Noah Yates' 2014 Glog

2014 Grow list:

Home Garden:

1. Carolina Reaper
2. Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion
3. Yellow Scorpion
4. TSMB special var. (sanchez)
5. 7 pot Bubblegum (pex)
6. 7 pot Primo (sanchez)
7. 7 pot Douglah
8. Bhut Jolokia Caramel
9. Bhut Jolokia Indian Carbon
10. Chocolate Bhut
11. Orange Habanero
12. Mustard Habanero
13. SB7J (pex)
14. Scotch Bonnet TFM
15. Datil (sanchez)
16. Aji Pineapple
17. Tobasco
18. Park's Jalapeno
19. Pepper Joe’s Jalapeno
20. Pinocchio Cayenne
21. Fresno
22. Serrano
23. Sweet Banana
24. Hot Wax Banana
25. Holy Mole Passila
26. Poblano
27. Green Bell
28. Yellow Bell
29. Chocolate Bell
30. Giant Aconcagua Sweet
31. Trinidad Perfume


Experimental Test Grow in the Bottom Lands:


1. 7pot barrackapore
2. 7 pot brainstrain 1
3. 7 pot brainstrain 2
4. 7 pot brainstrain 3
5. 7 pot primo 1
6. 7 pot primo 2
7. aji chombo
8. aji pineapple 1
9. aji pineapple 2
10. aji pineapple 3
11. bhut jolokia caramel 1
12. bhut jolokia caramel 2
13. bjic 1
14. bjic 2
15. bjic3
16. black habanero1
17. black habanero 2
18. black stinger
19. butch t 1
20. butch t 2
21. butch t 3
22. butch t 4
23. butch t 5
24. butch t 6
25. butch t 7
26. butch t 8
27. butch t 9
28. carolina reaper 1
29. carolina reaper 2
30. carolina reaper 3
31. carolina reaper 4
32. carolina reaper 5
33. carolina reaper 6
34. carolina reaper 7
35. carolina reaper 8
36. carolina reaper 9
37. choco bhut 1
38. choco bhut 2
39. choco scorp 1
40. yellow naga
41. 7 pot douglah 1
42. 7 pot douglah 2
43. 7 pot douglah 3
44. jalapeno 1
45. jamaican choco hab
46. king naga
47. moruga
48. mustard hab 1
49. mystery f1
50. orange scorpion 1
51. orange scorpion 2
52. peach bhut 1
53. peach bhut 2
54. pinocchio cayenne 1
55. pinocchio cayenne 2
56. pinocchio cayenne 3
57. scotch bonnet tfm
58. tobasco
59. yellow 7 pot
60. yellow primo 1
61. yellow primo 2
62. mystery bhut 1
63. mystery bhut 2

 

[Noah Yates]

The tent is just to trap the lady bugs in with my aphid infested plants for 3 days.

 

[Noah Yates]

So I apologize for my nearly 2 months of silence.  Things have been progressing slowly but surely.  After getting all of my plants in the ground in mid May I kind of took a vacation from dealing with them (except to just water them and pull up the worst of the weeds surrounding the plants.  In the past 2 weeks my dad has helped my to get a good 4 inch layer of mulch on top of most of the home garden (as you will see there are still spots which need mulch and are being taken over by weeds.)  The plants really loved that... they are really exploding now. 
 
The experimental test grow in the bottom lands isnt doing too hot.  Or... well... it is doing pretty hot and thats the problem... I let it dry out a little too much.... but, hey, this is an experimental grow to find good genetics right!?!?! ---So that a little game of survival of the fittest works out fine.  It took me till the first week of June to get them in the ground too... and they were extremely unhealthy looking by the time the drought hit.  However, once I get everything mulched they should blow up pretty well.  I expect those little guys to finish out at a nice size between 3 and 4 feet tall and the same range of dimensions wide (even though they look to be pretty stunted.
 
In other news my worm farms are ready to be harvested and rebuilt.  Yesterday I spent about 4 hours harvesting a total of probably over 200 lbs of worm castings from 2 tubs

whose leftover worms and uneaten foods filled one whole tub completely.

Currently I am running 14 worm farms.... 13 at home and one at my grandparents' place (not featured here):

Long live the Game of Worms!!!!!

 
Home Garden Panoramic shot from Southeast.

