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PIC 1's............Pod-ography.............2013

  Good Eve-ning, and Welcome to my bog...glog !

Hey folks sorry for the late glog-up I'm a month behind last years startup,...... :rolleyes: ...... I still have 12+ weeks (plenty of time) before I can start think about hardening off the plants outdoors.

First off I'd like to give a shout out to those who followed my grow last season. Thanks for all the comments, thoughts and ideas. The chuckles we shared......there were some good laughs...(and especially all the criticisms........ :liar: .......hah)

To those who are new, I try to follow a "weekend update" format with photos and captions. Although if anyone has questions or replies that needs and answer or response I'll get back during the week. I hope to keep this interesting and entertaining...

and away we go!


Garden Rewind


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Here's my 1st garden (1986)...it was modest but what we grew we used in our kitchen. I had a couple of dual bulb 4ft T12 fixtures in my basement. A couple grow-lux and daylight color temp bulbs. The indoor grow was far superior to the vegetable starts sold at the local nurseries.
My Italian neighbor couldn't understand why his bell pepper starts only had flowers while mine had golfball size peppers very early in the season.....The hot varieties I grew back then were the cayennes, orange habaneros, and a few different type or thai-birds. Things have changed but I still grow those varities.

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Here's a shot from last season. I grew around 150+ pepper plants in two different sections of the garden. Plants were grown in raised beds and containers from 5 gal up to 20 gal

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A typical weekend harvest shot from later in the season when the gardens at full swing.

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This is one of my seed catalogs, the c.chinense....the seeds that invade our gardens every year...
This book and other seed catalogs are kept in a tupperware container container on a shelve in the corner of the basement.
No elaborate system needed, The seeds are kept in 1.5" zip backs. I have seeds that are as far back as 2007, and still germinating without a hitch....theres no need to pitch. Speaking of pitching theres some old baseball card to display the size of the pages used.

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These are what I use to get the seeds on their way. I take 1/4 bag of each, mix that into a 5 gal bucket and moisten with water. The spagnum peat give fluff to the texture also helps indicate when the mix need to be re-moistened but the lighter color it displays. The vermiclite helps with water retension while letting the air and moisture through. The seed starting mix also has fine grain perlite to keep drainage and airflow moving.

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Ha..........I knew this chop stick would come in handy someday. Once the seed medium is moistened I'll make a hole with the stick 1/4" down .
The seeds will be planted at the same depth. That helps when misting the top with water. Seeds that are planted too high may dry out or seeds planted to deep may rot.

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I use two 2ft x 4ft germinating mats. Enough area to warm 8 seed flats at once...

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I don't bother with a thermostat for the mats. I run them through a timer, 2 hrs on, 1 hr off...continous. The average temp of the soil stays at +/-85 deg

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This is the main grow room. I built the 2 tier shelving units 8ft long x 2ft wide. 8 flats fit underneath the lighting units. Here we have four narrow spaced T8 4 bulb fixtures with 6500k bulbs and one 8ft TF twin bulb tight spaced fixture with 4100k bulbs. I have 4 identical systems in the room with an addition of three 400w mh fixtures with 7200k lamps. The room has 2- 20a dedicated circuits and 1-15a to split the current draw..

more photos in a few minutes....thanks for looking!
PIC 1's......Pod Pornage.............2012

















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Wow, I'll have to look through your glog from last year, that is just amazing.

Edit: Your garden I mean. Good luck although it doesn't look like you'll need it.
 
I just happen to have spent a hour going thru your last year glog earlier today. Needed some inspiration. Was nice to see again.
Glad to see your new glog pop up!
 
Any dragon in that garden would certainly be fire-breathing! Lookin' stellar!!!...Love the Koosman and Ryan rookie card too!!!!
 
Wow!!!!!!! Can I ask the obvious question...how do you make use of your harvest? I'm a newbie, and I just wonder sometimes what folks here with huge gardens do with all of their crop. I'm talking about the folks who don't sell sauce/powder as a business.
 
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Here's my lower level grow area. I have a total of (10) 6 bulb high bay T8 fixtures. The grow table(s) are 16 ft long, plenty of space for some pot-ups.
I'm displaying the next few photos in regards to some PM's I received last year, I hope the photos help explain the light cycle.
I use a 16/8 overlapping split with my lights. Two banks (A/B). This photo displays the beginning of the cycle, bank A will fire up and run for 16 hrs.

