Sawyer's 2013 Glog - Last Harvest/First Sauce

Pulpiteer · Aug 2, 2013

ummmm... blackberries...

Looking good Sawyer!

Devv · Aug 2, 2013

Nice update! Glad to see poddage!

I've had about 100 pods with holes, I'm sticking with grasshoppers, haven't found anything inside one except a spider that took up residence.

WalkGood · Aug 2, 2013

Beautiful pictures and pods \o/ … While I love everything you've shown ... I’ve got to tell you I’m a bit partial to that White bhut jolokia. What beautiful plants, just an impressive plant, color, large leaves and lovely pods to boot. I have a few on mine now as well and 3 clones ... Oh forgot to mention, I love dat girls taste!

Great job mon and have a great weekend!

Sawyer · Aug 2, 2013

JJJessee said:
:Looks good, Saw. I had an unripe Hab pod with a small hole in it and a worm had taken up residence inside

Thanks, JJJ. I'm going to give that one a few more days to ripen up, then we'll see what (if anything) is inside.

Pulpiteer said:
ummmm... blackberries...

Looking good Sawyer!

Thanks, Andy. I do like blackberries. I eat my fill every day and leave plenty for the critters. Usually by this time of year, the bearing stalks are 1 month dead. With the rain and moderate temperatures we've had, there are still a few green berries coming on.

Devv said:
Nice update! Glad to see poddage!

I've had about 100 pods with holes, I'm sticking with grasshoppers, haven't found anything inside one except a spider that took up residence.

Hey, Scott, thanks! I guess it's a matter of scale, but I'd be upset if something ate holes in 100 of mine. Although if there's nothing inside, I guess the damaged ones might still be useful for something. If nothing else, you could probably make up a batch of naturally spicy fried grasshoppers.

WalkGood said:
Beautiful pictures and pods \o/ … While I love everything you've shown ... I’ve got to tell you I’m a bit partial to that White bhut jolokia. What beautiful plants, just an impressive plant, color, large leaves and lovely pods to boot. I have a few on mine now as well and 3 clones ... Oh forgot to mention, I love dat girls taste!

Great job mon and have a great weekend!

Thanks, Ramon. I'm really looking forward to getting some white bhuts. I think I have more of those plants than just about anything else except the red bhut. So far, the ones in pots are doing better than the ones in the ground. I need to side-dress all my in-grounds tomorrow.

Y'all stay tuned, I've got some critter pictures to upload and an update on the fox tale. (No, the pictures aren't of the fox... this time.)

Devv · Aug 2, 2013

Oh, I'm upset!

I just need to figure out how to beat the turds...I do have a plan for next year..hope it works!

WalkGood · Aug 2, 2013

Devv said:
Oh, I'm upset!

I just need to figure out how to beat the turds...I do have a plan for next year..hope it works!

Can't hit "like dis" on dat but I'm rooting for you you to win! I've never had a grasshopper problem but have had a few holes due to snail, I put some sluggo out and 86'd their azz. I also agree with sawyer in that you can use them to make firewater to keep animals away, I use that too. Keep us informed just in case we ever have dem blasted grasshoppers ...

Sawyer · Aug 2, 2013

Devv said:
Oh, I'm upset!

I just need to figure out how to beat the turds...I do have a plan for next year..hope it works!

I thought I remembered there was a strain of Bt that is effective on grasshoppers, but a little searching tells me I'm wrong. What are you planning to try? This site has some good info on biological controls and I saw a reference on another site to another fungus that is effective.

WalkGood said:
Can't hit "like dis" on dat but I'm rooting for you you to win! I've never had a grasshopper problem but have had a few holes due to snail, I put some sluggo out and 86'd their azz. I also agree with sawyer in that you can use them to make firewater to keep animals away, I use that too. Keep us informed just in case we ever have dem blasted grasshoppers ...

I "liked" it on his plan for next year.

Okay, I've got some photos edited, just need to upload and post. I'll be right back.

Devv · Aug 2, 2013

My plan is to shred or mow a pretty good area around the garden to keep their favorite environment, which is high grass-weed growth down to a level where they're more likely to get picked off by the birds before they reach my garden.