Row 1 (from foreground to background:  Mustard hab x3, Orange hab x2)

Row 2 (from foreground to background:  Tobasco x2, Choco Bhut x3)

Row 3 (from foreground to background:  Yellow Scorpion x2, Jays Peach Ghost Scorpion x8

Row 4 (from foreground to background:  7 pot Douglah x2, 7 pot Bubblegum x3, 7 pot Primo x4, Scotch Bonnet TFM x 1)

Row 5 (from foreground to background:  Carolina Reaper x5, Bhut Jolokia Caramel x6, Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend Special var. from Sanchez x3)

Row 6 (All Pinocchio Cayennes x 22)

Row 7 (All Jalapeno x23)  

Row 8 (All Sweet Banana 7)

Row 9 (from foreground to background:  Hungarian Hot Wax Banana x 4, Sweet Banana x2)

Row 10 (Tomatoes alternating between Cherokee Purple, Pink Girl, Pineapple, and Magic Mountain Cherry)  All in desperate need of mulching, staking, and weeding.

Rows 11 and 12 All Fresnos (12) except for 2 Holy Mole Passila Peppers at one end.

 
And now for some cool pod shots!!!!!!!! :
 
Carolina Reaper

 
Carolina Reaper

 
Carolina Reaper

 
TSMB special var. from Sanchez

 
Nearly Ripe Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion

 
Bubblegum 7 pot with tail and small calyx

 
Bubblegum 7 pot with large calyx and no tail

 
Mustard hab

 
Mustard hab

 
 
 
 
 

 

[Runescape]

lol, awesome pod pics, dude... Insane amount of worm farms, neat...

 

[Noah Yates]

Thank you

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

     Holy crap that's a lotta worm poo. I need to start a worm farm this summer. Your garden looks like a great place for a pepper plant to grow up!
     Have you grown mustard habs before? I have two this year but I've never tried one or heard much about them. All I know is they sure are super vigorous plants. Mine are out-growing my fataliis!

 

[tctenten]

Your plants look great! Is starting a worm farm hard or time consuming?

 

[Noah Yates]

    
   Have you grown mustard habs before?

 
Yes... last year I had two plants that were awesome.  Very vigorous... very prolific pepper production, but slow-ripening.  Its an instant favorite of mine.  The pods are really tasty IMO.... especially when caramelized slightly.  This is a pepper that is not too over-the-top hot but definitely packs a punch.  However, last year my pods never looked anything like these do.  This phenotype is really gnarly compared to the giant tennis ball sized globes they grew into last year. (the picture is practically to scale XD)

 

 

Is starting a worm farm hard or time consuming?

 
No.... its soooooo easy.  There is nothing to it.  People make it complicated when they buy those worm tower type deals.  I just use large plastic tubs.  Its as simple as acquiring some amount of worms (1lb or more), wetting newspapers and/or tree leaves (shred them), sctratch up some kitchen scraps (spent coffee grounds/filter, vegetable scraps,etc) and mixing them together in a plastic tub.  Add time and stir occasionally.  After a month you will notice the level of the materials in the tub start to go down...  This is because the worms are eating everyhting and condesning it into those lovely castings.  I usually harvest my castings when the bin goes from being full to being half full.  Now I will say that, while starting/running a worm farm is not too difficult or time consuming, harvesting can take a while.  It depends on your method.  But I just sieve through quarter inch hardware cloth on the first pass and do a second sieve through 1/8 inch mesh.  It takes a long time and is tedious/monotonous but exhilerating, fun, and rewarding at the same time.  But for someone with only one tub it wouldnt be so bad

 

[tctenten]

 
 
Yes... last year I had two plants that were awesome.  Very vigorous... very prolific pepper production, but slow-ripening.  Its an instant favorite of mine.  The pods are really tasty IMO.... especially when caramelized slightly.  This is a pepper that is not too over-the-top hot but definitely packs a punch.  However, last year my pods never looked anything like these do.  This phenotype is really gnarly compared to the giant tennis ball sized globes they grew into last year. (the picture is practically to scale XD)
 
 

 
 
