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Stickman's 2013 Glog - Time To Pull The Plug on 2013

I'm pulling things together to get ready for my next growing season. I bought NuMex variety seeds from Sandia Seed company in New Mexico, Hot Paper Lantern Habaneros and Antohi Romanians from Johnny's Select Seeds in Maine and Korean varieties from Evergreen Seeds in California. Due to the unbelievable generosity of a number of THP members I've also gotten seeds to a wide variety of chiles from around the world. Special thanks to BootsieB, stc3248, romy6, PaulG, SoCalChilehead, joynershotpeppers, highalt, cmpman1974, smokemaster, mygrassisblue, Mister No, chewi, KingDenniz, orrozconleche and most recently and spectacularly, Habanerohead with a great selection of superhots and peppers from Hungary!
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There are eleven varieties of Hungarian peppers in here, mostly the early, thick-fleshed, sweet ones that range from white through yellow to purple and red.., plus Aji Lemon Drop, BJ Indian Carbon, Naga Morich, Bishop's Crown and TS CARDI Yellow! Now I just have to go through my seed bank and match the space available to what I want to grow. Thanks Balázs!
 
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Devv said:
Sound like you have a plan. I looked at the garden today and now that it rained, weeds are coming up everywhere. It's too much to double dig so tiller here we come and rye grass to over winter.
 
Have a great week!
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Good idea planting a cover crop as windy as it gets for you during the winter... Have you thought of planting field peas or vetch as a cover crop to add nitrogen to the soil when you plow it under in the spring?
 
stickman said:
Good idea planting a cover crop as windy as it gets for you during the winter... Have you thought of planting field peas or vetch as a cover crop to add nitrogen to the soil when you plow it under in the spring?
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Usually I just plant the rye or oats and fertilize it with 13-13-13. I have to look into the vetch and peas to see how they will do here. I have a really good brain that owns the local feed store and will ask him.
 
Thanks Rick!
 
OK, I read up on nitrogen fixing plants for my zone, we are below the vetch growing zone and Crimson Clover is the recommended substitute down here. Didn't have the time during my break today to look up peas. I stopped by the feed store and they said they can't sell enough clover to keep them in stock, but they could get them. I have 5 months before I start to ready the garden for dirt day, so time is not an issue right now.
 
Devv said:
Usually I just plant the rye or oats and fertilize it with 13-13-13. I have to look into the vetch and peas to see how they will do here. I have a really good brain that owns the local feed store and will ask him.
 
Thanks Rick!
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Devv said:
OK, I read up on nitrogen fixing plants for my zone, we are below the vetch growing zone and Crimson Clover is the recommended substitute down here. Didn't have the time during my break today to look up peas. I stopped by the feed store and they said they can't sell enough clover to keep them in stock, but they could get them. I have 5 months before I start to ready the garden for dirt day, so time is not an issue right now.
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Hi Scott, Googling the subject, I found these URLs that seems helpful in figuring out which varieties of N-fixing cover crops would be useful by region. For your area, they suggest Red Clover, Medics, and Subterranean Clover... often mixed with cereal Rye or Ryegrass.
It would be more sustainable to add Nitrogen by means of the cover crops rather than using chemical fertilizers, and just plain cool to boot!
 
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/Crop-Rotation-with-Cover-Crops
 
http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/a-regional-guide-to-cover-crops-to-banish-the-bare
 
Cheers guy!
RocketMan said:
Not to mention that Field Peas are pretty good with bacon, cornbread and hot sauce :)
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True Bill... I'm partial to eating Legumes too, but when they're grown as Nitrogen-fixing cover crops they're usually tilled in before they bear fruit. I've been buying bags of organic fertilizer each spring since we moved here... I'm gonna have to seriously check into it for my garden and do a cost/effect study comparing the two methods.
 
