Sawyer's 2013 Glog - Last Harvest/First Sauce

I haven't done a grow log before, but thought I'd give it a try this year. I'm growing mostly super hots, so I feel like I'm already behind schedule. Anyone know where January went? No pictures yet, I'll add some later when things (hopefully) start popping.

My setup is a basic home-made 2-tier 1" PVC plant stand. Each tier can accommodate 4 standard 1020 nursery flats and has three 2-bulb T-12 4' 40W fluorescent shop lights suspended above. The bulbs are a mix of Daylight, Wide Spectrum, and Power Twist. (I can't give you a K rating on these off the top of my head.) I use heater mats to try to keep the flats in the comfort zone for germination. They are wired to a dimmer switch so I can adjust the current. Even with the dimmer switch, in the past I've had trouble keeping uniform temperature, so this year I've put a layer of aluminum foil on top of the mats to spread out the heat and a layer of kraft paper on top of that. The flats go directly on the kraft paper. If anyone has any tips or tricks for controlling the temperature of heater mats (without purchasing an expensive thermostat), I'd love to hear about it.

I use standard 1020 nursery trays with 1206 (72-cell) inserts. I filled the inserts to planting depth with Sushine Mix #1 and planted anywhere from 2 (new) to 4 (old) seeds per cell. I then topped off the trays with some peat-based germination mix. I intended to use Fafard 3b germination mix, but didn't want to open a new bag for only four flats. I had a small bag of Miracle Grow and one of Ferry Morse left over from days past so I used one of those, I forget which.

The germination stand is in a back room in the warmest part of the house. As plants geminate and become established they'll be moved, either in whole flats, or potted out separately, to a 3-tier, 5 flat/tier stand in front of a bright picture window on the south side of the house. No lights on that yet and may not need them since the window gets direct sun for several hours per day. I'll be starting a lot of other seeds besides hot peppers, so I can't just leave them on the heater mats 'til plant out.

I started four flats today, one whole flat of self-propagated, pure-strain red Bhut Jolokia and up to 12 cells each of the following (note - I prefer the term 7 Pot to 7pod, but am keeping the 7pod nomenclature here out of deference to the vendor):

(First parenthesis is # of plants from first planting on 2/11, second is # plants/# soaked on 3/4)

Red Bhut Jolokia (my own isolated) (75)
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) (0)
Brown Bhut Jolokia (PL) (1)
White Bhut Jolokia (PL) (8), (15/20)
Yellow Fatalii (RFC) (11), (6/10)
Giant White Habanero (RFC) (7)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (PL) (10), (28/35)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (RFC) (14)
T. Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend Yellow (PL) (6), (19/25)
T. 7pod Congo SR Gigantic (PL) (9), (2/7)
T. 7pod Large Red (PL) (4)
T. 7pod Large Yellow (PL) (1)
T. 7pod Brain Strain (PL) (10), (2/9)
T. 7pod Brain Strain Yellow (PL) (4), (11/12)
T. 7pod Brown (PL) (17)
T. 7pod Burgundy (PL) (8)
T. Douglah (PL) (5), (4/20)
T. Scorpion Butch T. (PL) (7)
T. Scorpion Yellow (PL) (18)
T. Scorpion Original Strain (PL) (1)
T. Seasoning (PL) (4)

New strains/sources started on 3/4:
Red Bhut Jolokia (PL) (45/50)
Scotch Bonnet Brown (PL) (22/34)
'12 7 Pot Yellow (RFC) (0/11)
'12 Bhut Jolokia Chocolate (PL) (0/14)
Datil (PL) (7/22)
Bhut Jolokia Orange (PL) (15/20)
T. Scorpion CARDI (PL) (7/20)
Tobago Treasure (PL) (8/20)

Started on 3/6:
Red Bhut Jolokia (own isolated) (>50)
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (CPI) (13)
NuMex Pinata (CPI) (40)
White Bullet Hab (PL) (13)

