My first season of gardening

shaggs2riches · Jul 30, 2016

This is my first season gardening. Last year I got the bug after successfully growing 11 habanero plants from seed. I planted those seeds real late, so I hadn't got the results I could have. I started on February 15th this year planting all my pepper seeds in seed trays on heat mats. To start with I only had two 24 inch t5 lights. I soon started buying 48" 6-tube T5 flourescent fixtures with 6500K bulbs. I now have 3 of those fixtures. I needed to find a way to hang my lights and grow my plants in my basement, so I set out to build a grow stand that turned into a 5'x8' grow box with walls lined with reflectix. I have room to hang 4 fixtures in there. This winter I plan on adding a front wall with doors and fans for circulation.Through the winter I got plagued with a massive infestation of aphids, that I could not control. After almost killing my plants from all the spraying, I bought a very large order of ladybugs to kill them off. The ladybugs made quick work of the aphids and my plants made a full recovery.

May came along fast, and I was soon able to move my plants from the basement to the deck. Once they were hardened off, I transplanted from solo cups into 1 gallon nursery pots. I needed to build raised beds and it was going to take me a while before they were finished. By the second week of June I had my raised beds framed off and ready for dirt. One bed is 20 feet long 8 feet wide and 14.5 inches high. The other bed (with my pepper plants) is 32 feet long 8 feet wide and 14.5 inches high. I wanted to have room for all kinds of gardening so I went big without taking up to much back yard space. The third weekend I ordered up a 50/50 garden mix and had it delivered to my house. I needed 18 yards to fill my beds but I wasn't quite prepared for the pile once it was dumped. They could not get into my back yard, so I was going to have to wheel barrow it back there. My wife and I picked away at it and managed to get it complete in two days and four evenings. We really didn't work too hard at it, and the pile went away quite fast. Over the next week, my wife was kind enough to plant all of my pepper plants for me.

I have already been eating quite a few jalapeno and cayenne peppers. The filius blue plants I grew got planted in 2 gallon pails. They have since put out a lot of little purplish peppers that are turning red. Last weekend I dehydrated a small handful of cayenne peppers in my smoker and crushed them into a powder. I picked a couple very small 7 pot brain strain peppers that turned red the other day. I am going to try them for the first time this weekend when I gather the courage. 6 months ago I could eat whole raw habanero peppers without blinking an eye. I haven't been eating hot peppers that much lately and my tolerance has severely dropped. It looks like I have a couple small Carolina Reapers ripening, so I will be getting my first taste of those too. There is really only a month and a half left of my season before frost is a serious threat. I have been buying pvc fittings and pipe to put a cover and poly plastic over them to extend my season. I hope the cover will also let me plant in the end of April to really get a good crop next year.

So that is where I am so far in my season. I really look forward to what the rest of my season has in store for me. Hopefully I turn up with a nice crop from all these plants. I am already thinking of what I will grow next season. There is just so many options available that it will be hard to decide what to grow again and what else to try. Either way I am really happy with what I have accomplished so far and am eager to really get use out of these peppers. I have been learning a lot these past months, but there is still lots to learn.

dragonsfire · Jul 30, 2016

Wow, great looking setup and plants! Very nice

Topsmoke · Jul 30, 2016

Looks like your committed! lol large install for your first year, good luck and MULCH THOSE BEDS!

moruga welder · Jul 30, 2016

great start ! and yes as Topsmoke suggested , mulch , compost , / feed those beds ,and they'll feed you back , :onfire:

mpicante · Jul 30, 2016

Very nice indeed.

Maligator · Jul 30, 2016

Right on!!!!

I just built a raised bed myself this year: 26 feet long x 8 feet wide x 16 inches tall...although I had to rip the grass out to start it all...that sucked!!!

Pics are great and it looks like you did a great job...

:welcome:

TO THE ADDICTION :woohoo:

shaggs2riches · Jul 31, 2016

Thanks a lot everyone. What kind of much would work in the beds? I have been contemplating putting a fabric over them next year and cutting a hole to plant. I want to figure out an easy to get amendment to till into the gardens this fall, so they are ready next spring.

shaggs2riches · Jul 31, 2016

Maligator said:
Right on!!!!

I just built a raised bed myself this year: 26 feet long x 8 feet wide x 16 inches tall...although I had to rip the grass out to start it all...that sucked!!!

Pics are great and it looks like you did a great job...

TO THE ADDICTION

My beds are a couple 2x8 boards high. I contemplated turning the lawn below, but just decided to dump the dirt ontop of it and let it break down on its own. One thing is for sure, there are times when I wish that I built 2 4foot wide beds instead of the 8 foot wide beds. Would have came in handy weeding and getting to the inside row. Most likely I will be putting a smaller bed in next year for berries or herbs.