JJJ Glog 2014.....in summary

Whew!
2013 Swirling down the Drain of Time.
 
Washing the 10x20s for a New Year.
 

 
 
By last October I was so peppered out  -40 some superhot plants and over twice that many mild and sweets. Didn't think I'd ever see the end of it. But, an early surprise freeze caught me off guard and I lost several mild and sweeties. I did get almost the entire superhot crop, dried, smoked, fermented, frozen or pickled. so I should have no dearth of heat to see me through to 2014 harvest.
 
I owe most of my pepper success in 2013 to YOU.
All the folks here at THP helped me from seed, to advice, to encouragement, to inspiration.  Couldn't have done it without y'all.
 
Some changes for 2014:
 

 
I'm moving my Cappy 1000 Pepper Incubator into my  basement utility room. Last year I had it in a minimally heated out building and the night times often dipped into the 50s or lower. And come to find out, baby peppers don't much care for that. They survived, they were just slow growers.
 
 
Dirt:
 
Fox Farms Ocean Forest will be my potting mix. It's organic and hopefully will be as good as the Miracle Grow Moisture Control and it can't be any worse than my home-brew last year which wasn't horrible but coulda been better.
 
Timing:
 
Instead of putting most of my seed in the ground in early February, I'm going to hold off until later on the Annums. The Chinensis at least some in early - mid January and some Manzano seeds earlier than that if I can find them.
 
How Many for Plant Out?:
 
Not 140.
I'm devoting 2 raised beds -a 4x30 and a 4x16 to Sweet Peppers -Jimmy Nardello, King of the North, Gaint Marconis, Aji Dulce. About 26 plants. 
100' in my row garden. Probably 40 plant's. Haven't decided on the balance, Bhuts, 7 pot, Habs, Bonnets, Jalas, the usual suspects and a few odd balls.
66 plants +/- total. I totally neglected my maters last year(which given the season didn't make much difference), but this year I vow to do better by tomatoes. I hope to do 50 or so -all heirlooms, mostly paste.
I'll start several more of both than needed for selling and give-aways.
 
 
 
In related news....
 
My buddy up in Richmond grew a lot of peppers last year. He has a geodesic dome greenhouse. At the end of season he just dug up several of his pepper plants and moved them in inside.
 

 
They're looking pretty good for late December.
 
My last "harvest" of 2013 was 12/22/13; some Thai Chilis that I'd pulled the whole plants in October and just laid up on a table outside. Most had dried leather-hard.
 
I pulled, cooked, seasoned, ground and strained them into a sauce for Pad Thai for this winter.
 

 
 
Everything subject to change without notice.
(But I'll keep you posted)
 
Thanks for reading,
JJJ
 
 

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Great update JJJ! Looks like you got son strawberries in your very near future. Jealous here... So many things to grow and no space to grow them!

Wouldn't worry too much about the leggy guys, especially of they're setting fruit. They'll fill out.

 

[Devv]

Everything is looking fine JJJ!
 
Strawberries are going nuts! Ours are just taking a foothold and I'm sure next year will be much better.
 
One can never have enough Maties, just can the extras for later use. We did cut back this season after 71+ qts. last season.
 
I can't find Bamboo here (the wood), but I can get plants I'm sure. So is it a water hog? I'd like to have the wood for staking. Need full sun? I'm thinking the gray water areas might do the trick. And I'm sure they are invasive?
 
That Manzano is picture perfect! Mine look like hell, but I do have a pod. Yeah just one LOL.
 
Friday eve!

 

[JJJessee]

Great update JJJ! Looks like you got son strawberries in your very near future.Thanks, yes very near future. 

About a quart , though I was hoping for more. I left several I think will make it 5 days until I get back to town Jealous here... So many things to grow and no space to grow them!

Wouldn't worry too much about the leggy guys, especially of they're setting fruit. They'll fill out.
My fingers are crossed.

 
 

Everything is looking fine JJJ!
 
Strawberries are going nuts! Ours are just taking a foothold and I'm sure next year will be much better. I'd like to move mine to a better spot -like an aquaponic setup, but I don't see that happening soon. 
 
One can never have enough Maties, just can the extras for later use. We did cut back this season after 71+ qts. last season.
Yes, they are just so handy in a kitchen, and mine didn't do diddly last year. Maybe I'm over-compensating. 
 
