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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

 
 
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GA Growhead said:
Couldn't have said it better!
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Thanks! I appreciate the support.

Worked in the garden today. Nice and weeded! Also finished the start of Kitchen Sink and threw another batch of something special in the dehydrator.

Outside with the kiddo and wifey, ill get some pics up this evening. Happy Saturday all!
 
Bummer about your maters and surgery, but grats on the poddage. I got hungry the instant I saw that Independence Day spread, that's doin it right man.
 
Matt, I truly enjoyed the read, fantastic write up, I could not watch the video as I have ISP issues till the 9th and youtube just farts … but I’ll be back to watch it. Was that the scrip that I read? Even so I still want to watch it. Great foodie, couldn’t comment before as soon as I saw it I darted off line to eat, lol. Great job brethren!
 
Peptacular said:
Bummer about your maters and surgery, but grats on the poddage. I got hungry the instant I saw that Independence Day spread, that's doin it right man.
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Yea, sometimes life gives you maters and you need to replace em with peppers! LOL.  I am considering planting some of the seedlings that I just started in that row...we'll see. 
 
WalkGood said:
Matt, I truly enjoyed the read, fantastic write up, I could not watch the video as I have ISP issues till the 9th and youtube just farts … but I’ll be back to watch it. Was that the scrip that I read? Even so I still want to watch it. Great foodie, couldn’t comment before as soon as I saw it I darted off line to eat, lol. Great job brethren!
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Thanks Ramon!  The writeup was my loose script, but there are differences.  I tend to wander...lol!
 
Ok, here are some snaps I took yesterday when I was out in the garden.  Things are definitely takin off! 
 
TSMB.  This one is looking great!  My TSMBs last season didn't start out this way (and they weren't right in the long run), but this one is looking great!

 
Assam putting out tons of pods.  This is a new pod that looked sick with the flower still chillen!

 
TSMB Yellow

 
I found a few hornworms munching on my plants, and the Bhut got hit pretty hard.  I found this funny because even though that little bastard has his sights set on the plant, it is still pumping out pods. 

 
Bhut Jolokia Yellow

 
7 Pot


 
Douglah

 
Safi Red, this one is the one in the grow bag.  Pretty gnarly and it is begging to be potted up.  There are roots coming out of the holes in the bag.  I am heading out to Raleigh on Monday to spend the day with the wife and kid and there is a hydro store that has PROMIX there in the 3.8 cu ft bales.  Ill pick one up and then some amendments and hopefully can put them up next weekend.

 
And after the pig got done on Thursday...the smoker was still running so I decided...LETS SMOKE SOME PEPPERS! First one to tell me what they are gets a bag when they are done drying. 

 
got a couple more, can I get a bump?
 
Wow, is that a quart or half gallon Mason jar Matt? I separated out my Gochus and Jalapenos for Gochugaru and Chipotle powder last year, but I ground everything else together, like you did, and got a tasty and wickedly hot powder. Why make life harder... ;)
 
It is a quart jar, it is pretty crazy how much the powders grind down!  But it is a great base, maybe one day I can fill the jar! 
 
Speaking of filling the jar, does anyone use silica packages or something similar to keep moisture out??
 
Hey...the 5 guests reading....GET AN ACCOUNT AND START POSTING, THIS PLACE IS WHERE ITS AT!!
 
Thanks for the update, Matt.  Don't you just love it when baby pods hint at the desired phenotype right out of the gate?  TSMB and TSMB yellow looking like they're on the right path in life.  The other pods are looking fine, too.  Especially the 7 Pot and the Douglah. 
 
Those smoked chiles look wicked good.  I personally love the smell of smoked chile powder, and the flavor is out of this world.  I have no shortage of powder, but those look like some sort of red super, perhaps Brains?   Regardless, they look awesome...perfectly smoked. 
 
Love the "Kitchen Sink" powder.  The color looks great.  Chiles are just perfect for powdering.  They get preserved, and take up so much less space than fresh, frozen, or even dehydrated prior to grinding.  You'll have that jar full by the end of the season!  I just started using the silica gel packets this year.  Hoping they will keep the powders from getting clumpy. 
 
