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JJJ 2013 Glog- C'est fini. -awmost.

So,I may as well grow them, eh?

I started back gardening last year, but I left it to my co-gardener mostly to come up with pepper plants. We had some Bells, and Cayenne, a Carrot pepper, a black Jap, Hungarian sweet, maybe a Bullnose, Then I bought a 4 pack each of Anaheims and Jimmy Nardellos. I set out a little Shoshito start in July and it had a lot of fruit considering. Nothing here to write home about. The Jimmy's did ok. 2 of the Anaheims weren't true (and a cow at half of one of them), one did ok. The last one I planted in a new asparagus bed and the first week some sucky bug drilled it right in forehead and wilted the top. I started to pull it out, but thought, "no harm to leave it to see what would happen". I pinched the wilt off. That pepper forked an by frost it had held its own with the asparagus which hit about 6 foot. I pulled the whole plant day before frost, and it had about 50 nice peppers on it. I blistered and smoked them all.
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But this year I'm gonna be pepper pro-active. Thanks to Durham Bull, I have a treasure house of Capscium genes -Bhuts, Scorpions, and the likes -none of which I'd ever heard of a year ago. The generosity of this community seems to only be matched by it passion for peppers. I dig it. Plus I was in at another site with an online seed blind swap and ended up with some mildly hot goodies.

Well I've never grown a pepper from seed. Never. So yet another new door. Bought a heat mat, I've got onions about to come off it now. After Spicy Chicken's glog, I liked his grow station and thought I'd buy some shelves and put overhead fluorescent on them. I had a domestic conversation about where to put the shelves and lost amicably. So I guess I'll have to finally clean out my toolshed after only 4 years to make room.

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It has a skylight about, 30" x 96", but no heat, no electricity. But I think I can get by with an extension cord, and will have to pick up a little propane heater to knock the chill off. Peppers aren't safe outside here until mid-May.

Yesterday, I got my shelves assembled with one light installed - a 4x4' T8 fixture w/ 6500ks.

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Plan is to wire them on to a gang of light switches, maybe a timer, cover it with Reflectrix movable curtains, some small fans.

I'd appreciate any advice, especially since I'm in the early build phase.

I'm shooting for about 100-150 plants if there's room -some to wind up in rows, some in beds, some into containers, some to share

A friend is sending me some more seeds today I believe, so I'll be closer to a final grow list when I see what that brings.

Thanks for reading and for any words of wisdom you can share.
 
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No pressure tank. My idea is/was a float switch in the cistern -when it's full it turns on, when it's empty it turns off. But the place we ordered it sent  a switch that does the opposite. :(
Until our shop foreman( also the electrician) has time to get it swapped out I'll  turn it on and off manually. 
 
JJJessee said:
I did end up with a lot of Dorset Nagas, 7 I think. I just plant what looked best and these Naga came up with THE worst helmet hair ever. I waited and waited for them to pop, but nada. Did surgery and by then I was potting in MG. And those puppies picked right up. I've never even  tasted a super hot except I recently had some store-bought Fiery Fatalii Sauce which is good I think - a nice and citrus-y flavor from the pepper on a mango base
 
+1 one of the car dealer barrels Devv.
 
I don't remember reading about goldfish as water testers, but surely somebody has done this. Actually, goldfish are pretty tough, maybe White Cloud Mountain minnows would be a better alarm system or Siamese fighters in the  summer time
 
Most of the East Coast rain is missing us, I caught a little rain last night, flipped the pump switch this AM and it kicked the breaker instantly -repeatedly.  :confused:
Gotta get my electrician to look at it.
I was ready for it too. This is my initial manifold configuration on the rain tank.
 

 
While I was on the hill top with the tank, I noticed one of my Goldrush apples actually set a few fruit. 
My trees are too young -just set them last year, but the season was kind to apple blossoms for a change.
 

 
 
I did get 2 drip tapes per bed plugged into a trunk line for most of my beds today. Direct seeded for two tomato plants too.
Highlight of the day was a couple of indigo bunting flitting about checking out the garden. First time I'd seen them there.
 

 
thanks for reading,
 
jjj 
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I didn't want to repost, in reply with these gorgeous pics, but . . . lemme get this straight:
 
You never had a superhot pepper but have had a sauce. And you did this gorgeous grow of supers. Okay, my cousin, who has fashioned a pretty killer garden over the years, with logs as retainers or levelers, just did the same thing this year--the one who plowed my field--the tractor we inherited and share expense of maintaining. Of course I took him some MORE supers in exchange for the "field-trip.") But he has as many supers planted as you do now on land that one would never think one could plant upon, terraced. Hmm.
 