I can't find Bamboo here (the wood), but I can get plants I'm sure.I just found a patch along the road, and it without knowing how to transplant it I lucked up. It has to be moved in late summer to early fall. You'd think spring would be better as a new shoot but it just don't work. Even fall plantings don't always take. But if it takes, it TAKES So is it a water hog? I just kept mine wet when I moved it and since then nothing. I'd like to have the wood for staking. Need full sun? Its mostly under a large hardwood canopy and seems happy enough. I'm thinking the gray water areas might do the trick. I would say gray water would be a tremendous help on getting it established. It is basically an over-sized grass. And I'm sure they are invasive? Yes, but not like Burmuda grass and  fairly easy to control. I just knock over new sprouts where I don't want it in the spring.
 
That Manzano is picture perfect! Mine look like hell, but I do have a pod. Yeah just one LOL.
Thanks, I'm very pleased with these, pods are small now but I think the plants a coming around and want to produce. 
 
Friday eve!

 
 
Made it to NoVA today to daughter, SIL, and granddawg's house. We picked up son#1 in Richmond, sort of along the way.
Son# 2 and DIL live about 2hrs up the road, so we'lll get to see them too.
 
Last night we put up 8 or more quarts of pickled mustard.
Before we left I got 6 garden variety Jalapenos and 4 Biker Billys in the ground.
 
That puts me all in on the pepper 2014 pepper garden   
 

 
The rest, about 12-18, will maybe end up in the cull garden or better yet  -given away.
 
 
 
Padrons!!!
 

 
I think I'll be blistering peppers inside a month.  
 
 
 
The peas are picking up momentum. 
 

 
I'm tempted to take down the deer net it's so tedious to work around, but I'll probably play it safe for a while.
 
 
 
The big news is now public. My first two grandchildren are expected to arrive in October!
My daughter and daughter-in-law are both expecting girls. I'm sure they will both be good hands in the garden
 

 
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy your weekend and 
Thanks to all our Veterans for their service.

 

[stc3248]

Them peppers got you all in...but them grand kids...there gonna have you going all out! Perdy pods and beautiful flower brudda!

 

[stickman]

Nice work getting your chiles all in JJJ, and good news about your expanding biological empire!
 
I'm sure they'll learn a lot from their grandpappy like we did.

 

[Devv]

Congrats on the near future G-kids! You will enjoy them

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Loving the pics JJJ! I've been really impressed with Biker Billy's this year... very thick walled, pungent pod. Jamison sent me some seeds and they're my fastest maturing plant so far.

 

[JJJessee]

Thanks, folks.
 
We made it back from NoVA late Tuesday so I didn't get to look at the garden until Wed.
It had rained about an inch at my place which was a relief. When I drove down to the pepper patch
about 20 miles west, it had not rained a drop.  
 
I'm amazed everything looked as well as it did, but the peppers by and large are just stalled.
Yesterday I dripped about 300 gallons, and today, 500 including some hose watering for the Bonnets and Hab row plus several odds and ends that are not on drip tape yet or just needed something extra.
 
The pepper that has suprised me in this hot dry spring is the Manzano.
 

 
These are the better looking of four in the row garden(plus I have two in containers at home)
They have soldiered on....
 

 
starting to set fruit even.
 
 
Another surprise is the Sweet Hungarian Paprika that Rick/Blazac sent seeds from.
 

 
wasn't expecting that shape or so soon.
 
 
The Inca Red Drop continues to go nuts.
 

 
I'll bet in the right hands an Inca would make a great bonchi.
 
 
In non-news.....
 
 
The big chore today was getting the eggplants in the ground.
Last year was the first year I've ever had the slightest success in the aubergines.
And it was very, very slight.
Main problem is of course flea beetles, but this year I'm being pro-active almost to the extreme.
First, I'm covering the the ground, which is where flea beetles like to cool off and relax after a long hot day of eating nothing but my eggplants.
 