Unrecorded plant date:
Orange Hab (PL) (2)
TS Cardi (PL) (7)
Dorset Naga (PL) (5)

Started on 3/25:
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) - 8/?
Long Choco Habanero (AjiJoe) - 17/42
Pimenta da Neyde (PL) - 14/30
Giant Mexican Rocoto (PL) - 0/40
CAP 1144 (PL) - 0/21
(old) Yellow Habanero (Trade Winds) - 0/24
(old) Jamaican Red Mushroom (RFC) - 0/18
Trinidad Congo Red (PL) - 10/12
Datil (PL) - 9/22 (4 hh)
7 Pot Primo (PL) - 5/18
Early Jalapeno (PL) - 19/36
Cracked Jalapeno (PL) - 33/36
Large Hot Cherry (PL) - 33/36
Surprise Hot Mix (AjiJoe) - 97/144

Edit 4/3: add sources PL=pepperlover, RFC=Refining Fire Chiles, CPI=Chile Pepper Institute
Edit 4/3: (in blue)
Edit 4/29: Edit title (again)

 

[Devv]

The fruit trees are looking good, they're smarter than you think. All my older trees sat and waited as if they knew this year was different. So you gonna make apple pie this year?

 

[stickman]

I couldn't find a picture similar to the bumblebee.

Hi Buzz... maybe you found a Carpenter Bee... They look like Bumblebees but tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee
There are lots of varieties and yours might be one.

 

[DocNrock]

Here's to permanent outdoor weather, soon!

 

[Stefan_W]

Looking good. I really love the apple tree pics. I had a beautiful tree when I was still living in Wpg, and I have missed it since I moved. Thanks for posting those pics!

 

[Pulpiteer]

Love the fruit tree pics. This is something I'm curious about and trying to learn more about - fruit is like a whole new world. Are the chokecherries any good? I've heard the name in some of the permaculture podcasts and whatnot, just wondering what they are like. Cool stuff. I hope the bees come back for you.

 

[Sawyer]

Just got your order for warmer and drier weather, I am processing and will have it out to you shortly!

Looking good Sawyer, they'll get out for recess soon enough! Think this was Old Man Winter's last punch...At least you weren't fighting this weather with plants already in ground.

Thanks, Shane. Hurry up with that warm weather! We're under a freeze warning for tomorrow morning. It got close this morning, but it stayed cloudy most of last night and didn't give things a chance to radiatively cool. There's not a cloud in the sky right now (and 50ºF@1pm); if it stays like this all night, it could be trouble by morning.

The fruit trees are looking good, they're smarter than you think. All my older trees sat and waited as if they knew this year was different. So you gonna make apple pie this year?

Thanks, Scott. I hope you're right. I think tonight will be the last big freeze risk. Got my fingers crossed. I should make pie (assuming the apple blossom's survive tonight). The pie apple, in a good year, is a large, crisp, very tart green apple. If left to ripen on the tree, they turn to an awful mush that only the neighbor's chickens will eat. I've thought of trying to make some hard cider and that's probably more likely than pie. Trouble with pie is, if I make it, I eat it.

Hi Buzz... maybe you found a Carpenter Bee... They look like Bumblebees but tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. http://en.wikipedia....Carpenter_bee
There are lots of varieties and yours might be one.

Hi Rick. You're right, there is an astonishingly large variety of bees, wasps, etc. The carpenter bee I'm familiar with has a white face and this one did not. (And yeah, I've got some joists in one of my buildings that are riddled with their holes.) On the other hand, I just read that carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen while bumblebees are hairy. The one I saw was smooth. I'll have to keep my eyes open and see if I can get a picture of one.

Here's to permanent outdoor weather, soon!

And a long interval between too cool and too hot!

Looking good. I really love the apple tree pics. I had a beautiful tree when I was still living in Wpg, and I have missed it since I moved. Thanks for posting those pics!

Thanks, Stefan. We had several apple trees when I was a kid. Sitting in a tree eating apples is one of my earliest memories. This is the first year my named varieties have bloomed and I really, really hope they escape a hard freeze tonight. Those pie apples aren't much good for fresh eating.

