JJJ Glog 2022 Preview

State of the Garden -Late Fall 2021​

The whole of the fenced garden is 60x70 with 6" wove wire 8' tall
Starting last fall, we built the first beds inside the newly leveled and fenced garden area.
Garlic, shallots and a few fall greens were planted immediately.
This spring about 3/4 of the fenced area was put into typical garden vegetable production.
An additional 15x38' area was temporaily fenced and hand tilled for a crop of sweet corn and is currently in diakon radish for cover.

14 cuyd of mushroom compost were delivered last year, and 14 yd of Tru-leaf compost this year.
I had 4-8' beds made in spring 2020 or prior that were brought inside the fenced area -compost and all.
Only a few yards of the Tru-leaf remain unused.
The bed were filled with pure compost early on, but last winter I discovered the spot of an old feed lot (10-20 years old?) overgrown in poke, thistle, chicweed.
I cleared this by hand and grubbed out the poke roots.
I've hauled 5-10yd of the "bardyard dirt" and have been blending about 50/50 with the compost to fill beds.
Along with another smaller area of the same compostion I estimate almost 20 yards of very rich dark soil available for filling beds.

All my plantout beds are 42" wide
I'm in the process of building 4- 22', 8-10' and 8- 8' with 4' paths between them.
Some already have homemade concrete side panels 11.5" tall.
Some have 1.5" x 12" pine or fir sides
Some have been dug into the sandy clay subsoil 8-12" with the excavate mounded a few inches around the perimeter
Some beds have not been started except for a crop of Austrian Winter Peas being currently grown in the space currently planned for tomatoes
A 2' inner and 2' outer border for most of the 60x70 is being developed for herbs, flowers, asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, gourds, whatever.
Outside the garden on the north end, grass and weeds are being scalded out for red and black raspberries plants that are on order for a 60' row of each next spring

(Early Plans subject to change without notice)​

2022 Peppers​

22' bed of sweet peppers (28)

Carmen F1 (Johnny's) -16​

Sulu Adana (self-saved) -2​

Ancient Sweet (self-saved) -1​

Jimmy Nardello (self-saved) -5​

Jimmy NarYellow (self-saved) -1​

Big Jim (2021-2021 Seedtrain)-3​

10' bed of medium hots (12)

Zapotec Jalapenos (Baker Creek) -4​

Yaki Blue Fawn (PaulG) -3​

Cabe Merah Panjang (self-saved) -1​

SB Papa Dreadie (self-saved) -4​

Potted or Mini-beds of Supers and Misc

Fatalli -1​

Aji Charapitas (Richmond Dave) -1​

Aji Ahuachapan (Harry_Dangler) -1​

Red Habanero (Richmond Dave) -1​

Shishito (self-saved and 2021-2021 Seedtrain)-2​

Potted Ornaments

UFO (Richmond Dave) -2​

16 Varieties
Total Pepper Plantouts Target -48

Sometimes I pre-soak 24hrs. Sometimes I don't.
Gerninate in starter mix in cups on a heatmat set to 85F

Transplant about 72 plants at coty stage (usually 14-28 days after sowing
4 trays of 18 allows for extras.
3.5" square x 5" deep P86D pots (43.75cu in each) in 18 pocket liners with Extra Heavy Duty 10x20 trays from Greenhouse Megastore
Uses about 2 cuft of 15gal of starter soil mix. (This seems like a lot but the calculator said 1.82 cuft)

Starter Soil recipe​

For 15 gallons
Start 30-60 days before needed for "aging" to allow beneficial fungal and microbial growth and organic nutrient breakdown to begin.

​

7.5 gal Sphagnum Moss​

3.75 gal Perlite​

3.75 gal Tru-Leaf compost​

​

2 cup Kelp Meal (1-0-2)​

3 cup Plantone (5-3-3)​

2 cup Comfrey Compost Tea (homemade)​

1/2 cup Feed Molasses (dissolve in the comfrey compost tea)​

​

2 cup Dolomite​

8 cup Glacial Rock Dust​

Mix throughly and store damp (not soggy) in waterproof container in place not subject to prolonged freeze. (Like in a contractor waste bag in a garage)

For an Early-Mid May plantout
Start chinensis Feb 1
Start baccatum Feb 21
Start annum March 7

I have a 50% shade cloth that I used for baby trees last summer that will come in handy for hardening plants off.
We live near a ridgetop and wind is vicious especially in, but not limited to, winter, spring, early summer and late fall.


