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...

 
Fruts and Bhuts ...

 
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!

 

[JJJessee]

They're starting to explode now! 
They look ready for dirt as soon as the weather breaks.
Our weather is barely a few degrees warmer, but my annums and most of my maters are still too small to set out anyways. 
May is on the Way
Keep the faith.

 

[Pinoy83]

plants goin nuts already, gettin bigger by the day brahhh....

 

[Spicegeist]

 
Thanks Charles! Question... are the wilds usually about half the size of the other Annuums at first? That seems to be the pattern here, but they're beginning to stretch.

 

 
 
Hm, I'm not sure.  I think I only grew one non-wild C. annuum last year and I don't remember if it grew any different or not...

 

[stickman]

They're starting to explode now! 
They look ready for dirt as soon as the weather breaks.
Our weather is barely a few degrees warmer, but my annums and most of my maters are still too small to set out anyways. 
May is on the Way
Keep the faith.

 
It won't come too soon JJJ! I hope the high winds in your area have died down...

plants goin nuts already, gettin bigger by the day brahhh....

It's looking good so far Jericson... Thumbs up brah!

 
 
Hm, I'm not sure.  I think I only grew one non-wild C. annuum last year and I don't remember if it grew any different or not...

 
OK, thanks Charles... it's the first time I've seriously grown any wilds, so I wasn't sure. They're doing fine now, and so are the Fruts.

 

[stickman]

Happy May Day y'all!
 
I just couldn't stand waiting any longer, so I planted my Manzanos outside since they can take a light freeze at need. I prepped the raised bed out back by spading the recommended amount of Tomato Tone fertilizer, Azomite and Jersey greensand, raking it out even, and laying down IRT (infra-red transparent) black plastic mulch. Punched holes in the plastic mulch and set them in, then raised the framework for a low row cover over the raised bed.

 
The OW Manzano's new leaves look much greener after adding 3 tbsp of Epsom salt and adjusting the pH with dilute humic acid.

 
The new Manzano got the large leaves a bit burned in the sun, but the new growth looks just fine... I'm confident they'll both thrive once they get established in their new home.

 
Hope you all are having a great spring day... cheers!

 

[RocketMan]

Looking good Rick, always feels good to get those first ones in the ground

 

[Jeff H]

All right Rick. Plants in the dirt.
 
Your scorched leaf monzano looks a lot like mine. Got a little impatient with the whole hardening off process. Gave it a few days then said heck with it. Do or die. and stuck them out in a mostly sunny area of the deck. They are doing fine now, but some leaves are toast.

 

[stickman]

Looking good Rick, always feels good to get those first ones in the ground

 
S'right bruddah!     I'm sure they'll look a little gnarly for a bit, but once they get their feet under themselves I hope for a good harvest down the line.
 
 

All right Rick. Plants in the dirt.
 
Your scorched leaf monzano looks a lot like mine. Got a little impatient with the whole hardening off process. Gave it a few days then said heck with it. Do or die. and stuck them out in a mostly sunny area of the deck. They are doing fine now, but some leaves are toast.

 
Glad to know mine are doing at least as well as yours Jeff. I really liked the Manzanos I got last season, but there weren't many of them. This year I'm hoping to do better with one seedling started earlier and the OW.
 
Supper tonight was Oaxacan-style red chile enchiladas.

 
I got the recipe from the Saveur website...  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Mexico-Red-Chile-Enchiladas
Thanks for the tip DJ!

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Thanks for the recipe. Looks good. Haven't made enchiladas in couple months. Have to give that one a try. How did it turn out?

 

[stickman]

Thanks for the recipe. Looks good. Haven't made enchiladas in couple months. Have to give that one a try. How did it turn out?

 
Since I used a whole 3 ounces of Guajillos it had a very nice but manageable burn, I could clearly taste the herbs, and the lime/sugar combination took the edge off a little bit. Some folks might find it a bit on the sweet side, but reducing the sugar by half might do the trick for them. If you can find it, the Cotija cheese is both creamy and tangy and goes well with this dish. I wouldn't hesitate to put it out for company.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

Since I used a whole 3 ounces of Guajillos it had a very nice but manageable burn, I could clearly taste the herbs, and the lime/sugar combination took the edge off a little bit. Some folks might find it a bit on the sweet side, but reducing the sugar by half might do the trick for them. If you can find it, the Cotija cheese is both creamy and tangy and goes well with this dish. I wouldn't hesitate to put it out for company.

