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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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HH81Betterhalf said:
Lovin' it Seth!!!
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Thanks!

mjdiamond83 said:
Looking great Seth! Are these some of the ones you thought you fried? They don't look abused at all. This weather is great isn't it? I tilled a couple rows today and planted some cold weather crops. I wouldn't be surprised if they still get killed off by some heavy frost, but if they don't, it will definitely be worth the 2 hours effort to have fresh veggies in Late April/Early May.
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Ha! Good idea Matt. This weather is uncanny! I actually just planted a bunch of kale, beets, spinach, and arugala outside. I put them in starter trays in the bed to sprout because I'm too paranoid and the bed isn't ready yet. This way I can move them as needed but hopefully sprout them outside so they come up fighters!

PaulG said:
No kidding - a very ambitious start! You have really dived in with
both feet, Seth! The plants look great - your first time jitters seem
unwarranted!
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Don't worry Paul, I still have plenty of time to kill everything. :rofl:
I don't come from a garden family or hunting family much to my shegrin, but I'll be damned if I don't pass this important skillset onto my son! It's just too enjoyable, too amazing, to not share!

jsschrstrcks said:
It may be early to say this, but Seth, I am begining to think your thumb might just be green :)
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You are too kind. My brain may be green, but mostly because of friends and things I have read here. Jury's still out on my thumb... But damn, I hope you are right!

Pr0digal_son said:
Looks great Seth....what kind of runoff do you get from that hill? Are you going to channel it away from your plot?
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I haven't really considered it yet. My soil has really great drainage. I should probably do something about that though... Any thoughts or resources you could give/direct me to would be appreciated! I guess I could run some kind of gutter system along the top and drain out and down the sides... Hmmm, last year was disastrous on rain here... Good call.

I am planning on enclosing the area with landscape timbers and some chicken wire. I should probably do some french drain action along the top with some pvc... Wow, you really got the old hamster running the treadmill here! My brain is working on it.

Justaguy said:
Process time? Pfft I am making a superhot compost pile this year.....or some sauce or something. :rofl:
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Ha! Give it a few months and we'll be going nuts again and my wife will want to know when she gets her table back! :D
 
You never can be too prepared. We always get so much rain early in the year. Then late summer when the ground is like a rock we get a huge rain and it runs like a river. Maybe just slope a little trench filled with gravel. Glad I could stimulate your brain... Hope it doesn't decimate your wallet though.
 
Pr0digal_son said:
You never can be too prepared. We always get so much rain early in the year. Then late summer when the ground is like a rock we get a huge rain and it runs like a river. Maybe just slope a little trench filled with gravel. Glad I could stimulate your brain... Hope it doesn't decimate your wallet though.
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I think I'm going to go to the hardware store and price out some gutter type things. I could probably get a long one and fill it with pea gravel, then run it into a collector or of somewhere else. I can probably just put it at the top of the bed and shore it up with the timbers. I'll have to see what the prices are but essentially I need like a 6" diversion. Man, that PA rain was EPIC last year.
 
So, I have been working on potting up for the last couple weeks. One thing I have learned in that short time is that it is easiest 2 days after watering. The plants seem to just slide out of the containers at that point. When I have done it other ways, I can feel the roots stretching/ripping. So far, everyone has recovered from the transplants regardless of my manhandling. I have been putting a mark on the root rip ones to test and see if they grow better than the smoother pot ups.

Second Table Pot Up



Another thing I have been experimenting with is sunlight. Took 15 out for 1 hour in direct sun. Now I am charting their growth vs. the control group under only artificial lights. I plan to repeat this weekly with the experiment group and compare results at plant out.

Sunny Plants



I seem to be having a really difficult time germinating lately. I have tried a few varied methods but honestly haven't been documenting enough details about the processes to make good accurate comparisons. Next year, I am going to really focus on documenting results/methods. This year is kind of a hail mary and hope for the best! I am documenting things but more sporadicly than I need too. First year gardens teach a lot though. For instance, next year I will have a much better idea of yields and what my space will allow for the number of plants. As it stands now, I have 50+ extra plants… That is wasted space and resources. Granted, some people will be getting some free plants out of the deal, I would still prefer to have a set number to shoot for next season.

My wife Kathy and I have been doing a LOT of research into the food industry, and what it's doing to our bodies and minds as average americans. We watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" which has inspired us a great deal. Also, "Food, Inc", and "Forks over Knives". Great flicks. All have made us decide to go to a Vegan diet. We have a start date in mid-April. It's probably going to be somewhat difficult since I love eating meat and milk products, but ultimately the science is so convincing, I would be a fool not to head it. Harder still will be giving up the caffeine and nicotine.

Anyway, the point of that whole ramble is that I am also growing a juice garden. It will consist of mostly Kale, Spinach, Beets, Arugala, Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Broccoli, Herbs, and Cabbages. We are also joining a CO-OP this year with a local farm and buying a share, which will provide lots of the fruits and veggies my beds don't have room for.

I am planning on using Spent Mushroom Compost instead of factory farmed manures to give my soil a nudge on the last till before plant out. This is all very exciting for our family, thanks for looking.

Grow Room



Chili Cheers,
Squatch.
 
Looks good man.... It is very warm here but it still is a mid-march sun. 80° in june is very different from 80° in March. I gave mine a ton of direct sunlight this week. You can probably give them more than an hour if your schedule permits. Just keep an eye open. I noticed an instant green up and tons of branching. I actually noticed my older plants showing signs of stress before 1 week old sprouts. I would have thought it would be opposite. Maybe more leaf surface area catching sun? Who knows? Keep up the good work. Make sure to post your "gutter" when you guys get it done.
 
meatfreak said:
Great update, Seth. Looking great over there, keep it up :clap:
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Thanks for checking in Stefan! I have been following your grow log with much interest! You are a real natural when it comes to growing!

Pr0digal_son said:
Looks good man.... It is very warm here but it still is a mid-march sun. 80° in june is very different from 80° in March. I gave mine a ton of direct sunlight this week. You can probably give them more than an hour if your schedule permits. Just keep an eye open. I noticed an instant green up and tons of branching. I actually noticed my older plants showing signs of stress before 1 week old sprouts. I would have thought it would be opposite. Maybe more leaf surface area catching sun? Who knows? Keep up the good work. Make sure to post your "gutter" when you guys get it done.
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Yeah, it's so tempting with this warm weather to go all in. Grrr. I still need to frame in the beds though. I'm going to be using landscape timbers to that end. I am planning on installing a gutterish system right behind the back wall. We'll see if I get to that or not. :lol:

I am going to do mounds/rows so the plants will be up a bit already... Who knows. I am really anxious to start but those timbers are a pain to haul and I don't have $50 dollars just to pay them for delivering a mile away. Hopefully by next weekend I can acquire the timbers and get to framing. That is the initial big step that must precede the rest. I can't wait.
 
You guys need to scoop up JayT and move to the good side of the state. It's good you two are pepper buds helping each other. Is that the theme song to The Courtship of Eddies Father I hear in tge background?
 
Seth, your plants look great. You got it goin' just like a veteran, bro!
 
Seth, what does this mean? " I have been putting a mark on the root rip ones to test and see if they grow better than the smoother pot ups." It's the second line in post #50.

Thank you sir.
 
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