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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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Hey Ben,
What's happening ? Have you started up the indoor grow.....if in need for seed send me a PM...

I've started the indoor but i'm a little late (baccatums and annuums just sprouting) and still haven't invested in some heating material ^^, i'm far from your professionalism... anyway it will grow... :)
Thanks for the seed offer, it's ok for this season, but i'll surely look for some new strains to try next year.
 
Weekend update...

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Here's some Thai varieties...Mini Thai, Hot Thai, and Thai Bird...
The Mini grows well in a container but does better in a bed or an area with partial shade. It likes it moist, if you let the plant dry for a day or so the plant will resemble a pine tree that's been in a forest fire........... :shocked: The Thai Hot grows pretty big with endless down growing slender pods. The Thai Birds grow upwards like a super chili with thinner pods....I just happened to be in "Thai Town" here in Chi-Town getting some groceries for this weekends "Throwdown". I saw a few packs of Chili seeds behind the counter. The cashier said," You want?"..."I take".........ha
One can never have enough Thai Chili plants.......so little time...some many chili's................snip-snip......snip-snip

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I turned on some of my 8 ft twin bulb T5's and you can see the purpling on the leaves. A suntan the plants didn't need, but it will fade.
Tha Mourga Red on the left and the Mourga Yellow in the middle got a slight dose............the plant on the right .......... :shocked: ........."Mata Frade"...well, its suppose tO be that color..

Heres a series of 5" pots...

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Fish, Jamaican Hab #1, Goat's Weed

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Maui Purple, Hawaiian Sweet Hot, Congo Trinidad

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Naga Morich, Aji Lemon, Gwari Put

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Red Bhut Jolokia, CGN 22207, Gwari Put...............what another "put" I didn't think I had two of any plant................ :liar:

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Red Scorp, Chocolate Bhut, Mustard Hab

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Yellow Brain, Madame Jeanette, Sunrise Scorpion

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Scotch Bonnet Long, Inifinity, Clavo

a few more shortly...
 
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Datil, Red Dominican Hab, Yellow Jamaican Scotch Bonnet

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Primo, Big Sun Hab, "Fat Red" (cmpman)

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Bonda Ma Jacques, 7 Pot Barrackpore, Yellow Brain

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Orange Primo, White Bhut Jolokia, Antillais Caribbean

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Yellow 7Pot, Spanish Naga Morich, Indian Carbon

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Here's a tray in need to be potted up......... More plants = Less time...

A few more photos soon...
 
Ok, enough of the baby wipes..........here's a few bigger plants!

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A Jamaican Red Hab #2 in a 2 gal pot, a Peri-Peri in a 3 gallon

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An overwintered Pimenta da Neyde...another one of my cats "Sherri" is watching the action..."Sunny" is nearby!

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Jamaican Scotch Bonnet also in a 12 gal container...this plant is about 13 weeks long

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another overwinter, FDA Scotch Bonnet. Istripped all the 1st wave of floweres off, its been a while now but I can see buds forming

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Here's the Yellow Bonnet x Yellow Brain cross, also abot 13 weeks old in a 12 gal container

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This plant grew from an original st of Jamaican Bonnets from 2007. These plants grow into a shorter shrub only 2/3 ft tall. Not a heavy producer but a unique scent and flavor from a yellow variety

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Some 2 and 3 gal containers. Its difficult to take photos with a cheap camera under (3) 400 w mh reflectors
Altough the plants enjoy them..........ha

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Heres the ingredients for my food shot of this update. If you'd like to see what I did with these check out the "ThrownDown" thats going on in the cooking threads. I finally got off my rump and decided to enter.
If you liked the direction I "Wok'd".....the voting starts later tonite and goes on thru Tuesday. Theres plenty of good looking dishes....
Thanks for stopping here, during your travels !

See ya all next week
 
Wow...First off I will start with your last pic, glad I didn't throwdown this weekend! That shot had to get some folks running scared! I'll be peaking in over there to see what everyone did with their Curry. Ain't my thang...but looks like you put a little something together! Plants look amazing...love the looks of that Mini Thai. The rest of them are no slouches either. Visiting your glog, is such a reality check for us ordinary humans. Have a good week brother! Can't wait 'till the next chapter of the Pic1 Saga!
 
Looking great, Greg! Your plants are gonna be huge by the time they can go outside and play. Your Bonnet's are starting to pop over here :) Did I happen to send you the seeds for your Madame Jeanette or is it from another source. Just wanna know for the follow up ;)
 
Look at the size of that flower on the Hawaiian Sweet Hot!

I was suprised to see the flower, I glance at the plant trays once a day to check for watering....those kind of surprises are cool!
The "what happened here"...surprises, I don't care for...

Wow...First off I will start with your last pic, glad I didn't throwdown this weekend! That shot had to get some folks running scared! I'll be peaking in over there to see what everyone did with their Curry. Ain't my thang...but looks like you put a little something together! Plants look amazing...love the looks of that Mini Thai. The rest of them are no slouches either. Visiting your glog, is such a reality check for us ordinary humans. Have a good week brother! Can't wait 'till the next chapter of the Pic1 Saga!