Picked some Cotija up last night for some Tostadas. I got caught up in the food post. I forgot to had that the plants are looking good outside. There going to jump back. Nice setup.

 

[PIC 1]

Rick I give you credit for being gutsy with the early plantout. I hope the Manzanos don't get exposed to a light freeze, it might be a slow recovery. It's good to see your OW with some foliage on it...the more leaves the easier it is for the plant to transpire in the moist conditions.
I've got 3 more weeks to wait for a safe plantout....can't wait !

 

[Jeff H]

 
Since I used a whole 3 ounces of Guajillos it had a very nice but manageable burn, I could clearly taste the herbs, and the lime/sugar combination took the edge off a little bit. Some folks might find it a bit on the sweet side, but reducing the sugar by half might do the trick for them. If you can find it, the Cotija cheese is both creamy and tangy and goes well with this dish. I wouldn't hesitate to put it out for company.

 
Sauce looks good. I can't wait a couple months and I should have some fresh mirasol peppers of my own to dry and make guajillos. I'll be interested to see what they taste like when dried slowly as compared to how the commercially dried ones taste.

 

[JJJessee]

Lookin' good, Rick. 
I think your set-up will turn a light freeze if need be once the black ground cover has a day or two to put some heat in the ground. 
Where did you find those hoop cover clips?
 
Enchiladas look tasty! My gaujillos didn't do much last year, not sure the seeds were even true. But the seed train is stopping at my house tomorrow so I my try again next year.

 

[stickman]

Picked some Cotija up last night for some Tostadas. I got caught up in the food post. I forgot to had that the plants are looking good outside. There going to jump back. Nice setup.

 
Glad you liked the foodies Chuck.
 
The IRT mulch/low row cover setup worked well for me the last couple of years... granted, 2012 was an abnormally warm spring. I was able to get my chiles in the ground in mid-April that year using it, and April 26th last year. I'm taking my cue from the Rhubarb, and the  Bleeding Heart plant we have in a partially shaded flower bed in our back yard. When those come up, it's been safe to plant the chiles outside under the low row cover.
 

Rick I give you credit for being gutsy with the early plantout. I hope the Manzanos don't get exposed to a light freeze, it might be a slow recovery. It's good to see your OW with some foliage on it...the more leaves the easier it is for the plant to transpire in the moist conditions.
I've got 3 more weeks to wait for a safe plantout....can't wait !

 
Just the Manzanos for now Greg... the rest will go in this weekend since my indicator plants say it's go for launch.
 

 
Sauce looks good. I can't wait a couple months and I should have some fresh mirasol peppers of my own to dry and make guajillos. I'll be interested to see what they taste like when dried slowly as compared to how the commercially dried ones taste.

 
I'd say the commercially dried ones are sun-dried since they come out kind of leathery instead of crispy, like they would in a dehydrator. Toasting them in a dry frying pan only takes a few seconds, and really brings out the flavor. The really crispy ones from a food dehydrator I just nuke for about 10 seconds in the microwave before soaking. Good luck with the Mirasols! They're a true workhorse chile.
 

Lookin' good, Rick. 
I think your set-up will turn a light freeze if need be once the black ground cover has a day or two to put some heat in the ground. 
Where did you find those hoop cover clips?
 
Enchiladas look tasty! My gaujillos didn't do much last year, not sure the seeds were even true. But the seed train is stopping at my house tomorrow so I my try again next year.

 
Thanks JJJ
 
You can find them in the Johnny's seeds catalog or here... http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com/store/pvc/pvc-fittings.html
It would be pretty easy to make a full-sized greenhouse using these fittings, and the Simplified Building website has many free plans.
I got most of my Tex-Mex peppers from Sandia Seeds and had excellent germination and true growth. http://www.sandiaseed.com/
TGIF and cheers all!