 
I stretched some plastic bags on some frames- also to heat the ground. I didn't execute this as well as I'd liked, but maybe it will suffice.
The plants bigger than I've ever put in the ground which is also a flea beetle deterrent. I put in  7 Black Beauties and 7 - Wiamanola (a long skinny eggy)
 
They have drip tapes, but I also soaked them with the hose.
Then I all but sealed them up in a light weight Agribon covering
 

 
Hope they don't fry in there.
 
 
 
Also got some month-old gourd plants in the ground, and planted some seeds too.
 

 
 
 
Thought about harvesting the comfrey today, but thought I'd let the bees enjoy it a little longer.
 

 
I think I'll dry and powder if and amend with it like alfalfa meal.
 
 
 
The onions are still doing well
 

 
I think there have been some critical days where the drip tapes made a big difference.
Like maybe even today and yesterday.
 
 
 
The pod peas opened their first blooms
 

 
 
.....
That's enough for today.
 
Thanks for reading.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Devv]

Peppers are looking even if they have stalled, they'll kick in real soon though
 
Onions look really good!
 
The Comfrey is a nitrogen fixer yes?
 
I'm not growing Eggplants this year, but the last time I did they grew sooooo slooow. Do yours?
 
Weekend really close!

 

[JJJessee]

Thanks, Scott.
We'll get some real rain and they'll really kick in soon I hope.
 
I think Comfey is more for trace minerals and other nutrients than nitrogen. It is a rare plant source of vitamin  B12 for instance. A much different profile, but sort of a "dry-land kelp" nutrient-wise. 
 
Eggplants have always been my windmill. And they always grew slowly, but that's probably because of the sucky flea beetles.  I'm surprised they grew slowly for you. They need more heat than a tomato to get started and I'm probably am guilty of trying to start to soon. If it's cool of the night, they will sit there and become flea beetle central. With heat, they can sometimes outgrow FB damage
 
Speaking of pest, my ground hog cleaned out my ripe strawberries. I had them netted for birds, but he crawled under it and ate over a quart. He hasn't touched a pepper yet though. Knock on wood. 
 
Yes, weekend. I bought 2'x50'  of 1" chicken wire to make some drying frames for onion and garlic booty, that's my project. Plus cleaning  the grow room and pots to get ready for fall starts.
 
Have a good one.

 

[Jeff H]

Plants look amazing JJJ. The monzano and onions are particularly impressive.
 
On the comfrey:  http://www.coescomfrey.com/use.html
 
When used for compost, it does have a substantial amount of nitrogen.
 
From the link:
 

Leaves are about 17% nitrogen (horse manure=14%). Leaves have 2 to 3 times more Potash than good barnyard manure and much more than most other compost. Leaves are also an excellent potting mixture ingredient.
Comfrey can make an ideal fill for methane gas generators, for with its 9.8:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, there is almost as much nitrogen as in poultry manure.
- See more at: http://www.coescomfrey.com/use.html#sthash.uigBkqf3.dpuf

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Everything is looking good. I agree with Scott. The peppers will come back strong. Have a good weekend.

 

[JJJessee]

Whoooaaa! I had no idea comfrey was such a good nitrogen accumulator.
 
I  need to give it a row of its own next spring.
 
Maybe even this spring   after I mow it.
 
Thanks for the heads up, Jeff.

 

[Devv]

JJJ,
 
 
My Eggplants didn't have ripe fruit until the fall, but I planted them from seed directly in the garden. Maybe that's why.
 
Sorry to hear about the strawberries. For next season I'm moving the strawberries to the raised beds, and intend to make a mesh box like cover out of wood and probably chicken wire to keep the birds and Squirrels out.
 
I read up on curing Garlic a few weeks ago and learned they are not to be left in the sun. I had them laid out in the sun on a screen raised off the ground, and went inside and did some reading, glad I found that article. Now if I could figure out how to make them last once cured, I'd be tickled.
 
It's Friday!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Excellent update JJJ. I live the way your garden is a whole system, and different parts are sustaining each other. Would love to see some big overall shots of your setup like you had toward the end of winter.

Got any good brews finishing up soon?

Can't wait to see all your gals in their beds!

 

[JJJessee]

I think I forgot to hit the post button here this weekend. So there is a post floating on the cybersphere.
Somewhere.

JJJ,
 
 
My Eggplants didn't have ripe fruit until the fall, but I planted them from seed directly in the garden. Maybe that's why.
 
