Jeff H's 2014 glog- Season ending harvest pics.

Okay, time to kick this growing year off. First a pic from last year of the hydroponic scorpion right before I added it to the compost pile. The plant was so productive with 4 gallon freezer bags stuffed plus more already dried that not only did I decide to not overwinter it, but TSBTs won't be on the grow list next year. This was truly a beast and by far my most productive plant. IIRC, it was over 5' tall and just about as wide when hte branches were heavy with pods.
 
It was started about this time last year, so it is about time to start some of those pesky slower growing plants if I want them this big next year.
 

 
 
All good things come to an end. The plants will be chopped up and mixed with the leaves for compost.
 

 
 
 
Okay, with that out of the way, let's get started on next year.
 
First, a shot of some of the over winter plants in the upstairs window sill. I just plan on keeping them alive here with no real growth expected until I put them outside next year. The two small plants are scorpion clones from the monster. I still don't think they will make the grow next year, but I just couldn't kill it without taking a couple clones. Other overwinters in this pic include a ghost pepper, hot paper lantern hab, tabasco pepper, my largest and most productive giant jalapeno and a couple of others.
 

 
Now down into the grow room for an overall shot of what I am doing this year. The flood table is new, but everything else is the same from last year. Same 600W MH light and same mylar on the walls.
 

 
 
 
Now at this point, let me take a minute to explain that there is no organic soil in anything I brought inside, nor anything that I plan to plant this year. Everything will be hydroponic in one way or another. Even the plants upstairs. My soil for all plants not in the flood table is 50/50 perlite and peat moss. I water them with hydro nutes every few days, but probably can get away with once a week or so. Soil drains really well but the peat moss holds a decent amount of moisture. I'm hoping that we have no issues with root rot this year. I'm also betting that fungus gnats won't like this fast drying soil either. Well that and the mosquito dunks that will be in the hydro water if those bastards do show up again this year.
 
A close up of the "soil". Look at all that great perlite.

 
 
 
 
 
Now, looking at the plants in the flood table, the perlite/pete moss is about 80/20 and I flood hte table once a day. As it is, there is probably too much pete in the soil because the grow bags stay soaked all the time and I'm going to have mold issues. I need to rethink this, but this is what I have for now.
 
Here they are the day it was installed on Oct 21st.

 
 
Here they are a week later (last night). You can't really see it, but there are a couple of tiny growth nodes on the ghost pepper (big pot on the left) and the paper lantern in the black pot. No sign of growth on the monzano yet, but if you look close at the pot, you can see what looks like mold starting. I tossed a cup of H2O2 into the rez last night to kill it if it was mold. We'll see. Maybe plastic air pruning pots would be better suited, or giant net cups.
 

 
 
That is all for now. Join me back on the next update. I'm working hot and heavy on some clones and other projects that aren't quite ready to be photographed yet. Soon though.

 

[TrentL]

Sweet! 
 
I just moved my overwinters outside in the shade this afternoon. Back & arms are torched now!!!
 
Hoping to see some life spring in to them soon.

 

[Jeff H]

Sweet! 
 
I just moved my overwinters outside in the shade this afternoon. Back & arms are torched now!!!
 
Hoping to see some life spring in to them soon.

 
I saw that. Good luck with yours. Mine are showing signs of life already, but they spent last week on the deck as well.

 

[TrentL]

 
I saw that. Good luck with yours. Mine are showing signs of life already, but they spent last week on the deck as well.

 
I'm excited - the scotch bonnet that I thought I lost, from root rot - the one I flushed the soil two days ago with a gallon of Hydrogen Peroxide - is sending out new shoots!!!!
 
Very excited to see how that pans out and if the plant fully recovers, gives me a new tool in the overwinter arsenal.

 

[Jeff H]

Stopped by tractor supply today to see if they had any straw. (thinking of using it as mulch). Didn't have any, but look what I found.
 

 
Cool. two year old asparagus crowns. Bought one pack just to try. If it works out well, I'll get some more next year. Man, they have deep roots. Package says 18" spacing. They must get pretty big.
 
