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Stickman's 2014 Glog- That's all folks!

Hi All,
   I've got Manzanos sprouted and my Bhuts, Lotah Bih and Donne Sali seeds planted so it looks like time to leave 2103 behind and begin to concentrate on 2014. Last year I started some of my late-season varieties right after New Year's Day, but our season was too short to bring the pods to full ripeness so this year I started 2-3 weeks earlier.
 
Manzano seedlings...
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Fruts and Bhuts ;) ...
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There are many more varieties yet to plant in the proper turn, and I have 4 overwintered pepper plants from 2013 that I'll report on later. Have a great weekend all!
 
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stickman said:
 
I wish I could say for sure Bill, but we'll just have to see. Last year I got them in the ground by the end of April, and the year before that we had a warm spring, so I  was able to plant by the middle of April. If this turns out to be a  very cold, wet spring like the Old Farmer's Almanac predicts, I might not be able to get them in the ground before the middle of May... call it 8-10 weeks from the Vernal Equinox.
 
The new computer should be here tomorrow or Friday. Once we get it configured it'll be catchup time...  ;)

 
Is that a spun-bonded black fabric? It sounds like what we call "landscaping fabric".
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Yeah I think your right on that, Rick.
 
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coheed196 said:
Man Rick, I didn't read every page but, aren't you glad I told you about those horticubes? I know I love them.

Everything is looking good man.
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Thanks for the good vibe Vince!
 
Actually, I think they're a mixed blessing... they certainly help get the seeds to break germination, and if you're someone like me who finds it hard to stop themselves from digging up the seeds to see if they've sprouted, being able to look into the dibble hole  and check on the seeds progress without disturbing them is a good thing. I can see why you shave the bottom of the cube before up-potting though, because of the tendency of the seedlings roots to keep tightly circling in the foam rather than punching through to the soil outside. Out of the 30-odd seedlings started in the Horticubes, only 4 managed it on their own. It might be because they were fresh seeds and had more energy than the others (that were 2 years old or more) and it might also be in part because of how cold it is down in my cellar where I have them... IDK for sure why, but the seedlings were stalled for 2 weeks until I pulled the cubes apart to free up the roots and re-potted them in Pro-Mix.
 
In the end, I think they're an improvement on the coffee filter germination method, but the seeds still need to be transferred to soil after they've broken dormancy and before their roots have begun to really grow. I'm experimenting with rockwool too now, and will post pics comparing the two methods when we get our new laptop set up. Thanks for the initial tip cousin!

meatfreak said:
Yeah I think your right on that, Rick.
 
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Hmmm... that looks woven instead of spun-bonded, and a lot heavier than landscaping fabric. I'll bet it's great for smothering weeds though!
 
stickman said:
 
Thanks for the good vibe Vince!
 
Actually, I think they're a mixed blessing... they certainly help get the seeds to break germination, and if you're someone like me who finds it hard to stop themselves from digging up the seeds to see if they've sprouted, being able to look into the dibble hole  and check on the seeds progress without disturbing them is a good thing. I can see why you shave the bottom of the cube before up-potting though, because of the tendency of the seedlings roots to keep tightly circling in the foam rather than punching through to the soil outside. Out of the 30-odd seedlings started in the Horticubes, only 4 managed it on their own. It might be because they were fresh seeds and had more energy than the others (that were 2 years old or more) and it might also be in part because of how cold it is down in my cellar where I have them... IDK for sure why, but the seedlings were stalled for 2 weeks until I pulled the cubes apart to free up the roots and re-potted them in Pro-Mix.
 
In the end, I think they're an improvement on the coffee filter germination method, but the seeds still need to be transferred to soil after they've broken dormancy and before their roots have begun to really grow. I'm experimenting with rockwool too now, and will post pics comparing the two methods when we get our new laptop set up. Thanks for the initial tip cousin!

 
Hmmm... that looks woven instead of spun-bonded, and a lot heavier than landscaping fabric. I'll bet it's great for smothering weeds though!
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Oh okay :lol: Yes it works good against weeds :D
 
meatfreak said:
Oh okay :lol: Yes it works good against weeds :D
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Actually, it reminds me of a dryer felt from a papermaking operation. They were these big belts that the pulp was laid out on, squeezed to a given thickness between rollers, run over a vacuum box that vacuumed up excess water, then dried and compacted by squeezing between heated rollers. They weren't black, but I knew a woman whose father worked in a paper mill, and he got the dryer felts when the company discarded them, then gave them to her. She used them to smother the grass and weeds when she was breaking in a new vegetable bed. She'd lay them out for a year on the chosen plot and till up the bare soil the following year.

