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
 
 

 

[Devv]

As usual things are looking stellar!
 
I hope you get (or got) as much rain as you wanted.
 
Weekend is closer!

 

[TrentL]

 
 
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
 

 
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Holy crap man. Congratulations, and congratulations again!
 
Happy to see you are starting to get a harvest going. Garden looks fantastic!

 

[JJJessee]

Thanks, guys.
 

 
 
Shade starts to hit the row garden a bit before 2pm.
That's why I put the manzanos on this end.
 
A few pods are becoming....
 
Hot already.
Arledge, first grow, first taste.
 

 
Thought that I'd pop one of these little poppers.
 
BAM! About a good, strong jalapeno heat, quick to the punch, no build, but lingered a little. Overall a nice, sweet annum mouth-heat.
I could fathom some mushrooms, goat cheese, sauteed onions going into a few of these.
 
Just a few doors down the row
 

 
I must have over looked some flowers at plant-out. This is only one of six with any action. 
They are very tender. A couple of these accidentally fell off in my hand.
I think I first heard about these from Shane.
More on these later.
 
Also just one of these  snuck by the de-budder I think.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Over in the Sweet Bed.
 

 
The form is a little off at this stage I think.
The J Nards are spot on though.
 
 

 
 
6-4, laterer.
 

 
I'm not sure have big they should be to really be pickin'em
These are half again a long finger length.
 
 
 
Somehow, these wound up in a very hot skillet with a cap full of olive oil and a big pinch of coarse salt.
 
 

 
So I stirred them around a lowered the heat gradually until they were easy to mash flat..
 

 
I let them cool a bit
 

 
 
......tasty    
 
 
 
Thanks for reading.

 

[Blister]

Your garden always makes me a little bit jealous! That's a lot of hard work you've put in and it's looking great.

oh and enjoy the grandchildren. Be sure to fill them with pixie sticks and a can of coke before you send them home

Neil

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Yes annuums! Stomach is rumblin and I already had dinner. You're gonna be rolling in the pods before long. Did you let the poblano go?

 

[chile_freak]

Wow a lot of hard work there brotha, looking good! Looks like u will be rolling in pods!

 

[stickman]

Very nice JJJ! The 6-4 Anaheims will get at least twice as wide and a pale yellow-green when they're ready to harvest green. If you let 'em get red-ripe and dry them, you'll have "California" chiles that are good for chile powder or enchilada sauces. Keep up the good great work!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Looks great JJJ. That is a nice looking plot. It's coming alive. Nice roasted peppers. I can taste them now. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JJJessee]

Thanks, guys.
 
I'll remember that pixie stick trick, Blister.
 
Thanks, Rick, on the 6-4 info. I was't expecting that big of a pepper. I'll try to exercise some self control : and see what size I can get.
 
I've been thinking (hey, it worked once before) about transplanting, and what a shock can be to a  pepper plant.
In  the plants' final days/weeks in pots, they were starting to really get into bloom phase. When they hit the ground, they seemed to lose all interest.
It very well could have been the hot weather and wind of course, but I've been thinking the plants were rushing to flower stage because they had nearly exhausted, or at least tweak the NPK values/ratios of the potting mix enough to stimulate flowering -pre-maturely in this case. When they hit the new ground, they returned to veg state.
 
Also, pot volume plays into this. I thought I could get by with 2.5" pots on the annums since I was only about 6 weeks to plant out -no big deal.
But looking at a couple of J Nards one raised in a 3.5" an one in a 2.5 "
 

 

 
3.5" made for bigger plant and fruits, which stands to reason, but I just didn't think the plants would notice that quickly.
 
 
So wheels are turning on 2015 plans.
 
 
Some shots from a few days ago.
 

Plants have finally made it through that awkward transplant phase and are starting to look decent again.
 
 

I've been stripping the trunk suckers on a lot of the peppers this year, but I think I'll let these Reapers bush-out. They have a bloom here and there.
 

