Pulpiteer 2013 Grow Log

I've been meaning to get to this for quite some time. I've put off planting about as long as I can stand it, so in the next week or so I'll get seeds in the soil. Until then, I wanted to get the glog started for this year. I've been reading and learning about an alternative agriculture system called "permaculture" so I'm playing around with that. I hope to show not only the growth and cooking in this glog, but also some permaculture inspired stuff to share what I've been learning because it's pretty awesome.

I looked over my 2012 beginning and I was way ahead last year, but then I ran out of room, so I've waited about a month in hope that will pay off.

So a couple of things. First, I produced a bit of pepper jelly, hot sauce, and powder last year, most of which I gave away as Christmas presents. Here's a shot of most of it.

And here is a close up of the sauces. I made the labels at home and had them printed at Staples. They turned out pretty good, and I learned some things doing it all.

As far as hot sauces, if you have not tried fermenting, you need to. Amazing. It's hard to describe how it fills out the flavor of the pepper as opposed to mixing it with just other flavors. Anyway, I really enjoyed doing that and hope to improve next year.

Here's a shot of the garden at rest (about a month ago). It's been pretty cold here, I think we're under 15 degrees as I type.

Ok, on to the plans for beginning things here. I got some help and some scrap wood from a parishioner and constructed a grow area in our basement for the pepper starts. It's a 6 foot by 6 foot square with 5 foot high walls. The bottom looks like a pallet, but that was all done by us. I put some mylar emergency blankets up for walls and a ceiling. They should hold in heat and reflect light. I also had to put in chicken fence to keep the stupid cat out. I pig tailed some vanity lights I bought from Menards, and have 4 105 watt cfl bulbs and some 26 watt cfl's. All of them are 6500k in color temp. This gives me daylight, basically, but not as powerful. I also have 2 shop lights on the top - one a T8 and one a T12. Here's the pics:

And here is my current grow list. I'm trying to cut back a few from last year, but I got so many awesome varieties that it was hard and the cut back was small. Anyway, the plan is for 142 plants, about 60 varieties. Here they are:

Peppers for 2013

Bell Local Greenhouse
Bhut Jolokia Red pepperlover
Bishop's Crown pepperlover
Canary Bell totally tomato
Carolina Reaper pepperjoe
Cherry Bomb mine
Corno Di Toro Red totally tomato
Red Rocoto mine (totally tomato)
Trinidad Scotch Bonnet Red pepperlover
Trinidad Scotch Bonnet Yellow pepperlover
7 pod Congo SR Gigantic pepperlover
7 pot Jonah aji joe
7 Pot Yellow mine
Aji Lemon Peru pepperlover
Bahamian Goat (cappy) pic1
Bahamian Goat aji joe
Burkina Yellow aji joe
Chocolate Cherry Sweet mine (aji joe)
Cili Goronong aji joe
Douglah (w/stinger) mine (aji joe)
Fatalii pepperlover
Giant Mexican Rocoto pepperlover
Golden Treasure Totally Tomato
Harold St. Bart's Habanero aji joe
Jalapeno pepperjoe
Naga Morich pepperlover
Nagabon (THSC) pic1
Orange 7 Pod pepperlover
Orange Manzano stc3248
Orange Thai aji joe
Peach Australian Lantern Hab aji joe
Peach Bhut Jolokia aji joe
Peach Bhut Jolokia mine (aji joe)
Peach Habanero aji joe
Peach Lightning Hab aji joe
Poblano pepperjoe
Purple Bhut Jolokia pepperlover
Saint Barts Marche Market 2012 pic1
Scotch Bonnet (Anguilla Farmer's Mkt Red 2012) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (Belize City 2011) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (FDA Red) (AJ) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (FDA Yellow) (peppermania) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (Jamaican 2007) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (Jamaican Montego Bay 2012) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (P. Dreddie) (cmpman) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (Papa Joe's Mkt) (cmpman) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (St. Marteen, Marigot Mkt, yellow 2012) pic1
Scotch Bonnet (TFM) (peppermania) pic1
Serrano pepperjoe
Tobago Scotch Bonnet pepperlover
Trinidad 7 Pod Brain Strain Red pepperlover
Trinidad 7 Pod Brain Strain Yellow pepperlover
Trinidad 7 Pod Brown pepperlover
Trinidad 7 Pod Primo pepperlover
Trinidad Morovas pepperlover
Trinidad Scorpion - Original Strain pepperlover
Yellow 7 Pot x Fatalii F2 Spicegeist
Yellow Cardi Scorpion romy6
Yellow Manzano hooda
Chinese 5 Color aji joe
Peach Lantern Hab (small) aji joe


Alright, I'll add more info as I go, thanks for checking this out!

