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My first Pepper growing Season
- Thread starter AKButch
- Start date
Get some of the cheapo plastic drink cups. Most big box stores and grocery stores carry them, and you can get them in 15 or 9 ounce. Both work well.
While we're talking about pots, has anyone tried the ones you make yourself out of newspaper? it appeals to my green side, but I have always wondered if the newspaper held up long enough.
While we're talking about pots, has anyone tried the ones you make yourself out of newspaper? it appeals to my green side, but I have always wondered if the newspaper held up long enough.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
chilehunter said:wordwiz & AJ - the soil I use for my containers is garden top soil BUT its been worked on for some time, the original soil is kinda sandy & lacking nutrients so added compost & rich top soil to it.
I've also used just the sandy soil or wetland top soil before - since this is rich but to much work
I wouldnt want the soil to be real compact you'll need the roots to grow & if the plant puts alot of energy into growing roots or cant grow a nice big healthy root system then the plant & the number of pods will suffer.
as for putting plants in containers, I just fill the container to about where I want the dirt line to be, scoop a hole & put plant in then water. I try to have the dirt line something like 2" from the top to allow water to be held in the container & soak in, & it gives the plant as much room for the roots to grow.
I still don't know what I am going to use but the basics of what you say is what I am going to use....essentially a good draining, good water retention, sandy loamy soil with probably some peat, maybe some vermiculite and pearlite
wordwiz said:
Mike: I am using 9 ounce clear plastic cups. I planted my red savinas 15 december and you can already see the roots on the sides. It takes about 4 weeks from seed plant to transplant for me. When I see the roots starting to grow out of the bottom of the drain holes I drilled in the bottom of the cups, I will transplant within 2 days. I transplant to 6" pots.
Pam said:
Bingo on the cups.....haven't tried the newspaper thing......sounds like work to me....
AKButch said:
I got my cups at Sams too AK.
AJ,
How's this look for potting soil?
Garden Mix: ph - 6.84 Percent Sand - 23, Silt - 64, Clay - 13.
The Topsoil is 7.05 14 68 18
The Garden Mix is $25/Cubic yard, picked up but I suspect it is cheaper if I was to get more than a yard.
Last year was the first year I had a garden of any size. I filled in my former pool but it was odd the order. It had good dirt as the base, but then it had a couple inches of sand on top of that. Last fall, this group did some free landscaping around my home but also ordered a bunch of top grade top soil to fill in the rest of the pool. We spread about three-four inches over the sand. Alas, they didn't order near enough, so I had to cover that and used dirt from the cemetary, which was more clay than anything. It was also 3-4 inches deep. I rotary tilled the stuff a bunch of times, after every decent rain this psring.
The peppers, especially the habs I planted, loved it. When I tried to dig up a few plants to try to save them (found out that is called overwintering, but at the time I was trying to get all the peppers to ripen), the dirt fell off the roots.
One other thing while I am picking your brain. The containers I will be getting are black. Would I be better off setting them in a trench rather than on top of the ground? I know in time the foliage will pretty much block the sun from having a large effect on them, but that's probably not going to happen until July - and June can get very hot here. I figure the trench would also help even out the heat, instead of one side of the container getting roasted while the other side is almost always in the shade.
Mike
How's this look for potting soil?
Garden Mix: ph - 6.84 Percent Sand - 23, Silt - 64, Clay - 13.
The Topsoil is 7.05 14 68 18
The Garden Mix is $25/Cubic yard, picked up but I suspect it is cheaper if I was to get more than a yard.
Last year was the first year I had a garden of any size. I filled in my former pool but it was odd the order. It had good dirt as the base, but then it had a couple inches of sand on top of that. Last fall, this group did some free landscaping around my home but also ordered a bunch of top grade top soil to fill in the rest of the pool. We spread about three-four inches over the sand. Alas, they didn't order near enough, so I had to cover that and used dirt from the cemetary, which was more clay than anything. It was also 3-4 inches deep. I rotary tilled the stuff a bunch of times, after every decent rain this psring.
The peppers, especially the habs I planted, loved it. When I tried to dig up a few plants to try to save them (found out that is called overwintering, but at the time I was trying to get all the peppers to ripen), the dirt fell off the roots.
One other thing while I am picking your brain. The containers I will be getting are black. Would I be better off setting them in a trench rather than on top of the ground? I know in time the foliage will pretty much block the sun from having a large effect on them, but that's probably not going to happen until July - and June can get very hot here. I figure the trench would also help even out the heat, instead of one side of the container getting roasted while the other side is almost always in the shade.
Mike
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
Mike:
I can see you are ahead of me as far as soil goes. I have not even started looking into it. I used regualr miracle grow garden soil last year in my raised bed and think that may have been a problem with my crop. Not enough phosphorus. That garden soil looks good to me.
My containers are also black. I suppose I should pay attention to the color and heating effect of the sun on the black pots but by the time the sun gets that hot here I should have plants that cover them pretty good. The trench idea is a good one....too bad you don't have a metal liked trench you could bottom water out of.