 

[stc3248]

Woo-Hoo!!! Dirt day cometh! Sweet Rickster...That black plasic is the way to go. Have you seen Spicy Chicken's method for putting holes in it??? He has a long steel pole with a propane torch attached with hose clamps to one end heating the end of the pipe. Touch and go perfect circles. I use your technique, pocket knife and tear. Hope your spring and summer do you better than that marathon winter brother.  

Oh...and those enchiladas look perfect! AW-TEN-TIC 

 

[Devv]

Glad to see some peppers in the dirt Rick!
 
I'm sure it made your day getting them planted.
 
As mentioned the Enchiladas look great!
 
I wish you success this season!

 

[stickman]

Woo-Hoo!!! Dirt day cometh! Sweet Rickster...That black plasic is the way to go. Have you seen Spicy Chicken's method for putting holes in it??? He has a long steel pole with a propane torch attached with hose clamps to one end heating the end of the pipe. Touch and go perfect circles. I use your technique, pocket knife and tear. Hope your spring and summer do you better than that marathon winter brother.  

Oh...and those enchiladas look perfect! AW-TEN-TIC 

 
Hi Shane! Thanks for the good vibe.
 
Yeah, this far north the IRT plastic mulch is necessary for the varieties that need extra warmth. I don't think I could grow the Fruts or Chinense chiles without it. I need to start hardening off the rest of the nightshades before planting out, and since I don't have any shade cloth I think I'm just gonna drape some agricultural fabric over the plastic on my low row cover out back, and put the flats of seedlings in there. A week or so aught to do it I think. It's up against the house on the south side, so the house will block any wind from the north and it'll be a few degrees warmer than it will out in the veggie garden. Today will be final soil prep and I'll lay down the plastic mulch to begin warming up the soil in preparation for plant-out. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are supposed to drop down to the upper 30s temperature-wise, so I'm gonna have to wait 'til next weekend to plant out dammit!     Still, better safe than sorry.
   Looking at our electric bill for this winter, I can see that I'm not going to be able to OW any more plants down in my cellar, or start Chinense or Frutascens chiles there. The cost of lighting them is just too much for more than a couple months or so. Next year I'm gonna have to order my long-season chiles from somewhere like Cross-country Nursery since the cost of shipping ends up being much less than what I would pay for the electricity over the winter months... PV panels or no.  I'm negotiating with my wife for a spot in front of the south-facing sliding glass door for one OW plant... probably a Manzano. So next year I'll only be sowing Annuums along with the Eggplants and the Tomatoes a couple of weeks later.
   I saw the pics of Jeff's contraption for making holes in his plastic mulch... pretty slick, but impractical for my grow. I only have 100 sq. ft for chiles.
   I was really happy with this recipe for Enchilada sauce, and it tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge. My little sister is coming out from Wisconsin with her family in July, and I'm planning on making a Tex-Mex spread for her birthday while she's here. I'm waffling between Tamales filled with chicken and black mole or these chicken Enchiladas for the entree... dessert will definitely be Mango ice.

Glad to see some peppers in the dirt Rick!
 
I'm sure it made your day getting them planted.
 
As mentioned the Enchiladas look great!
 
I wish you success this season!

 
S'right Scott... it put a big ole smile in my face!   Thanks for the good vibe!

 

[HabaneroHead]

Hi Rick,
 
It is good to see that you already have some plants in the dirt! We are going to have the temps around 39 Farenheit in the following days, so I am waiting with the plantout as well. I understand the electricity bill issue, but maybe a smaller setup would also do the trick. I was using a 20W CFL and a 18W Fluorescent light this winter, and I was able to grow 111 plants in total, out of which  80 have finished the indoor season in 3 liter pots. In the past years I was using only the 18W Fluorescent, and I could easily grow 30 plants. So you can do it as well!   You would need only some small space in a heated room. Otherwise I believe the THP members would send you some seedlings to play with, especially if you would send them some home made sauce, smoked powder etc. in return
 
Balázs

 

[stickman]

Thanks for the idea Balázs, but I don't think it'll fly here. We only heat about 106 square meters of living space and there's not enough room for us, our other stuff and that many chiles upstairs. I could start 'em sure enough, but once they started to grow we'd run out of room fairly quickly.