Stickman's 2015 - That's All She Wrote...

ronniedeb · May 7, 2015

Hey Rick. I've been relatively absent from the forum for the last month or so, so had several pages of your glog to pore over. It was actually really nice to see your season and soil progress from being snowed under to looking ready to explode into growth with the coming of Spring. I love the look of your plot. Looks like it will be very productive for you!! All the best!

maximumcapsicum · May 7, 2015

Interesting. I lost fewer leaves on the super this year, but the first half of the month was pretty wet. Will be following along bud!

randyp · May 8, 2015

Sorry about the weather killing off some of your newbies Rick.You will adapt and replace.I had a brain lapse and tried to sell my entire grow.What the hell was I thinking.I got to work and thought all day that if I sold it I would be going home to work for somebody else.Its my hobby i don't want to turn something fun into a job.I was just worried about all the produce pilling up at the end of the year.Keep up the good work buddy.

stickman · May 11, 2015

Thanks for the good vibes all, I can surely use them... Got home from visiting my Mom yesterday and found that someone had used my debit card information to get a little over $400 at the Food Lion supermarket in Chapel Hill, N.C. They got back in line to try for another $400 but the security setup at my bank choked on it at that point and denied the transaction. The good news is that the account is insured so we'll get our money back, but it's a hassle, we won't see it for another 7-10 days, and I had to cancel the debit card and order a new one. What a world, eh?

Trident chilli · May 11, 2015

Rick sorry to hear about your misfortune ... In the UK it's called "skimming" you have to be so alert to all the skams .... cash point machines that don't look right and when handing your card over to make a purchase you never let it out of your sight ... pleased your going to get your money back ... back on thread ... great looking plot

Plantguy76 · May 11, 2015

Hey Stickman I just want to send you some good vibes in all things :hotsauce:

randyp · May 12, 2015

That sucks Rick.I check my account every day.But that would only catch it after the fact like you.I hope they catch the sob.s. :confused:

stickman · May 12, 2015

Thanks guys, I think I shocked the bank teller when I went in to fill out the paperwork to get our money back and order a new debit card... I said that I hoped the cops in NC would club the perp(s) to the ground if they caught them, and my only regret was that I couldn't do the job personally. Meh...

On a more positive note, I watered the hill-and-ditch plot well and got the black plastic mulch down for the Kapija peppers. The weather forecast for tonight's low temps is for 37 degrees though, and 40 degrees for tomorrow night, so I decided to wait for the weekend to plant them since I don't have a low row cover for that plot.

Sawyer · May 12, 2015

Bummer about the thievery, but at least you'll get your money back. I always make sure any cards I use have zero-liability.

Your garden looks inviting... it won't be long before the peppers are settling in. Last night it got down to the mid-40s here, but it looks like 50s will be the lows for the foreseeable future. It's been raining here so much it's too mucky to get into the garden right now, but the sun is shining today.

I was well into adulthood before I realized there was any other way to garden besides raised-row gardening. For most soil types, I still think it's the best.

Jeff H · May 12, 2015

stickman said:
Thanks for the good vibes all, I can surely use them... Got home from visiting my Mom yesterday and found that someone had used my debit card information to get a little over $400 at the Food Lion supermarket in Chapel Hill, N.C. They got back in line to try for another $400 but the security setup at my bank choked on it at that point and denied the transaction. The good news is that the account is insured so we'll get our money back, but it's a hassle, we won't see it for another 7-10 days, and I had to cancel the debit card and order a new one. What a world, eh?

That is one of the reasons I don't use Debit cards anymore at all. I put everything on a credit card and pay it off at the end of the month. Way easier on me to talk to the CC company about a fake charge on a bill you haven't paid yet then to wait to get reimbursed because it came out of your account already.

Essegi · May 13, 2015

stickman said:
What a world, eh?

Exactly what i thought reading your post...

Btw, still pretty cold on your places at morning.

stickman · May 14, 2015

Sawyer said:
Your garden looks inviting... it won't be long before the peppers are settling in. Last night it got down to the mid-40s here, but it looks like 50s will be the lows for the foreseeable future. It's been raining here so much it's too mucky to get into the garden right now, but the sun is shining today.

I was well into adulthood before I realized there was any other way to garden besides raised-row gardening. For most soil types, I still think it's the best.

Glad to hear somebody's getting rain...

