maxcaps 2014 grow: avoiding the freeze!

Hello All,
 
New here, but feeling right at home. I figured I'd go ahead and get my glog started, though I may wait a few weeks yet before starting anything.
 
I'm pretty new, not totally new. I had a small grow last year, mostly in containers, bringing up plants that I hoped would make cool overwinter bonsai's (bonchi's). I ordered a handful of different varieties from http://fataliiseeds.net, all  95% of which sprouted nicely, though something must have gone wrong because many never grew true leaves. I think my house was too cold... I've moved now and now have an excellent heating system. I also kept the seeds by a window that I think got too drafty. 
 
I did have a handful of chinenses survive, including a wonderful Red Habanero from fataliiseeds, and some chiero roxa plants that produced a handful of tasty purple pods. I purchased some local Scotch Bonnett starts from a small scale nursery, and grew jalapeños and serrano starts from a local nursery. It's safe to say I am now addicted, as all these fire worked its way into my family's weekly diet. I have a 12'X8' plot begging for plants, and I may do some extra in containers...
 
Enough background. Here's the plan. As jalapeños (salsa, roasted, and canned) are not a staple, I want to grow a handful of varieties. The chinenses have amazing flavors, so I'm going to branch out with two or three new varieties (though sadly I did not save any scotch bonnet seeds from the last season... what is wrong with me?). Last year I tried some super hot varieties... none lived. I am going to try again! I actually ordered most of these seeds before stumbling upon this wonderful community. In any event, here is the lineup:
 
Chinenses:
 
Red Habanero (seeds kept and OW bonchi (thanks fatalii)
Chiero Roxa (seeds kept, may use OW bonchi, haven't decided)
Scotch Bonnett (forgot to keep seeds, but I can replant OW bonchi)
White Habanero (seeds from Pepper Joe, should arrive soon...)
Chocolate Habanero (seeds from Pepper Joe, should also arrive soon)
Fatali (from pepperlover.com)
Big Sun Habernero (from pepperlover)
 
Superhot Chinenses:
 
Carolina Reaper (seeds from PuckerButt)
Naga Morich (seeds from PuckerButt)
Bhut Jolokia (seeds from PuckerButt)
Dorset Naga (seeds from PuckerButt)
7 pod (from pepperlover.com)
 
Other Superhot:
 
Tiepin (seeds from PuckerButt)
 
Annuums:
 
Poblanos (from Pepper Joe... growing to Acho's to use as powder base)
Giant Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Early Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Black Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Purple Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Fresno Pepper (from Pepper Joe)
 
Wish I had found you guys sooner, I'd have added some douglah's to the list. I am also on the fence about adding a couple more chinense varieties. 
 
Also growing some companions. Planning on putting in a couple tomato plants, garlic, cilantro, and carrots (had a lot of luck with tasty fat purple carrots... atomic purple I think they were called)
 
Will post some picks of my OW bonchi's tomorrow, and start going into techniques. On the fence about coffee-filter germination versus sowing in a tray.

 

[GA Growhead]

Lol. I find seeds on the ground all the time. I collected ten or more that I dropped while seeding the pellets recently, some I realized, others ?
I have a rule that once a seed hits the ground and I am not 100% that it's the seed I just dropped, it becomes a mystery seed and goes into the mystery pile.

 

[capsidadburn]

Lots of progress here Adam!  Very clean and Organized!  Props to you dealing with a kid at 3:00 in the morning and props to Sawyer for his trolling motor reference!
 
Keep up the great work!
Mike

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Things are getting busy! Snow is coming down... A little worried about the kale. Will check in on it tomorrow or the next day, depending on the ice!
 

I had to google "vornado".  I thought at first you had rigged up the business end of a trolling motor.
 
If you have access to any 3.5" square nursery pots, you might be able to get more pot-ups under the lights.  They fit 18 to a regular 11"x22" nursery flat.  Sometimes local nurseries will just give you a few used ones if you ask.  Just be sure to sterilize them before use.

 
Yeah, fun fans! I went with the solo cups because I should be able to fit ~30 on each of my shelves, and I'm shooting for about 50 plants, so it all should be good. I don't think they'll outgrow the solo cups before plant out. If they do I am in trouble. Luckily they are quite deep. Staggered you don't waste too much space with them. 
 

Your babies are looking good.

 
Thanks HF! Let's hope they keep looking good! Long way till March/April!
 

They're really gonna like that fan. As for those small yellow seedlings...if you haven't tossed them yet, I'd be willing to bet they'd be fine once under the lights. My guess would be those got planted a little deeper and may have struggled a bit to get to the surface. Once under the lights they'll green up.

 
They seem to be. The Chocolate Bonnets kind of rotted... the coty's turned brown. I suspect some fungus. I tossed the pellet... didn't want anything to spread. Not sure if I'm going to go with one Choc Bonnet plant, or try to separate one of the successful sprouts. Will depend on my other options...
 

look at them babies....theyre poking there headssss ...

