Pulpiteer 2013 Grow Log

ajijoe · Aug 18, 2013

Hello ANDY

I hope you didn't think i was being defensive i wasn't, most people find my NON's interesting and your right i am open from the start with everyone about my seeds, honesty is still the best policy and it save alot of headaches too

also i find it has its own reward :party:

im actually happy you like that non, some of them are better tasting then the originals
the answer to the question about the Peach Australian lantern is yes its a super prolific plant even more so than its orange counterpart

let me/us know what you thought of the Goronong i know you going to love it, years back i took some and sauteed them in BBQ sauce and then basted chicken breast on the grill it was fabulous!!i and my friend loved it!!

yeah the weather has been troublesome this year and i have alot of leaf drop on the Scarlet Lantern especially, but its really not that big of a deal, it seems there still throwing out some pods in spite of there difficulties and i think new leaves are forming

thanks your friend Joe

Spicegeist · Aug 18, 2013

Pulpiteer said:
And for Spicegeist, here's a growing pod from that yellow7xfatalii. The plant is doing well considering this year's conditions.

Interesting looking pod... you're the only person I know growing this cross out. I'll be curious to hear how you think it tastes when it's ready.

Pulpiteer said:
One of the Scotch Bonnets from Pic1. I can't remember which one and my map is in the other room...

These look nice. I have yet to grow any bonnets and am not sure if I'll ever really get around to it either...

Pulpiteer · Aug 18, 2013

stc3248 said:
Preach on Brother Andy!

That last pic does look a little like mite damage...the others and the single leaf look to be a bacterial issue to me...

No chips on shoulders! You had a REALLY good reason for the late start remember? Heck...I can't think of a better one! You'll still harvest more peppers this season than the average gardener does in a lifetime...so it's all relative!

Good to know Shane. I'll have to research some on how to combat that, but I think it still goes back to the immune system thing - good living soil and I'll be ok.

I know I'll be okay, thanks for the pep talk. I do get depressed looking at last years pics around this time. But I will take it as a challenge, that's all. It's a good motivator for me.
I do tend to forget that we are in the midst of a pretty intense time with our baby. He'll be three months this week, so I should really just be pleased I'm getting any sleep :lol:

And he's doing awesome. A big boy - he weighs more at 2 months than any of the other 3 weighed at 4 months, so at least something is growing well here.

3/5King said:
It's all good Andy. God never gives us more than we can handle right? There's always something he is pointing out for us to learn (whether we see it right away or not) once we realize this I believe we become wiser which means we learn faster and inherit the responsibilitiy of teaching others....but for some reason most of us choose not to listen and to learn the hard way...lol

Everyone's got their own path to trek; garden to grow. Our gardens seem to be in teaching mode this year....like my garden for example has taught me a few swear words I never knew existed...

Lol j/k

All in all your garden is still doing great. I love that you are sticking to your permiculture path and not resting on your laurels. I'm with you on finding some new ways to invite some guardians of the garden. The great thing about a garden is that you get to start fresh with a clean slate te next season! But until then keep up the good fight Andy!

Thanks Dave - "like my garden for example has taught me a few swear words I never knew existed"
That made me laugh. I refer to that as speaking in tongues...

The learning part is part of gardening that really intrigues me anyway. I like the challenge and the learning involved. It's constant problem solving, which will have its ups and downs. And yeah, next season will be an opportunity to learn from this year and to continue to build the soil.

ajijoe said:
Hello ANDY

I hope you didn't think i was being defensive i wasn't, most people find my NON's interesting and your right i am open from the start with everyone about my seeds, honesty is still the best policy and it save alot of headaches too also i find it has its own reward
im actually happy you like that non, some of them are better tasting then the originals
the answer to the question about the Peach Australian lantern is yes its a super prolific plant even more so than its orange counterpart

let me/us know what you thought of the Goronong i know you going to love it, years back i took some and sauteed them in BBQ sauce and then basted chicken breast on the grill it was fabulous!!i and my friend loved it!!

yeah the weather has been troublesome this year and i have alot of leaf drop on the Scarlet Lantern especially, but its really not that big of a deal, it seems there still throwing out some pods in spite of there difficulties and i think new leaves are forming

thanks your friend Joe

I didn't think you were being defensive at all Joe, no worries. I wanted to make sure you knew there were no hard feelings at all on my end.
Good to know about that Peach Australian lantern. It will be a fun one to try out.