Thanks for the Throwdown vote of confidance, the TD was fun.........my wife said the Red Curry was too spicey........the Red is the hottest of the 3 (red, green, yellow).

The Mini Thai is one of the 1st hot chili's that I ever grew. Years back you could find those plants at one of the better nurseries. Now you have to grow your own. They are finger candy fresh, Oil infused dry , and powdered to your liking...

Alot of the c.chinense are starting to look alike. Without the plant tags I'd be lost in a forest...growroom...

Hahah............if there was such a rating, I'd hope to even qualify for the "ordinary" catagory......... :lol:

Thanks for the comments...always appreciated, always clever

Yeah, I'll second what Shane and Jamie said... wow. Your plants are picture perfect. Awesome. And that lobster tail in the last shot, :shocked:

Thanks Andy.........Its a garden in progress. I was hoping at this point to sit back and relax, but the time spent with the plants is cutting into the very little free time that I have.."Jane Stop This Crazy Thing"......I kind of feel like "George" always on the roll ...

The seafood hit the spot...cooked tender...no further. I starved myself while making it..that made the brightness come out of the dish even futher !
Thanks for stopping here. I bet your seedlings are in full swing...

Words fail me, Greg. Wow! Headed over to torture myself with food porn!

Annie you're too kind. There's a variety of food to look at in the TD's..........don't get to porny

Looking great, Greg! Your plants are gonna be huge by the time they can go outside and play. Your Bonnet's are starting to pop over here :) Did I happen to send you the seeds for your Madame Jeanette or is it from another source. Just wanna know for the follow up ;)

Thanks Stefan,
The plants are pushing the fense right now. I may have to weed out the slower performers before its all over.

Great man, I'm glad to hear the seeds are moving for ya. The Madame Jeanette seeds are from your seed stock. I grew them last yr from an Auzzie source.......I wasn't too happy with the germ rates and the look and taste of the pods. They were different than what I've seen, small, smooth and Habish looking.
Do your plants have the purplish hue ?

loving that deep green that your plants have!

Thanks..........a little Fish Emulsion and Epsom Salts go a long way...
 
Phheeeeww.... caught this before it got bumped to page 5! Your update makes my Monday mornings easier! I like seeing the different habits of the same species in your shots. The leaves,branching,color,etc. Some of your bonnets are popping for me,those guys come up stout and turgid from the start!! They will be getting a good pounding of light to keep them that way. Can't wait til the humidity picks up alittle and I get the hid on them. The leaves start getting fat and juicy.

I am not one to wish my life away but I'm ready for some nice weather! We haven't had a lot of snow accumulation but it has been snowing 3 or 4 times a week here since before Christmas. Last year the azaleas and forsythia were budding up around this time!! Have a good week Greg.
 
Greg what can I say that already hasn’t been said, no gushing here mon ;) Well I could say "we’re not worthy," lol … or how about * @WalkGood »» Foobar2ooo ::: Dave Mason - The Very Best of Dave Mason (2003) - 10 - Feelin' Alright ::: 0:10/5:39 (••••••••••) ::: 382 kbps ««

Yea I think you should be “Feelin’ Alright!" ... Keep dem great awesome updates coming and keep dat positive vibe mi Chicago chili growing & pepper lovin Brethren ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ WG leaves the net to go and eat ...
 
T5's are the bomb. You're plants are looking picture perfect Greg nice work.

Where does a guy in Chicago get such good looking shrimp? I have a BIL who's buddy owns a shrimping boat in the Gulf. The biggest shrimp I've ever seen, size of 1/4lb hot dogs. Three to four would make a pound.
 
Words fail me, Greg. Wow! Headed over to torture myself with food porn!

And so I did . . . DAYUM or as James Brown said, "GudGAW!'" I know you're preparing these amazing "dishes" using some things I've frankly never heard of, but as I look, slobber, I keep hearing soul singers. Last night's curried lobster, shrimp, squid, lawd kilt me with the squid, LOVE THEM (a little living in Barcelona leave-over), but the entire time I watch ya food stuff I hear great oldies when ya not preparing or plating soul food, but YOU ARE! Judy Clay's "The Greatest Love." King Floyd's "Groove Me." Like this, lobster, squid, shrimp, King Floyd:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lf_1y7rYE
 
Phheeeeww.... caught this before it got bumped to page 5! Your update makes my Monday mornings easier! I like seeing the different habits of the same species in your shots. The leaves,branching,color,etc. Some of your bonnets are popping for me,those guys come up stout and turgid from the start!! They will be getting a good pounding of light to keep them that way. Can't wait til the humidity picks up alittle and I get the hid on them. The leaves start getting fat and juicy.

I am not one to wish my life away but I'm ready for some nice weather! We haven't had a lot of snow accumulation but it has been snowing 3 or 4 times a week here since before Christmas. Last year the azaleas and forsythia were budding up around this time!! Have a good week Greg.