 
Yay!
 

Looking great, Adam!  A plethora of hooks   
 
Nicd fan set-up, too.  That is something that is not convenient in my
grow shelf, but I notice with the T5HO lights, the stems are much
thicker than with the T12s.

 
Thanks Paul! It's a good little fan. Hopefully the babies have enough light. Things are looking pretty good.
 

Lol. I find seeds on the ground all the time. I collected ten or more that I dropped while seeding the pellets recently, some I realized, others ?
I have a rule that once a seed hits the ground and I am not 100% that it's the seed I just dropped, it becomes a mystery seed and goes into the mystery pile.

 
Haha, yeah not sure where these fallen comrades came from. Probably pizza spice. May be fun to grow some of them out one day...
 

Lots of progress here Adam!  Very clean and Organized!  Props to you dealing with a kid at 3:00 in the morning and props to Sawyer for his trolling motor reference!
 
Keep up the great work!
Mike

 
Thanks Mike! Trying to keep it that way. Yeah, the 7 month old is a little too fascinated with the grow chamber sometimes, but I think he likes the garden.
 
Wasn't gonna update today, but the job shut down due to the weather so had some time to work in the grow chamber.
 
First hooks. Lots of 'em, mostly the second wave:
 

 
Reaper is exciting. Glad I'm gonna have at least one of 'em. 17 days.
 
Second wave hab big sun is up. This is good because I think the first one is going to die of helmet head. 4 day germ. Looks like the temp issues are worked out.
 

 
Bahamian Goat:
 

 
Second wave fatalii is up today, after 5 days in the dirt. Glad I'm gonna have one fatalii rep:
 

 
And a first wave 7pot bubblegum is up:
 

 
18 days! Wonder if any more latecomers are going to join the party...
 
Potted up the carolina reaper and bahamian goat:
 

 
Chilitepin 7 pot cross is sporting some sweet trues! 
 

 
Had to cull a couple more little guys today. So sad. 
 
I did not cull any of the yellow bhuts, MoA's, or Choc Bonnets. All of these are potential saves if their second pellets don't sprout. I may separate out one of the sprouts from each of those pot ups if I don't fill out the 30 or so slots chinenses. So maybe everyone won't get culled. I'll name the survivors Jeff.
 
I will have to rearrange the grow chamber soon to make room for all the solo cups. The germer is going to go outside the chamber for a bit, on a heat mat with no lights, but I'll move any hooks into the chamber as soon as they appear. This weekend I am going to prep the bottom shelf for annuums.
 
Happy growing!

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Peppers are looking nice.  How does the big sun compare to the other varieties?  I'm liking the barts, jaques, and mustard.

 

[Spicegeist]

Chiltepin x Barrackpore is looking good.  Smart not to cull until you see what else comes up...

 

[stc3248]

Look at all them sprouts!!!

 

[Capsicum Select]

Second wave success! I agree with Charles it was a good idea to hang on to those until the rest come up. This is going to be an interesting year with everyone's crosses.

 

[Jeff H]

Hoot.   lots of hooks and sprouts. Looking good.

 

[Jamison]

Some really nice progress here! Once one sprouts or hooks, the others just follow in line. Awesome grow so far! About the beds with asphalt, I've poured concrete for over 12 years now, and always had to deal with asphalt in the way. It comes up easier than one would think. Swing a pick ax right through it and pull it up. Very simple, it's super soft. Or to break it up just use a 8 pound sledge hammer and pick ax the rest of it up.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Some really nice progress here! Once one sprouts or hooks, the others just follow in line. Awesome grow so far! About the beds with asphalt, I've poured concrete for over 12 years now, and always had to deal with asphalt in the way. It comes up easier than one would think. Swing a pick ax right through it and pull it up. Very simple, it's super soft. Or to break it up just use a 8 pound sledge hammer and pick ax the rest of it up.

 
Thanks Jamison! Hoping to keep it going. Can't smash up the asphalt cuz the property isn't mine. One day, when I have my own place, I will surely remove the asphalt.
 
Love sledge hammering things. And pick axing. The turkish word for pick ax is boyuk kazma. Much better than pick ax.
 

Hoot.   lots of hooks and sprouts. Looking good.

 
YEY! Got some true leaves coming. Need to do a big photo lineup soon...
 

Second wave success! I agree with Charles it was a good idea to hang on to those until the rest come up. This is going to be an interesting year with everyone's crosses.

 
Yeah nothing is tossed yet sept the yellow choc bonnet seeds. They were yellow and turning brown. No good.
 

Look at all them sprouts!!!

 
I like to wait half a day to look at 'em... to soak up the progress.
 

Chiltepin x Barrackpore is looking good.  Smart not to cull until you see what else comes up...

 
Yeah, leaves are looking good. Happy its not getting leggy under the CFLS... Guess 4 bulbs is enough!
 