He has barrels with pumps for pushing rain water to upper part of his garden, as the lower part is watered by deep creek with pump in it. Used car tubing--my bro got him a mess of it--and it just made drip tape from that, punching holes--AND the man grows Gold Rush, Winesap, and Limbertwig. And some others. And Blackberries; sat up all night for several nights to keep the coons off his muscadine vines for days, picked 'em off with .22. He hates to kill stuff but he lost his crop year before to them. We won't go into what all he makes with that, but my other cousin grows nothing but corn. Cuz has fashioned some kind of cider press. Looks like a 90 degree spinning wheel with weights. Could be a spinning wheel, dunno; he was mechanic in Navy.
 
I never thought I saw a thing of beauty like JB could do, in the most remote, untoward-looking area for growing, until viewing your glog, Carl.
 
I swear we need to meet up, let me give you some of my hot sauces from last year as getting ready to make more (thank you Bill, for the help there!) and hell, the rest of the county has scoffed 'em off me, so you're welcome to try. And let me bring JB with me, just so you guys could at least meet, be later this fall but I think we could do A-ville. Just a thought. (I need to see if 5th is having some sale [HAHAHA--riiiiiiiight] anyhow on FFLWarrior because while Promix is cool, too much trouble to mess with it to control all nutes for seeds for 2014 grow. Am going with something that has some charge to it next year.)
 
He could probably trade you uh, some of his uh, apple "stuff"; is considered best in WNC--kept the judges off my grandfather and his brothers for ages, same recipe, pretty much--he also made some cooking sherry that's outta this world good. Only person I met around here who can make--no, I don't drink alcohol now--but I know good wine when I smell-taste it--really dry muscadine and dry blackberry wine, and dry well, his grape vines are probably taking a hit from this weather--but you get idea.
 
You have a beautiful place, Carl! I mean, ingenious way you're working it, but in the raw, it's stunning as well. Y'all blow my mind: highest compliment I can pay anybody. Much peace and thank God, so far the rain has missed us from Andrea since we got frog-strangled night before last from headwinds curling a low over from Tenn Valley but, we'll see.
 
Hmmm, JB and me might be cut outta the same cloth. I even planted a Winesap and a couple of Limbertwigs last year.  I'd love to meet you all -anytime. Yeap, never even touched a super (but my container BJ I. Carbon does have some buds on it now  :dance: )
As far as water pressure, between my gardens and the tank, there is at least 80-100' of headlift (pure vertical). If it's not enough to drip all the hoses at once, they will have to take turns dripping :D
 
JJJessee said:
Hmmm, JB and me might be cut outta the same cloth. I even planted a Winesap and a couple of Limbertwigs last year.  I'd love to meet you all -anytime. Yeap, never even touched a super (but my container BJ I. Carbon does have some buds on it now  :dance: )
As far as water pressure, between my gardens and the tank, there is at least 80-100' of headlift (pure vertical). If it's not enough to drip all the hoses at once, they will have to take turns dripping :D
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100' vertical?? That oughta do it. And if not, children need to learn to take turns :lol:. Good on ya Carbon!
 
Bill suggested a Fatapple or Fatalii-Apple Butter sauce that rocks! I think it'd work with any pepper but the apple butter idea kinda soothes out that back of throat burn that most fatalii gives more than plenty of. Winter squash are good bases for sauces too, esp. chocs or darker peppers with already smoky taste. Cart in front of horse but hey! :party:
 
On May 30th 
JJJessee said:
 

 
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June 10th
 

 
 
They are starting to get their legs under them. Rain has been just about right -no real irrigation need as yet. Getting a few buds here and there. 
I checked the pump today -and it worked. No explanation yet. I moved my first 75 gals  to the hilltop :dance: .  Until I get a proper float switch installed, I need to be on location to manage the on-off switch which means I'm missing all the nighttime rainfall.
 
Also finished laying drip tape to the beds and containers.  
 
Thanks for reading,
jjj
 
Wow! Things are taking off for you, good deal!
 
Like your irrigation setup, and you'd be proud, it's been raining some, and I'm collecting it just by putting buckets under the roof line.
 
Have a good one!
 
Thanks guys.
Triple J's Crazy Pepper Farm :D.  Kinda has a ring to it. Thanks Shane, but I aint' the one reviewing supers -in one bite. ;)
 
A few pictures mostly a day or two ago. It poured the rain here -on and off all morning and PM. Mostly on.
But I caught my first 1000gal+ of  rainwater and pumped to the hilltop.   :dance:
 

 
I'm using 1 -1/4 poly pipe and this is about max flow I'd say. I put on another check valve making 4 total. I still have a 300' section of pipe with no check valve at all. Maybe another check valve or two in there would increase the efficiency -I don't know. I've never made a formal study of fluid dynamics.
 