I am going head out to pick that Goronong in a few minutes, I think. :party:

Someone at church today told me they heard we might be in for an Indian summer - so that would be good. We'll see. That would extend my season a bit, so that would help.

Spicegeist said:
Interesting looking pod... you're the only person I know growing this cross out. I'll be curious to hear how you think it tastes when it's ready.

These look nice. I have yet to grow any bonnets and am not sure if I'll ever really get around to it either...

I was surprised by the shape, interesting. We'll see how it turns out - I'll let you know. Kind of fun being part of an experiment. The other plant was smaller and behind, I'll be curious to see if that throws out pods and what they look like.

I'm excited to try the bonnets. If you ever decide to grow them and need any seed let me know.

ajijoe · Aug 18, 2013

no worries Andy im glad you understand, i know that some want Isolated seed and tend to be pretty hardcore about it and im ok with that. when people ask im up front and honest, i have had some that still bought and some that did not ,i sell my seeds ten for a buck, yes its a gamble as you said but its not a big
i just dont have the time,money,or space to isolate and really i dont think i would make any extra money of that route, anyway money isn't the biggest reason i do it i just love to help

you will like the Peach Aussie its different i can tell you that, it has a fresh Melon flavor crossed with a Hab and its a little hot but i dont think its crazy hot

hope you where able to harvest that Goronong

thanks your friend Joe

meatfreak · Aug 18, 2013

Sorry to hear about the disease, I know how you feel! I've been having the exact same symptoms on my plants, I do believe it's a bacterial disease. I stripped down the effected plants, sprayed with copper solution and they bounced back but now since about 2 weeks I noticed it's back again. Have to say I felt pretty gutted when I saw it again on my leaves, already pulled out some plants out the ground but I refuse to give the rest the same treatment. That would mean I would loose 30% of my plants. So I keep taking of the effected leaves and sprayed again although I don't believe it's helping anymore when the plant has been affected. Good luck with controlling it and hope your manage to make a nice harvest!

Pulpiteer · Sep 3, 2013

Sorry, been away for a bit. Went on a family vacation to the upper penninsula, then had the craziness of returning to work after being gone for a week, plus ramping up planning for the fall.

Anyway, some garden pics.

It's going better. We had some serious heat the past few weeks, plus some awesome rain for a couple of days, and wow, the garden just perks right up. This is about where I was at the end of July last year, but considering what a battle it's been, I'm glad to see things thriving. I'm hearing we may be in for a warm September, so that will help.

Here's a wide shot of the garden:

A few days ago, I harvested that FDA Yellow Scotch Bonnet - here it is:

Bad news was that it was full of a black mold or something on the inside. I've had that here with the first pods off some plants, so I'm not too worried. It was just a downer to see such a beautiful pod wasted.

Some more yellow bonnets from Pic1:

And this, I think it was a Jamaican Scotch Bonnet from Pic1. Really a beautiful pepper:

Here's a yellow 7 ripening (pepperlover). I love these peppers!

Here is the one from Charles (spicegeist) and it confuses me. It's a cross between a yellow 7 and a fatalii. But it's red?

Here is a 7 Pot Congo (pepperlover) that scares me a bit.

And a douglah (pepperlover) that is a great pod. It's been eyeing me for about a week. Threatening me. Not sure how to handle it.

Here's the harvest shot I got today. Lots of serranos and jalapenos, but not too bad considering. I was happy to be out picking some peppers.

Finally, I tried my first bit of reaper today. One of the guys from the pepper draft grew it and had a ripe one. We tried little bits. I had a small slice, the size of half a fingernail on your little finger. It lit me up. Now, I haven't been eating fresh pods through the summer like last year, so my tolerance is off, but wow. It was killer. No way I am trying even a half a pod. And the people who have talked about how it tastes are either lying, or have a tolerance beyond what I can imagine, because all I tasted was heat.

Thanks for stopping by!

romy6 · Sep 3, 2013

Great updater Andy. Garden looks super nice. Really starting to fill in. I am hoping that forecast is right and you can show us the proper way to make sauces, jellies, and powders again, And I am thinking the mailman may have snuck in on that cross cause momma and daddy don't resemble that pod :rofl:

WalkGood · Sep 3, 2013

I have to second Jamie’s post, your garden looks great! I hope your next FDA pulls don’t have the inner rot, they are some super tasty peppers. I’ve made a few things with them, even a dip for STEVE954.