Next year we'll see if this works....ad I'll just plant more....LOL

Sawyer · Aug 2, 2013

Today was mild and cloudy, with a few light sprinkles now and then. Ideal weather to deal with some of the johnson grass problem. So I was out in the garden and this little guy caught my attention:

He doesn't seem too concerned about the big ogre picking him up.

Back on the ground, "I'll think I'll go hang out under this plant until he goes away."

"Now I'm starting to get a little annoyed."

Here's a shot into one of the 7 Burgundys. The white in the lower left is an isolation bag. I hope that limb is podding up like the rest.

Found this bug. Don't know what it is.

"I'm out of here."

(I can anthropomorphize with the best of them.)

So I managed to de-johnson grass another 4 rows. Will plant them tomorrow, maybe not all with peppers. While working, a couple of the neighbor's chickens came over to peck at some fallen apples (green ones that turn to mush when ripe). I thought about chasing them off, but they didn't seem interested in coming into the garden, so I let them be and they wandered home after awhile. A couple of hours later, my attention was drawn back to the apple trees and there was Brer Fox. He (I'm going to call it a "he", 'til I know better) was dancing around a little and being some 30 or 40 feet away, he didn't seem to notice me right away. He jigged this way, and jogged that way, and started to come around the asparagus patch directly toward me. He got in the clear and looked straight at me, but I stood stock still and it appeared he didn't recognize me. (He did, just not as an immediate threat, as I soon surmised.) He looked a solid few seconds and seemed about to make his way closer toward me, when a brown thrasher landed on the ground near him. He spun around and I thought he was going after the thrasher, but the bird flew up and the fox bounced off in the opposite direction. I almost laughed aloud, but kept quiet. The fox looked at me again, a few times, and moved this way and that, seemingly undecided which way to go. Soon, he stopped and started eating one of the fallen apples. Once, he took a big bite and tossed it up in the air and swallowed it on the way back down. Every now and then he would stop and look straight at me. I whistled, but he didn't seem to notice. I spoke, but he didn't seem to notice. Finally, while he was looking at me, I started moving from side to side. Now I know he had to notice that, but he just kept eating the apple. I waved, spoke and whistled more loudly. Nothing. Must be a good apple. I can tell, though, he's watching me watch him the whole time. There are birds raising a ruckus in the apples trees; I think the jay and thrasher were having words. Fox and I ignored them and just kept looking at each other. I heard a hawk scream somewhere up above and looked up for no more than three or four seconds. When I looked back, the fox was gone. Just like that. It's hard not to surmise he didn't want me to see which way he was going and was just playing coy until I looked away. Sly like a... fox.

3/5King · Aug 2, 2013

Beautiful story Sawyer! Extremely well written and fun to read.

Man I haven't stopped by in awhile...sorry about that. I see things are going on the good side of things. Sounds like you get very peaceful yet filled with surprises moments in the garden.

Burgandy's are looking nice!

PIC 1 · Aug 2, 2013

Great photos with an enjoyable read....

stc3248 · Aug 3, 2013

Yeah...your 7 Congos are different for sure. I got mine from Pr0d, but don't know if they were isolated. From what I've seen and read, my pods are probably a blessing and not a curse. Your grow is moving right along! Won't be long 'till we're watching you pull some big numbers! Big numbers of well isolated seed stock too! What a bonus. A ton of extra time and effort, but when you find something worth growing again, it's the only way to go.

Sawyer · Aug 3, 2013

3/5King said:
Beautiful story Sawyer! Extremely well written and fun to read.

Man I haven't stopped by in awhile...sorry about that. I see things are going on the good side of things. Sounds like you get very peaceful yet filled with surprises moments in the garden.

Burgandy's are looking nice!

Thanks, King. Sometimes I get inspired. No problem, we're all having a hard time keeping up with all the most excellent glogs on THP. Yes, the garden is starting to be a pleasant place to be. Things have really gotten away from me in the last year, but I have about half the garden space back in shape. (Let's not talk about the rest of the place.)

PIC 1 said:
Great photos with an enjoyable read....