Sorry to hear about the strawberries. For next season I'm moving the strawberries to the raised beds, and intend to make a mesh box like cover out of wood and probably chicken wire to keep the birds and Squirrels out.
 
I read up on curing Garlic a few weeks ago and learned they are not to be left in the sun. I had them laid out in the sun on a screen raised off the ground, and went inside and did some reading, glad I found that article. Now if I could figure out how to make them last once cured, I'd be tickled.
 
It's Friday!

I wouldn't wash them, I made that mistake last year and lost several.
My garlic is starting to yellow. A little premature for ripening I thought, but a local gardener said that ripeing was most the likely cause..
 

 
About 2-3 weeks to harvest I'm guessing.
 
 
The eggplants did almost fry.
 

 
I got some water on them and they revived fairly fast except for one.
 
 
 

Excellent update JJJ. I live the way your garden is a whole system, and different parts are sustaining each other. Would love to see some big overall shots of your setup like you had toward the end of winter.

Got any good brews finishing up soon?

Can't wait to see all your gals in their beds!

Thanks, Adam. I've got a couple of meads that not bottling this month, And I may keg and carbonate some of it too.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Padrons?
 

 
 
I picked these today - first of 2014.
Was expecting a different pod form, but some pictures I searched out show a fair amount of variation, and it's early. The seeds were commercially procured.
 
 
The smaller Birgit has a few pot-set pods pretty well ripe.
 

 
Plant is just holding on through the dry spell.
 
 
I cut my comfrey and  hung it to dry.
 

 
 
 
 
 
I think this is a type of nettle (weed) a little different than the stinging nettles I see in the mountains.
This one still looks little it's capable of stinging.
 

 
Also a good composting plant I hear.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I had forgotten about this one, but it finally came up.
 

 
Horseradish.
 
Thanks for reading.
 
 

 

[PIC 1]

Jessee ...enjoyable reading material here, everythings looking great !
 
Once again, I admire viewing and reading about your   progress ,more than "just the average pepper" seeing the entire (works) garden.
 
Such a variety of edibles.........your garden cook's.........in a culinary way.
 
It's nice to hit all levels of peppers from sweet to superhot, but being able to fill up the kitchen counter with other vegetables is the bomb ! .  

 

[JJJessee]

Thanks, Greg.
I've always been a fan of food and have shared cooking duty with me wife for a number of years. Nothing fancy, but I can make a mean tiramisu from scratch if the notion strikes me -homemade, whole milk marscapone, ladyfingers, and all.  
 
Here is new pepper to me that's way ahead of my crowd.
 

 
An Arledge. Looks true to form. The seed came from Scarecrow.
Slightly hotter than a Jala. A Louisana pepper.
 
I gotta Bhut!
 

 
A white one, (from Ramon seed) and he's got a few little sisters.
Red Bhuts still hung in neutral. Don't look so bad, just idling, waiting on RAIN.
My garden has barely had an inch of rain total in the last month. Drip-irrigation has saved it and some hand watering,
but RAIN can't be beat.
 
We had a light rain a couple of days ago, but it didn't wet the ground more than a half inch, but it sure beats hot wind and I did catch and drip maybe a hundred gallons.
 

 
Tonight has us  forecast for a storm, so I got around to  rigging my water collection system to catch some ground water that my downspout barrels miss or the ground doesn't soak up. 
It pools up clear where I have put  the brick laying on the 3" pipe and eventually will feed into the center pumping barrel where it will be sent to the storage tank on top of the hill.
If all goes as planned.
 
Catch ya later
Thanks for reading.

 

[Jeff H]

Interesting water collection system. I assume you have a pump in the system somewhere to get the water to the top of the hill?
 
Nice white bhut. I have a couple of those from Ramon too but they aren't putting out pods yet. I did see them starting to bud up though so it won't be long.

 

[PIC 1]

Nothin wrong with a little White Bhut.....with sisters........
 
Tiramusi from scratch sounds great, you're taking it one step past mine..I hit the Italian stores for imported ladyfingers.
What type of liqueur do you use Armaretto, Frangelico ?
 
Yesterday we had 6 hrs of a light drizzle, enough water to make the plants happy, but not too much to make things muddy.
Hope you can get a decent amount of rain..