 

[Sanarda]

Here is your bump sir....

 

[Pulpiteer]

I've planted a ton of different things this year to go along with the peppers - some, in fact, to use for pepper jelly, or salsa or things like that.
 
I got my tomatoes in a little before the peppers.  24 plants: 10 romas, 8 moonglows, 4 manyel, 2 cherry.
 

 
We've got a spot between our driveways that used to host roses.  You cannot eat roses.  I dug them out.
I left the catmint because it draws so many bees.  I put in 2 purple bhuts and a chinese 5 color, as well as 4 purple tomatillos and 2 aunt molly's ground cherries, some mullein, and an extra scotch bonnet.
 

 
My gooseberry has gooseberries!  It is thriving in its new spot.
 

 
I extended my herb garden and have been out there until 1 am a few times with a head lamp on, planting.  My neighbors have to think I'm insane.  I've got a ton of things in there though, oreganos (3 kinds) thymes (3 kinds) strawberries, rhubarb, sage, pineapple sage, fennel, 2 mints, 2 rosemary, a currant, grape, lemon balm, horseradish, basil, and some other things...
 

 
A closeup of one of the 25 strawberries:
 

 
Finally, for an experiment, I decide to try to sprout some sweet potatoes.  Here they have begun.  I twisted some of those shoots off to root them in water with a willow branch in it (to help root development) and they are almost ready for plant out. 
 

 
 
Alright, I've got to go rest - but I wanted to get that stuff up tonight.
 
Thanks for stopping by!

Here is your bump sir....

 
Thank you!

 

[Sanarda]

Looking terrific.  Now your off to the races.  That is one gorgeous little bundle of precious joy you have there.  #4 woowwww.  I thought my 2 were a handful... Congratssssss

 

[Pr0digal_son]

You deserve a rest after all of that work. I always look forward to your updates Andy. Pretty soon the little ones will be out there harvesting with you. It's great to see you bringing your friends and family into this great hobby/lifestyle.

*edit* I didn't see the first part of your update. Congrats on the new child. Also,glad that your wife and he are safe and home!

 

[3/5King]

Congrats Andy to you and your wife on the beautiful baby boy!

Still love the idea of a pepper draft (I woulda chose the chocolate cherry over the lemon)

Your grow is monstrous! Lol. If I was your neighbor, well then there'd be two nuts on the block...

Plant out looks nice, loving that you ripped out rose bushes and planted edibles. I just had a convo with a buddy of mine about how everyone should be planting edible bushes/trees/vines; you name it. Instead "we" plant ugly shrubs and boring box store variety flower beds...

KUTGF Andy!

 

[Silver_Surfer]

Congratz on the new addition to your labor force; looks like you'll surely need it. Short helpers will come in very handy when harvesting that thick jungle you have started.

 

[highalt]

Congratulations on the beautiful bundle of joy!  Glad to hear your wife is recovering, and the baby is healthy.
 
Congratulations are also in order for getting the plants in the ground with everything you've had going on in your life!
 
FYI,  hope you left plenty of room for that rhubarb.  They can get ginormous.  Mine are a good 4' across.

 

[MGOLD86]

Great update Andy!  I love watching your grow go from, I can see my neighbors to, I am in the middle of the forest, and to get out of it you must blaze a trail through pepper trees!   Loving the herb garden, totally should have done something like that, maybe next time around. 
 
I love the whole, roses were here, they aren't edible so I dug them up...lol!  
 
Keep it up and with kid number 4 you are probably a pro by now! 

 

[Pulpiteer]

Looking terrific.  Now your off to the races.  That is one gorgeous little bundle of precious joy you have there.  #4 woowwww.  I thought my 2 were a handful... Congratssssss

Thanks - now it's just time to watch them grow. And yeah, 4 is a lot, as it turns out. 
 

You deserve a rest after all of that work. I always look forward to your updates Andy. Pretty soon the little ones will be out there harvesting with you. It's great to see you bringing your friends and family into this great hobby/lifestyle.