Left work a few hours early since it was pretty dead. I spent some quality time working on the raised beds. Mostly worked on the steps and spreading gravel in the walkways. The bottom three steps and two walkways between beds are essentially done now. Any grass that still grows through will get met with RoundUp.
 

 
Herbs and flowers o in the bed in the foreground of the top garden pic.

 

[Devv]

Nice score on the Asparagus, I planted 14 crowns, They're coming up nicely.
 
Look at JJJ's glogs for some pics, go back a week or two, maybe three. His formed a hedge.
 
Your garden area looks great! Glad you made the steps, with the grade your yard has, all the grass has to be is wet and you're sitting down
 
Weather looks nice, I hope it stays that way for you! Me, I'm hoping mine stays the same for 6 weeks, 60's at night, 80's during the day. But I know by mid May, we'll have 90's. Who knows, maybe global cooling will kick this year????

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Looking good.  That walkway looks like it has room for some potted plants

 

[gnslngr]

Damn- I'm glad I ate when I started this lame attempt at catching up on the glogs(meaning that catching up is the target , but it is a Loooooong ways off!).
But as it stands now-tomorrow is gonna involve some Mexican food for sure, got place nearby that does outstanding codorniz....roasted quail, mmmmmmm...
 
Those raised stepped beds are looking like I'm a lazy SOB! They should provide some damn good payback, as well make the Incas a bit jealous
Whats the pure perlite (ASSuming?) do for the manzano's?Is it just on the surface as an insulator...?
 
As I'm targeting a green sauce this year....and have never grown Tomatillos- how do they compare with tomato plants for hardiness, I would think much hardier, and less susceptable to fungus, and soil borne diseases????
Have a good one-
DJ

 

[Jeff H]

Damn- I'm glad I ate when I started this lame attempt at catching up on the glogs(meaning that catching up is the target , but it is a Loooooong ways off!).
But as it stands now-tomorrow is gonna involve some Mexican food for sure, got place nearby that does outstanding codorniz....roasted quail, mmmmmmm...
 
Those raised stepped beds are looking like I'm a lazy SOB! They should provide some damn good payback, as well make the Incas a bit jealous
Whats the pure perlite (ASSuming?) do for the manzano's?Is it just on the surface as an insulator...?
 
As I'm targeting a green sauce this year....and have never grown Tomatillos- how do they compare with tomato plants for hardiness, I would think much hardier, and less susceptable to fungus, and soil borne diseases????
Have a good one-
DJ

 
The big monzano is in straight perlite. It was hydroponic this winter. I'll return it to the soil in a few weeks. The other smaller ones just have a layer of perlite over the soil. The 420 guys (wait, that is today's date.) say that fungus gnats get lacerated by the expanded volcanic glass. All I can say is that, between the perlite and mosquito dunks, I didn't have much of a problem this year.
 
Never grown tomatillos before. Should be an adventure. My word for 2014 is "Verde". Between the Hatch chilis and the tomatillos, I'll have plenty of green sauces in a month or two.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I was doing some reading on how to keep the damn deer away from the tomatoes. Other than the scented Marigolds and lavender, I thought this was interesting.
 

 
Nevertheless, there are some general rules of thumb that may be helpful.  Deer usually don’t go for tough leathery leaves -- they prefer soft and tender new growth.  They don’t like prickling their noses on spiny plants, nor do they like eating fuzz.  They don’t tend to eat plants with aromatic oils in their leaves; these are likely to have strong flavors. They also avoid poisonous plants, particularly members of the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family.  And, although a particular plant species is not touched on the majority of the landscape, it is likely to be munched on when it is growing alongside their favorite walk.

 
 
Great news. Just surround the tomatoes with pepper plants. Sounds like a plan. I really didn't want to build an 8' fence around the garden anyway.
 
 
Yes, I know the tomatoes are Nightshades too. The deer don't eat the plant, just the tomato. I'm still buying a flat of marigolds though. and I have lavender and russian sage growing.
 