Love the fruit tree pics. This is something I'm curious about and trying to learn more about - fruit is like a whole new world. Are the chokecherries any good? I've heard the name in some of the permaculture podcasts and whatnot, just wondering what they are like. Cool stuff. I hope the bees come back for you.

Hey, Andy, thanks for stopping by. You're in a good place for apples; Michigan is the third largest producer of apples in the nation. The choke cherries aren't good to eat at all, very bitter. They look a lot like wild cherries, but taste awful. I like the tree, though, because of the wonderful fragrance of the blossoms and it doesn't take up much room. I'd be interested to know what role they can play in permaculture. If I don't have bees in another hollow tree this spring, I guess I'm back to building a hive and trying to find a swarm to capture. I've got a hat and smoker.

 

[Sawyer]

Woke up this morning right at daybreak to some window-rattling thunder, so abrupt and loud I thought at first it was explosions. Then I heard the rain starting on the metal awning and relaxed, thinking to snooze a few more minutes. Then I remembered the 7 OWs and one flat of 3.5" pots I left out overnight and was immediately wide awake. Hurried to bring them all in and finished just as the hail started. It's been raining off and on ever since, but looks like it might be almost done now. And finally the extended forecast shows no nighttime temperatures lower than the high 40s. Plant-out is not far off now!

 

[Pulpiteer]

Hey, Andy, thanks for stopping by. You're in a good place for apples; Michigan is the third largest producer of apples in the nation. The choke cherries aren't good to eat at all, very bitter. They look a lot like wild cherries, but taste awful. I like the tree, though, because of the wonderful fragrance of the blossoms and it doesn't take up much room. I'd be interested to know what role they can play in permaculture. If I don't have bees in another hollow tree this spring, I guess I'm back to building a hive and trying to find a swarm to capture. I've got a hat and smoker.

Oh I know it, we love visiting the orchards around here. It's a fall family tradition, and if you ever visit this area I can tell you the best orchards, their cider prices, and how they do on donuts. Our state got hammered last year by the frost though and lost 90% of our fruit harvest.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for where I saw or heard about the choke cherries. I'm curious now too - at the very least they sound like a good attraction for pollinators and food for wildlife. I've just been reading about Mason Bees. They are native to North America and this article seems to think that they are a good hope to help buffer the loss of honey bee hives. They have a couple of easy to make habitats you can set up for them. I have no experience with bees - have you heard of Mason Bees? Have any around there?

 

[windchicken]

Plants are looking great Sawyer. Very nice pix. I really dig the apple trees...How long you been growing them? It's something I've always wanted to do....

 

[Sawyer]

I'll have to keep my eyes open for where I saw or heard about the choke cherries. I'm curious now too - at the very least they sound like a good attraction for pollinators and food for wildlife. I've just been reading about Mason Bees. They are native to North America and this article seems to think that they are a good hope to help buffer the loss of honey bee hives. They have a couple of easy to make habitats you can set up for them. I have no experience with bees - have you heard of Mason Bees? Have any around there?

Hey, Andy, thanks for stopping by. Yeah, I know a (very) little about mason bees. I had an orchard mason bee (link2) come in my house the other day when I was moving plants out. Took awhile, but I managed to return it safely to the outdoors. I was reading up on those habitats, too, and think I'll try to make one using bamboo. That stuff is invasive as heck and I'm trying to find as many uses for it as possible.

BTW, good luck with the pepper draft.

Plants are looking great Sawyer. Very nice pix. I really dig the apple trees...How long you been growing them? It's something I've always wanted to do....

Thanks, Gary. The pie apple trees were here when I moved into this place 15 years ago, but the dessert apples I only planted four or five years ago. I specifically selected varieties for hardiness and disease resistance, but even so, I don't give them nearly the attention they deserve, mostly just keep the ground mowed around them. I fertilize the new ones once every spring and they've gotten big enough I'll need to prune them next winter. I don't have a spraying regimen (yet), so I expect some to have worms, but I've got a pocket knife. I do need to go out tomorrow and trim the cedar-apple rust galls from the cedar trees. They'll be a lot easier to find after today's rain and tomorrow's warmer weather.

