear you are out of the way of the fires and things are looking up.
Regards, Chris

stickman · Jul 1, 2012

The BATF is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms... the branch of the Treasury department that makes sure that the appropriate taxes have been paid on the commodities mentioned, and that the sellers have the appropriate licensing. In short, the Revenuers! They're the ones looking for illegal stills like the one Giacamo used to make grappa. He never sold it to anybody, but drank it with his family and friends. I used to brew beer and make mead so I can give you a fairly detailed description on how to make them if you're ever interested. A funny story... Dad used to till Giacamo's garden with his Gravely hand tractor, and the first time he went over to do the job, Giacamo called dad inside before he got started and gave him a small glass of the grappa. Dad said afterwards that after 4 ounces of it on an empty stomach he couldn't plow a straight furrow to save his life!

Pulpiteer · Jul 2, 2012

I'm glad to see things are coming along with you Bonnie! I never realized the challenges of growing in Colorado. Isn't that Black Hungarian the plant that got off to a great start for you? I love the grape vines as well, and am tempted to grow some at some point in the future. One downside of my job as a pastor in the Methodist church is that I get moved periodically by the bishop, so longer term stuff may work out, or I may be moved. Yours look great!

highalt · Jul 2, 2012

So last night I was making bowtie pasta with shrimp and broccoli. Added some homemade pesto, and some Aji Yellow powder I made last summer. Tasted it, didn't notice any heat, served the family, then sprinkled what I had left of some Aji Blanco Crystal powder that Jamie sent me a while back on my portion. Still barely noticed any heat, and the whole family was whining about it being hot. I guess I'm going to have to leave a jar of powder on the table, since if I make it with enough heat for me, know one else will eat it! Bunch of wimps! :rofl:

AlphaHydroponics said:
Bonnie,

Everything looks gorgeous! I really like the grapes...
We love having our plot at the community garden too.
It is a great way to diversify and meet some like minded folks! Have learned a great deal from other members too!
Glad to hear you are out of the way of the fires and things are looking up.
Regards, Chris

I've really enjoyed participating in the community garden, and find that most gardeners are kind and generous people. Since ours doesn't have raised beds, and the dirt was hard packed clay mixed with tons of river rock, the first couple years, it didn't produce a whole lot. Each year I amend the soil as much as I can, so it's finally starting to look and act like decent garden soil. This year, there are only 2 other people renting plots there. Even the guy that is supposed to be in charge didn't plant anything this time around, so I am worried that the town may not continue it. I really count on that extra 400 square feet though, so it would be a real loss to me if they closed it down. Not to mention all the hard work I've put in down there! Maybe I'll volunteer to run it?

Pulpiteer said:
I'm glad to see things are coming along with you Bonnie! I never realized the challenges of growing in Colorado. Isn't that Black Hungarian the plant that got off to a great start for you? I love the grape vines as well, and am tempted to grow some at some point in the future. One downside of my job as a pastor in the Methodist church is that I get moved periodically by the bishop, so longer term stuff may work out, or I may be moved. Yours look great!

Yeah, I never knew how difficult gardening was here either, until we moved here. I was raised in the mid-south where you just stuck seeds in the ground and everything grew like crazy, as long as you could keep the critters away.

You are correct that the Black Hungarian is that same one that took off early on. Hope that's a good sign that it will be a heavy producer!

It seems strange having someone else decide where your next job will be, but I'm sure everyone in the military can relate to that experience. I've tried to plant as many permanent edibles as possible. We have two apple trees, and a peach, a currant bush, rhubarb, the grapevines, strawberries, and a perennial herb bed. If I had more space, I'd put in a couple more types of fruit trees, an asparagus bed, and a raspberry patch.

capsidadburn · Jul 2, 2012

Bonnie,
I wanted to say that I have been interested in making a hot pepper pickle relish while I am vacationing. I found a recipe but it is onion heavy and I wanted more crunch like a cucumber or pickles. I decided to search THP and your Zuchinni relish came up. I may have to try it out.

I do not know how I missed your log last year. I may have been to busy whinning about my sad season! My daughter has her eyes on some lavender jelly that I have to make!

I wanted to formally admit defeat in our little marriage competition. I messed up my son's age, he will be 15. Your 4 years of dating prior knocks me out of it though. I am amused that our marriages are so similar. Sounds like your family likes more spice than mine. Mild to medium for mine. I always have to make a jar of jam without heat.

Have a great day. Mike

highalt · Jul 2, 2012

Well, my husband and children think jalapenos are hot, so I keep things mild for them, but my side of the family - brother, sister, nieces and nephews, all like a good bit of spice. I haven't sent anything to them yet that they said was too hot. This year may change that though, LOL! I can plenty of jams and jellies that don't have peppers in them, so I've got plenty of stuff for the kids to chose from. The pepper jelly is for me!

I've made dill pickles, and bread & butter pickles before, but I'd love to try a cucumber pickle recipe with some heat to it. I'll have to look through my canning books and see what I can find. Unfortunately, my stupid cucumber plants are only about an inch tall, due to bug problems at the community garden. The garlic is just about done now, so I may stick a cucumber plant or two in the veggie bed here at the house, and hope for the best. Worst case scenario, I'll buy some cukes at a farmer's market. Need to wait until I have some ripe peppers first though.

highalt · Jul 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July THP!!! Hope everyone is enjoying their independence today, and remembering those who made it possible!

