Pulpiteer's grow log 2012

I thought I'd do a grow log this year, since I've enjoyed reading the ones that other folks do. I'm up in Michigan and last year was able to get the plants in the garden in mid-May, but that isn't a sure thing. I'm starting a bit early, but I want the plants to be a good size when I do get them in, so that I don't have to wait until later in the Fall to harvest. If we would've had an early frost last year, I would've been in trouble. The grow log puts a bit of pressure on. If this is a tremendous failure, then it'll be public. I've been gardening for awhile, and had great luck with my peppers last year, but I'm taking a giant step up this year, so we'll see.

Here is my grow list:
1. Douglah x4 Ajijoe
2. Scotch Bonnet (Y) x4 Pepperjoe.com
3. Cherry Bomb x4 Farmers market
4. Bhut Jolokia ® x4 Dshlogg
5. Trinidad Scorpion (Red)x6 Ajijoe
6. Trinidad Scropion (Peach) x6 Ajijoe
7. Chocolate Congo Habanero x6 Ajijoe
8. Caribbean Red Habanero x6 Ajijoe
9. Aji Pineapple x4 Ajijoe
10. Peach Bhut Jolokia x6 Ajijoe
11. Naga Morich x4 Dshlogg
12. Scotch Bonnet (Y)x8 Refining Fire
13. Jamaican Red Mushroom x8 Refining Fire
14. Jamaican Chocolate Habanero x8 Refining Fire
15. Thai Dragon x4 Dshlogg
16. 7 Pot (Yellow) x4 Masschilehead
17. Avery Island Tobasco x4 Masschilehead
18. Aji Limon x4 Dshlogg
19. Devil's Tongue x4 Dshlogg
20. Fatali x6 Totally Tomato
21. Red Rocoto x6 Totally Tomato
22. Scotch Bonnet (Red)x4 Hotstuff
23. Jalapeno x4 Dshlogg
24. Bell (various) x20 (I'll buy the plants in the spring)

This website has been tremendously helpful. After some contact with MJDiamond83, I ordered some CFL bulbs. They are 100 watt bulbs that put out the equivalent of 400 watts of light, 6500 on the light temperature, I believe. I get a shelving unit on sale last year from Lowes, some pvc this year from Menards and ordered some mylar emergency blankets off of Amazon (10 for $8) and put up a cheap frame that gives me two levels, with the CFL on top and some florescent strip lights on the bottom. With the lights on, it gets to about 84, and with them off its in the mid 70's. I hope that's enough to get the seeds to pop.

Here's a shot where you can see the three lights and the mylar around the three sides. For the front cover I just have a mylar sheet that drapes down and it's all basically enclosed.

Here's a shot of everything planted. For the most part I have at least two seeds in each cell, sometimes a few more than that. I figure I can cut down if I have too many that germinate.

 

[Pr0digal_son]

Damn... Was fun catching up on this. Your plants look really good. That is some super fast growth.

 

[PaulG]

You have a veritable pepper forest going there Andy! And another
great soil experiment going! Your garden spaces rock! Nice to have
such big spaces to put in your gardens. Have fun getting it all in the ground!

 

[MGOLD86]

That is definitely a nice plot you have for both the Peppers and non-peppers. I am still up in the air on whether or not I am going in ground or in raised beds. How many seasons have you been planting there?

 

[PIC 1]

Nice work with the plants,
It looks like your driveway side of the house gets the nice morning East facing sun and the pepper patch receives full E/W Sunlight...nice.
I'd figure what plants grow the tallest and place those close to the house, and any laterial growing, Small hab or shorter varieties in the front.
Ok, I know thats common sense, but what happens to small plants that get shielded from the sun tend to reach and become "leggy". The branches start to wimp out and the weight of the fruit tends to crack the branches......just a thought,
Keep doing what you've been...it's looking great!

Greg

 

[gnslngr]

wow- Clear winner in the soil off is your mix......the plants look really happy.I keep laughing to myself about the side walk proximity....plant the really ones out by the edge....that might make less sampling by passers by, or at the very least provide for some entertainment.

 

[Pulpiteer]

Damn... Was fun catching up on this. Your plants look really good. That is some super fast growth.

Thanks Pr0dical for the kind words. It's been fun doing it so far, and fun to follow several glogs on this website.