 

[Jamison]

Awesome, awesome, awesome. The apple blossoms are incredibly beautiful! My mom bought a couple Honey Crisp whips last year, which reminds me I have to go plant those for her! Plenty of flowers for the bees. Them flats of pepper seedlings look insanely healthy! I gotta check in more often bud!

 

[stickman]

Nice save this morning Buzz, glad you beat the hail to the peppers. Looks like there's gonna be a lot of busy people planting out this weekend. Cheers!

 

[Devv]

+1 on 312!

 

[windchicken]

Cool, thanks for the info...That's encouraging. I know your area is known for apple production, while here...not so much. But I'm sure there must be a few that would thrive in North Louisiana.

 

[DocNrock]

Nice save from the hail, Sawyer...and very happy to hear about the extended temps! Plant-out soon, bro!

 

[Dshlogg]

Beautiful tree pics! All we have here are crab apples. We do have a prune plum that I discovered last year after the plums were too ripe. I can't wait to try them this summer. Choke cherries are everywhere here. We used to eat them when I was a kid. Very bitter and they dye your hands and mouth purple. They're amazing in full bloom though. Hope this summer brings you many peppers and fall many apples.

 

[Sawyer]

Cool, thanks for the info...That's encouraging. I know your area is known for apple production, while here...not so much. But I'm sure there must be a few that would thrive in North Louisiana.

I grew up in South Arkansas, so I'm sure you're right. The only apple I can remember the name of from back then is Lodi. You might look into that one. I also lived just outside Erath in SW LA for awhile and while I won't swear to it, I seem to remember some apple trees there, too. (Rita may have done them in, though. I was long gone by then.) And you're right, there are a lot of orchards around here. Far too many of them are being abandoned or turned into subdivisions, though.

Nice save from the hail, Sawyer...and very happy to hear about the extended temps! Plant-out soon, bro!

Thanks, Doc. Just since I posted that about the weather, they've already changed the forecast. Now they're talking about temperatures back down into the high 30s by next Thursday. Oh well, I'm still moving forward with plans. As long as it doesn't freeze, I'll be alright.

Beautiful tree pics! All we have here are crab apples. We do have a prune plum that I discovered last year after the plums were too ripe. I can't wait to try them this summer. Choke cherries are everywhere here. We used to eat them when I was a kid. Very bitter and they dye your hands and mouth purple. They're amazing in full bloom though. Hope this summer brings you many peppers and fall many apples.

Thanks, Daniel. Some of those crab apples are pretty tasty. Not the tiny little things, but the ones that are about 1/3 the size of a regular apple. I have a bunch of wild plums here, but they are small and almost always get worms in them. I suppose I could spray, but hey, let the birds have them. I return your wishes for a bountiful pepper year.

 

[Sawyer]

Looks like the weather is about to get interesting here:

 

[JJJessee]

Hope you don't get blown or washed away, Saw.
Looks like a lot of rain on our 10 day starting today, but I only see one day, next Fri night, a low of 41, too give me any concern. I may risk some tomatoes outside the hot bed, but we generally seem to be a little behind you. Our apples are a few days behind yours. Apples are really what got me started back into growing. Two autumns ago we made some cider with friends and (I had a carboy that turned out excellant) since we had such a mild winter last year I was able to get 17 trees in the ground in early February. All lived but one. I did fence them against deer. Mine are all about head high or a little better. I gave them a good trimming this Feb and some fertiliser I planted a King David too. .

 

[stickman]

Choke cherries are everywhere here. We used to eat them when I was a kid. Very bitter and they dye your hands and mouth purple. They're amazing in full bloom though.

We have lots of Chokecherries here too. When I was a kid, my Grandmother used to make the most amazing apple/chokecherry jelly.