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SETHSQUATCH GROW BIG LOG WITH puny hammer

Ok. I'm in the ring. This is really my first year growing from seed and may as well be my first year ever. Last year we had a bag garden (which was pretty weak), and Justaguy contributed a couple of bucket plants later in the season (awesome).

So, just to get this out in the open early, I'm a little OCD. DANGER PLANTS! DANGER! FLEE FROM THE FURRY ONE! My natural tendency is to, well, let's just call it over-love my plants. "You like fertilizer? Well you'll love it straight from the bottle!"

One of my bigger hurdles is to just let the plants do their thing. I mean, I have grown up in a culture of drive-thru instant gratification, which doesn't exactly breed patience… But I'm working on it. Trying to tread gently through the grow instead of STOMP STOMP TEAR BREAK YELL. So far, so goodish?

Well I currently have 93 babies and about that many more in the germination station. Did I mention I like to go all out when starting a project? Does my car need a ejector seat and a rocket engine? Absolutely. Do I need cybernetic appendages and the ability to shoot lasers from my eyes? Most definitely.

Sooooooo. 93 plants. Alive and growing under lights. Here is my count as of this morning.

Scorpion (Moruga) (Justaguy)- 11
Scorpion (Butch T) (Alphaeon by way of Jstaguy)- 7
Brain Strain (Justaguy) - 1
Yellow 7 pot/pod (Justaguy) - 3
Douglah (cmpman) - 8
Fatalii (Pepper Guru)- 8
Avery Island Tabasco - 4
Thai Fire (Justaguy) - 13
Caribbean Red Habanero (Justaguy) - 26
Aji Yellow (Aji Joe) - 6
Naga x 7 pot/pod cross (Justaguy) - 1
Chinese Cabbage, Autumn Torch Hybrid - 3
Unknown pepper - 4

Here is a list of what's in the germination station right now.

Bhut Indian Carbon x Yellow 7 cross (Spicegeist by way of MJdiamond)
Criolla De Cocina (MJdiamond)
Biker Billy Jalapenos
Tabasco
Early Girl Tomatoes
Genovese Basil
Cilantro
Broccoli
Chinese Cabbage Autumn Torch Hybrid
Poblano
Cayenne
Hot Cherry
Dill
Nu mex

My initial germination of the first round of seedlings was done in peat pellets. They came with the tray so I figured I'd use them. NEVER AGAIN. Those things were a real pain in the ass to keep properly moistened. As soon as I could, I removed my sprouts from them and transferred into seed starting mix. Lost a few on the way but nothing to worry about. It's pretty likely I will be sharing some of these plants with some friends the way it is.

I kept my light on 24/7 for the first 2 weeks and then switched to an 18/6 cycle. Right now I am top watering and misting as needed. I was told that top watering helps get rid of all the bad buildups in the soil. Don't know if that's true or not, but whatever. I am trying to base my watering on tray weight. For nutrients I am using Pro Bloom, Liquid Karma, and a weekly compost tea brewed for 24 hours with an air stone in a bucket. All of my water also sits out for at least 24 hours before use to eliminate any chlorine.

Now, I really want to switch soil at this point but I am going to resist. For one, it costs more than I can swing right now.

My setup has evolved from one 2 bulb light fixture to a modified in ceiling fluorescent donated and wired by Justaguy. I drilled some holes, added u-bolts, and used carabiners and chains to hang the fixture from the bar in the closet. This way I can adjust as needed for light height. I can raise one side higher as well if necessary, which is also nice. I have some reflective film on the back wall and closet door to help recapture and reflect some of that escaping light. That's it. My setup.

Here are some pics. I will update with a million questions, and progress as I am able. My next post will probably be showing my outside grow area once the damn rain stops and I can snap some pictures. Anyway, thanks for looking.