I can see you are ahead of me as far as soil goes. I have not even started looking into it. I used regualr miracle grow garden soil last year in my raised bed and think that may have been a problem with my crop. Not enough phosphorus. That garden soil looks good to me.
My containers are also black. I suppose I should pay attention to the color and heating effect of the sun on the black pots but by the time the sun gets that hot here I should have plants that cover them pretty good. The trench idea is a good one....too bad you don't have a metal liked trench you could bottom water out of.
AJ,
I use to be a Boy Scout! (only for a couple of years, though)
If I have time, what I would like to do is get the soil, mix in some 33-33-33 fertilizer, put it in the 4-gallon containers and set them outside for at least one soaking rain and freeze/thaw period. Then bring them inside and have them ready when the plants outgrow the 6" containers.
I remember from my tobacco growing days, dad would always add some liquid fertilizer when we set tobacco. Not much - two cups per 35 gallons. And each plant got about half cup of water. I'm also wondering if I ought to add a worm per container.
As far as the watering trough goes, if I line the trench with plastic, I can probably fill it with water and it will soak in as needed - I may try this on a row to see how it works. I figure this would work better in summer when the roots are closer to the moisture.
I can't wait for spring to get here!!!
Mike
I use to be a Boy Scout! (only for a couple of years, though)
If I have time, what I would like to do is get the soil, mix in some 33-33-33 fertilizer, put it in the 4-gallon containers and set them outside for at least one soaking rain and freeze/thaw period. Then bring them inside and have them ready when the plants outgrow the 6" containers.
I remember from my tobacco growing days, dad would always add some liquid fertilizer when we set tobacco. Not much - two cups per 35 gallons. And each plant got about half cup of water. I'm also wondering if I ought to add a worm per container.
As far as the watering trough goes, if I line the trench with plastic, I can probably fill it with water and it will soak in as needed - I may try this on a row to see how it works. I figure this would work better in summer when the roots are closer to the moisture.
I can't wait for spring to get here!!!
Mike
Back to the jiffy pot thing i find they work great for tomatoes and eggplant and by the time you're transplanting those things are falling apart, but thats because they like it a little on the wetter side of moist while peppers like it a little on the dry side of moist.
As for soil the grocery store here sells 20 kilo bags of potting soil for two dollars so i just get that and add some organic fertilizer and in the past a little peat but this year i'll be using wonderful renewable coco coir. Also i've heard peat isn't very good for peppers but i've never heard why.
As for soil the grocery store here sells 20 kilo bags of potting soil for two dollars so i just get that and add some organic fertilizer and in the past a little peat but this year i'll be using wonderful renewable coco coir. Also i've heard peat isn't very good for peppers but i've never heard why.
wow this thread is going crazy with all the different questions
AJ - you filled your raised bed with bags of miracle grow ?
just WOW!
I forgot (while typing this) who mentioned what so the rest is directed to whoever said it
as for digging trenches for the containers, dont you think that'd be alot of work ? to me it does. why not just paint the containers white to help reflect the sun ?
another option for those of you looking for soil is to check out the local compost sites. in this state our counties have places to drop off grass clippings,leaves,branches. & then they will sell composted material cheap!!
it might not be the best choice using just that but if mixed with other soil (say top soil from your yard or ?) it can cut your costs down vs buying premium soil, but still compost is a good soil mixture. & most likely you'll also be adding fertilizers anyways while you grow them.
frozen dirt, set fire to the pile or torch it. I dont know if fire will hurt the nutrients. dont use gas but I wouldnt think placing wood on or by it would hurt to thaw the dirt out so you can use it to start your season early.
AJ - you filled your raised bed with bags of miracle grow ?
just WOW!I forgot (while typing this) who mentioned what so the rest is directed to whoever said it
as for digging trenches for the containers, dont you think that'd be alot of work ? to me it does. why not just paint the containers white to help reflect the sun ?
another option for those of you looking for soil is to check out the local compost sites. in this state our counties have places to drop off grass clippings,leaves,branches. & then they will sell composted material cheap!!
it might not be the best choice using just that but if mixed with other soil (say top soil from your yard or ?) it can cut your costs down vs buying premium soil, but still compost is a good soil mixture. & most likely you'll also be adding fertilizers anyways while you grow them.
frozen dirt, set fire to the pile or torch it. I dont know if fire will hurt the nutrients. dont use gas but I wouldnt think placing wood on or by it would hurt to thaw the dirt out so you can use it to start your season early.
chilehunter said:
i don't know about the fire's affect on nutrients in the soil but if you used a hardwood (oak, maple, birch, etc..) you'd at least be adding nutrients from the ash.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
chilehunter said:AJ - you filled your raised bed with bags of miracle grow ?
Yes sir...that was before I knew better and cost a bunch to fill it. Now this year in the raised bed I need about another yard of soil...maybe 2...it sure as heck won't be miracle grow...
Better living through machinery! I can rotary till the soil, rake out the dirt and have a nice trench. Plus, as posted above, I can line it with plastic and then pour water in the trench.