I'm not sure, but think these may have gotten crossed. Almost, but not quite like the 3-4 Fatalli plants from last year. 
I didn't isolate for the seeds I saved last year.
 

Of my Indonesian peppers, this specimen is stealing the show.
 

We had a quick but heavy rain day before yesterday that nearly swamped my new rain collector accessory.
My pump is not doing the 10+ gallons per min that I've seen it do. I need to clean the intake and maybe even do away with the elbows I put in the line at the storage tank.
 
With two decent rains in as many days, I worked on infrastructure, and stayed out of the mud.
 

I finished cobbling up some frames to dry garlic and onions and maybe even peppers on.
 
 

Made another single bucket SIP
 
 
 

Washed all the pots getting ready for the 2015 grow. Peppers are a long way from sowing, but it don't hurt to get your ducks in a row.
 

 
Or at least in one big pile.
 
 
Thanks for reading.

 

[Devv]

Nice updates JJJ!
 
I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the transplanting.
 
Glad to see the gals are putting on the pods! AND that you got to test one.
 
I'd really like to see and read more about your rain collection technique. At this point I'm guessing you direct water to a collection point and pump while it's raining?
 
It's Friday!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Great looking grow JJJ! Amazing work.

Should probably go ahead and scrub my giant pile of pots and solo cups.

 

[Devv]

Only thing bad about the solo cups is the tip-over option, we get that at no extra charge

 

[JJJessee]

Nice updates JJJ!
 
I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the transplanting.
 
Glad to see the gals are putting on the pods! AND that you got to test one.
 
I'd really like to see and read more about your rain collection technique. At this point I'm guessing you direct water to a collection point and pump while it's raining?
 
It's Friday!

 Thanks, Scott.
Yeah we live a little, we learn a little.
On the rain thang, I need to get a photolog of the system as it stand as I've been tweaking this and that on it for almost two years now.
Since I went into the project fully ignorant of the best way to do I've had a lot of mulligan to work through. But I'm getting close to adequate.
It really helped the baby onions through a dry spring I think.
 

Great looking grow JJJ! Amazing work.

Should probably go ahead and scrub my giant pile of pots and solo cups.

Thanks, Adam. It's a load off my mind.
I'll probably give them another bleach and rinse just before using as I need them.
 
I'm going to start a few wilds and maybe pubes in Dec. but holding off on most of the chinense until mid Feb 2015.
 
 
Solos are just about the right size and depth, but like Scott said,  they can be aggravating to work with lots of them individually. I use a socket tray for the 2.5 and 3.5. really helps in moving them around. That's what solos need.  You could take an appropriate sized Rubbermaid tote ( I think Windchicken uses them). Cut a grid of holes in a piece of plex or PVC sheet to hold the solos. The grid sheet fits sorta tight in the tote about half way up on the each solo to keep them stable. It would be a cinch to bottom water. 
I might do a little 'spearmitten myself. 
 
 
 
I must be livin' right, three days, and three little rains.
 

 
The peppers don't look like they are holding their breath anymore.
They can chillax and stretch some.
 
Finally.....
 

 
an MoA with a little brother and sister it looks.
 
 
 
This is my first year on the pubes.
 
Manzanos.
 

 
These are probably from flowers before plant out but they held on unlike a lot of others, and this plant is blooming too.
 
 
 
The continuing Chronicles of Nonia
 
Black Raspberries

The birds are getting almost as excited as I am.
I pulled 2 7' widths of 1/2 bird mesh on each side and pulled them together on top. 
The birds didn't presure them much last year. I'm not gonna be that lucky this year it appears.
 
The red ones.

These may have some kind of disease. The bark on the cane wants to split. 
I didn't think they were even going to bloom, but it looks like they've set fruit for 3-4 gallon maybe.
 
Gourds

I don't know what fascinates me about gourds. I've got a few different types planted.
These are Sennaris, miniature water bottles. 
 
 
Edible cousins of the gourds
 
Saffron Yellow summer squash
 

 
 
And Black Zuchinni
 

 
Those are hybrid cipollini with them that need to be thinned soon to make way.
 