*edit* I didn't see the first part of your update. Congrats on the new child. Also,glad that your wife and he are safe and home!

 
Thanks Pr0d!
 

Congratz on the new addition to your labor force; looks like you'll surely need it. Short helpers will come in very handy when harvesting that thick jungle you have started.

Thank you much! It is fun to get the kids out there when the plants are a bit bigger. My oldest son is a pretty good helper already. 
 

Congratulations on the beautiful bundle of joy!  Glad to hear your wife is recovering, and the baby is healthy.
 
Congratulations are also in order for getting the plants in the ground with everything you've had going on in your life!
 
FYI,  hope you left plenty of room for that rhubarb.  They can get ginormous.  Mine are a good 4' across.

 
Thank you Bonnie! I have the rhubarb on the edge of the herb garden, so yeah, it can grow out that way and I should be fine. 4' would be cool! Lots of tasty desserts I bet!
 

Great update Andy!  I love watching your grow go from, I can see my neighbors to, I am in the middle of the forest, and to get out of it you must blaze a trail through pepper trees!   Loving the herb garden, totally should have done something like that, maybe next time around. 
 
I love the whole, roses were here, they aren't edible so I dug them up...lol!  
 
Keep it up and with kid number 4 you are probably a pro by now!

Great to hear from you Matt - yeah, it's nice to see the plants take over. The herb garden doesn't take up too much room and the fresh herbs are totally worth it. Still not too late to even put a couple of things in. You'll be glad you did. I'm not sure if you can be a 'pro' with kids. They are all different, and, as you probably noticed, just when you think you've got something down, they grow out of that stage and the game changes. Head games.

Congrats Andy to you and your wife on the beautiful baby boy!

Still love the idea of a pepper draft (I woulda chose the chocolate cherry over the lemon)

Your grow is monstrous! Lol. If I was your neighbor, well then there'd be two nuts on the block...

Plant out looks nice, loving that you ripped out rose bushes and planted edibles. I just had a convo with a buddy of mine about how everyone should be planting edible bushes/trees/vines; you name it. Instead "we" plant ugly shrubs and boring box store variety flower beds...

KUTGF Andy!

Thanks King! I'd be glad to not be the only nut.

"I just had a convo with a buddy of mine about how everyone should be planting edible bushes/trees/vines; you name it. Instead "we" plant ugly shrubs and boring box store variety flower beds..."

I'm totally with you there. Flowers can be good - when they draw in beneficial insects to protect the produce, or if they are edible, or draw other wildlife. It's all about creating an ecosystem!

 

[stc3248]

Great update Andy! It's a boy!!! The rest of the post was just icing on that awesome cake!

 

[megahot]

Everything is looking great! Nice job!~

 

[KiNGDeNNiZ]

congrats... maybe one day the Lord will bless me with a boy.. ( i have two girls )

i second matt's comments... come august... we wont be able to see your house anymore and once again you will need to
crawl to do your harvest

 

[PIC 1]

Andy congrats on the new addition to the family !
You're a proud papa...again.

How did you manage the time to get the garden planted ? Sq Ft. the garden look huge for a front and side yard. Good luck with everything that you've planted better weather is on the way.

 

[Pulpiteer]

Great update Andy! It's a boy!!! The rest of the post was just icing on that awesome cake!

 
For sure! Thanks!
 

Everything is looking great! Nice job!~

 
Thank you!
 

congrats... maybe one day the Lord will bless me with a boy.. ( i have two girls )

i second matt's comments... come august... we wont be able to see your house anymore and once again you will need to
crawl to do your harvest

 
That would be awesome - I'll be working to make the pepper jungle happen. As far as a boy - I feel pretty lucky to have two of each. They are all fun, to be honest with you. Your girls keep you in line, I'm sure
 

Andy congrats on the new addition to the family !
You're a proud papa...again.

How did you manage the time to get the garden planted ? Sq Ft. the garden look huge for a front and side yard. Good luck with everything that you've planted better weather is on the way.

Thanks Greg! It was a struggle to get it all in ground, but worth it. I was out with a flashlight a few nights, and there was a day or two that my mother in law watched the kids and I got to plant.

 
Ok - a quick update...
 
First, I forgot to post this picture from last time - one of my new Asian Pear trees - this one has 2 varieties of pear on it, grafted together.  Pretty cool.
 