Quote was from this site: https://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/deer_resistant_gardening.php

 

[stickman]

Alright Jeff! Looks like you're almost home free! Make sure you put the Asparagus crowns in well-drained soil. They'll grow in clay, but won't expand much and you'll get skinny spears. Sandy loam is the ticket...
 
This year you're getting your terraces set up, but next year you ought to look into using IRT plastic mulch and low row covers so you can get planted outside at 2-3 weeks earlier. It'll make a warmer microclimate throughout the growing season and give you bigger plants and increased yields.
 
Keep up the good work!

 

[TrentL]

Personally I would have laid down some weed block material under that gravel. I had a rock garden devoured by weeds after 3 years, spent a week pulling it all apart and redoing it last year. Bought a roll of heavy duty weed block from Menards and reworked it. No more problems with weeds.
 
Cheaper to buy a roll of that and use it than spend money on weed spray, and using any weed herbicide near my plants always makes me very nervous.

 

[Devv]

Jeff,
 
Deer come in your back yard? That's crazy, I've never had deer hit my garden.
 
Happy Easter!

 

[Jeff H]

Jeff,
 
Deer come in your back yard? That's crazy, I've never had deer hit my garden.
 
Happy Easter!

 
Back yard, front yard, side yard. In our surburban area there are so many deer that they no longer are really afraid of anything. Found one of my shrub/trees torn to hell a couple of years ago where the deer were rutting on it. The tree is at the corner of my garage. Last year, they ate most of my tomatoes. The won't touch the leeves of any nightshade, nor will they eat the peppers, but they love tomatoes. 
 
I can see Trent has similar history. His garden plan has the entire perimeter lined with marigolds (deer repellent). Between the sage, lavender, thyme, rosemary and of course, the marigolds, I hope I will be good, but I did rearrange the garden plan to get the tomatoes and beans shielded from direct view of the deer.
 
Happy easter.
 

Personally I would have laid down some weed block material under that gravel. I had a rock garden devoured by weeds after 3 years, spent a week pulling it all apart and redoing it last year. Bought a roll of heavy duty weed block from Menards and reworked it. No more problems with weeds.
 
Cheaper to buy a roll of that and use it than spend money on weed spray, and using any weed herbicide near my plants always makes me very nervous.

 
really not a bad thought Trent. We'll see how it goes this year. If it is more than I can handle, some of that landscape fabric might be in order for next year.

Alright Jeff! Looks like you're almost home free! Make sure you put the Asparagus crowns in well-drained soil. They'll grow in clay, but won't expand much and you'll get skinny spears. Sandy loam is the ticket...
 
This year you're getting your terraces set up, but next year you ought to look into using IRT plastic mulch and low row covers so you can get planted outside at l2-3 weeks earlier. It'll make a warmer microclimate throughout the growing season and give you bigger plants and increased yields.
 
Keep up the good work!

 
The asparagus is in a mixture of top soil and compost, but there is a lot of gravel in that soil (same gravel that is in the walkways) that makes it drain well. We'll see how it does this year. I can always move it if I'm not happy with how well it grows.
 
The wife said no to the low row covers. If it is something I really want, I'll win, but it has to be worth it. For example, Years ago, she put her foot down and said absolutely no guns in the house...Well, fast forward and I've got quite the collection in the safe in the basement, a CCW permit, as well as a reloading press and thousands and thousands of rounds. Important battles can be diplomatically won, but I can't fight every one. We'll see how strong she fights about the row covers. My gardens are really the perfect size for such a thing.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Jeff the terraced beds look great. Very good design and setup, and the soil you got in 'em looks like a winning combo. You're gonna have a jungle blooming there soon.
 
+1 on the walkway space for pots. Though the level of control you've set up on your space is very much enviable.
 
Good luck with the asparagus. You know it used to be a veggie of the elite... now all us pleebs can afford it. You gonna do any brassicas? Kale is my favorite of course, but broccoli is a fun challenge. Man that plant gobbles a ton of nitrogen. Makes peppers look like dainty birds.