You have a veritable pepper forest going there Andy! And another
great soil experiment going! Your garden spaces rock! Nice to have
such big spaces to put in your gardens. Have fun getting it all in the ground!

Thanks Paul - it does feel like a mini pepper forest at times, and my wife has caught me just staring... then she laughs. I've gradually expanded my gardening space each year I've been here. It's a strange situation as a pastor with a parsonage because it's your home, kind of, but yet not. So you just take it slow and get to know the church and here we are. And, no matter what space I have, I could always use more Unfortunately, I think I don't really have any other area I could feasibly turn into more garden, so this will probably be as big as it gets.

That is definitely a nice plot you have for both the Peppers and non-peppers. I am still up in the air on whether or not I am going in ground or in raised beds. How many seasons have you been planting there?

Thanks MGOLD - raised beds would be nice, but I lack even the basic construction skills or tools to do that, plus there is the front end cost of soil. Besides that, I was lucky to have a spot with good gardening soil to begin with being in the middle of Michigan farming country. This will be the 5th year on that spot, kind of, the garden has grown drastically since I've moved here. This will be the first season for the large peppers side of the garden, for example. Along with that, I've really worked on adding to the soil as much as I can. Late last fall I was able to get a large pickup truck load of composted manure - which was awesome.

Nice work with the plants,
It looks like your driveway side of the house gets the nice morning East facing sun and the pepper patch receives full E/W Sunlight...nice.

Greg - I am amazed at what you could tell from two pictures Yeah, the driveway side gets the good morning sun - and that is where I've had the garden and my smaller selection of peppers, mostly bells, the last few years. And yeah, the other side is the south side so it will receive more sunlight - so hopefully that will work out well. I had some butternut squash vines that wrapped around there last year and they loved it, so I just tilled it all up and decided to put peppers there. Oh, and btw, the driveway is our neighbor's, that is how close we are. Our line goes up to the driveway pretty much. They are great about the garden being there, and we pay them off with cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and mango salsa. It all works out.

I'd figure what plants grow the tallest and place those close to the house, and any laterial growing, Small hab or shorter varieties in the front.
Ok, I know thats common sense, but what happens to small plants that get shielded from the sun tend to reach and become "leggy". The branches start to wimp out and the weight of the fruit tends to crack the branches......just a thought,

Wow, I totally didn't think of that, and it would've slowly occurred to me throughout the season. That's a great plan, thanks! I will have them fairly packed in there in columns of four and I am going to try to have 3 1/3 feet between the columns, which I know will get tight, but I will probably prune a bit there. I learned last year that pruning the Lemon Drops didn't hurt them at all, and they got huge and long reaching.

Keep doing what you've been...it's looking great!

Thank you! I hope to keep them looking good until I can get them outside. I've had pretty good luck once I get things in the ground.

Greg

wow- Clear winner in the soil off is your mix......the plants look really happy.I keep laughing to myself about the side walk proximity....plant the really ones out by the edge....that might make less sampling by passers by, or at the very least provide for some entertainment.

Thanks gnslngr - yeah I am pleased with the soil mix I used. I imagine I'll just keep using it. I was surprised at the difference and that's been a great learning experience. I am curious to see how the extras take to the new soil. As far as the sidewalk proximity - glad you see the humor I pushed it about as close as I could. And yeah, it would be so worth it to see someone grab a scorpion and take a bite!



Again, thanks everyone for the kind words and encouragement!

 

[PaulG]

Thanks MGOLD - raised beds would be nice, but I lack even the basic construction skills or tools to do that, plus there is the front end cost of soil. Besides that, I was lucky to have a spot with good gardening soil to begin with being in the middle of Michigan farming country. This will be the 5th year on that spot, kind of, the garden has grown drastically since I've moved here. This will be the first season for the large peppers side of the garden, for example. Along with that, I've really worked on adding to the soil as much as I can. Late last fall I was able to get a large pickup truck load of composted manure - which was awesome.

Hey, Andy have you thought about double digging for a raised bed? No construction
or tools needed. You have already built a great foundation for using that technique. It's
some work, but the results are awesome!

 

[Pulpiteer]

Hey, Andy have you thought about double digging for a raised bed? No construction
or tools needed. You have already built a great foundation for using that technique. It's
some work, but the results are awesome!

I haven't - in fact I haven't heard of that. What does it involve and do you have any experience with it?