Keep up that awesome garden and hope the warmth stays with you

That pod from Greg looks very similar to a MoA, is that what he sent?

Spicegeist · Sep 3, 2013

Whoa, Y7 x Fatalii looks weird? Did I send you any Aji Cristal x Brainstrain? It kind of looks like those...

How does hit taste?

Pulpiteer · Sep 3, 2013

romy6 said:
Great updater Andy. Garden looks super nice. Really starting to fill in. I am hoping that forecast is right and you can show us the proper way to make sauces, jellies, and powders again, And I am thinking the mailman may have snuck in on that cross cause momma and daddy don't resemble that pod

That had me laughing. I'm glad Charles stopped in to clear it up. I've got to start thinking about what I'm going to make now that I've got some things rolling in.

WalkGood said:
I have to second Jamie’s post, your garden looks great! I hope your next FDA pulls don’t have the inner rot, they are some super tasty peppers. I’ve made a few things with them, even a dip for STEVE954.

Keep up that awesome garden and hope the warmth stays with you

That pod from Greg looks very similar to a MoA, is that what he sent?

Thanks WalkGood - I suspect the FDA's will clear up. I had it happen a bit last year and it was just with the first couple pods sometimes.
It's not an FDA, but I think it is a Jamaican Bonnet he had seeds for. Cool looking. I'm getting some nice bonnets now, and looking forwards to growing some MoA's next year!

Spicegeist said:
Whoa, Y7 x Fatalii looks weird? Did I send you any Aji Cristal x Brainstrain? It kind of looks like those...

How does hit taste?

Haven't tasted it yet, I will soon. You just sent the Y7 x Fatalii, but I wonder if they were really the brainstrain cross? I'm pretty sure I didn't get them mixed up since I don't think I am supposed to have anything that looks like that. I'll have to taste it soon and I'll let you know. I checked the other plant and they both have the same shaped pods, just the one gave me the red one. Interesting to see how these turn out! Thanks again for the seed!

standbyandfire · Sep 4, 2013

Pulpiteer said:
Sorry, been away for a bit. Went on a family vacation to the upper penninsula, then had the craziness of returning to work after being gone for a week, plus ramping up planning for the fall.

Anyway, some garden pics.

It's going better. We had some serious heat the past few weeks, plus some awesome rain for a couple of days, and wow, the garden just perks right up. This is about where I was at the end of July last year, but considering what a battle it's been, I'm glad to see things thriving. I'm hearing we may be in for a warm September, so that will help.

Here's a wide shot of the garden:

A few days ago, I harvested that FDA Yellow Scotch Bonnet - here it is:

Bad news was that it was full of a black mold or something on the inside. I've had that here with the first pods off some plants, so I'm not too worried. It was just a downer to see such a beautiful pod wasted.

Some more yellow bonnets from Pic1:

And this, I think it was a Jamaican Scotch Bonnet from Pic1. Really a beautiful pepper:

Here's a yellow 7 ripening (pepperlover). I love these peppers!

Here is the one from Charles (spicegeist) and it confuses me. It's a cross between a yellow 7 and a fatalii. But it's red?

Here is a 7 Pot Congo (pepperlover) that scares me a bit.

And a douglah (pepperlover) that is a great pod. It's been eyeing me for about a week. Threatening me. Not sure how to handle it.

Here's the harvest shot I got today. Lots of serranos and jalapenos, but not too bad considering. I was happy to be out picking some peppers.

Finally, I tried my first bit of reaper today. One of the guys from the pepper draft grew it and had a ripe one. We tried little bits. I had a small slice, the size of half a fingernail on your little finger. It lit me up. Now, I haven't been eating fresh pods through the summer like last year, so my tolerance is off, but wow. It was killer. No way I am trying even a half a pod. And the people who have talked about how it tastes are either lying, or have a tolerance beyond what I can imagine, because all I tasted was heat.

Thanks for stopping by!

Look at that Jungle! Plants and pods look outstanding.

RocketMan · Sep 4, 2013

Too bad about the FDA Yellow Scotch Bonnet, that was a beautiful pod, but I know your going to get some more off of her that will look every bit as good.

As Shane said brother, you had a really good reason for the late start. you were involved in a much more important grow and just look at how that one if going! But then I know your heart is really really involved with that one

That said though the garden is looking really good and your getting pods despite the issues your having. Just keep building that soil brother. I'm actually thinking about keeping what I have in pots for the remainder of this year and building my soil up then putting them in ground next spring. Jury's still out on that though.