Initial setup:




Upgrade:







Peppers 2/29/12 (just one tray but they are pretty similar):


 
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gnslngr said:
Totally weed free? YOU ARE THE SUPREME RULER OF YOUR DOMAIN!Yes ,some of the fabrics are crap these days, I just cover it with hardwood mulch.
Plants are lookin great!Nice pooch and offspring as well..... ;)
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Thanks slinger! Hope your birthday was fantastic. The offspring is pretty handsome but we peak early in my family. :rofl: :rofl:

MGOLD86 said:
Lookin great Seth! I think I am gonna have to go out and get some mulch, the fabric works decently between the rows, but I pull it up each time I mow and mow under it. Right now I don't have any mulch and 3 of the 4 rows were manageable today when I weeded for the first time in 3 weeks. But there are also some bennies of using mulch besides weed control.

But, everything is looking great, it won't be long now for you!
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Matt! I'm glad you are back home with your family! I still haven't gotten around to covering the beds. Damn finances are limiting my options. Plants are doing good though in spite of it. Kathy, my wife, is about sick of me spending money on gardening gear... But I will be getting some new stuff soon anyways. Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. :shh:

stc3248 said:
Lookin good Seth...be watching your mailbox. Going out tomorrow.
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Shane, you are the man. Thanks so much for the seeds coming this way! You have a way with those monzanos and more success than most I know who grow them! I just picked up one of those bead organizer trays to get my seeds all sorted and figure out my final wish list for next year. The manzanos were right at the top!

I never forget my friends generosity and plan to really give back at the end of the season. For one, I will be doing a bunch of powders again this year. My mildfire powder is beloved by everyone who uses it and the wildfire is just hardcore heat. I'm going to be making new batches this year as gifts (that's how I roll, share the love). Last year I made like 36 4oz bottles with graphics and everything. This year, I'm doing the same. The sweaty yeti powder is going to be epic. Not to mention the straight up tabasco powder. All my friends on here should be getting something special come November! :onfire:

 
:rofl: Oh man - if the taste of those powders matches the graphics and design on the labels then they'll be awesome. Wow those are great! Very well done.

I got my wood mulch from a guy I know at the city for free. If you guys have yard waste pickup or a town does nearby, then they've got to keep all that chipped wood somewhere. Perhaps you can get mulch and avoid spending more money = happy wife.
 
Ok. Not a huge update. Everything is growing really well. I have pods on most everything. Scorpions are still waiting it out. It's too hot to be all camera happy for the new pod set so here is an overview. I still haven't mulched the damn thing and I need to weed. Potted up my last 6 plants yesterday (no pics yet). Cheers!

Here are the mugshots:





 
meatfreak said:
Plants looking good, Seth! How's it going with the veggies over there? :)
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Well that whole bed is a weed garden at this point. I did it wrong. I companion planted everything way to tight to effectively maintain. Access is a total pain in the ass so, it is filled with weeds now.

I have over a 100 tomatoes coming in, some just waiting for color.

I got a useful and good harvest from the sugar snap peas and bush green beans. I also did well with the spinach and kale. Broccoli sucks in the yield department (I won't be growing that next year). Brussel sprouts are still doing their thing but not very well. I harvested seed from my dill which grew like a monster. The basil did well, the cilantro bolted quick (got seed from that too).

I did learn that there are male and female spinach plants (letting them go to seed right now), which I thought was awesome.

My NEW plan for next year is a mound on each side with a big walk path, some trellis action for peas/beans, and a more selective crop. HONESTLY I feel like the only really good return for space comes from the peppers and tomatoes.

Pr0digal_son said:
That has grown in a bunch. Gonna have to train the pooch to pick for you. Have you gotten any ripe pods "yeti" ?
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:rofl:
No. Not yeti. Even the first pods on the cherry pepper and cayenne plants are just sitting there all green. I'm looking forward to the first ripe pepper. I know by the time October gets here though I am going to be super sick of harvesting and processing so I can wait.
 
