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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.
 
Plant out time is getting closer in Atlanta. Are you prepping the raised beds yet? How does that work in the community plot? Do they provide amenities or are you on your own?
 
Plants look great. If you are planting out in just a couple weeks, I wouldn't bother with potting up either.
 
+1 Shane.  I ordered some 5x5x6 inch square pots from the Greenhouse Megastore.  
They call them jumbo senior or something like that.  They are two-liter (.53 gallons)
containers, and a #1 (1 gallon) pot is 3/4 of a gallon, so they are close to the same
size.  For growing out indoors, they are the ticket.  And they have a very stable footprint.
 
HillBilly Jeff said:
I struggle with the pot up thing as well.  I think back to how big plants are at nurseries and they seem to do okay.  It is like they plant them and then just water them until they sell.  For me the hardest thing to water is the gallon pots and those are the only plants I have that got edema.  Even saturating the 3 /12 pots through bottom watering didn't cause it.  Don't know what to tell you.  I am planning a later start next season, which is easier said now than in December lol.
 
Your plants are showing some great color.  Looking good.
 
Have to water the heck out of em right now! But I think my plan next year is to start smaller, and make sure I have space for gallon pot ups. I mean, I'm not in too rough shape. Actually in retrospect if I vented the grow chamber a little better growth would probably slow down and I'd be sitting pretty. Annuum timing seems perfect.
 
PaulG said:
Nice looking grow, Adam!  Plants look very healthy.
Good luck with your potting up dilemma;  I guess you can
only pot up what you have room for and let the chips fall
where they may.  Maybe you'll be able to plant out sooner.
 
Thanks PaulG! Yeah, plants are healthy for the most part, and exploding. Surely they will continue to do so once they're in the ground, right?
 
Devv said:
Plants are fantastic Adam!
 
I think two weeks will be OK, they won't fill the gal pots in that time frame anyway. You'll probably have to water them more, but go by weight.
 
Almost time!
 
Will do Scott. It's funny actually I was out buying soil when you posted. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm gonna wait... not enough time to worry about pot ups, root bound or no. Still bought the soil, just gonna save it to put in some 5 gallon pots for my overflow/shady balcony experiment.
 
stc3248 said:
Looking great Adam...the pot up or wait problem is one we all have. I followed Greg's (Pic1) lead last season and bought some 5.5" square nursery pots...they fit 2 wide and 4 deep in typical grow trays and are a real space saver and are cheap. They are about a 2/3 the size of gallon nursery pots give or take and can grow some pretty big plants.
 
Here is what they looked like on my grow shelf last year...
IMG_1433_zps31c50242.jpg

 
I got them for about 45 cents each...too late for this season, but they're a must have for early starts as far as I am concerned. I didn't need to pot up any of them bigger than these and they got really big. As far as the edema goes...once again too late to really sweat it. We all get caught up with growing perfect looking plants, but in reality most of the nice, huge pretty indoor leaves get dropped soon after putting them out in the real world. Your plants look good and will really take off once outside. Can't wait to see what they look like in a couple months!!!
 
Great plan... for next year! Love your setup Shane. My kiddo's are looking very similar right now.
 
 
 
Jeff H said:
Plant out time is getting closer in Atlanta. Are you prepping the raised beds yet? How does that work in the community plot? Do they provide amenities or are you on your own?
 
Plants look great. If you are planting out in just a couple weeks, I wouldn't bother with potting up either.
 
You are correct! Time to get movin'!!!! See below.
 
PaulG said:
+1 Shane.  I ordered some 5x5x6 inch square pots from the Greenhouse Megastore.  
They call them jumbo senior or something like that.  They are two-liter (.53 gallons)
containers, and a #1 (1 gallon) pot is 3/4 of a gallon, so they are close to the same
size.  For growing out indoors, they are the ticket.  And they have a very stable footprint.
 
Adding it to the to do list. Hopefully I'll get to do a 2015 grow... may be overseas!
 
Bump for pruning and bed prep!
 
The 9month old and I finally made it out to our plots today. They gave me the bed right next to my Fall bed. First order of business was removing the remainder of the fall veggies. Holy smokes... nearly 6 lbs of kale! A couple lbs of spinach. A handful of carrots. All taste great. Actually made kale chips with some of Jeff's scorp powder for dinner... the red powdess complement the hearty kale leaves really well. Gonna try Jericson's on a batch tomorrow. Sorry, no room for pics... got too many plants to show!
 
pnw8bPQ.jpg

 
Still some grass left in there. Gonna pull it all tomorrow or the next day and add a couple wheelbarrows full of rich black compost and composted chicken poop. Was planning on a handful of tomato tone in each planting hole too... got this cleared with the farm manager. What do you guys think? I've never used salt or anything before... last year I used fox farm's big bloom with mixed results, but I was growing in containers.
 
Will post some pics when the beds are finished.
 
Went through and checked all the plants today. I am looking pretty good, though plant out is going to be crowded. Anything that overflows will go in 5 gallon, and I'll try to put the growdown Aji Chuncho in the richest looking spot. I'm actually discussing putting it in the ground with the farm manager.
 
