• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

Operation Golden Garden 2014: Let's Get Started!

**Instead of starting an entirely new GLOG, I decided to tack 2014 on to the end of this one. So if you have already went through 2013's grow, just jump ahead to page 40.**
 
Before you go on, I would recommend you grab a beer or something else stiff to drink.  If you didnt follow my grow last time around, I have the tendency to go on, and on, and on, and on.  Also, I may not be the most "PC" out of the group, so if you are looking for clean language, on topic discussion, and general 'niceness', I am sure that I can point you in the right direction.
 
Ok, now that we got that out of the way....I AM STARTING A FREAKIN GROW LOG!  A quick bit of back story. Since I spent more time in high school partying than studying, I didn't have much of a choice following graduation. I decided to enlist in the Marines (there really isnt another choice) and now here I am 8 years and 5 deployments later.  This last go around I left the first few days of September and just got back yesterday (9 months for all the other 'non studying' folk).  As most of you know, if you want some bangin pepper plants, you need to start early, and May 25th aint early.  So right before I left I cut everything back and prayed to the pepper gods that my plants would make it through winter so I could have something to come home to.  Up until yesterday I thought that they were just taking time to put on some green, but when I walked through the fence to see my dogs, a ritual that I typically do after every deployment, I realized that the plants were not there and instead was four trays of new plants just waiting for planting.
 
Note:  IPhones are not the world's leading video recording devices.  And as a result, I may not be easily heard.  Dont worry, I didn't have much to say initially anyways, I was just a bit more surprised than anything.
 

 
For someone who seems to always talk a bit too much, I didnt have much to say initially.  I was freaking out inside and didnt know if my wife got them or what.  When she told me that the guys from THP did it, i was blown away.  You gotta understand, over the past 9 months Bill (RocketMan) organized a "Operation Hot Sauce" care package rotation for me and my guys.  A bunch of members here chipped in and sent packages of sauces, powders, peppers, and other treats to help make this deployment a bit more enjoyable.  To hear that they ALSO chipped in and GAVE ME A GROWING SEASON pretty much put me over the edge.  I know that I already messaged you guys but I wanna thank RocketMan, Coheed196, Romy6, KingDenniz, Silver_Surfer, STC3248, DesertChris, Sanarda, MuskyMojo, Pulpeteer, WalkGood, DocNRock. Stickman, Annie57, Pic 1, Pr0digal_Son, Jamison, Spicy Chicken, HighHalt, Fremp, SethSquach, 3/5 King, Patrick, Bigoldude again for helping make this happen for me.  And although giving me a garden was WAY MORE THAN ENOUGH, they also gave me a little sumpin sumpin that will help out picking up the last minute things that I need to make sure I have everything I need for the season!
 
So this morning, I got up early because I am still on Afghanistan time, cooked breakfast, and then after the family ate we went out to the garden to plant everything. 
 

 
 
The Peppers:
7 Pot
7 Pot Douglah
7 Pot Yellow
Aji Colorado
Bhut Jolokia
Bhut Jolokia Assam
Bhut Jolokia Yellow
Bonda ma Jaques
Cobra
Congo Trinidad
Fatalii
Jamaican Hot Chocolate
Lemon Drop
Marconi Giant Hybrid
TSMB 
TSMB Yellow
Naga Morich
Safi Red
Trinidad Scorpion
West Indian Red
 
Maters:
Black Krim
Black Pear
 
Oh, and did I tell you that THERE ARE 3 EACH?!?
 
Gettin to work tilling the rows a bit


 
The wife givin me a hand

 
The kiddo givin me a hand

 
Rows Complete

 
And Peppers in the ground!

 
Some goodies from Bill, Jeff and Bonnie (Bill also has goodies in the fridge :cheers:)

 
Parting Shot

 
 
Sisters...I came up in the 80's. The days of Beta and VHS. Pretty in Pink was one of their Favorites so it got watched over and over and over and over...
 
I have it and The Breakfast Club pretty much memorized so every time I hear hernia I think of that clip. I searched it on youtube and whata-ya-know there it was!
 
MGOLD86 said:
Thanks all for the kind wishes, I'm feeling a little better, the docs took care of me.

It was laparoscopic with mesh. Going for my post op follow up in a few so I should get some news and back to my old self in no time!
Excellent!  Much quicker recovery.  My patients love it when I fix their hernias with the scope.
 
Finally got caught up also, WHEW!.  I have Glogs blocked on my "Show New Content" settings, so I had to go looking for this to see how things are going.  The Ferment looks yummy, all those pretty colors...Garden's looking good...  Calf Implants :rofl:....  (might have to use that one sometime)...Did you ever open Incinerator?
 
stc3248 said:
Sisters...I came up in the 80's. The days of Beta and VHS. Pretty in Pink was one of their Favorites so it got watched over and over and over and over...
 