Thanks for reading
advice welcome,
JJJ

 

[JJJessee]

Yeah, Thanks.
Definately off to a good start.
j

 

[MarcV]

Some big leaves on that aji verde!

 

[Rairdog]

Looking good. I was checking out your pots and thought, "they look like 100 I just ordered". Then I scroll down and see you split a 450 case from GS. Great idea. Took me forever to find deep 3.5in that fit in 1020's. Should a come here first my friend.

Have you re-used them yet. They look like they would hold up a few seasons.

 

[JJJessee]

Looking good. I was checking out your pots and thought, "they look like 100 I just ordered". Then I scroll down and see you split a 450 case from GS. Great idea. Took me forever to find deep 3.5in that fit in 1020's. Should a come here first my friend.

Have you re-used them yet. They look like they would hold up a few seasons.

Doh! I should've.
P86D, Even better than a Solo cup
Greenhouse Megastore sales an 18 sleeve at a decent price. Outta Stock. When I finally called and to inquire They said April 7. Their Extra Heavy Duty 10x20 is great by the way.
I've got a few that I've had for 8 years. If they get a crack, I tape 'em.

Speaking of Solo cups. I'm not against them, they seem to hold plenty of soil for a pepper, tomato, etc. I just need a liner to keep them from bouncing around like bowling pins when I need to move things around. Everybody's grow room is different, so problems and problem solving are going to be different. But here's what I'm thinking....

This liner would sit atop a "standard" 10x20 tray, maybe overhang it by 1/4". The dotted line is a 2.5" hole saw. The other circles are top and bottom of a $Tree "standard" Solo cup 16/$1.25+Tx. Just recently, I have scavenged a fair amount of VERSATEX scrap that seems ideal for this. Whatever the material, I'm thinking 1/2" is minimum to accommodate a full load with stability. I've done some test drilling and this set of numbers keeps the pots about 3/4" above the bottom. The center points are 3.53", but 1/16" +- might still work.

My pots are supposed to arrive end of day, the day after tomorrow, so I'm not pushed.
But if you want an .ai file or PDF, give me a shout.
j

 

[JJJessee]

My pots arrived earlier than expected.
Time to pot up peppers.

But I'm out of soil.
A few days ago I caught a thaw and scooped up some compost, but in order to get enough for a recipe, I still had to defrost some icebergs of peat in the germinator.

I mixed a 2-cf batch, but it won't be ready for a month, 2 would be better.


NoVA Hydro to the rescue.

Except in desparation, too pricey for my blood.
It may be worth running an informal comparison with my stuff to see how I might improve.
So far it feels nice, to me the challenge for store bought is holding structure. I'll get back with you.

All my earlies are ready to pot.

I mis-spoke on a prior post, they were Papa Dreadies, THIS is the Carib Habs. They seem the most vigourous of this sowing.





I also got some JA Habs from Paul.

Can't get too many Dreadies.

I don't have have the comment field printed on on labels, but I have notes on three separate lots.



(drumroll please)

Yaki Blue Fawns (a la Paul)
I'll find homes for every one of these beauties.

Stage 1 germed and potted up Complete

JA Habaneros
Caribbean Habaneros
3 - lots of Papa Dreadies
Yaki Blue Fawn

with the super early bonus peppers

Aji Verde
Inca Red Drop
2 - Cabe Merahs

Next month I'm starting a few baccatums, and early,early April, ~ 3-4dz mostly sweet annums.

j

 

[PaulG]

@JJJessee - Love seeing those JA Red Habaneros
and Yaki BlueFawns up and running! I hope they do
well for you, they were great performers in our PNW
climate.

Looks like great germination all around, except maybe
the JA Habs

 

[JJJessee]

I think only planted 4, held back some seed in case of a mis-fire.
I'm going 2 each of the JA and Carribs in-ground and maybe one each in bags to isolate.
Thanks!

 

[PaulG]

I think only planted 4, held back some seed in case of a mis-fire.

That's more like it

 

[Downriver]

...Speaking of Solo cups. I'm not against them, they seem to hold plenty of soil for a pepper, tomato, etc. I just need a liner to keep them from bouncing around like bowling pins when I need to move things around. Everybody's grow room is different, so problems and problem solving are going to be different. But here's what I'm thinking....