Peppers are looking nice.  How does the big sun compare to the other varieties?  I'm liking the barts, jaques, and mustard.

 
Sup HJeff! Thanks for stopping by. Haven't had the big sun yet... just got it from pepperlover this year! Will let you know.
 
Love habs in general, so hopefully it tastes great! They look good in the pictures. I bet it'll be lemony.
 
PS. Do you guys think it'll be okay to move the germinator out from under the lights to make more room for solo cups, just move hooks into cups as soon as I see them? Will a couple of hours of low light fry a hook before it even gets its coty's out?

 

[GA Growhead]

Should be good moving the germinator out. Just watch the temps to keep things popping and then move once up.

 

[Penny]

Peppers are looking great!!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Should be good moving the germinator out. Just watch the temps to keep things popping and then move once up.

 
Great! Yeah I figured as much. The hooks don't seem to get any light in there anyway. Will have to move it to another shelf tomorrow or the next day no matter what.
 

Peppers are looking great!!

 
Thanks Penny! Your plants are looking pretty fantastic too!

 

[Devv]

Your grow and glog is a rockin'!
 
I'm wishing you continued success!

 

[PaulG]

Your grow is coming on like a freight train, Adam.
 
I assume the kale made it okay.  We grew kale a couple
of winters ago, and it survived snow ice and fereezing temps
without missing a beat.

 

[Capsicum Select]

Your grow is coming on like a freight train, Adam.
 
I assume the kale made it okay.  We grew kale a couple
of winters ago, and it survived snow ice and fereezing temps
without missing a beat.

Kale is great for cold weather growing. Super hardy. I grew Dino kale last year and it just doesn't seem to care what the temps are.

 

[Jeff H]

Did you survive the ice down there? I think your weather made the news nationwide. Stay warm.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Your grow and glog is a rockin'!
 
I'm wishing you continued success!

 
Thanks for the vibe! Working hard to keep it green!
 

Your grow is coming on like a freight train, Adam.
 
I assume the kale made it okay.  We grew kale a couple
of winters ago, and it survived snow ice and fereezing temps
without missing a beat.

 
Kale looks sad. Spinach got buried (wasn't very tasty anyway). Garlic looks great! See below...
 

Kale is great for cold weather growing. Super hardy. I grew Dino kale last year and it just doesn't seem to care what the temps are.

 
Yeah, hopefully it'll bounce back and I'll get one last good harvest from it.
 

Did you survive the ice down there? I think your weather made the news nationwide. Stay warm.

 
Barely... Actually I'm fine. 
 
A little bit of snow fell on Atlanta, but it shut everything down. Sensationalized to the point of causing a panic... the whole city hit the road at once, basically destroying our transportation networks. Probably the authorities should have listened to the weather service and closed everything on Tuesday, instead of shutting down midday and choking the highways. It's a mess, and will continue to be so for a couple days...
 

 
Lots of these. Two cars block the entrance to my building. Guess the drivers lost control on the ice and bumped into the curb. This guy's axle fell out.
 

 
I was the first to visit the farm it seems. The beds are under snow...
 
Here is my bed:
 

 
Looking sad. Spinach got covered, broccoli is shot (it didn't do that great to begin with). Kale may recover and give me a couple more leaves per plant. Hoping for one more big harvest to make some lasagna or to stick in some chile. 
 
Part of the problem is the pipe for the community garden's water burst about a week ago in another cold spell. So I've been hand watering with buckets, but haven't had enough time for it with these dry cold temps. So sad... Will definitely be mulching the pepper plants.
 
The farm's broccoli looks like it'll survive:
 

 
On the upside, PepperJoe's white hab has hooked, after over 20 days!
 

 
Scott's funky reaper is up too!
 

 
Will be moving these to solo cups today! Rearranged the grow shelf so all four rows of cups fit in there. It's looking pretty sharp. Realized that I need a little more light on the left side of the shelf. May put a bulb tree on that side.
 
Will post pics of the sprouts in the next update. Noticed a little damage on coty tips and the tips of the true leaves on a couple of the seedlings. Just little nicks and cuts. Any idea what would cause that? I suspect it's the result of a rough sprouting... the helmet must have been harder to get off for some of the seeds. Not really sure. Everything looks healthy otherwise.
 
Here are some stats:
 

 
Going to start my shelf of annuums this weekend, if I can manage to get to a hardware store to buy a couple of light clips! Stay tuned and happy growing!

 

[Jeff H]

Nice update.
 
That garden is a lot closer to the city that I thought. Looks almost like walking distance from downtown. Pretty cool.

 

[Devv]

It's sad to see all the carnage when it snows down south, they just don't have the experience driving in cold weather. I'm pretty sure it iced before it snowed making things worse. I won't go out when it's bad around here, don't need them meeting me by accident!
 
Congrats on the F Reaper! I haven't had any of mine germ yet   But I still have my OW, and so far she's doing well!
 
Stay warm and keep it green!