 

[PaulG]

I haven't - in fact I haven't heard of that. What does it involve and do you have any experience with it?

It's a method from French Intensive gardening - here's a google search:

http://www.google.co...=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Here's the wikipedia entry - with illustration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biointensive

 

[Pulpiteer]

That really looks interesting Paul - thanks for the suggestion. I think time will be the determining factor on this, oh, and if I'm over any sewage lines or anything. When tilling up the new spot I found an old, buried tv cable line, which freaked me out because I thought I destroyed our connection to the dish, but it turned out to be old. Anyway, I like the idea, thanks!

 

[MGOLD86]

I am really considering using the double digging method for my plot. I figure I haven't worked out since we had the baby, and it will be a great weekend slaying. Also, it gives me an excuse to micromanage yet another facet of my grow....

I have heard mixed reviews of roto-tilling, and nothing negative about double digging. I need the workout, I gained 15 pounds during the pregnancy....I thought the wife was the only one to put on the pounds, and that is out of necessity....

Maybe you can do it to one of the plots and use another method for the other. See if there is a significant difference and if so, next season dig the other.

 

[Pulpiteer]

I am really considering using the double digging method for my plot. I figure I haven't worked out since we had the baby, and it will be a great weekend slaying. Also, it gives me an excuse to micromanage yet another facet of my grow....

I have heard mixed reviews of roto-tilling, and nothing negative about double digging. I need the workout, I gained 15 pounds during the pregnancy....I thought the wife was the only one to put on the pounds, and that is out of necessity....

Maybe you can do it to one of the plots and use another method for the other. See if there is a significant difference and if so, next season dig the other.

Yeah, the workout would be good for me. Believe it or not, as a Pastor sitting behind a desk, visiting people, eating baked goods dealing with the stress of the job, turns out it's not good for your health, so gardening is actually a really good outlet for me and I use it that way. That whole baby thing changes your whole schedule doesn't it? And yeah, the pregnancy definitely affects both. Just wait until your kid can help in the garden. It's pretty fun. The broken sleep in the beginning. Not so fun. But it passes.

I've had good luck with my tilling thus far. Good harvests of various veggies. The concept of loosening up the ground a foot under and thereby making it easier for a larger root zone would just be icing on the cake I think, but that benefit makes it worth considering. I thought about only doing one side too, but then which plants do I put in the "not as good" spots? I want them to all succeed so much with so many pods, I don't think I could choose.

BTW, love your comment about another aspect you can micromanage. So true...

 

[jsschrstrcks]

*chuckle*

I'm envisioning youth after church grabbing your fruit, and learning the hard way stealing is wrong haha!

 

[Pulpiteer]

Alright, March 26, which means I'm on the 61st day of the first wave, 39th of the second, and 19th of the third.

Things are progressing nicely, but room has now become a serious issue, as I will show with some pictures. Luckily, the greenhouse came in. It's about 7' x 4' or so and is really a nice size. We're experiencing some low temps now, so when they get back up, I'll start moving things into the greenhouse and that will free up room.

First pic - here is a shot of the grow area now.

Last update I took a shot of the right side of the grow area with a ruler poking up to show how tall the plants were. Here is the same shot this week and you can't really see the ruler. I think they've grown about 2 inches in a week.

Here is the Douglah I potted up a little bit ago. It's really taking to the new room well. I think ideally I would have several more plants in this size of a container. I underestimated the space I would need. This plant is thriving in this pot though.

Here is a shot of the same Douglah with a ruler up to one of the leaves. I can't believe how big this has gotten. Seems like I just planted the seed.

These plants are from the third round of planting, and as you can see, they're gotten off to a great start.

An up close shot of the Royal Blacks (from Ajijoe). The cotyledons are turning dark already - should be a purty plant

Here are some tomatoes I'm growing on the lower level of my setup. Got the seeds from totally tomatoes and they are doing well. I have three kinds: Brandymaster, Moonglow, and Sausage. Looking forward to them.

Here is a Red Scorpion, which isn't doing to badly, but you can see how the stem is a bit too thin. It's been growing in too tight to the others I think. This seems to be these things running out of room.

Finally, here is a set of pictures to show a plant that has really struggled with the space. It's a Peach Bhut. The first shot is of it all bent over. It was in the back corner of a flat and was reaching for light and space, I think.