Thanks P-Son,
I just stepped out of the grow room to reply to some comments here. The tray of plants that I took a picture had many Bhut Carbons in it. The plants reminded me of the nasty ...but photogenic Carbon's that you photographed last year. I potted the tray up, some White Bhuts , Naga, Bombay and Spanish Naga Morich's joined in the move.I can't beleive in inner growth on the Carbon's....especially since they were all huddled together

I'm waiting for the weather to warm a bit. We're expecting 10" on snow tomorrow...I hope that'a the.end of it. We had a warm spell about a week ago.
There was an older woman down the street staring at her fron yard flower bed....in her nightgown........... :shocked: ....I think her Tulips or Daffodils were poking through the ground..................yikes, winter isn't over yet. The groundhog must have been confused......lol
Have a great week yourself !

Greg what can I say that already hasn’t been said, no gushing here mon ;) Well I could say "we’re not worthy," lol … or how about * @WalkGood »» Foobar2ooo ::: Dave Mason - The Very Best of Dave Mason (2003) - 10 - Feelin' Alright ::: 0:10/5:39 (••••••••••) ::: 382 kbps ««

Yea I think you should be “Feelin’ Alright!" ... Keep dem great awesome updates coming and keep dat positive vibe mi Chicago chili growing & pepper lovin Brethren ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ WG leaves the net to go and eat ...

Ramon,
The music is flowing here today..............dirt on the growroom floor.......no dirty dishes in the sink.....ha , thanks to the dishwasher...
Dave Mason.........some of the better music of the later 70's...
Positivity all the way !......nobody likes a downer

Just insane Greg! Them babies are greeeeeeeeeen, and some a little purple! Ill agree with Steve, look at the flower on that Hawaiian Sweet Hot!

Tanx,
If you haven't grown the Hawaiian Sweet/Hot then give it a try. The plant grows conical 3/4ft tall but doesn't take up much lateral room. The chili's look like fat birds-eyes....I pickle the green ones...great on Hot Dogs............yes I occasionally have one....ha
The flower was a surprise...fully opened...
thanks for stopping by.
 
Always amazed go browse your glog Greg. By next month your young ones will be podding up while the rest of us finally get to move it to a #2 container. Love the throw down. Got my vote !! Gotta snap a photo of your bonnets that in growing. As for the Madames. Be glad to see if they will taste any different for you. I got some seeds from JT delaney MMe jeannete. Wonder if it will be similar. As always thanks for the inspiration. !!
 
T5's are the bomb. You're plants are looking picture perfect Greg nice work.

Where does a guy in Chicago get such good looking shrimp? I have a BIL who's buddy owns a shrimping boat in the Gulf. The biggest shrimp I've ever seen, size of 1/4lb hot dogs. Three to four would make a pound.

Your right T5's bring on the light and the heat. The cost prevented me from purchasing the 6 or 8 bulb fixtures, as I would need quite a few. But for those that can get away with a few....thats the way to grow.

The shrimp was actually from the Thai area in town, I was looking for some ingredients for the "Throwdown". They are smaller than the colossal U5 prawns that are sold at the fish market where I bought the Lobster, Scallops and Squid. The shrimps that were photographed most likely came from Panama or some part in Central Amer. Asian Shrimp is usely pink in color...but the price on seafood is skyhigh. Even the fish market that I by the quality stuff from is now buying Texas Gulf shrimp...........$16 a lb for U5's.

Man the large shrimp are what I'm usually after....although they are not for the fork or chopsticks, they make a hell of a handout on a skewer, off the grill. Your friend is in the right biz......I could go for 4 to a lb of those grilled or butterflied and coconut tempura battered...

And so I did . . . DAYUM or as James Brown said, "GudGAW!'" I know you're preparing these amazing "dishes" using some things I've frankly never heard of, but as I look, slobber, I keep hearing soul singers. Last night's curried lobster, shrimp, squid, lawd kilt me with the squid, LOVE THEM (a little living in Barcelona leave-over), but the entire time I watch ya food stuff I hear great oldies when ya not preparing or plating soul food, but YOU ARE! Judy Clay's "The Greatest Love." King Floyd's "Groove Me." Like this, lobster, squid, shrimp, King Floyd:


Whew !.....I had to turn down the Marantz, and turn up the computer volume... Blast from the past, I can her the popping in the groves...of the vinyl.....in the back seat........of a 65 GTO.......haha.
Annie nice play......tankx, for making my face red............lol

I'm glad to hear you're a seafood junkie. I bet you've enjoyed some great meals in varios travels.
I use alot of Octo and Squid regular and baby. I could probably fill up an inkwell with squid ink...........ha inkwells beyond my time but the grade school desks had them....a-hum, 1960ish. The hole in the desk served a purpose for gum wrappers and crumpled up love notes........yikes..

Back to the plants...How are yours?
Thanks for checking out the food deal...
 
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