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.

 

[Jeff H]

Sometimes stuff happens, you still have time to get another one up and running.

 
 
Not to worry Scott. I have a few more. I only intended to grow 1 or 2 of these anyway.  I just hate loosing any of them.
 

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Sorry for your loss man.  I am not planting my annuums until mid February.  I am following JJJ lead and planting all my onions in one gallon or so pot, and then just having one transplant to the garden.  Its going to be tight for me too, but since onions like it cooler, I won't be putting them in the grow room at all.  
 
Good luck on your future space problems.

 

[Jeff H]

Sorry for your loss man.  I am not planting my annuums until mid February.  I am following JJJ lead and planting all my onions in one gallon or so pot, and then just having one transplant to the garden.  Its going to be tight for me too, but since onions like it cooler, I won't be putting them in the grow room at all.  
 
Good luck on your future space problems.

 
I'll have to give that plan with the onions some thought Jeff. My plan was to start a whole flat of them and just hope they didn't need to be transplanted until I could get them outside sometime in late April or the 1st of May.
 
 
Made up the list for the last of the pepper plants that need to be planted. They will fill about 2/3 of the 72 cell tray. The rest are reserved for tomatoes and tomatillos in a couple of weeks.
 
The formatting doesn't ever seem to work when I copy a spreadsheet here so here is the link. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AjoP002ea3mBdHdxdWpQTnZ2M3ZHdVh3VDBVd3ZNbFE&output=html
 
Edit: erased the list cause the formatting didn't work, just follow the link.
 
I'll do a count once everything pops. I'm thinking about 60ish Mediums, hots and superhots and 18 sweets are actually going to make it into the ground this year. The plan was 80 plants total, but I'll have more than that if everything germinates. I'll either be finding more room or giving them away. NO CULLING!!!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Do you think a flat will be deep enough for your onions?
 
+1 on no culling!!!

 

[Jeff H]

Do you think a flat will be deep enough for your onions?
 
+1 on no culling!!!

 
Heck, I don't know, I've never grown onions before. I guess we'll find out.
 
They look pretty deep, I'd say over 2" for sure. I'll measure them when I get home.
 

There is no way I have room for all of  them in 3.5" pots, so it is either the 1 gallon pot idea of they stay in these until plant out.

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

If we're all on a different program, we're bound to figure something out.  

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Haha I think I've polarized you Jeff. No culling indeed!
 
Sorry bout the lost guy. Still early though. Last year I didn't even plant chinenses until mid feb. Stupid you say, 1st season I retort! 
 
Keep on truckin' on and Happy growing!

 

[Devv]

Jeff those onions should do fine in the flat. They grow really slow at first and never really get deep roots.
 
Here's some we picked last year, grown from sets, never again, rather small production.
 
These were dried a few days before the pic was taken, and the longer roots were trimmed on some, but as you can see. Really small root system compared to other crops..

 

[maximumcapsicum]

That's a shame. Those come from sets? Should you always plant on 2 years for onions?

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

I always get confused on the terminology.   Seeds, bunches, sets, bulbs....Always planted small onions in the past. Not sure if they are second year or not,
 
I eat so many as green onions I am not sure it matters lol,

 

[scratchzilla]

Damn Jeff. Just got caught up. Looking great, as usual. I love the hydro setup. It's giving me ideas.

 

[Jeff H]

If we're all on a different program, we're bound to figure something out.  

 

Jeff those onions should do fine in the flat. They grow really slow at first and never really get deep roots.
 
Here's some we picked last year, grown from sets, never again, rather small production.
 
These were dried a few days before the pic was taken, and the longer roots were trimmed on some, but as you can see. Really small root system compared to other crops..

 
 
Thanks Scott for the confirmation, if they grow slow at first, should I start them with the tomatoes in a couple weeks? and Jeff, I measured them last night at 2-1/4" deep, I'm pretty confident they will work.
 
 

That's a shame. Those come from sets? Should you always plant on 2 years for onions?

I have heard a few times that onions from seeds produce better than from sets. I certainly hope that they are grown in 1 year, that is what I am planning for.
 

Damn Jeff. Just got caught up. Looking great, as usual. I love the hydro setup. It's giving me ideas.

 
Thanks for stopping in Scratch. You know, after we both did the bubble bucket thing last year, I got tired of all the maintenance of a dozen plants in buckets. When I moved to a drip system outside last summer, I knew that I wouldn't be going back to individual buckets once winter hit. One common reservoir is the way to go for sure. This 2' flood table is great addition. Just one reservoir. Top it off whenever necessary and drain it every 10 days. Piece of cake.  flood the table for 15 minutes once or twice a day and all on a simple timer. Easy.

Dinner last night. A mix of the last piece of flounder I had and about the last pieces of chicken coated with copious amounts of rice flour and panko crumbs. Time to get to the store before the weather hits again.
 
All of it got a dose of my scorpion salt, and the fish and chicken got dipped in the hab wing sauce.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AjoP002ea3mBdHdxdWpQTnZ2M3ZHdVh3VDBVd3ZNbFE&output=html

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Nice meal as always Jeff! How is the hab wing sauce?

 

[Devv]

Jeff,
 
Start the Onions now. Mine are in the ground, normally they hit the dirt 6 or more weeks before the tomatoes. I only grew them from seed one year and started them 3 months before they went out. They start really slow, and look like rye grass for awhile. I know we have a vastly different climate, but they will do fine in the dirt when temps usually stay above mid 20's. My garlic was planted Sept 21st and shallots mid Dec., temps in the mid 20's don't bother them at all. If you know temps are really low wait until you have a few warmer days before setting them out. Also as they get larger you can harden them off some.
 