Thanks, Greg. Hopefully, the fox saga will continue. I'm even thinking now it might be possible to get some pictures of him.

stc3248 said:
Yeah...your 7 Congos are different for sure. I got mine from Pr0d, but don't know if they were isolated. From what I've seen and read, my pods are probably a blessing and not a curse. Your grow is moving right along! Won't be long 'till we're watching you pull some big numbers! Big numbers of well isolated seed stock too! What a bonus. A ton of extra time and effort, but when you find something worth growing again, it's the only way to go.

Thanks, Shane. I was getting worried for awhile, there, with various other things taking up my time and attention. Now I'm optimistic for a strong fall finish. I'm unclear on all the considerations of thin-wall vs. thick-wall as of yet. As for the flavor of the Congo, I didn't really notice anything awful, but it was a very brief taste. I do think pepperlover's Gigantic is definitely something different, though. Still waiting to see the "Gigantic" aspect show up.

There is a coda to the fox tale above, though not in such a pleasant vein. After the fox disappeared, I went back to weeding for another hour or so. By the time the clouds starting breaking up and the hot sun began beating down, I was ready to call it quits for the awhile. I had been working out of sight of the apple trees, but when I stood up and headed back, my attention was once again drawn to those trees. Three of my neighbors goats were helping themselves to fallen apples. That, by itself, wouldn't be a problem; I'm not using those apples for anything and the good apples are out front anyway. However, the goats don't stop at eating apples. The eat apple bark, and once they get out of their pen, they don't stop at the trees. They'll eat everything in the garden. So I walked over to shoo them back home. Only they didn't want to be shooed. Two of them have some pretty impressive horns and I'm always worried they might decide to use them. Still, I picked up a couple of dried mullein stalks and managed to persuade them to go home. They clambered over the fence back into the pen, so I didn't call anyone to let them know the goats were out... because by then, they weren't. This is a recurring problem and I'm not sure what to do about it. The goats are sickly-looking and thin. I feel sorry for the goats; I think their level of care may be bordering on abuse. Whenever I've tried to locate the owner, she's not around. Guess I'll try again this weekend. I don't want to be "that guy", but the goats deserve better.

highalt · Aug 3, 2013

Really enjoyed catching up on your glog this morning over coffee! Was going to try and get an early start on some yard work, but we had a small isolated thunderstorm roll through a couple of hours ago, so I'm waiting for the grass to dry.

Not to hijack your glog, but just wanted to post a link for Scott about the grasshopper bait. We have them in biblical proportions here some years, and this is what I use:

http://www.planetnatural.com/product/semaspore-grasshopper-control/

Love the fox story, and the turtle pics!!! I had one of those as a pet when I was a kid, but haven't seen one since we moved to Colorado. One of my sons has been begging me for months to get a turtle, but I think the frogs, toads, lizard, and salamander we currently own are enough for now ...

wahlee76 · Aug 3, 2013

A true jungle you got there with all the wildlife. I don't get more than bumblebees and flies in my garden.

Burgundy plant seems to do quite well. Goodlooking pods.

Pulpiteer · Aug 3, 2013

A turtle that wants to hide, then escape, a sly fox, and hungry goats with threatening horns... You have the beginnings of a good fable here.

WalkGood · Aug 3, 2013

Great Tortuga and Fox story, if I was in either ones shoes your pods would definitely be in trouble. lols. Great pictures too!

stickman · Aug 3, 2013

I figure the pepper plants are safe from your turtle... it was probably looking for some insects to eat. Very cool that you saw a Gray Fox nearby... they're the native species, and having a hard time competing against the Red Foxes. Sorry to hear about the Goats, maybe it's time to think about an electric fence around the pepper patch?

Plants are looking great for the late start... keep on keeping on Buzz!

Devv · Aug 3, 2013

highalt said:
Not to hijack your glog, but just wanted to post a link for Scott about the grasshopper bait. We have them in biblical proportions here some years, and this is what I use:

http://www.planetnatural.com/product/semaspore-grasshopper-control/

Thanks Bonnie!, gonna buy some and see how it works out here. They ate 85% of the true Reaper pods! AT least I got the seeds.