Great stuff...glad the Manzanos came through for you buddy!!! Many folks here sell them still green like Jals...but I don't like them as much. You're gonna get about 1000 seeds from those pods...no joke. Great is salsas, sauces, powders and adds a cool flavor to Guacamole. Stuffed they're at their best. I like to stuff them with cheese, refried beans and some taco meat...with some more cheese on top...Mmmmmmm. Your overwinter plans sound solid! If those nasty fungus gnats start giving you trouble a dusting of sulfur with a layer of peat works to keep them in check in the grow area.
 
stc3248 said:
Great stuff...glad the Manzanos came through for you buddy!!! Many folks here sell them still green like Jals...but I don't like them as much. You're gonna get about 1000 seeds from those pods...no joke. Great is salsas, sauces, powders and adds a cool flavor to Guacamole. Stuffed they're at their best. I like to stuff them with cheese, refried beans and some taco meat...with some more cheese on top...Mmmmmmm. Your overwinter plans sound solid! If those nasty fungus gnats start giving you trouble a dusting of sulfur with a layer of peat works to keep them in check in the grow area.
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Well, maybe not a thousand, but plenty for my purposes. :)  Thanks for the recipe ideas and the method for keeping the Fungus Gnats in check. If using the Plant Nannies doesn't keep the soil at the surface of the pot dry enough to do that, and the Mosquito Bits don't do the trick, I'll keep your method in mind.

WalkGood said:
Rick, Scott, I like that cover crop idea ... only wish I had better soil down here and I'd jump in too.
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How do you mean Ramon? Too much clay, sand or alkalinity? Adding Nitrogen-fixing plants to the cover crop mix is a way to make the soil better in an affordable and sustainable way. I knew some folks who acquired some farmland that had been used up by a farmer who grew a Corn monoculture, and used chemical fertilizers every year instead of using sustainable methods. He sold the land when he couldn't make a profit on his crop any more because he would have had to add so many pounds of fertilizer that it would have eaten up his profit margin. The folks who bought the land believed in the Biodynamic farming methods of Rudolph Steiner, and began implementing them as soon as they took over the farm. It took a few years, but they built up the soil to where they're consistently getting great harvests and continue to improve the soil each year. Some of what they believe in is "Cosmic Harmony/Mystical-type stuff" that I don't think really applies, but a lot of what they do makes sense to me... like their crop rotation schemes, use of manure and compost to build up the soil, and using powdered rock to add essential minerals to depleted or deficient soil. Here's the URL for their website... http://hawthornevalleyfarm.org/
 
Cheers all!
 
Yeah, cover crops are important.  Lately, I've been using rye (grain) and hairy vetch together.  The rye gives the vetch something to grow on.  (Barley and wheat are too prone to lodging.)  Done right, it provides enough nitrogen the following spring/summer for everything except corn.  Another popular cover crop around here is Austrian winter peas (a type of field pea).  A cool thing about it is that you can just roll up the above-ground portion in the spring and throw it on the compost pile.  These days, though, I'd probably just mow it, then till it in.
 
Rick, talking about powdered rock, I brought about 5 lbs of glacial flour back with me from my Wyoming trip.  The stream I camped near is glacial fed and there was a recent flood due to an ice dam melting through.  Everything that flooded was covered with about 1/4" of finely-ground granite.  It has the consistency of flour, hence the name.  (Yeah, I'm an idiot; had to break camp in the rain, so I think with wet gear plus a bag of "dirt" my pack coming out weighed more than it did going in.)  Anyway, I plan to test it on some potted plants to see if I can tell a difference.
 
That's pretty cool Buzz... I hope it works for you! From what I gather... the chiefest nutrient derived from powdered Granite is Potassium from the Feldspar in the Granite. It's fairly tightly bound chemically, but the Tannic and Humic acids in humus-rich soils (lots of compost added) slowly dissolve it into a form the plants can take in through the roots and use. I do a lot of barbecuing  during the warm months and have no shortage of wood ashes to sprinkle onto the garden soil to add Potassium... I just have to be careful not to add so much that it increases the pH too much and begins locking out other nutes. From what I understand, the Granite dust won't do that, and one application will last about 10 years. I'll be curious to see the results from your washed Granite dust experiment. Cheers!
 
KiNGDeNNiZ said:
THanks again... your sauce is like TABASCO.. i put that issh on everything
powder is great as welll.. nice manzanos
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Thanks DeNNiZ... I'm glad you liked them! I've tried McIlhenny's habanero sauce, and I think mine's much hotter. ;)
 
I came home from work to find an envelope from brother Scott in Tejas with a packet of Funky Reaper powder and some Takanosume pepper seeds inside. I've been meaning to plant that variety, and the FR powder will definitely be welcome here this winter... I won't fear the snow with the (funky) reaper close at hand! :)
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I went out to the garden after bringing in the mail and picked 5 more Manzanos that look pretty ripe to me.
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I picked up enough Cod on the way home for fish tacos, and I've been thinking all day about using one of the Manzanos in the dressing that goes with the shredded Napa Cabbage that goes with it. Toss in some Squash steamed with strips of onion and sweet pepper, and yellow rice and call it supper tonight! Cheers all!
 