I have it and The Breakfast Club pretty much memorized so every time I hear hernia I think of that clip. I searched it on youtube and whata-ya-know there it was!
I bout coughed up a lung....not so good immediately following surgery, even if it WAS hyena surgery....
 
Devv said:
Yeah, My G-Daughter's come for the weekend and play the same videos, over and over.
I remember my first car, had an eight track...LOL
Dating myself here ;)
lol...your not dating yourself if we don't know what 8 tracks are...
 
DocNrock said:
Excellent!  Much quicker recovery.  My patients love it when I fix their hernias with the scope.
Yea, I am hoping so.  It hasn't been too bad so far, I actually am much more mobile than I thought I would be.  Just taking it easy though, last thing I want to do is over do it and end up back in the hospital...
 
salsalady said:
Finally got caught up also, WHEW!.  I have Glogs blocked on my "Show New Content" settings, so I had to go looking for this to see how things are going.  The Ferment looks yummy, all those pretty colors...Garden's looking good...  Calf Implants :rofl:....  (might have to use that one sometime)...Did you ever open Incinerator?
 
Thanks for stoppin in Ann!  Things are going great, I have been super lucky that everything has been moving in the right direction (the peppers at least).  The ferment should be nice and tasty, I am hoping that I can wait it out!  I haven't broken into the incinerator yet, I was waiting to break it open on a special occasion.  I have it for when I recover :)
 
So I am movin in the right direction, and hopefully I can get out in the garden and snap a few pics.  We have literally been getting hammered with rain over the past 3 weeks.  Today was insane, rivers in the front yard by 9 am...I haven't hobbled very far out into the yard since getting home, but today I took a walk out to the garden to see if everything was still living.  To my surprise there were pods everywhere!  There are a couple Assam plants, BJ Yellows, 7 Pots, and some others that are setting pods!  The downside is everything that is NOT a peppers is death.  I got no clue what the deal is, but there is one tomato plant that looks great, 4 dead ones, 2 that look close to death and 60 some odd pepper plants that look great! Ill post up some pics later.
 
For now, got some True Blood to watch!
 
What up all!  I am feeling a bit better and decided to run outside in between bouts of torrential rainfall to take some photos and shoot a quick video.  It won't be as good as Jamie's video because there was no alcohol consumed before the shooting of this video.  Although I am sure it would be a blast to take a few narcotics and grab a glass of single malt, i am not in high school anymore....

With that being said, sorry if some of the shots are a bit high-angled, getting down low isn't the easiest thing in the world for me right now...lol.

Bhut Jolokia Assam.  This badboy won't stop.  There are at least a half dozen pods hanging off each plant and it is going strong.  The largest pod is about 2 inches or so and it is still growing.  It is crazy, last week it was just a nub and now it is so big.  



7 Pots are starting to spit out a few.  There are a couple pods on all the plants.


The Bhut Jolokia Yellows are doing much better than they did last year for me.  I only got a single pod and this go around they are one of the first to spit some out.


Naga Morich still looking good.  This plant is very similar to the one I grew last year.  I got the seed from Brian (KneppersPeppers) and although the plant was short it probably produced a good couple hundred pods throughout the season.  I would probably harvest once every other week and when I did I would pull at least 40 or so pods off.  So far this (and the other 2 plants) are following that similar M/O.  I could be swimming in Naga pods this year!  


7 Yellow looking good.  I grew the 7 Yellow from CCN last season as well and it was a great producer.  I am really looking forward to this one!


Douglah hiding under there!  I grew the Douglah from CCN last season as well and although it took quite a while to put out pods, it was a good producer of the perfect Douglah-type pepper.  Thin skinned, blocky, and a scorcher.  


Fatalii doin its thing.


One of the three Bondas are pushing out pods.  I really love this plant and I am looking forward to seeing it produce a boatload of pods to use for sauce and powder!


Both the Marconi Hybrids are looking like this, loaded down with huge, blocky pods.  Do these turn color?  I don't wanna let them just sit if they stay green.  How big do they get and how would you recommend i use them?  Roasted, stuffed, fresh??

 
Could I get a BUMMMMP??
 
Thanks Ramon!
 
One of the West Indian Reds are putting out pods as well.  I am really excited about growing these, the Safi Red, Jamaican HC, and the Congo Trinidad Yellow.  They are much more "usable" in regards to non-chiliheads.  I am happy to get to try them all and maybe some will keep a permanent spot in my garden.  I always grow a TON of supers, but they really don't get much use outside of powder, sauce, and lighting the throats of everyone on fire!  I would welcome some more approachable varieties.  


And here is a Safi Red in a #1 Grow Bag in the Dr Earth's potting mix.  I am astounded that this thing is alive, has pods on it, and is GREEN!  With the amount of rain we have got over the past 3 weeks, no containers would be safe.  I am freaking amazed.  Yes, it needs to get potted up, and it will eventually.  I am gonna pot up some of my starts in the next few weeks and when I do that ill pot up this as well.  For the price, it may be a viable option to pot up into this.  At 7 bucks for a bag, I gotta do the math to see if it would be better to do this or the PROMIX.  