I've been planting my peppers in raised rows right along, but the watering scheme was different before. I got a water meter to put on my hose bib to see how much I use for the various irrigation methods. I flooded the ditches before laying down the black plastic mulch and was astounded at how much that sandy loam drank... over 400 gallons! It makes me think I'm gonna have to run a drip irrigation line out there. The 50 foot drip hose I already have in place in "pepper row" uses a gallon every 9 seconds. That's more like it, but for a fully automated system I think I can do much better.

Jeff H said:
That is one of the reasons I don't use Debit cards anymore at all. I put everything on a credit card and pay it off at the end of the month. Way easier on me to talk to the CC company about a fake charge on a bill you haven't paid yet then to wait to get reimbursed because it came out of your account already.

True...that's why we use my wife's CC for big-ticket items or online purchases. I mostly used my debit card for buying gas and groceries, but from now on I guess I'll be using cash withdrawn from our bank's ATM instead. I'll just have to keep the receipts from cash transactions for my records.

Essegi said:
Exactly what i thought reading your post...

Btw, still pretty cold on your places at morning.

You're right about that Giancarlo! It was 31 degrees when I got up this morning, and a quick inspection showed we got a light frost last night. I'm glad I had my chiles, eggplants, tomatoes and basil covered! They're all fine.

Sawyer · May 14, 2015

stickman said:
Glad to hear somebody's getting rain... I've been planting my peppers in raised rows right along, but the watering scheme was different before. I got a water meter to put on my hose bib to see how much I use for the various irrigation methods. I flooded the ditches before laying down the black plastic mulch and was astounded at how much that sandy loam drank... over 400 gallons! It makes me think I'm gonna have to run a drip irrigation line out there. The 50 foot drip hose I already have in place in "pepper row" uses a gallon every 9 seconds. That's more like it, but for a fully automated system I think I can do much better.

I'm still getting too much rain here for planting. It comes in bands from the WNW to WSW, one or two bands per day (got one happening right now at daybreak), anywhere from a few hundredths to over an inch each time. Often get some sunshine in between, but it's too wet to get much done outside. It would be just about perfect if the plants were already in the ground (and I do have a few out already), but the prime planting window a little over a week ago coincided with out-of-town travel. As it is, I have to keep dumping water out of the 1020 trays. I'm sure it's leaching away nutrients.

I've gone back and forth on irrigation methods, as well. For awhile now, I've settled on flooding the row middles, with point of use delivery (drip or water spikes) in reserve for extreme conditions. My reasoning for flooding is the idea that the water will soak in more deeply, infiltrate under the row and encourage deeper root growth from the plants. Also, with less surface wetting, I think evaporation should be reduced. Haven't tested the idea in any kind of controlled experiment and the reasoning breaks down in the case of extremely sandy soil. In that case, I imagine the water would just percolate down out of reach. Flooding the middles also doesn't require as much hardware, just a hose I drag from middle to middle. I don't often use the plastic mulch, though, which I imagine helps retain even drip-delivered water.

Thirty-one degrees sucks. I hope I've seen the last of the 40s for the season. Looks good for the 10-day forecast, at least.

On the CC/DC thing, I've never used a debit card until recently. I opened up a couple of business accounts and debit cards came with the accounts. It makes it a lot easier to keep transactions separate, but it sounds like your idea of making cash transactions might be safer. Until you get mugged at the ATM, I guess.

stickman · May 15, 2015

Sawyer said:
I'm still getting too much rain here for planting. It comes in bands from the WNW to WSW, one or two bands per day (got one happening right now at daybreak), anywhere from a few hundredths to over an inch each time. Often get some sunshine in between, but it's too wet to get much done outside. It would be just about perfect if the plants were already in the ground (and I do have a few out already), but the prime planting window a little over a week ago coincided with out-of-town travel. As it is, I have to keep dumping water out of the 1020 trays. I'm sure it's leaching away nutrients.

I've gone back and forth on irrigation methods, as well. For awhile now, I've settled on flooding the row middles, with point of use delivery (drip or water spikes) in reserve for extreme conditions. My reasoning for flooding is the idea that the water will soak in more deeply, infiltrate under the row and encourage deeper root growth from the plants. Also, with less surface wetting, I think evaporation should be reduced. Haven't tested the idea in any kind of controlled experiment and the reasoning breaks down in the case of extremely sandy soil. In that case, I imagine the water would just percolate down out of reach. Flooding the middles also doesn't require as much hardware, just a hose I drag from middle to middle. I don't often use the plastic mulch, though, which I imagine helps retain even drip-delivered water.