Those stacked enchiladas look fantastic.  Golden eating at the Golden household right there!
 
Sorry, I've been out of town on a mini vaca with the family but I should be back this evening. I wanted to got to a hydro store which turned into a family vacation complete with he natural science museum and outlet shopping...

BUT, hydro stores can be Gods gift to gardeners! They answered everything that I asked and more. And we built a soil for my containers! My truck bed and head are full and wallet is a bit lighter. But, ill be back later to share. Pics to follow and maybe a video in the next few days.
 
Enjoy da FAM,and worry about us later!
 
Just don't forget about us! haha
I hopefully will be in the same boat with making powders,just takes SO DAMN MUCH! Let me know how those silica pkgs work out!
oh and are those carib reds?
 
Matt, Catching up after being away.
 
As for your post asking what these are...no one responded...I say Peppers!
 
Everything is looking great the plants powders and foodies!
 
Glad you're healing up..just take care!
 
Scott
 
Seacowboy said:
Looking forward to seeing what new goodies you come out with.
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Thanks for stoppin in!  See below for the money (literally...) shot!
 
Fremp said:
Enjoy da FAM,and worry about us later!
 
Just don't forget about us! haha
I hopefully will be in the same boat with making powders,just takes SO DAMN MUCH! Let me know how those silica pkgs work out!
oh and are those carib reds?
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lol.  Thanks, I dont think ANYONE could forget you!!  Once you get started on the powders it all just starts to roll.  It seems like it gets easier and easier.  This season I will be smart and prep the pods before they go in the freezer.  Split them and pull the seeds so I dont have to do that out of the freezer.  It will just make life easier.  Right now it takes about 30 minutes to prep, and that is just pulling stems and cutting in half.  Also, about an hour to thaw and wash.  Doing it before would speed up the process.  And nope, not reds. 
 
Devv said:
Matt, Catching up after being away.
 
As for your post asking what these are...no one responded...I say Peppers!
 
Everything is looking great the plants powders and foodies!
 
Glad you're healing up..just take care!
 
Scott
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lol, YES THEY ARE PEPPERS!  Thanks for stoppin in!
 
So I was in a rush to get out of town so I didn't get a chance to post up this video here after I uploaded it.  Things are looking great in the garden and I did some weeding and cleanup after the storms we have been getting.  Also....I decided to throw 10 seedlings in the ground after I ripped up the dead tomatoes. 
Here is a overall shot. HOLY Schnikees....it just gets me all hot and bothered seeing everything all clean! 

 
Also....got my seeds from Grant.  I have plenty of normal strains and next season I wanted to branch out with some crazy ones.

I ordered:
Bhut Jolokia Assam X 7 Pot Jonah F3
ButchT X Primo f4
TSMB Chocolate X 7 Pot Jonah F2
TSMB X 7 Pot Douglah F3
TSMB X 7 Pot Primo F4
And he threw in a TS Long X Bhut Assam f2 and a superhot mix.  Thanks Grant and if anyone is looking for the crazy crosses he definitely has em!  Priced well, shipped quick, and extras thrown in. 
 
Ok, now for the fun stuff.  I need to pot up my babies and that threw me into a tailspin of research.  What soil should I go with?  What amendments?  What size pots? ETC.  If you followed my past grows and have caught onto my analretentiveness...you know that going to the store, grabbing a bag of soil, and potting up isn't an option.  So what to do.  I did a bunch of research, and that research brought me to some of the best container growers on the planet...the weed forums.  At first I was like....holy shit, these dudes are speaking Greek, glacial rock dust, bone this, blood that...I mean, I dig a hole, throw some 2-4-3 Happy Frog in it, plant the plant and water with compost tea every few weeks.  I asked a few other container growers and got a loose mix.  One thing I did learn is that buying a bag of soil, even IF it is something billed as amazing isn't enough. 
 