 
Of cipollini....
Flat of Italy...finally coming to shape.
 

 
The cipollini seem slower to head. It's a day-length thing I guess.
These have performed the best of any onion from seed I've tried.
 
 
The hybrids are at early falling stage.
 

 
When about 85% have fallen on their own I'll gently mash the rest down, maybe even rake back some soil although they seem to be exposing themselves pretty good by themselves. Then I think you give them about 2 more weeks before pulling them and just leaving them on the ground a few days in partial sun before trimming with an inch of neck and taking them inside to dry all spread out. No Washing. I saw all this on The Youtube. I've never done this before, but seems like what my grandmothers did, before there was a Youtube.
 
 
Thanks for reading.
Have a great weekend y'all.

 

[Devv]

I say just wow!
 
Things are certainly looking saaweeet your way, and it's all because of your efforts. I know you put the background work into your grow, and it shows!
 
We have almost all of our Onions picked, it's my job and I'm having issues. But LB is picking up the slack, I hooked up with a good one. The last time in the '80's I was down she was out there splitting wood for the stove. But anyways we tie them up and hang them on a rack I made for drying sausage until the tops have dried completely. After 3 weeks we trim the roots and tops.
 
I'm saying this because "they say" if you trim the neck before they dry, they can rot. If it's green when cut, the bad things can enter the Onion.
 
Enjoy the weekend!
 
Edit: Manzano's, just damn!

 

[stickman]

+1 on the Pubes brother! If it doesn't get too hot down your way, you're gonna be loaded! Very cool that you'll be harvesting Onions soon... heck, everything looks stellar after a rain. Keep up the good work!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

The plants are looking great JJJ. Nice shots of everything. I should find some raspberries to plant. Need to check and see if there is a particular variety I could plant at my elevation. Thanks for the update have a great weekend.

 

[JJJessee]

I say just wow!
 
Things are certainly looking saaweeet your way, and it's all because of your efforts. I know you put the background work into your grow, and it shows!
 
We have almost all of our Onions picked, it's my job and I'm having issues. But LB is picking up the slack, I hooked up with a good one. The last time in the '80's I was down she was out there splitting wood for the stove. But anyways we tie them up and hang them on a rack I made for drying sausage until the tops have dried completely. After 3 weeks we trim the roots and tops.
 
I'm saying this because "they say" if you trim the neck before they dry, they can rot. If it's green when cut, the bad things can enter the Onion.
 
Enjoy the weekend!
 
Edit: Manzano's, just damn!

Thanks, Scott and you are correct. Trim the head AFTER the bulb is totally cured.
Then you better hang on to LB. 
And hope she does the same to you.
 
 
stickman, on 14 Jun 2014 - 06:02 AM, said:
 


+1 on the Pubes brother! If it doesn't get too hot down your way, you're gonna be loaded! Very cool that you'll be harvesting Onions soon... heck, everything looks stellar after a rain. Keep up the good work!

 
Next week is our first back to back days of 90° That used to be more a summer phenomena, but it keeps edging up the calendar.
Rains been good. 
 

The plants are looking great JJJ. Nice shots of everything. I should find some raspberries to plant. Need to check and see if there is a particular variety I could plant at my elevation. Thanks for the update have a great weekend.

My first Black Raspberry Meade was made commercially in CO. That was 20 years ago +/-.
 
This was my second.
 

 
We bottled and kegged it last night. Almost 5 months; all in primary.
 

 
In a 3 gallon carboy:
3 quarts of raw honey with a little mashed comb.
1 gallon of frozen black raspberries
E-1118 Lavin champagne yeast
The remainder of 3 gallons is pure water.
 
Very tasty even at this stage. Medium dry to dry. Moderately fruity with a modest black raspberry flavor.  
 
 
Thanks for reading.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

I don't drink anymore but damn that looks delicious. Awesome job.

 

[Devv]

I do! LOL.
 
I have to look into making that, sounds like a winner!

 

[Devv]

Happy Fathers Day JJJJ!