TONS OF BUDS!!!
 
S9Pmk1J.jpg

 
Annuums mostly, budding up quite well. Too much actually. I denuded EVERYTHING today. At least everything that was safe to pinch with tweezers. Don't need flowers till you're outside thanks you much.
 
JyrigpT.jpg

 
One of the 7 pots... NICE FORK!
 
Speaking of which, I have decided that due to space constraints I will be a-prunin'. My plant is to use two pruning techniques. The first is striping below the fork. Once a chinense forks, I plant to begin removing approximately 1/3rd of the leaves/branches below the fork to encourage tall growth and a nice canopy. I've seen this technique across a couple of glogs, most notably Spicy Chicken's swank hobby grow.
 
I love pruning plants. It's what got me started (bonsai) before I even discovered the amazingness of peppers. So that's what I'll do.
 
SdP4eGs.jpg

 
Basically the idea, as shown in this MSPAINTED Funky Reaper, is to remove the growth below a plants natural fork. Of course the habit varies from plant to plant, so you have to adapt to the circumstances. I plan to take about 1/3 the leaves at a time, over a week or two, in order to control for stress. 
 
I started with a White Hab plant that was already acting weird, so I figured it'd make a good guinea pig.
 
AWRWXIQ.jpg

 
This plant was injured early on by a too-strong fan. I propped it up and it thrived, and has exploded with buds. It's ASKING for some pruning. I removed most the gnarly growth below the fork, hoping to encourage it to keep growing up. I also denuded it.
 
QLoKqDq.jpg

 
My my my naked! Hopefully this works. If the plant reacts well I'll start stripping everyone else who has forked.
 
I also stripped a JA Hab and a Tobago Treasure. So 3 of 40. Will do more if it works out.
 
For posterity:
 
suNfD9Y.jpg

 
Brown Egg. Probably will not strip as Jason says it has a pretty compact habit. Nice, thick stems.
 
jX8e5Cu.jpg

 
I could gaze at the bhuts for hours. Capitivating plants... don't know why exactly! But there it is. Here's my white bhut. Will strip when the time comes but DAM I hate to touch those luscious leaves. Hasn't properly forked yet anyway.
 
Lwvrmbs.jpg

 
My flagship right now... Radcliff the yellow bhut. He's forked but I can't touch those leaves just yet. It'll happen when it happens.
 
Should post this guy in the other thread, but what the heck!
 
cjjsVYV.jpg

 
Babel the Aji is coming to an orbit near you.
 
Very nice plants Adam. I'd be interested to read more on those kale chips. We have made them once, and no one really liked them. What is the secret to making them taste good?
 
Jeff H said:
Very nice plants Adam. I'd be interested to read more on those kale chips. We have made them once, and no one really liked them. What is the secret to making them taste good?

I'll post some pics tomorrow. I think the biggest variable is freshness/quality of the kale. Winter kale that's dealt with some cold is very sweet... The flavor is much better than your run of the mill off the shelf kale. If they were bitter, it was probably the kale itself.

For kale chips I tear the leaves into big chunks, discard thick stems. I place the chunks on an oiled baking sheet and then spray evenly with about a tbs if olive oil. Then I sprinkle salt and I added about a tsp of your scorp powder. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes till crisp (they look a little oily and shiny), and serve hot. They were quite good, but I scarfed em without pics. Will take some tonight!

Hopefully that helps'
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Your plants are looking simply amazing Adam! Will be interesting to see how the stripping does for you. Good luck! I've been meaning to ask too-what's the difference between the regular reaper's and the funky reaper's? 
The Funky Reaper name came from the way the pods grew, small Bhut like pods, but a great pepper.
 
Cool pruning process Adam, mine are getting that from the wind ATM :mope:
 
Plants look fantastic!
 
Really good looking plants Adam!  Great job!  One of the reasons I grew so many plants was to strip them like what Jeff/ Spicy Chicken does just for the comfort of knowing I had some back up plants.  I still haven't made the attempt yet.
 
Keep up the great work!  Is the nine month old naturally taking to gardening yet?
 
Mike
 
Devv said:
The Funky Reaper name came from the way the pods grew, small Bhut like pods, but a great pepper.
 
Cool pruning process Adam, mine are getting that from the wind ATM :mope:
 
Plants look fantastic!
 
Thanks Scott! Tossed a couple in the dirt on your recommendation! This is kind of my THP recommends year, though I can tell the bhuts at least are the easiest to grow in my current setup. Next to jals anyway. Wow they are thriving! 
 
I bet your plants come out stronger with the true air pruning.
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Awesome. Thanks for the info! 
 
Sorry I took so long. Scott swooped in for me. Thanks for stopping by MH!
 
PaulG said:
On a roll, Adam!  Your grow continues to look very nice.
Good luck with the pruning experiment!
 
Thanks Paul! Let's hope it goes well. Right now the lab rats are looking good. A little on the light green side. Hopefully they'll darken up and I'll take a couple more leaves.
 