So I pulled it out - here are its roots

And repotted it in a large pot (not sure the size, but it dwarfs the others I have), and tied it to a wire stake I had to try to help it straighten out.

Alright, that's what I have this week. Easter and Holy Week are coming up, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post next week or not due to my schedule, but I'll try because this is fun. Hopefully I'll see some progress on this Peach Bhut and I'll try to get a picture up of the extras I put in new soil last week. Always learning...

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your comments - they are very helpful as I try to figure my way through this. This website is tremendous.

 

[MGOLD86]

WOW Andy! Look at that grow room! I think next year you are gonna need to re-evaluate your space requirements.

 

[PIC 1]

Andy your plants are starting to grow quick, what a difference a week makes. I really like that Douglah, man those plants produce some of the gnarliest brown pods. I'm not one to eat entire raw super hot, I like to take slices off different pods to check the heat and flavor. I like to dehydrate the Douglah and grind to a powder. That pepper is wicked
Nice selection of tomatoes, I can see the B-master with the potato leaves, the Sausage is a good one, I believe its similar to the Banana Legs. I'm not familar with the Moonglow
I'm assuming its a yellow?
I started my tomatoes Mar 1st they're growing like crazy.....must be the diluted fish ferts.
About 3 weeks here to start hardening off the tomatoes, then come the peppers if the May forecast holds up.
Have fun with the rest of your indoor grow. I'll be following this one to check on your outdoor peppers and other vegetables

Greg

 

[PaulG]

Andy, your grow out is really progressing nicely, great varieties
and very healthy. Now it's a race between space and summer!
Good luck managing your pepper farm and getting those beds
double dug

 

[Pulpiteer]

WOW Andy! Look at that grow room! I think next year you are gonna need to re-evaluate your space requirements.

Yeah, and here is the thing, in theory I could grow less plants, but in reality do I see that happening? I mean I didn't mean to grow this many this year...

Andy your plants are starting to grow quick, what a difference a week makes. I really like that Douglah, man those plants produce some of the gnarliest brown pods. I'm not one to eat entire raw super hot, I like to take slices off different pods to check the heat and flavor. I like to dehydrate the Douglah and grind to a powder. That pepper is wicked

Yeah, it's crazy how much they grew this week. If I hadn't had the ruler in for both shots I don't think I would've believed it. It does have me a bit concerned because I've really gone beyond my space. I just want good healthy plants for the plant out. The only superhot I've tried is a red bhut jolokia. I had a naga morich, but it was chopped up into a hamburger - and was wonderful that way btw. So I'm very interested to see how these different peppers taste. I'm a bit intimidated by the douglah and the brain strain, yet excited by them both as well. I'll keep the power in mind for the Douglah, since I don't see myself eating tons of fresh douglah pods

Nice selection of tomatoes, I can see the B-master with the potato leaves, the Sausage is a good one, I believe its similar to the Banana Legs. I'm not familar with the Moonglow
I'm assuming its a yellow?

Thanks! Nice eye on the Brandymasters - man you've got a good eye on this stuff. I shouldn't be surprised after perusing your glog. BTW, I was showing my wife your set up and saying that someday that would be nice. She thought it was cute that I was dreaming big Anyway, glad to hear the Sausage is good, it's my first time with these three varieties. It is supposed to be good for canning or paste. I'll also buy several Roma plants from the garden center in town for that sort of stuff. The Moonglow is a bright orange, medium sized tomato and looked cool in the catalog, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Should be fun.

I started my tomatoes Mar 1st they're growing like crazy.....must be the diluted fish ferts

Ha - that and you've got the touch!

About 3 weeks here to start hardening off the tomatoes, then come the peppers if the May forecast holds up.

I ought to be on about the same schedule, I think. Our seasons are similar, I believe.

Have fun with the rest of your indoor grow. I'll be following this one to check on your outdoor peppers and other vegetables

Greg

Thanks Greg - I appreciate it. It means a lot from someone who knows what they're doing!

Andy, your grow out is really progressing nicely, great varieties
and very healthy. Now it's a race between space and summer!
Good luck managing your pepper farm and getting those beds
double dug

Thanks Paul! I may need that luck
I really want to try to do some sort of double digging... Great, now look what you're talking me into... It should go quick, right?

 

[PaulG]

Lickety-split, buddy, lickety-split

 

[ChrisHutch35]

Your grow is looking outstanding. Can't wait to see more.