Oh, we're back in the UMC here and loving our new church. I've already played 3 weekends and they have a Saturday night contemporary service that really rocks out.

PIC 1 · Sep 4, 2013

Andy,
I finally caught up to your glog. Your garden is looking massive !
The plants will shelter themselves if we have any early cold temps.....yours will be ready.
Thanks for the shout out on the Bonnets........it's cool to see them growing elsewhere.

Pulpiteer · Sep 5, 2013

standbyandfire said:
Look at that Jungle! Plants and pods look outstanding.

Thank you! They are finally coming along and looking nice and lush.

RocketMan said:
Too bad about the FDA Yellow Scotch Bonnet, that was a beautiful pod, but I know your going to get some more off of her that will look every bit as good.

As Shane said brother, you had a really good reason for the late start. you were involved in a much more important grow and just look at how that one if going! But then I know your heart is really really involved with that one That said though the garden is looking really good and your getting pods despite the issues your having. Just keep building that soil brother. I'm actually thinking about keeping what I have in pots for the remainder of this year and building my soil up then putting them in ground next spring. Jury's still out on that though.

Oh, we're back in the UMC here and loving our new church. I've already played 3 weekends and they have a Saturday night contemporary service that really rocks out.

Building the soil - yep. I am thinking that too. I guess year to year it will change and that's the fun of it. But, like you point out, the long term soil build is big for a gardener. I'm still working on it.
Glad to hear you've hooked up someplace. Too bad you didn't move way north - would've loved to have you here!

PM me your new address and I'll send some ground cherries to you. You can try them yourself and then grab some seeds from them.

Here's what I've collected for the year thus far. The bowl on the right is what I gathered tonight, so you can see I'm at a peak time with them. Of course I'd have about 30 more, but my 2 1/2 year old loves them, so I husk them and put them in the bowl to keep as fast as I can, while she husks them and eats them as fast as she can. Really had me laughing tonight.

PIC 1 said:
Andy,
I finally caught up to your glog. Your garden is looking massive !
The plants will shelter themselves if we have any early cold temps.....yours will be ready.
Thanks for the shout out on the Bonnets........it's cool to see them growing elsewhere.

Thanks for stopping in! The garden is not as big as last year by any means, but it finally got going so it's looking nice. If the season goes well into October, I should have a good harvest yet. And, like you say, if it's a light frost, they'll hold up ok. Those bonnets have been really fun this year - thanks a lot! I just went out this evening and saw what I think was another FDA yellow almost ripe, so I've got that to look forward to. Most of the ones that have worked out have been yellow, which is cool because I think I really like the yellow and peach varieties better as I try different things.

Spicegeist said:
Whoa, Y7 x Fatalii looks weird? Did I send you any Aji Cristal x Brainstrain? It kind of looks like those...

How does hit taste?

Ok, so I had to try to taste that pepper tonight. Here it is sliced open. Two things: first, at the bottom it got some of that black mold stuff that some of my pods have had. However, it did not affect most of the pod, so it was fine to try. Second, you may notice the oils in it. It smelled hot and looked hot.

So I cut it into slices and again you can see the oils. I tried the little slice on the left, then put about 5 slices that size on my bbq pork sandwich.

Ok - so you asked about a brain strain cross and that is my guess. Taste-wise it was very brain like, including how it just punches you in the face immediately and without asking questions. The heat was very hot then build from there. Just from a slice. Then the throat burn. All very brain like. The heat caught me off guard, to be honest. I mean I could tell it was going to be warm from the oils, but I have not had too many fresh pods this year, so my tolerance is off and this thing really got me.

I ate the sandwich next and usually when I do slices like that on a sandwich I get some heat, but it's not bad at all. Well, these small slices, even with sandwich all around it, were rough. My stomach actually hurt quite a bit for awhile after eating them. Amazing heat really.

All of those things lead me to believe that it was a Brain Strain cross.

Did that cross you mentioned keep a lot of the brain strain characteristics as far as taste and heat?

Anyway, cool pepper - thanks again!

Pr0digal_son · Sep 5, 2013

Glad to see everything turn around for you Andy. Hope all is well with you and the family.

Pulpiteer · Sep 10, 2013

Pr0digal_son said:
Glad to see everything turn around for you Andy. Hope all is well with you and the family.

Thanks John, the garden is looking pretty decent now. I don't get depressed out there any more. It's more jungly, just like I want it.
And the family is keeping me busy!