HillBilly Jeff said:
Plants are looking well.  That sure is a lot of kale to pull out of a plot all at once lol.
 
Sure was. Eating kale chips every night, I am through about a third. Gave another third away. Didn't want to freeze any of it. Luckily I take the whole 5 veggies a day thing very seriously.
 
capsidadburn said:
Really good looking plants Adam!  Great job!  One of the reasons I grew so many plants was to strip them like what Jeff/ Spicy Chicken does just for the comfort of knowing I had some back up plants.  I still haven't made the attempt yet.
 
Keep up the great work!  Is the nine month old naturally taking to gardening yet?
 
Mike
 
That's the plan. Will probably start stripping the other chinenses onces they get a little more growth above the fork. Don't generally like removing more than a third of a plants leaves at time... got to leave it some energy factories right?
 
9mo loves the outdoors and hustle and bustle. He watches the other community gardeners, and tears up random kale leaves I hand him. All in all I'd say he's enjoying it. Big question is, will he enjoy India next year or the year after?
 
For Jeff:
 
3SR5hwp.jpg

 
Torn up kale. Got rid of most of the stems unless they were very thin, tender.
 
gXafsMj.jpg

 
Added a mist of olive oil, salt, and a pinch of Jason's megamix. Note that last night I used your scorp powder. I like comparing and contrasting... Jason's mix is a little, not gentler, but smoother, more floral. Less tangy. I actually think the reds complement the hardiness of the kale a bit better, but you got to experiment to find out. Jason's mix is fantastic on eggs and pizza or other cheesy dishes though. 
 
I digress. Experiment is learning.
 
Final, blurry shot:
 
LtJh1k4.jpg

 
This is my side all week this week, till its gone. What dinner is complete without a brassica? None, that's what.
 
Kale chips look great! My wife just recently tried making her own using grocery store bought kale. She loved it, not to my liking though. Do you have any tips for growing kale? She picked up some seeds last time we were at Lowes for me to try growing for her.
 
I will have to agree on that Peach/white/orange mix for pizza! I have a little bit left and that is what I save it for.
Put some on a spinach and onions pie over the weekend! Yummy!
The wife bought some kale. Will have to get her to "chip" it for me. ;)
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Kale chips look great! My wife just recently tried making her own using grocery store bought kale. She loved it, not to my liking though. Do you have any tips for growing kale? She picked up some seeds last time we were at Lowes for me to try growing for her.
 
COLD! Cold makes kale amazing and sweet. The difference between kale that has endured a frost or two and kale that hasn't is amazing. Cold makes it sweet. I don't see how anyone could not like the leaves I pulled up this week, all of which has been snowed under.
 
HillBilly Jeff said:
It might be the kind of kale as well.  I just grow the Red Russian kale.  The younger the better.
 
Did you bake the tore up kale into chips?
 
I did indeed! Bad picture. I need to let it go a minute or two longer for crispiness. 
 
GA Growhead said:
I will have to agree on that Peach/white/orange mix for pizza! I have a little bit left and that is what I save it for.
Put some on a spinach and onions pie over the weekend! Yummy!
The wife bought some kale. Will have to get her to "chip" it for me. ;)
 
Fantastic stuff. I am noticing a trend with the "yellows"... they pair well cheeses and lighter meats. Of course the peach/white/orange is a little more floral than Jamison's yellow 7, which is smooth and smokey. Reds are tangier, go excellent with tomatoes and beef. This is all powders here. Learning I hope.
 
Eat kale. 
 
maximumcapsicum said:
 
COLD! Cold makes kale amazing and sweet. The difference between kale that has endured a frost or two and kale that hasn't is amazing. Cold makes it sweet. I don't see how anyone could not like the leaves I pulled up this week, all of which has been snowed under.
 
Appreciate the info Adam! So I'd be better off waiting til fall to sow the seeds then, and won't need to cover them at all over winter?
 
MeatHead1313 said:
Appreciate the info Adam! So I'd be better off waiting til fall to sow the seeds then, and won't need to cover them at all over winter?
 
It's my Fall crop of choice right now. If you cover them you'll have less frost damage, but even ugly leaves taste fine. Just try to make sure you plant early enough (Late August in GA) so that the plant is pretty big before cooler weather gets rolling. Those low temps make the plant send more sugar into the leaves. They also tend to turn red. I've noticed this in a lot of brassicas. Grew some purple broccoli this year as well. I think in LA you're fine letting 'em go during the winter.
 
maximumcapsicum said:
 
It's my Fall crop of choice right now. If you cover them you'll have less frost damage, but even ugly leaves taste fine. Just try to make sure you plant early enough (Late August in GA) so that the plant is pretty big before cooler weather gets rolling. Those low temps make the plant send more sugar into the leaves. They also tend to turn red. I've noticed this in a lot of brassicas. Grew some purple broccoli this year as well. I think in LA you're fine letting 'em go during the winter.
Awesome. Appreciate the info! 
 
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