PeriPeri said:
I can't wait to see the magic from all you guys in the north! Awesome season ahead I reckon... can't wait!
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Cheers Lourens!
   I'm afraid I'm gonna have to wait a bit... :P   our 50% chance of a last frost date here is May 10th. If conditions allow I may get the Nightshades in the ground (under the low row cover) a week or two before then, and the early greens, onions and root crops will go in sometime before that. Scott, Shane and Jamie will see you through until the rest of us catch up though... 
 
The tansy seeds I planted came up in just a couple of days... boy, they're tiny at first. I also have English Lavender sprouting (for my wife) and tomatillo verde. Hopefully the rest of the tomatoes will sprout today or tomorrow. Some of the first round chiles are looking extremely pale, so I changed the soil and repotted in solo cups. Most of them are beginning to put out blossoms, and the Manzano is forking again. The MoA plants have tripled in size and look much healthier too.
 
TGIF all!
 
stickman said:
 
Actually, it reminds me of a dryer felt from a papermaking operation. They were these big belts that the pulp was laid out on, squeezed to a given thickness between rollers, run over a vacuum box that vacuumed up excess water, then dried and compacted by squeezing between heated rollers. They weren't black, but I knew a woman whose father worked in a paper mill, and he got the dryer felts when the company discarded them, then gave them to her. She used them to smother the grass and weeds when she was breaking in a new vegetable bed. She'd lay them out for a year on the chosen plot and till up the bare soil the following year.

 
Cheers Lourens!
   I'm afraid I'm gonna have to wait a bit... :P   our 50% chance of a last frost date here is May 10th. If conditions allow I may get the Nightshades in the ground (under the low row cover) a week or two before then, and the early greens, onions and root crops will go in sometime before that. Scott, Shane and Jamie will see you through until the rest of us catch up though... 
 
The tansy seeds I planted came up in just a couple of days... boy, they're tiny at first. I also have English Lavender sprouting (for my wife) and tomatillo verde. Hopefully the rest of the tomatoes will sprout today or tomorrow. Some of the first round chiles are looking extremely pale, so I changed the soil and repotted in solo cups. Most of them are beginning to put out blossoms, and the Manzano is forking again. The MoA plants have tripled in size and look much healthier too.
 
TGIF all!
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Rick my friend, I can't wait. I want to see what you make of that Naga King also.... mine have turned out very average this season, but I know that you could create those monsters ;) TGF! But saturday is farm day urgh... lol
 
PeriPeri said:
Rick my friend, I can't wait. I want to see what you make of that Naga King also.... mine have turned out very average this season, but I know that you could create those monsters ;) TGF! But saturday is farm day urgh... lol
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Thanks for the good vibe Lourens. I hope it's stopped raining on you in SA for a while my friend...  :)  I'm going to keep 2 of the Naga King plants. We'll see how they do in the north... They may not get as hot as they do for you, but they'll surely be plenty hot for me!  :fireball:
 
 
 
Devv said:
Hopefully at the moment you're tweaking that new laptop!
 
+1 on TGIF!
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Not yet Scott... looking at the tracking info on the FedEx website, I see it was in Connecticut at 10:30 tonight. It should be here some time tomorrow. Cheers!
 
Hi folks!   Well, it seems we're back in the saddle at the Kelley ranch... The new laptop is up and (mostly) configured, and here's a few new pics... starting with a short vid of the little surprise we got this morning...
http://<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid1166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq611%2Fheebner%2F2014%2520Garden%2FSANY0999_zps9b9fc623.mp4">
 
the newest additions continue to grow slowly down in my cold cellar, but they do continue to grow. All the Annuuns have at least one set of true leaves.
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Round 2 seedlings are also doing good things with their head start... a few of them were getting pretty yellow in the leaf department but I repotted in fresh soil in solo cups and watered them with dilute fish emulsion yesterday. They're all looking a bit more green today so I guess it was the right move.
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That's 10... more for a bump. :)
 
Thanks Jason! Some more Annuums...
 
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Manzano has forked twice and started on the third time...
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And the star of the show... the Naga King in the Airpot! This guy has really put out the side branches since I pinched the top.
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A few "Nons"... the Tansy I'm growing as a companion for my Cucumbers. It's supposed to repel Cucumber Beetles.
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Cipollini Onions
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Large White Onions
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Eggplants are still pretty small, but should pick up the pace when they get a bit warmer
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Have a great rest of the weekend all!
 
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