Nice stories, and pics, cute little Mr Turtle...hey, try and get some Foxy pics! Those goats.....I do feel sorry for them, but watch them, they will tromp, eat, destroy your garden!

Sawyer · Aug 5, 2013

highalt said:
Really enjoyed catching up on your glog this morning over coffee! Was going to try and get an early start on some yard work, but we had a small isolated thunderstorm roll through a couple of hours ago, so I'm waiting for the grass to dry.

Not to hijack your glog, but just wanted to post a link for Scott about the grasshopper bait. We have them in biblical proportions here some years, and this is what I use:

http://www.planetnatural.com/product/semaspore-grasshopper-control/

Love the fox story, and the turtle pics!!! I had one of those as a pet when I was a kid, but haven't seen one since we moved to Colorado. One of my sons has been begging me for months to get a turtle, but I think the frogs, toads, lizard, and salamander we currently own are enough for now ...

Thanks for stopping by, Bonnie. I was just about to head out myself, but I hear the rain falling now. Thanks, too, for posting the bio-control link. That's not really a hijack; spreading knowledge is what it's all about. I expect any day now we'll be hearing of the launch of the Highaltson Traveling Menagerie. Sounds like a turtle would fit right in.

wahlee76 said:
A true jungle you got there with all the wildlife. I don't get more than bumblebees and flies in my garden.

Burgundy plant seems to do quite well. Goodlooking pods.

Thanks, Wally. I always try to be appreciative of the wildlife, even the ones that cause me trouble. I have bumblebees, too, and they rank high on my list of favorites. They are very good pollinators to have around. Flies... well, it depends on what type. So far, the burgundy is definitely my most prolific. I think that earns it a spot on the grow list for next year.

Pulpiteer said:
A turtle that wants to hide, then escape, a sly fox, and hungry goats with threatening horns... You have the beginnings of a good fable here.

Lol, maybe, though I'm not sure what the moral of the tale will be.

WalkGood said:
Great Tortuga and Fox story, if I was in either ones shoes your pods would definitely be in trouble. lols. Great pictures too!

Hah! Turtle, maybe, Fox, I'm not so sure. Unripe pods, maybe; if he got a ripe pod, I think he might think twice before going for a second one.

stickman said:
I figure the pepper plants are safe from your turtle... it was probably looking for some insects to eat. Very cool that you saw a Gray Fox nearby... they're the native species, and having a hard time competing against the Red Foxes. Sorry to hear about the Goats, maybe it's time to think about an electric fence around the pepper patch?

Plants are looking great for the late start... keep on keeping on Buzz!

There are plenty of crickets out there, though I'm not sure how a turtle would catch one. Hopefully, it has a taste for cutworms and the like. He was near the wild plum tree, so I think it might have been eating fallen plums. I've found two adult turtle shells this year, minus the turtle, and haven't seen nearly as many live ones as usual, so I'm very glad to see a healthy little one. In re electric fence, just finishing the installation of the regular garden fence would be a step in the right direction.

Devv said:
Thanks Bonnie!, gonna buy some and see how it works out here. They ate 85% of the true Reaper pods! AT least I got the seeds.

Nice stories, and pics, cute little Mr Turtle...hey, try and get some Foxy pics! Those goats.....I do feel sorry for them, but watch them, they will tromp, eat, destroy your garden!

Eighty-five percent is a staggering loss. Maybe you should import some Bolivian tree lizards to eat the ~~pigeons~~ grasshoppers. Don't worry, the gorillas will freeze to death come winter. The goats have been an on-going problem, with inadequate care and fencing (no open range here). It may soon be time to involve the authorities.

It rained Saturday, so I made a supply run to town and picked up some small mesh bags and paint brushes, fine tip for pollinating and foam for making iso bags. I bought the small bags just to try, 8 for about $4 at Hobby Lobby. The ones I make have a pretty large seam that doesn't work so well for small bags. Also found an interesting bottle of hot sauce in the clearance section. (I wouldn't have expected to find hot sauce in Hobby Lobby.) I forget the name, but I'll post a picture later. After that a friend and I visited 3 of our 7 local breweries, so I wasn't terribly productive yesterday. Need to do better today.