Rick I read one of those links today during break, really good info! Thanks!
 
I've been planting cover crops for years, mainly so the N would not leach over the winter, and to add green compost. Going to try using vetch and rye in half the garden and clover and rye in the other. Along with tilling in the compost and mulch I have, currently about 8 yds between the two. Once I get the levels where I want them I'm going to try and go "no till", or at least only till 2" deep to kill weeds.
 
Glad the seeds got there, I wanted to send the powder last time but forgot ;)  Hope you like it.
 
Glad the Manzano's are coming in too!
 
Friday eve....can't beat that!
 
Devv said:
Rick I read one of those links today during break, really good info! Thanks!
 
I've been planting cover crops for years, mainly so the N would not leach over the winter, and to add green compost. Going to try using vetch and rye in half the garden and clover and rye in the other. Along with tilling in the compost and mulch I have, currently about 8 yds between the two. Once I get the levels where I want them I'm going to try and go "no till", or at least only till 2" deep to kill weeds.
 
Glad the seeds got there, I wanted to send the powder last time but forgot ;)  Hope you like it.
 
Glad the Manzano's are coming in too!
 
Friday eve....can't beat that!
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Good luck with your cover crop experiment Scott, I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes for you.
 
Thanks very much for the seeds and powder, I'm looking forward to checking them both out soon.
 
The dressing on the shredded cabbage last night was excellent with a Manzano pepper in it instead of the usual Jalapeno. It blended well with the taste of the creamy mayonnaise/yogurt base, complementing the fried fish and giving it a nice but not overwhelming zing.
 
TGIF all!
 
Hi Rick,
 
I did not have the chance to check your glog in the last month or so...the house project took more time I expected (and money of course). Tomorrow I am going to start your glog from the beginning (5 hours on train), but I guess it won't be enough to go through it.
I'm glad to see you have ripe Manzanos, finally. You deserved it! What is their taste like? 
Have you tried the pickled Almapaprika?
How was the Hungarian Paprika for you? Have you powdered/tried them? (I have some nice recipes for you  :P
 
Balázs
 
HabaneroHead said:
Hi Rick,
 
I did not have the chance to check your glog in the last month or so...the house project took more time I expected (and money of course). Tomorrow I am going to start your glog from the beginning (5 hours on train), but I guess it won't be enough to go through it.
I'm glad to see you have ripe Manzanos, finally. You deserved it! What is their taste like? 
Have you tried the pickled Almapaprika?
How was the Hungarian Paprika for you? Have you powdered/tried them? (I have some nice recipes for you  :P
 
Balázs
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Hey Balázs... Glad to have you stop by buddy! I guess we've both been busy getting ready for winter, and you've been getting your new house ready as well, so I suppose that goes double for you. ;)
 
Man, I don't envy anybody who'll wade through all 116 pages... but if that's OK with you, enjoy...
 
The Manzanos are definitely a unique pepper with a complex flavor. I like them, but their biggest drawbacks are that they're fussy about germination and have such a long growing season. At least they can take a few light freezes, which is a point in their favor. I thought I posted my take on their flavor, but going back through I couldn't find it... oh well... When I first cut a pod open it smelled like a freshly mown field with strong overtones of Pine. The pod and placenta were thick and held together very well when I scraped out the black seeds to save for planting later. The flavor was sweet, and I picked up the notes of Pears and Melons in it, but as the initial taste faded it transmuted into something rich that reminded me of refried beans. It only had a moderate burn that seemed to concentrate on the lips and front of the tongue, but it held on like that for about half an hour.
 
I haven't tried the pickled Almapaprika yet. I was saving those for our Thanksgiving feast at the end of November. Are you familiar with that American holiday? I've eaten some fresh though, and definitely like them, so I'm sure the pickles will be delicious.
 
The Coloring Peppers were great producers, though they've quit for the season. I grew two plants to maturity and got a half liter jar full of powder from them. I put aside a cup of powder to make Pörkölt with, and the rest is going quickly since I use a lot of it as a garnish that adds lots of sweet, earthy flavor to the dishes I put it on. I especially love it on baked Macaroni and Cheese! If you have some recipes to share, I'd really appreciate it... you and your Mom always have great stuff! Cheers!
 
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