This liner would sit atop a "standard" 10x20 tray, maybe overhang it by 1/4". The dotted line is a 2.5" hole saw. The other circles are top and bottom of a $Tree "standard" Solo cup 16/$1.25+Tx. Just recently, I have scavenged a fair amount of VERSATEX scrap that seems ideal for this. Whatever the material, I'm thinking 1/2" is minimum to accommodate a full load with stability. I've done some test drilling and this set of numbers keeps the pots about 3/4" above the bottom. The center points are 3.53", but 1/16" +- might still work.

Haha! The great solo cup challenge. I too hate the bowling pin action. Last year I prototyped this thing. It actually worked, albeit cardboard. The next step was to move to plexy, but I never got to it. Maybe one day. I do like your idea of a flat "cover" to the 1020 vs "standing legs" like my cardboard model. Let me know if you play with it further.

 

[PaulG]

Very interesting. Great minds think alike

This is the first thing I made ten years ago when
I started using the double cups. Holds 20 plants.
Has worked great ever since then, despite leav-
ing it out in a little rain shower one time.

The spacing is a bit close on this one. When the
plants get bigger they don't have much room.
The top rims of the cups are about 1/2" apart.
For the smaller seedlings and plants it works great.
If I had to do it again, I'd make the holes further
apart, but it works, so...

 

[JJJessee]

Looks like I'm going without Fatalli and Charipitas this year due to bad seed. Its not like there are plenty of others to fill the ranks.
I found a boat load of Ajis of interest on the B Train last week, and I'm going to drop seed on half a dozen or so baactums in a day or two.

I just up-potted my old Aji Verde from the December germ test into a 2-3 gal screwbucket that I scavenged.


It was ready.

I topped it high a few days ago.
Probably should have splayed the roots, but I didn't.
I just stuck it in the pot.
I did put a little Tomato Tone in the top layer of soil to hold it over.

This will end up in the south windows of the house when it outgrows my bottom shelf -as in next week.
May's a long way, but we're on the downhill side of winter at least.
3 weeks.
j

 

[PaulG]

@JJJessee - Glad to see you made good use of
the seed train. Great root mass on that transplant.
The roots will eventually grow away from the root
mass even though you didn't splay them.

 

[JJJessee]

I put a few in the soil last week

03/04/22 sowing Variety Seed Source Aji Ahuachapan Harry_Dangler Aji Amarillo Harry_Dangler Aji Melocoton Pepperlover Aji Panca RHCP Aji Rainforest Harry_Dangler Aji Strawberry Drop Paul Griffinth (PaulG) Alma Paprika Dane Chiltepin RHCP Dedo de Moca DownRiver Tekne Dolmasi Sinn

All new to me.

My mix of Habs, Dreadies, and YBF have it in gear now.

j

 

[ahayastani]

I'm growing Aji Ahuachapan as well this year. So far, it seems to like the tropical climate a lot...

 

[Downriver]

Plants are looking great J. You're gonna have a JUNGLE by May lol.

 

[JJJessee]

@Downriver , don't remind me . Of those 36, my plan was to only keep about a dozen plus a couple for my gardening son. You do remind me that I should be contacting some folks locally that can adopt. I'll probably end up around 4 dozen to let go by the time annuals are done.

I only sowed 2 seeds per container on the baactums this year.
For me, I think that shows remarkable restraint.
j

 

[PaulG]

@JJJessee - Your transplants look great. Very uniformly healthy.

 

[JJJessee]

And, @Harry_Dangler wins the Aji Race with a first and second place photo finish in just ove 6 days.

j

 

[Harry_Dangler]

Right on! I hope they work out for you. That Amarilllo strain is a super selection for large pods. Killer variant. Original seed source is Artisan. We made some incredible paste and sauce out of those dudes. They are late season .... but when they come in .... they'll be plentiful.

 

[JJJessee]

It's Annum Day.

It's it not as if I don't have enough peppers to ride herd on, but I need some sweets.
And few more hots too, mostly things I've grown before or clearly out an old seed lot.
Couldn't find a free 32 cell liner so I had to resort to one of these little Amazon greenhouses.

I've mostly been using them to start beet plugs to transplant (a new one for me).
The trays seem OK.

The bacatums I'm still few shy of germing at 14 days, plus I think my sole Chiltepin is going to deadhead.

The chinense are chugging along

It's about time to sort the trays by size and spread the big ones out.

So great news. My new backdoor neighbors are starting to get settled-in after almost a year of getting their house remodeled.
They've built some nice looking raised beds. (drumroll.......) And they BOTH LOVE HOT PEPPERS!
I think they will adopt a few .

The sun is shining. It's 74F.
I'm going outside to play.
j