The Starts.  Pretty much everything is doing great.  They have only got non-rainwater 2 times in their lives, as this weather has been feeding them a steady stream of nutrient rich water from the gods.  Some of these need a new home.  I may pot up into the #1 grow bags in the next week or 2 depending on how I feel.  At the least I am probably going to spread them out a bit so they can get some equal sun.  The largets of the bach are the 7 Savannahs, the 7 Chaguangas, the BB Douglah Red, Jonah, and Yellows, and the Brain Strain.


And the only happy tomato plant, a Black Pear.  This is the exact reason that I only grow peppers....


Parting shot of the garden.


Going through the garden today has made one thing immediately apparent.....I NEED TO GET THE DEHYDRATOR RUNNING!  I still have a freezer FULL of pods, and once I start harvesting, there won't be room for last year's stock.  Once the weather turns I will definitely get it up and running.  I have a gallon of ButchTs as well, that will be second....I have 4 bags of yellows that need to get used first!  7s, brains, TS, and others.  Really thinking about smoking those and making a killer mixed yellows powder.  Actually, it is decided, I have to order some seeds tonight, gonna get me some pecan wood as well.  Time to get to work and use these pods!

The video is uploading now, ill post it in a few.  Thanks for stoppin in!
 
 
Never had the Marconi...did find some recipes though, all for stuffing. Says they get up to 10"??? Garden is looking great! I hear ya on getting rid of the freezer-o-pods! Fired up the dehydrator last night and need to bag that batch and start another. I ended up buying a cheapo chest freezer, maybe you should look into it!
 
Plants are looking fantastic Matt...keep up the good work brother! Looking forward to the vid.
 
Hi Matt,
   The Marconis will color up when ripe. Some are yellow, but most are red. A nice sweet frying pepper... great for Italian sausage grinders with peppers and onions during football weather! Use 'em like you would a Bell pepper. If you're looking for sweet to mildly hot peppers, try the Hungarians, Kapia peppers or Asian "salad" peppers like the Shishito. Cheers!
 
Matt, from my experiences peppers can't be drowned....at least in my soil sand.
 
Maters either..maybe it's the sand. Your grow is kicking butt, and you have the climate to get some really cool production!
 
Keep it green!
 
Lucky Dog Hot Sauce said:
lookin good brother! 
Thanks! 
 
stc3248 said:
Never had the Marconi...did find some recipes though, all for stuffing. Says they get up to 10"??? Garden is looking great! I hear ya on getting rid of the freezer-o-pods! Fired up the dehydrator last night and need to bag that batch and start another. I ended up buying a cheapo chest freezer, maybe you should look into it!
 
Plants are looking fantastic Matt...keep up the good work brother! Looking forward to the vid.
Cool man, that's what I will try.  I have a deep freeze....FULL...that is the problem!  I am gonna fire it up and go through some in the next few days. 
 
stickman said:
Hi Matt,
   The Marconis will color up when ripe. Some are yellow, but most are red. A nice sweet frying pepper... great for Italian sausage grinders with peppers and onions during football weather! Use 'em like you would a Bell pepper. If you're looking for sweet to mildly hot peppers, try the Hungarians, Kapia peppers or Asian "salad" peppers like the Shishito. Cheers!
Cool, I wonder what color these will turn out.  Ill have to give it a shot!
 
Devv said:
Matt, from my experiences peppers can't be drowned....at least in my soil sand.
 
Maters either..maybe it's the sand. Your grow is kicking butt, and you have the climate to get some really cool production!
 
Keep it green!
 
I am gettin the feeling that they cant!  I can't tell you how many times that I have heard the phrase "peppers don't like wet feet", but I guess mine do!  lol.  I guess that the rainwater or drainage do it for me. 
 
Well here is the video!  Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/cbbx1k4nCx8
 
KiNGDeNNiZ said:
Wow.. podding up already.. wait.. didnt i start my in grounds before you and you got pods already...?? youre doing something right.. nice update...and GET THAT DEHYDRATOR RUNNINGGG>>>>
 

Yea it s freaking crazy, I never thought I would be seeing pods this early. I mean, they were in boxes 30 some odd days ago! I know, I know, I'll fire it up tomorrow. I just ordered some pecan wood tonight and I wanna wait for that to smoke my yellows, but I think I'll grab a bag of chocolate habs and smoke and dry those.

 
GA Growhead said:
Let them marconis ripen up. One of my favorite sweet peppers. Excellent when ripe red. Growing the golden (yel) marconis this year.
Hope recovery good well and quick! Plants are cooking along!
Cool, I am really excited about those. Thanks!
stc3248 said:
Nice vid brotha! I could hear signs of pain in your voice during the vid...not your normal self. Can't wait for the powder update!
Yea, yea, pain schmain. :lol:
 
Back
Top