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At the 8 hr point bank B will fire up also and run for 16 hrs.

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At the 16 hr point bank A will turn off for 8 hrs, while B runs for 8 more to the 24hr point. The cycle runs continuous...
Pepper plants fall under the "Nightshade" catagory and don't need a complete dark cycle to flower or produce pollen.
I feel the plants benifit form both direct light and side adjecent lighting. Its a basic lighting principal and has worked for me

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one little...two little...three Bhut Jolokians...........here are 3 Ghost Pepper seedlings

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a 36 flat of Ramon's (WalkGood) Jamaican Reds...........32 of 36 up and running.....nice

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one of P-Sons c. flexuosum's

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A mixed tray....2 weeks from sprouting

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a variety of Bonnets and a cross or two

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This is the first pod in the grown room. This pea size guy is an F1 ...Yellow Scotch Bonnet x Yellow Brain Strain..."Bonnet Brain"
I hope this one ends up with the SB flavor with the 7/Pot heat...
 
I Seem to remember you being much more thorough in previous years Greg?? :rolleyes: ;) :rofl: .... always a pleasure to see a master at work ... Best of luck this season bro!! (Not that luck is something you seem to take a chance with :party: )
 
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Its great to see more folks showing off their culinary skills and favorite meals in part of their glogs.
I hope to do the same on a weekly basis...

Here we have "Corvina" ...Lemon, Garlic, Onion, Aji and market Orange Habaneros, Cilantro, Parsley, Green Onions, San Marzano Tomatoes, Black Olives, Tomato Puree, White Pepper and Capers.

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Saute diced Peppers, Onion and Garlic until tender crisp. Meanwhile Cut the Fish into a 1/2" dice season with Salt and Pepper , set aside. Add Puree, hand squished Tomatoes and Olives to the pan. Bring up the heat to a simmer for 10 min. Add the chopped Fish, scatter Parsley and toss in the Capers and sliced Green onions. Immediately cover the pan and remove from heat (the fish will tender cook in the sauce) let sit for an hour.
Place the chow in a non metallic covered bowl and let the flavors dance in the fridge for 8hrs or preferably overnight.

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Before plating whether its this dish, Ceviche, Gazpacho or Shrimp Cocktail ...I'll chill the plate or bowl in the freezer for ten minutes before serving.
After plating this dish sprinkle with chopped Cilantro and squeeze 1/2 lemon to brighten up the flavor..

See ya all next week !


Trippa said:
I Seem to remember you being much more thorough in previous years Greg?? :rolleyes: ;) :rofl: .... always a pleasure to see a master at work ... Best of luck this season bro!! (Not that luck is something you seem to take a chance with :party: )
Haha Tripp,
Its kinda like walking over thin ice. I made it across without falling in. I never know what to write at the beginning of the glog. Now I can say I'm past the starting line. Thanks for checking this out bro...


StupidJerk said:
Wow, I'll have to look through your glog from last year, that is just amazing.

Edit: Your garden I mean. Good luck although it doesn't look like you'll need it.
Hey SJ,
Thanks for the comments and the wish of luck. Its so doggone windy here tonight as I'm typing this I can hear some of my empty nursery containers rolling around in my backyard.......... :shocked:


STEVE954 said:
Looking like scenes from Jurassic Park as usual. Your the man Greg!
Its getting there....the skies the limit....the yard space will be crowded
 
Great intro Greg! I have about 100 questions but I will space them out over the season. 1st.... Using the large cells on some of these to cut down on potting up? The growth pattern on those bonnets is typical of your grow,stacked up like sheets of paper in a ream. I see Sunny is on aphid duty!! Your c.flexuosum is a bit further along than mine,those things are slow growers and super hairy. Still working on my list right now,hopefully I will get started in a month. Be back next weekend.
 
I just happen to have spent a hour going thru your last year glog earlier today. Needed some inspiration. Was nice to see again.
Glad to see your new glog pop up!

Thanks GA,
I browsed through last years only to see how big the plants were at this time............... :tear:
I'm just happy to see the seeds popping up. It was a slow go the last week but I have a good 300 seedlings up with more on their way.

Thanks for the kind words

Any dragon in that garden would certainly be fire-breathing! Lookin' stellar!!!...Love the Koosman and Ryan rookie card too!!!!