Geez man, typed out a huge response...went back up to review your pics and accidentally clicked on your profile pic and lost it! Ughhh...lemme try to remember what I rambled about. Basically, we can't cost effectively grow most things that are readily available in the produce department...but you still can't beat the flavor and satisfaction of home grown. Your weed issues don't look terrible, but I know when they're in there they just glare at you. I got lucky in the mulch department, and don't have many issues...although I have some. The only greens I've ever found that produce well enough to pay rent on a spot in the garden are turnip greens. Tomatoes pay their rent in flavor and production. Only really takes a few plants and no store bought mater is even close to the vine ripened flavor you get from your own. At 89 cents a pound for jumbo Jalapenos I can't even really justify growing any...but I do anyway! Keep it up my man...a CAREFULLY wielded hoe can get into those tight spots and save your back!
 
Yeah, the pepper bed is fine in the weed department. I keep on them pretty well. It's the OTHER garden. I'll snap a pic later. I'm kinda embarrassed by it.
 
I have decided that the weeds are MUCH easier to pull when they are about a foot tall!!!! Ya don't hafta bend over so far!!!!

:rofl:

Beautiful Peppa patch Seth!!!!!

So far, this year, the only thing I've been able to grow successfully is spinach! Loads and loads of spinach!!! My beans are 3 inches tall, and snap peas are all of 1 inch! But I'm stubborn and just can't throw in the towel yet! :)
 
Seth your plants are looking really sweet. And I love the little powder shakers. Your powders are really good and the tobaso is my favorite morning powder.

Keep your grow on :onfire:
 
That SethShake ROCKS!!!!! Both of them!

But I had to take the WildFire off the counter and put it in the cupboard.
I kept grabbing it, instead of the MildFire, whilst in my, uh, tipsy state! :rofl:
 
It seems like cilantro always bolts on me too. I've tried to time it right this year, planting it later so that I can have it for salsa. I also have been using pineapple sage in place of cilantro in my mango habanero salsa. I keep wondering about weeds. Perhaps it is a conspiracy (in part by Monsanto creators of Roundup!). Think of dandelions. Everyone says they are a weed, but they are hardy, edible greens, and you can even make wine out of them. Perhaps weeds are just a sign of an ecologically diverse garden plot. :) From what you wrote it sounds like it was only the broccoli that didn't do as well as you wanted. Mine has had a little trouble this year too. I think it might have gotten too hot too quick for it where I'm at, so it's wanting to flower earlier. Also, I did not know that about spinach - you're right, that's awesome. I agree with Shane, your issues don't look too terrible, so I guess don't be embarrassed. Stop it.
 
I agree with you about certain veggies not being worth the space they take up. This year, I finally quit trying to grow broccoli and cauliflower. They take up as much space as a zucchini plant, but sure don't produce like one!

Your peppers are looking like small shrubs, and it looks like ripe pods aren't far away! Great job!
 
highalt said:
I agree with you about certain veggies not being worth the space they take up. This year, I finally quit trying to grow broccoli and cauliflower. They take up as much space as a zucchini plant, but sure don't produce like one!

Your peppers are looking like small shrubs, and it looks like ripe pods aren't far away! Great job!
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That's so true. Broccoli isn't worth the dirt I planted it in. I love broccoli but I would have to plant like 50 of them to get anything worthwhile. The heads were so tiny! It was very dissapointing. I also love cauliflower but I imagine I will just let others grow them and buy them at the store and save space for the producers. I don't have a ton of space so being selective is important. Live and learn though. First year with a real garden.

The peppers are branching crazy. They are small but wide. Hopefully that's a good thing. I would like to see them get some more height and I feel like I might have some nutrient lock out issues on a few plants but most are doing well. I imagine it will be hardcore vegging and growing for the next month in this heat. Then hopefully the pods will go crazy!

Thanks for stopping in!
 
Not good to have a yeti suit when it is 99°. One good thing is probably keeps all the rabbits and groundhogs away from your plot. We should start marketing a "Yard Yeti" for people to put near their gardens. They have those damn gnomes and flamingos. I think that would be infinitely more creative. Let me know,you are the designer dude. Hahaha
 
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