Adam,
 
Sets are the small dried bulbs, either plant from seeds, or buy the bunches. The bunches are the green bundles of young plants. Onions are a 6 month investment at least if bundles are planted. Sets equate to a two year old plant at harvest and they don't grow or keep as well. At least not here.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Jeff,
 
Start the Onions now. Mine are in the ground, normally they hit the dirt 6 or more weeks before the tomatoes. I only grew them from seed one year and started them 3 months before they went out. They start really slow, and look like rye grass for awhile. I know we have a vastly different climate, but they will do fine in the dirt when temps usually stay above mid 20's. My garlic was planted Sept 21st and shallots mid Dec., temps in the mid 20's don't bother them at all. If you know temps are really low wait until you have a few warmer days before setting them out. Also as they get larger you can harden them off some.
 
Adam,
 
Sets are the small dried bulbs, either plant from seeds, or buy the bunches. The bunches are the green bundles of young plants. Onions are a 6 month investment at least if bundles are planted. Sets equate to a two year old plant at harvest and they don't grow or keep as well. At least not here.

Thanks Scott that clarifies things. Why would you want to use sets at all?

 

[Jeff H]

Nice meal as always Jeff! How is the hab wing sauce?

 
Pretty decent. I found it on display at a local hot sauce convention. I'd buy it again. 
 

Jeff,
 
Start the Onions now. Mine are in the ground, normally they hit the dirt 6 or more weeks before the tomatoes. I only grew them from seed one year and started them 3 months before they went out. They start really slow, and look like rye grass for awhile. I know we have a vastly different climate, but they will do fine in the dirt when temps usually stay above mid 20's. My garlic was planted Sept 21st and shallots mid Dec., temps in the mid 20's don't bother them at all. If you know temps are really low wait until you have a few warmer days before setting them out. Also as they get larger you can harden them off some.
 
Adam,
 
Sets are the small dried bulbs, either plant from seeds, or buy the bunches. The bunches are the green bundles of young plants. Onions are a 6 month investment at least if bundles are planted. Sets equate to a two year old plant at harvest and they don't grow or keep as well. At least not here.

 
Thanks Scott. Will start them next. Just put the annuums on the only heating mat I have so either they will have to germinate in cooler temperatures or they have to wait a couple weeks. 
 

Thanks Scott that clarifies things. Why would you want to use sets at all?

 
Good question. I would guess because they are for the type of people that buy their pepper plants already 2+ months old at the nursery. 
 
 
 
 
 
Water for bottom watering the seed starting soil. It has been soaking in broken up mosquito dunks. 

 
All nice and wet. Time to plant seeds. 
 

 
And on to the heating mat. Lights off until we see sprouts. 
 

Random shot from work today. Got a few minutes out of the office to head to one of the job sites. 
 
 
That is a 300 ton crane. Main boom is 200' tall. It has taken 4 days to assemble it, not cheap. Sure hope it is worth it. 
 

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

good luck on your new round of germination.

 

[JJJessee]

Grow is coming along nicely, Jeff. Thanks for the heads up on the manzano leaf burn. I think I have some on one of mine too.
I'm going to have to reorganize trays by plant size this weekend and mix light requirements for the manz in there too. 
 
Yeah, onions sets. That's about all I've ever grown. I did have good success with some hybrid scallions I direct seeded two summers ago that overwintered.
Last year, onions were almost a total wash for me- from seeds and sets. Usually sets are just about fool proof. I finally proved that wrong. But generally, ease of growing, planting, spur of the moment planting, all make them popular.
 
What's that crane set up for?

 

[stickman]

Jeff,
 
Start the Onions now. Mine are in the ground, normally they hit the dirt 6 or more weeks before the tomatoes. I only grew them from seed one year and started them 3 months before they went out. They start really slow, and look like rye grass for awhile. I know we have a vastly different climate, but they will do fine in the dirt when temps usually stay above mid 20's. My garlic was planted Sept 21st and shallots mid Dec., temps in the mid 20's don't bother them at all. If you know temps are really low wait until you have a few warmer days before setting them out. Also as they get larger you can harden them off some.
 
Adam,
 
Sets are the small dried bulbs, either plant from seeds, or buy the bunches. The bunches are the green bundles of young plants. Onions are a 6 month investment at least if bundles are planted. Sets equate to a two year old plant at harvest and they don't grow or keep as well. At least not here.

 
+1 on Scott's comments... start your onion seeds now... they're a little slow to start, probably because the surface area of the leaves is so small that they don't photosynthesize much food at first. You can give them a little boost by dissolving a few tablespoons of molasses in a gallon of water and using that to water the plants with. It does two things... first, it provides a little bit of sugar that the plants can take in by the roots, and second, it also feeds the soil-dwelling bacteria that pre-digest the organic matter in it into a form the plants can take in and use as well as providing Potassium and trace minerals. Just don't overdo the application as a very little goes a long way and too much of a good thing could prove lethal to your plants by making the soil anoxic. That's why molasses is also used for weed control. I used a little molasses weekly when watering all my garden vegetables last year (including peppers), and I think it made a big difference.
http://www.thesoilguy.com/SG/Molasses

 

[Devv]

As to why I used sets lets year? I couldn't fine anything else.
 
Next year going back to seeds, The bunches this year have to many tiny plants for my taste.
 
I used dry molasses and liquid last year in weak doses too. It and seaweed extract are good soil builders.