Thanks meinchoh,
Nice catch on the baseball card,
I'm hoping for the heat and at the same time dreading the wickedness of some of those "take my breath away" super hots... I can't wait !

Wow!!!!!!! Can I ask the obvious question...how do you make use of your harvest? I'm a newbie, and I just wonder sometimes what folks here with huge gardens do with all of their crop. I'm talking about the folks who don't sell sauce/powder as a business.

Hi Roguejim

As far as the harvest goes a do a bit of each, sauce making, canning, dryed pods and powders etc. ...Alot gets used routinely in my cooking. But I do get the oppurtunity to sell some products on a small scale. No fancy labels........just the product...

Great intro Greg! I have about 100 questions but I will space them out over the season. 1st.... Using the large cells on some of these to cut down on potting up? The growth pattern on those bonnets is typical of your grow,stacked up like sheets of paper in a ream. I see Sunny is on aphid duty!! Your c.flexuosum is a bit further along than mine,those things are slow growers and super hairy. Still working on my list right now,hopefully I will get started in a month. Be back next weekend.

J only 95 questions to go...........hehe....fire away..!
Seriously, I bought some 36 cell insert for my flats. Your right I was hoping to try these out to skip the 3" pot up. They should call these "flimsy-certs". I'd hate to put a heavy medium into these , they'd split.

I've got two types of Jamaican Bonnets in the 2 gal containers. One was sourced from a trip in 2007 and the other seeds were brought back this last June from a family member. Both varieties have the typical tam shape pods but the plants have different growth patterns. The 2007 grows upwards with a single stem and "T's" outward at the 2ft level. The other sprawls all over the place , same shape and color flowers but skightly different color leaves. One is very dark green, the other is a lighter shade...................me want fresh pods

Ha.........Sunny is always following me in the plant room. He jumps on top of the framing and naps it out. The room is running aroud 85 deg and the seedlings are starting to pop like a bag of "Orville's".

I'm still waiting for some of the wilds to sprout. I might just move them to a cooler area in the house.
Hey thanks for the comments...always a pleasure, and some good laughs along the way

Greg
 
How in the heck did I miss your glog from last year when this years is one of the best ones ive seen so far Greg... Looks like ive got some catch up to do... Best of luck on your grow this season...
 
Hey SJ,
Thanks for the comments and the wish of luck. Its so doggone windy here tonight as I'm typing this I can hear some of my empty nursery containers rolling around in my backyard.......... :shocked:

It is certainly an adventurous climate to live in. Chicago is an amazing city, I miss everything but the weather and the murder. If I moved back I would also spend the winter in the basement making elaborate growing setups and hiding from the cold.
 
How in the heck did I miss your glog from last year when this years is one of the best ones ive seen so far Greg... Looks like ive got some catch up to do... Best of luck on your grow this season...

Wow.......that made my night !
Thanks for the response.

It is certainly an adventurous climate to live in. Chicago is an amazing city, I miss everything but the weather and the murder. If I moved back I would also spend the winter in the basement making elaborate growing setups and hiding from the cold.

Yep it is. winter can get down right cold.
I wish there was another way to doing this but the winter start with lights is a must for the serious grower. I wish I could throw the seeds out my bedroom window and let nature do its thing.
So I take it you lived here through the modest winters? This has been a great one so far....no snow at all, each day adds to the record. You folks out on the coast must love the longer growing season.
 
wow those light boxes are awesome
so how many light boxes do you have there?
4 x 2 tier shelving units 8ft long x 2ft with 20 fluro bulbs per shelf?
how many of those 60 bulb 16' long tables do you have?
 
Best of luck to you with the 2013 season, Greg. Looks like your already off to a great start, it's always a pleasure to see someone as thoroughly as you explaining every step of his process. A inspiration for us (beginners) all!
 
Yep it is. winter can get down right cold.
I wish there was another way to doing this but the winter start with lights is a must for the serious grower. I wish I could throw the seeds out my bedroom window and let nature do its thing.
So I take it you lived here through the modest winters? This has been a great one so far....no snow at all, each day adds to the record. You folks out on the coast must love the longer growing season.

I lived there from 2008-2010, one of those winters was nightmarish. I remember there being snow on the ground from November to the end of February. I think there was a week or so where it didn't get above 0 f. No snow this year? That's incredible.
 
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