Now let me throw this disclaimer on here, you can use just about anything and grow.  Even the dudes on these boards agree.  The use of micronutrients is to maximize yield, and taste.  Apparently, taste is a big deal for these dudes...lol.  But it is not a requirement.  Things such as meals, bones, dust, etc, will help to create a more well-balanced micro-ecosystem within your containers.  I DID learn that you can create a great system in your container, and as an added bonus you can add the container mix back IN your soil at the end of the season!  Another benny is you can create a sort of "only add water" mix, putting enough nutrients into the soil to feed for a prolonged period of time.  This is affectionately known as "amending". 
 
So that brings me to the hydro shop.  I went in planning to grab a bale of promix, pearlite, and potting soil, but I was open to just about anything.  The guy was patient and answered all my questions and "brought me to school" so to speak.  He brought up a mix created by a dude named "sub cool", who apparently is some weed guru.  His mix was published in HT, and a lot of growers swear by it.  It creates a great organic microecosystem in the soil, AND will feed for 90-120 days.  Because I am late in the season, and they are still babies I don't wanna go full strength and I don't have time to let the mix cook for 30 days I am throwing the MG twist on it.  I am working through all the crazy math now and I will post up my calculations later.  But I am going to take SC's mix and use the nutrients to create a balanced fertilizer.  I am gonna take a technique from him as well, placement of the fertilizer, but more on that later. 
 
Ok, so here is what I am working with:


 
  • I am starting out with my base, Sunshine Advanced Mix #4.  There has been mixed reviews throughout the boards on this (both here and elsewhere) but it was less expensive than the Promix, and the dude at the hydro shop recommended it much higher than the promix because of the spore count in the myco.  Contents: Peat Moss, Coir, Perlite, a Multi-species Blend of Endomycorrhizae.
  • Epsom salts-  This will give me mg requirements.
  • Tennessee Rock Phosphate (0-6-0)- Provides phosphorus
  • Indonesian Bat Guano (0.5-13-0.2)- Provides phosphorus, soil conditioner, fights baddies in the soil
  • Steamed Bonemeal (13-0-0)- Excellent source of readily available N
  • Bloodmeal (12-0-0)- Excellent source of readily available N
  • Dolomitic Lime- pH stabilizer, kinda like a "always add this yada yada yada", but it seems to be in a large amount of mixes
  • Azomite Micronizer- Amazing for your soil, loaded with like 70 trace minerals. 
  • BioAg Ful-HUMIX- Fulvic and Humic acids effect all aspects of the soil (physical, chemical, etc) and increased soil structure, water retention, nutrient uptake, etc.  The problem is that Fulvic and Humic acids work at different pH levels.  So, if you are running low (i.e. below 6) then you need one, and over 6 you need the other.  The Ful-Humix is combined and will help you no matter which pH you are working at. 
  • Earthworm Castings-  God's gift from worms.  Will make your soil magical. 
  • Myco- God's gift to your soil.  This will colonize your root system, boost your micro-ecosystem, and should be in EVERY organic grower's arsenal.  Ill use it in the mix and then use it to innoculate the roots every few weeks.  Compost tea for leaves, myco for roots. 
  • Pearlite-  No mix is complete without it.  I got the large chunk, because it will really give the drainage I need, even with the crazy rain we get. 
Ok, so those are my ingredients and per SC's guide, you are supposed to mix it all and let it sit for 30 days to cook.  Then you have "supersoil" and you use it in the lower 30-50% of your container, put your seedling in and then fill with your standard high quality potting soil.  Instead, I am going to mix the Sunshine with plenty of pearlite and worm compost, mix the other ingredients, fill about 1/3 with soil, sprinkle the "fertilizer", water it in, throw more soil in and plant my transplant.  This will allow me to grow in the normal mix (which has minor amounts of food) and worm compost until the plants can take a shot of food.  The roots will continue to grow downward, the mix will get watered in, and then right when the plants need it...BAM!  Fed. 
 
So, this is about as long-winded as I can be for now.  The wife is looking at me crazy, and I STILL have to get all my amounts figured out.  Ill post some photos and stuff, and you guys can watch how these go for the remainder of the season. 
 
 
Oh...............I started some compost tea as well...........:)
 
That's quite a project Matt, and you jumped right in. Inquiring minds want to know, so I'll be following to see how it works for you. I'm also a little OCD, so I understand "The Look" from the other half too... ;)
 
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