Thirty-one degrees sucks. I hope I've seen the last of the 40s for the season. Looks good for the 10-day forecast, at least.

On the CC/DC thing, I've never used a debit card until recently. I opened up a couple of business accounts and debit cards came with the accounts. It makes it a lot easier to keep transactions separate, but it sounds like your idea of making cash transactions might be safer. Until you get mugged at the ATM, I guess.

Wuff... that's a lotta rain John! We sure wouldn't mind splitting with you. We haven't gotten more than a tenth of an inch in the last 3 weeks. It's warm enough down your way that you probably don't need the plastic mulch. We have to here to give the chiles enough of a head start on the growing season. 120+ days is pushing the envelope this far north and up in the hills.

More bad news in the garden... something ate the Bahamian Goat and Chacoense plants. That means that the only things I have to show for my seed starting efforts this year are the Hungarians, the Hawaiian Bird chiles and a Serrano. Thank god I farmed out the Chinense varieties I wanted the most. They're looking fantastic. The Ja Habs, Orange 7-Pot and Bhut Jalokia have all forked and are beginning to put out flower buds and the 6 MoA Bonnets are growing out their internodal space and beginning to fork.

OCD Chilehead · May 15, 2015

That's a bummer on the thievery. Money and then the plants? I hate thiefs, two and four legged. LOL. Those Bahimaian Goats are a great pepper. I'm sorry I didn't grow any or I would send you one in a heartbeat. Something good always comes out of something bad. Thanks again for dawn patrol. The true early morning post.

Have a great weekend Rick.

Chuck

stickman · May 16, 2015

OCD Chilehead said:
That's a bummer on the thievery. Money and then the plants? I hate thiefs, two and four legged. LOL. Those Bahimaian Goats are a great pepper. I'm sorry I didn't grow any or I would send you one in a heartbeat. Something good always comes out of something bad. Thanks again for dawn patrol. The true early morning post.

Have a great weekend Rick.

Chuck

I think the plant thieves had six legs, not four Chuck, but I take your meaning.

We'll get to the Dawn Patrol in a moment, but the first thing I did this morning was to set up a soaker hose for the Kapija peppers and a row of peas next to them.

I cut the soaker hose for length and connected the pieces with 3/8 inch plastic Ts and the appropriate-sized hose clamps, then ran the hoses under the plastic mulch and along the row of peas.

The soaker hose came with a number of Ts, end plugs and garden hose compatible connectors, but there was a shortage of Ts and I had to improvise. Now that the rows have been watered well it's time to plant the Kapijas after breakfast.

The King Naga plant out back is growing, but still too small to begin flowering. The rest have though...

Bhut Jalokia

JA Hab

Orange 7-Pot

and the MoA Bonnets are just beginning to as well

One of the purchased Jalapenos is also flowering

The OW Manzano has lost most of the leaves it had inside, and the remainder looks really rocky, but the good news is that I'm seeing growth at almost every node, so it'll come back strong.

Looks like this weekend will be the big push to get everything in the ground. All I have left are the Kapijas, Korean Ho Bak squash and pickling cukes.

Have a great weekend all!

georgej · May 16, 2015

looking good! i wish mine were half as good!

OCD Chilehead · May 16, 2015

Looking good Rick. Nice job with the soaker hose. I'm glad to see the Manzano showing signs of life. I hope she rewards you well. I have yet to successfully OW any of my plants. This year will be different. Bonchi! Good luck on getting everything in the ground.

Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing.

Chuck

stickman · May 16, 2015

georgej said:
looking good! i wish mine were half as good!

You sell yourself short G, I'm sure they'll perk up for you.

OCD Chilehead said:
Looking good Rick. Nice job with the soaker hose. I'm glad to see the Manzano showing signs of life. I hope she rewards you well. I have yet to successfully OW any of my plants. This year will be different. Bonchi! Good luck on getting everything in the ground.

Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck! All in-ground...

Now for the Honey-do list for the rest of the day...

I'll get the Cucurbits planted tomorrow.

maximumcapsicum · May 16, 2015

Plants look great Rick. Sorry to hear about the Bahamian Goats... I am still living off frozen pods from last years harvest. Mellow for a chinense.

The soaker houses look great. When I get my own space I am going to set it up that way.

Thanks for the update!