I'm companion planting with this - some yarrow for nutrient accumulation, jerusalem artichoke, catnip, chives, nasturtium, and a 4 o'clock, which is supposed to draw japanese beetles and then poison them.  Anyway, the theory is that diversity in these plants will draw various good insects, repel some bad ones, and accumulate different nutrients in order to mulch the leaves later and feed the pear tree.
 
One of the plants I really like having around the garden is alyssum, it reseeds easily, draws tons of little wasps and bees, and lives symbiotically with my veggies.

My pepper patch was once again invaded by (I think) neighbor dogs, who have broken off two plants. It's pretty frustrating. When the plants get bigger it is not a problem, but right now it can be. I've put up more stakes and sprinkled pepper powder around to discourage them.
Here are a couple of shots of a rocoto they snapped off

Also, my chocolate cherry peppers are off to a good start. These are tasty little things, and my son's favorite. Here is what will most likely be the first pod of the season:

I planted some sweet potatoes the other day. If you have never started sweet potatoes, they are pretty easy. Just buy one from the store and you'll have plenty of shoots to get started in your garden.

Step one, cut it in half and put it in water. Shoots will start to grow out.

When the vines get substantial, break them off at their base and place them in water. I added some willow branches which are supposed to contain rooting hormones.

When the roots grow out about an inch, they are supposed to be ready. Go ahead and plant them.

And I'll close with another baby picture - this one with our third child as well:

Thanks for stopping by. I've got to catch up on some glogs...

 

[3/5King]

Nice update Andy. I bought my sweet potato plants from Home Depot lol. I was there and figured I'd give them a try. Something really funky happened to them after I planted in the ground. I don't know what maybe stress but they seem to be hanging in there. If you want, look in my glog, I posted a pic of a few. Maybe you can tell me what happened to them.

Beautiful children. Everything's right as rain. Keep that hulk thumb strong buddy!

 

[stc3248]

Nice update Andy! I like how you offset the terrible snapped off Rocoto with the awesome baby pics! Made it a winner for sure! Good info on the sweet potatoes! 

 

[Pulpiteer]

Nice update Andy. I bought my sweet potato plants from Home Depot lol. I was there and figured I'd give them a try. Something really funky happened to them after I planted in the ground. I don't know what maybe stress but they seem to be hanging in there. If you want, look in my glog, I posted a pic of a few. Maybe you can tell me what happened to them.

Beautiful children. Everything's right as rain. Keep that hulk thumb strong buddy!

Thanks Dave - I was just over at your glog and was curious myself as to what the deal was with your sweet potatoes. They are new to me, so I have no idea. I wonder about the hardening off, like you said, but the yellowing patterns look like some sort of nutrient thing. If you find out let us know, cause like I said, that's new territory for me.  
 

Nice update Andy! I like how you offset the terrible snapped off Rocoto with the awesome baby pics! Made it a winner for sure! Good info on the sweet potatoes!

Thanks Shane - I am trying not to be too upset about the broken pepper plants. They also got a bishop's crown and one of my currants. A bit frustrating, but yeah, the kid shot helps balance it out.

 

[Devv]

Been a busy week and I'm attempting to catch up!
 
First off, congratulations on the birth of your son! Like the pic with him and big sis.
 
Glad you got your planting done, and thanks for the information on the sweet taters. How do they compare, season wise with regular taters? Plant at the same time?
 
Sorry about the plant damage, we all get some of that, one way or another.
 
Good luck with your grow this season!

 

[romy6]

 Wow Andy you are an amazing grower.
 
I am sorry I missed the update about the little guy
 
Awesome that Momma and him are both doing well. 
 
I know all about the dogs getting into your pepper patch. My only problem is it's my dog 
 
 God bless my friend 
 
 This is the best picture you have posted in a while 
 

 

[RocketMan]

MAN, did I miss it, I thought you had taken some time for a Sabbatical but nope i had it wrong. Congrats to you and the Misses Andy. that's a good looking boy.
 
Wow has the garden come along too, Great variety of pepper and non's. that herb garden is nice. I'll be building one in the new house and am going to try and clone the Myers Lemon Tree at my mom's house. They're supposed to grow great in containers and still give full size fruits.
 
Have a great rest of the week and try and get some rest. Your looking a little worn out