Any way that should last a while if I don't spill it.  :rolleyes:
I've got about 500' of 1 gal/ 100' of tape on line now and just using my 3-55 gal dispenser barrel with negative 4-8' of headlift pushes them all simultaneously just fine.
 
A few pepper pics
 
 
Several of the milder annums are starting to bush. This serrano suffers the company of a flea beetle-infested eggplant, but the new grown seems ahead of the curve. So beware the company you keep.
 

 
This near by poblano with beets in the background fairs better and is blooming.
 

 
My strip garden (4x60 peppers, tomatoes and a spot of serpent gourds) is suffering under the tooth of Senor Groundhog. I've got to do some serious work on that situation now that my water project is over the bootstrapped hump.
 
I had a little water going yesterday and dribbling into the super bed.
 

 
The far end is actually the bushier which is where all the Dorset Nagas reside.
One of which has a my first super flower!!!
 

 
(not as blurry in person ;) )
 
Even though it was raining today, I water/fertilized by hand  all the peppers with fishsh!t and some G.O. goodies.
 
On Non-Street.
 
I've got to get my net on my berries or the birds are going to have a feast
 

 
We have an Americorps volunteer living with us as of last Saturday and she WWOOFed in Argentina for 4 months. She said they knotted their garlic tops as they approached harvest to force energy into the bulb. So I thought I give it a try.
 

 
Last week I wove my tomatoes in the row garden, plowed and planted a stripe of buckwheat which popped ovet the weeekend.
 

 
I mostly just grow plain old orange daylilies (half grown flower buds are great in a salad!), but here is a hybrid that has survived deer and me.
 

 
Thanks for reading,
JJJ
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Congrats on your first chinense flower, soon you'll be loaded down!
 
Interesting trick with the garlic, gonna see how that works next season.
 
Really like the rain water irrigation, I'd love to find some serious storage...
 
Great job on the rain capturing, that’s awesome! Nice demonstration of the water system as it’s easy to see via the pictures. Plants looking good great, you need to kill the flea beetles but I agree she’s got some great grow on her and in the end she’ll do great. Berries look tasty tell the birds to save some for me, lol. The knotting of the garlic tops is very interesting great you are giving it a try but doesn’t braiding work better ;)
 
BTW nice looking flower, keep up dis awesome grow and have a great week. I ran out of “like this” earlier so I’ll have to owe you a few but for now I hope this will do
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  :D Nope, no womanizing. My wife strictly forbids it. :D
 
Last weekend was my 34th anni and we went camping/backpacking up on the mountain to see the wild rhododendrons. 
Just like on our honeymoon.
 

 
 
 
 
Came back on Tuesday and pressure had pop a fitting on my irragation and I lost all my water  :rolleyes: .
 
I think it will rain soon so it's not critical at this point. But I am gonna get some straw or compost and mulch all the peppers that need it.
 
Yesterday I sampled a little Thai Chili that was young and green. It still had a little bite and floral overtones just like it's momma.
 

 
 
 
 
 
The super hot bed is getting bushier every day,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Still just flowers, but I've got BJ Indian Carbon, 7P Jonah, and Fatalli  along when plenty of the Dorset Naga flowers. 
 

 
 
 
 
This is a Serrano that's starting to come into its own.
 

 
 
 
 
 
On the non-side
 
I got all my garlic picked. This is about 1/3 to half of it.
 

 
Unfortunately about half of this was over-ripe and had split the wrapper meaning it won't keep over winter.
But today's pick was almost perfect, except about 30 head of elephant garlic. I've got to work it up yet.
 
 
 
Picked about 4 gal of black raspberries between yesterday and today.
And they have been of excellent size.
 

 
 
 
The 3 sister bed with the Maiz Morada and cushaw or coming along, but I'm afraid the poles beans are gonna get lost if they don't step it up ;).
 

That's all I got.
Thanks, for reading.
JJJ
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Very nice JJJ!
 
Everything looks lush!
 
Glad to see some harvests.
 
And congrats on the Anniversary! 34 years! I'm there in Dec.
 
How close are those Chinense? I planted mine 3' apart and they're growing into each other...hope you have the same problem! It's a good thang!
 
Wishing you continued success with your grow :party:
 
Thanks, Scott.
 
Mine are 20-24" mostly -a few maybe more. Knock on wood but, not a groundhog, deer or hardly a bug has touched the supers and yeap they are gonna jungle-up it looks like, Wouldn't hurt to start  giving them some liquid P and K at this point I reckon.
 
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