I think it was Friday night that I was up super late making hot pear jam. I was very pleased with how it turned out. Here's some pics and recipe:

I received a ton of pears from an awesome family in the congregation.

Peal and core them. Then chop them in a food processor. Here I have 2 quarts - enough for two batches of jam!

"Do I have enough peppers?" you wonder. Well, since last year was so awesome - yes I do! I'm pleased to report that they maintain their flavor and heat for a year in the freezer.

I used 11 Harold St. Bart's Habaneros. I thought maybe they wouldn't be as hot after being in the freezer. I was wrong. This is a very hot jam.

The peppers were deseeded, then chopped up in the food processor as well.
Mix with 1 quart of pears.

Add 7 1/2 cups of sugar.

**And here is the special change I made this year. I'm really proud of how this turned out:**
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice

I also added 1 drop of yellow food coloring.

bring to a boil.

Add 1 packet of liquid pectin, then boil hard for a minute.

Hot pack into jars.

Water bath for 10 minutes.

It was a little soft, so depending on your tastes you may need more pectin. The spicy spiced pear flavor is great. I had some on pancakes this afternoon. You know it's good when it hurts you but you keep going back to it.

So - growing a true Scotch Bonnet has been a goal of mine off and on for 10 years. I saw a picture of them in a seed catalog back then and fell in love with the shape and wanted to grow some. Well, I experienced dampening off and all my seedlings died. Then I moved and moved again. Eventually I tried again and received seeds for orange habaneros instead. I tried again, and received seeds for something that was not a scotch bonnet. It was frustrating - a seed vendor that will go unnamed, was using pictures of other people's peppers so I didn't get what was in the picture. And I wanted to grow a scotch bonnet.

I thought I had one last year though. But it turned out to be a Jamaican mushroom, as Shane pointed out to me. Ugh. So I read on this site and discovered that these things are a very hotly debated pepper. Growing a true scotch bonnet takes finding the right seeds.

Greg (Pic1) sent me a whole bunch last year, so this year I set out to finally do it. Grow a true bonnet.
Then the garden year sucked. Too cold and wet, then cold and dry. My plants didn't grow. Depressing.

But some heat kicked in and I got two! But they had a black mold inside. Crap.

I give you that whole background, so you can understand how exciting the following pictures are for me.

Here's an FDA yellow from Greg:

And it looks good - like it probably doesn't have rot on the inside.

Then there is this beauty, what Greg labeled as Scotch Bonnet Montego Bay:

And here is a beautiful picture of three gorgeous pods - clockwise SB Papa Joe's Market, SB Montego Bay, SB FDA Yellow

Anyway, thanks Greg. I love they way they look. I've sliced up a Papa Joe's with my enchilada tonight and it was great!

And here is a nice harvest shot from tonight:

You can see all the Scotch bonnets, but I've also got a couple other cool ones.

Aji Joe sent me some seeds for Burkina Yellows and Cili Goronongs - I've had some 'nots' from those - well here are the ones that grew true. Nice looking peppers.
Plus those peach australian lanterns - I say this every time, but there are a ton of pods on that plant.

Also got my first Aji Lemons (pepperlover) of the year. They are some of my favorite peppers. And a giant yellow Cardi Scorpion from Jamie (Romy6) but I've hidden the bad spot on the other side, so I had to throw it out. Huge pod though, and more are coming.

Alright, thanks for stopping by everyone!

meatfreak · Sep 10, 2013

Wow, those are some beautiful looking SB's! Nice harvest over all, is it me or do those Cili Goronong look very big?! On the picture they look even bigger then most pods on it. How was the flavor/aroma on them?

KiNGDeNNiZ · Sep 10, 2013

beautiful harvest.. your jelly has made me want to make some later today

PIC 1 · Sep 10, 2013

Cool photos Andy !
The Bonnets are a beautiful yellow...and HUGE !
I've been finding more of the true bonnet shaped pods from my Jamaican mkt pods than the MoA's that I'm growing. One consolation is that I ended up with a red MoA. I hope your enjoy the flavor of the Jamaican c.chinense, although not a super hot, I like the fact that they're tasty and you can eat them like an apple...lol

Great harvest photo...and close-ups !
I'm going to have to stop back here when I have a crave to look at some beautiful Bonnets !

WalkGood · Sep 10, 2013

Boonoonoonous looking peppers mon, now pass da fish & bammy and I’m set ^_^