No.... its soooooo easy.  There is nothing to it.  People make it complicated when they buy those worm tower type deals.  I just use large plastic tubs.  Its as simple as acquiring some amount of worms (1lb or more), wetting newspapers and/or tree leaves (shred them), sctratch up some kitchen scraps (spent coffee grounds/filter, vegetable scraps,etc) and mixing them together in a plastic tub.  Add time and stir occasionally.  After a month you will notice the level of the materials in the tub start to go down...  This is because the worms are eating everyhting and condesning it into those lovely castings.  I usually harvest my castings when the bin goes from being full to being half full.  Now I will say that, while starting/running a worm farm is not too difficult or time consuming, harvesting can take a while.  It depends on your method.  But I just sieve through quarter inch hardware cloth on the first pass and do a second sieve through 1/8 inch mesh.  It takes a long time and is tedious/monotonous but exhilerating, fun, and rewarding at the same time.  But for someone with only one tub it wouldnt be so bad

 

 
 
What's one more weekend project?  I saw the plastic containers you have yours in, what type of ratio of newspaper to kitchen scraps do you do?  Do you leave it uncovered?  Sorry for the newbie questions.

 

[Runescape]

Sorry for the newbie questions.

I was about to ask the same ones... Do you put the bin cover on, with holes in it for oxygen? Also, how's the smell?

 

[Noah Yates]

As I say... I dont employ the same approach alot of other vermicomposters use... so everything is improvised.  The basic idea is to provide alot of 'bedding' material. which itself will be edible to the worms, but will also kold moisture and provide a substrate for them to live and travel in.  Newspapers, leaves, some carboards, used potting soil, and unfinished compost are great bedding options because they are readily available in large quantities and cheap (if you make your own compost).  I like to use a little bit of all of them, but leaves are my primary bedding material  Keep in mind that this bedding really will be their main nutrient source.... things like coffee grounds and other vegetable and fruit scraps... yard waste, manure... etc...  will be primarily supplemental to the nutrient content of your finished worm castings.  That brings up another point... worm castings will only be as good as the diversity of foods they are fed.  I even supplement my worm farms with gypsum, organic meals, azomite, fish emulsion and all sorts of other good things.  Oh and that little bit of nasty swill at the bottom of your beer bottle..... thats the shizznits!!!!    worms love that  
 
About covering your worm farm.....     you need to cover it... but at the same time allow for plenty of fresh air exchange....  I usually have a lid on that is slightly askew--- so that there are two fairly large openings on the corners.  Recently I have been using old landscaping cloth to drape across them... I like that even better.  Really the only reason you want to cover them is because the worms are averse to light... but they really love to be on the surface of the soil when feeding....

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

NY I'd say your pics are awesome as well! Your grow is looking awesome!!!!

 

[Noah Yates]

And the smell should be not unlike that of a fresh cool mist percolating from beneath the deep black topsoil of a primordial grove of world trees in an old growth forest untouched by the ravages of man
 
But sometimes if you over-water there will be a boggy smell... In that case one should just drain the excess moisture, add some dry bedding and churn it all up.

NY I'd say your pics are awesome as well! Your grow is looking awesome!!!!

 
Thank you kindly

 

[tctenten]

Thanks for the info Noah. 

 

[ColdSmoke]

Sorry for taking so long to update my glog... here are a few pics.. things are going slowly but surely.
 

 
What kind of screen is that you're using to filter out your worm castings?

 

[chile_freak]

Keep it green broham, looking really good!

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Amazing! Glad you're back man. Your worm farm is amazing. Send some castings my way! 
 
You got a serious operation going man. Keep us updated. Can't wait to see those pods turn red.

 

[Noah Yates]

 
What kind of screen is that you're using to filter out your worm castings?

 
First I run them through a quarter inch mesh.... but there are alot of worms and uneaten foods that make it through that size mesh.... so I further sieve through a 1/8 inch mesh for the really good stuff.  I do not recommend starting out with a 1/8 inch mesh, because it is so much less efficient that way.

This is the famous "bottom lands"... the site of my experimental pepper grow and my melon patch. There is a creek that runs behind the tree-line in the background.  While taking this picture I have my back to a large hill, hence the bottom lands. 

 
The weeds are getting out of control so it's time to mulch.

 
These little guys will be beasts by October... I guarantee it.

 
Watermelons

 
Honeydew melons

 
Speaking of mulch.... I dont know if we have enough!?!?!

 
And here are some shots of the creek in the bottoms.  We grew up right here.

 
 
 
 

 

[Runescape]

Wow, that place looks pretty neat...nice dragonfly pic too...

 

[maximumcapsicum]

That is a serious grow! You gonna mulch the whole plot? 

 

[Noah Yates]

Yes... 4 inches thick XD