 

[Jeff H]

Now that the plants are only a few weeks away from dirt day, it is time to think about cleaning out the freezer.
 
One bag of habs,

 
Just manages to fill all 4 trays.
 

 
I made it through that without rubbing my eye once before I scrubbed my hands. Habs aren't too bad, but it does sting a bit.
 
 
One bag down, about 6 to go. 3 of those are Butch T Scorpions. WTF am I going to do with all those? I already have a couple of cups of scorpion powder and 8 jars of AJ's puree.

 

[gnslngr]

Hah-I have the same problem every year.My wife is suspicious of only 2 bags of frozen pods right now........
 
I transferred the patients to cups and topped with perlite, watered with dunks-the adults seem to not care for it very much(they'll land on it ,but fly away ...).Now , to get em out the hotel room....why I didn't think to grab a few rolls of fly strips is beyond me. Thanks for the info, looks good for all the transplants so far...

 

[Devv]

Hmmm, I have 5 gallons I need to do something with, and 2 quarts fermenting. More time needed.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Sounds like you got some seasonings to put together. Any big plans for the purée?

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

I too have pods in the freezer.  Now it is a time thing for me.  Gallon bag stuffed full of 7 pod burgundy that I need to make sauce with soon.
 
Good luck to you.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Can't wait till I got a freezer full of pods. Bout time to start using that thing for something other than ice cubes.

 

[Jeff H]

Hah-I have the same problem every year.My wife is suspicious of only 2 bags of frozen pods right now........
 
I transferred the patients to cups and topped with perlite, watered with dunks-the adults seem to not care for it very much(they'll land on it ,but fly away ...).Now , to get em out the hotel room....why I didn't think to grab a few rolls of fly strips is beyond me. Thanks for the info, looks good for all the transplants so far...

 
Good luck with the mobile grow Dave, Dealing with fungus gnats is a real pain. I lost a bunch of plants to them last year, but now that I have a system down, the plants persevered this year.
 
Only 2 bags? no wonder she is suspicious. Probably wondering where you are hiding the rest.
 

Hmmm, I have 5 gallons I need to do something with, and 2 quarts fermenting. More time needed.

 
About the same here. several bags of Scorps, a bag of yellow Brains, 1/2 bag of Morugas, bag of the non 7 pot yellow, and bag of ghost. There is probably more that I am forgetting.
 
1 quart of tabascos fermenting. Started on 1/11 and I haven't gotten around to doing anything with it yet. Should be good and aged by the time I have some free time .
 

Sounds like you got some seasonings to put together. Any big plans for the purée?

 
 

I too have pods in the freezer.  Now it is a time thing for me.  Gallon bag stuffed full of 7 pod burgundy that I need to make sauce with soon.
 
Good luck to you.

 
Yumm, Hillbilly sauces. The wife strongly suggested for me to buy a small chest freezer this year. She isn't too happy with me commandeering the bottom two shelves in teh kitchen freezer.

Can't wait till I got a freezer full of pods. Bout time to start using that thing for something other than ice cubes.

Adam, it doesn't take long. Those big superhots can really put out pods if they are healthy. That giant Butch T on page one of the glog put out several gallon bags by itself, and as you know, a little goes a long way with Scorp powder.
Okay, update time. 2-1/2 weeks to plant out and everything is going outside (until I have to scramble because the forecast changed).
 
My 7 pubes

 
 
Snapped a pic of the Jigsaw so I could update Dale's thread.

 
 
Next two pics are all the Chinense plants. From Habs to Reapers.

 
 
 
Annuum row. There is more here than  have room for. What was I thinking.

 
 
 
New growth busting out on the mite damaged plants.

 
 
Tomato and tomatillo jungle

 
I think I planted them too early .

 
 
Grow room is empty now and the lights are off. (except for the small light germinating cucumbers, beets and zucchini and some other stuff I forgot about)

 
Looks almost as empty as when I started this glog in October, although it needs to be cleaned up now.