As a side note, I'm not growing a garden just for the fun of eating produce - I need exercise. I sit in front of a monitor 14 hours a day - it's my job (self employed). So getting outside, shoveling or raking dirt and having fun doing it is NOT work!
I don't know for sure if my compost pile will have composted enough to use this spring or not. I've got to find a decent mulcher, or else simply buy a bag for my mower. Mulchers seem to come in two sizes - those that are affordable, which means they use strings or something else that wears out in a hurry making it worthless; or those that are expensive - meaning well over $500. All I want is something that can handle 200 plants, and several bags of tree leaves and turn them into a pile that will compost quickly.
Mike
wordwiz - I dont see the point in lining the trench with plastic sheeting, unless I'm missing something ? but I dont think thats needed. you already said the plants will be in containers, correct ?
when you water the containers the moisture will be held in, plus the containers only have some small holes at the bottom it'd be hard for the roots to really soak up water from a plastic lined trench unless the water level was high enough (say half way up the container) but being that high then that'd be too much water for the roots. I'd think you'd be better off watering each container vs watering a trench that in theory will water the plants.
as for calling it "work" I meant it'd be more work vs just leaving them sit above ground. sometimes I can be lazy
I dont know if you're looking to just shield the containers from sunlight or to try to cool them off by being in the ground, well basically both the same in a sense.
but 200 plants thats ALOT of trench work, why not just plant most of them in the ground, & your prized chiles put in containers/trench.
right now I'm playing with the idea of making some rollable carts to keep the plants on & when a severe storm comes (or a long stretch of wet weather) or for cold temps I can just roll them into the shed or basement alot easier than grabbing each container one at a time. might not do it for all of them but for the prized chiles I think it'd be a good idea ?
when you water the containers the moisture will be held in, plus the containers only have some small holes at the bottom it'd be hard for the roots to really soak up water from a plastic lined trench unless the water level was high enough (say half way up the container) but being that high then that'd be too much water for the roots. I'd think you'd be better off watering each container vs watering a trench that in theory will water the plants.
as for calling it "work" I meant it'd be more work vs just leaving them sit above ground. sometimes I can be lazy
I dont know if you're looking to just shield the containers from sunlight or to try to cool them off by being in the ground, well basically both the same in a sense.
but 200 plants thats ALOT of trench work, why not just plant most of them in the ground, & your prized chiles put in containers/trench.
right now I'm playing with the idea of making some rollable carts to keep the plants on & when a severe storm comes (or a long stretch of wet weather) or for cold temps I can just roll them into the shed or basement alot easier than grabbing each container one at a time. might not do it for all of them but for the prized chiles I think it'd be a good idea ?
Black plastic tends to draw a lot of heat and painting them white is an option, but I'm thinking that even having white plastic will expose them to a lot of sunlight and much quicker drying of the soil. I had a couple of tomatoes in containers last year and they did great until mid summer, then sort of stagnated. Ditto for a basil plant. It takes a lot more water (chlorinated city water) to keep them from drying out. Having them in a trench (at least to what I'm thinking (will keep this from happening.
To back up a tad - the reason for doing it this way - the soil is dead. Nothing will grow in it. At first, I thought it might have been the seeds, or the weather, or critters that were at fault. But after three years of trying and no produce to speak of, and seeing how not even weeds grew in that area this year, I have to conclude it's the ground. I should know once I get a soil sample analyze. I know I use to backwash the swimming pool in that area which meant a couple of inches of chlorinated water a day was dumped on it. The closer to the pump, the deader the soil.
Actually, if I cannot find a definitive answer from the soil analysis, the most containers will be about 70. If the analysis says I just need to add lime or something to correct it, then I will probably have only two rows - 30-34 containers. That's not a lot of work.
Not sure I would keep the plants on a cart but having one to move them back and forth sounds like a great idea. Alas, I would have a hard time moving them up a couple flights of stairs but I don't see me overwintering more than a very few select plants.
Mike
For pots of larger quantities Ebay is your best bet, I have not bought any large pots from ebay but the 4" ones i got 400 w/ the holders for around 30-35 bucks including shipping. My larger ones the 12" and 16" I got from Home depot Early in the spring when they were putting out all the new stock they had there plastic ones on sale for I think around 2.00 or 2.50 I told them that i would take all they had for a dollar each and they did it so I went to all the stores around me and bought them all and they are the nice looking plastic ones that sell for around 5 or 6 bucks apiece. its amazing what the big stores will do to clear the shelves for new inventory keep your eyes open.
Dale
Dale
D'you guys find it hard to get square pots in the larger sizes? for the bigger guys it's not such a huge advantage but the whole 'round pot' notion just seems wrong to me on a tenth grade math level. the only ones i've ever found were that weird bumpy recycled material and they're a little more expensive but that wasn't such a big deal when i only needed one. this year i need 18.
I've never haggled at a box store before, do you have to talk to a manager for that?
thepodpiper said:
I've never haggled at a box store before, do you have to talk to a manager for that?
Grumpy, Yes I just asked for the manager in the garden department.
Dale
Dale