Just a few pod shots today. The latest one to set for me is Alma Paprika. Isn't she cute?

These others I've shown before, but they are much bigger now.

Sandia

Melrose. This one looked like it was going to have upright pods, but then they started curving back down.

Patio Red Marconi. These are growing superfast!

I noticed yesterday down at the CG, that one of the Inca Red Drops had set its first pod. Temperatures have dropped to the low 90's today, and should stay there for the rest of the week, so I'm expecting a lot more pods soon.

Non-pepper pics for today = Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'

... and a long shot from near the street of the walkway beds leading to the front door. Should have taken this one earlier in the day. The plant near the bottom right is a Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata) and the flowers on it close up by noon.

Today's menu = our first attempt at beer can chicken. Asked my spouse to get a "good" beer, but he brought home a Budwieser. :banghead:

We're also having corn on the cob, homemade baked beans, a strawberry "poke" cake, and some homemade vanilla custard. It would be the perfect day, except for the fire ban, so no 4th of July fireworks this year. :tear:

stc3248 · Jul 4, 2012

Been planting some perdies today myself. Portulaca, Marigolds and Gazania...two of your three main dishes are the same...Corn, homemade beans (more ranch style pinto though) substitute Steak for the Chicken and you got my meal! You and your hubby remind me of my wife and I...only reversed. Are you two a 1 Mayo/1 Miracle Whip couple too???

Love the Peek-a-Boo kiddo in the background of your front walk pic! Everything looks great, tune in to a good firework show on the tube and have a GOOD beer!

Happy 4th!
Shane

Pulpiteer · Jul 4, 2012

Those flowers look nice - in fact, that's a nicely landscaped area there! And I'm not familiar with strawberry "poke" cake, but I do love most strawberry cakes, so that sounds wonderful.

highalt · Jul 4, 2012

Thanks, Andy! The flower garden seems to be a never ending work in progress. Each year, I'll see something that's too tall for it's spot, or the color clashes with its neighbor, or something doesn't come back after the winter and leaves an empty spot. So I'll move things around in the fall, and think, "Now it will be perfect!". Then the whole process starts over again the next year, LOL!

Just for you I went and snapped a quick pic before slicing it up. You can't really tell anything about the name from the outside though. Basically, you bake a cake, and let it cool, poke holes in it with a wooden skewer, then pour something over the cake. In this case, I took the liquid from a package of frozen strawberries, and added jello. After pouring that over the layers, I chilled them for a couple of hours. Then, I added the frozen strawberries as a filling between the layers. I've done other poke cakes that use a sheet cake, and the topping is sweetened condensed milk, or caramel ice cream topping. Then, you top it with whipped cream, and sprinkle something on top, like crushed up Heath bars or something. Surprised you haven't seen something like it at one of your church potlucks!

It was really yummy with a scoop of the homemade vanilla custard. The Ice cream maker motor died on us, and we had to turn it manually, without a crank. Kind of a pain,especially since I got stung by a wasp on the wrist yesterday, and half my arm was swollen, but it was a labor of love! The ice cream maker was given to us as a wedding present, so it had some mileage on it.

stc3248 said:
Been planting some perdies today myself. Portulaca, Marigolds and Gazania...two of your three main dishes are the same...Corn, homemade beans (more ranch style pinto though) substitute Steak for the Chicken and you got my meal! You and your hubby remind me of my wife and I...only reversed. Are you two a 1 Mayo/1 Miracle Whip couple too???

Love the Peek-a-Boo kiddo in the background of your front walk pic! Everything looks great, tune in to a good firework show on the tube and have a GOOD beer!

Happy 4th!
Shane

I saw your new bed with the flowers in it. Very nice! Should keep the wife happy.

Thought I snapped the picture right before she rounded the corner, but my camera has a long delay between the time you press the button, and the time it actually takes the picture. Makes it horrible for action shots! Takes decent stills though ...

We like the Ranch style beans the best too, but a lot of the premade ones are just to sweet. I used a mixture of pinto, cannellini, and butter beans, diced up and sauted some peppered bacon and onion. added BBQ sauce, salsa, mustard powder, and of course some homemade pepper powders. It was just right! The beer can chicken was pretty good, but the winds got crazy about the time my husband put it in the smoker, so he had a hard time keeping the temp up, and the smoke kept escaping, so the smoke flavor didn't permeate the meat the way it usually does things cooked in the smoker.

Pulpiteer · Jul 5, 2012

That sounds wonderful! I think I have had a cake injected with tastiness like that, but not with the layers of strawberries in the middle. I have had some wonderful things at our potlucks - just not that. Usually when I discover a wonderful dessert maker in the congregation I am shameless at begging for it. I know, I should be embarrassed, however, I have had some wonderful treats. I even share with my wife and if I'm really nice with the kids.

romy6 · Jul 5, 2012

Everything is looking good Bonnie. Your flower garden is beautiful and that cakes looks xtra yummy. But I really like this pic.

Oh and it sound like I need to send you some of my next batch of powder