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Stupid Jerk's stupid grow log for jerks

I think it is safe to say that my girlfriend now regrets bringing home a cayenne plant this July. It sparked an interest in me that has lead me to spend countless hours reading about gardening, filling the windows and balcony with plants and seedlings, purchasing a grow light, and ultimately joining a community garden. I've decided it is time I start documenting my journey.

Grow list:
7 Pot Congo Yellow (Denniz)
7 Pot Douglah
7 Pot Jonah (Denniz)
7 Pot Primo (socalchilehead)
7 Pot Red (Denniz)
7 Pot SR Congo (socalchilehead)
7 Pot Yellow
Bahamian Goat Pepper (socalchilehead)
Biker Billy Jalapeno (ajijoe)
Black Pearl
Black Cobra (smokemaster)
Bhut Jolokia
Butch T (Denniz)
Butch T x Douglah (Denniz)
Carolina Reaper
Cherry
Chile Tepin (socalchilehead)
Chocolate Bhut Jolokia
Chocolate Bhut x Yellow 7 pot (socalchilehead)
Chocolate Habanero (ajijoe)
Datil
Fatalii
Fresno (Grocery Store Pod)
Jamaican Hot Chocolate (Pogeys)
Morouga Scorpion (Denniz)
Purple Jalapeno
Red Habanero
Scotch Bonnet (Turns out to be an Anuum, so we'll call these Notch Bonnets)
Scotch Bonnet Foodorama (socalchilehead)
Scotch Bonnet Tobago Yellow (socalchilehead)
Scotch Bonnet Tobago Red (socalchilehead)
Surprise Hot Mix (ajijoe)
Thai (Grocery Store Pod)
White Bullet
Yellow Brainstrain (Denniz)



These are plants that I have obtained as adults:

Aji Yellow (smokemaster)
Habanero (home depot)
Peach Bhut (smokemaster)
White Pearl (smokemaster)
Yellow 7 Pot (smokemaster)

I have a limited amount of space, so most varieties will only have one plant in the ground.

Here is a before picture of the garden:
pwhDt.jpg

It's a 400 sq foot plot and over half of it was filled with nutsedge. I have since pulled out the nutsedge and hopefully most of the roots. Filled a massive wheelbarrow with all that I pulled out. I tried eating one of the tubers because I read they were edible, but I wouldn't recommend it. It was the consistancy of an almond, but the taste of a dirty pine needle. Maybe they are good roasted.


Growing in the ground is going to be a new adventure that I am no way prepared for. I suppose I need to do a soil test before I attempt to amend the soil. Completely organic is the plan, but I've seen a few tiny green balls in the soil, and as far as I know that means slow release Miracle Gro. On the positive side(I think?) there is a bark mulch that is mixed through the entire garden that has started breaking down throughout. You can see some of it near the pavement in the first picture. Not sure what kind of wood it is.

If anyone has any advice, feel free to chime in. I built a fence with 2x8's around the bottom. I plan on having a 2' wide 8" raised bed around the perimeter along with 3 raised beds in the center. The ones in the center may have to wait a while unless I find someone getting rid of some wood. In the mean time I plan on just mounding the ground up in those areas. I see a lot of my neighbors still have chili plants with ripe or ripening pods on them, but I think I'm waiting until mid January to early February to plant them out.(edit: planted out in March) It hasn't frosted since I moved here, but I supposed it is possible.(edit: It happened this year)
 
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Just curious, for some reason I can see your photos on my phone, but can't see my own photos I post!
Even though I use my phone and photobucket to post them! very odd

Your plants are looking awesome!
Thanks again for the seeds :)
 
6CeedoI.png


Thanks guys, I think I'm going to start bringing some of my bigger plants to the garden soon. I'm having some issues with aphids there right now, sprayed everything with a solution of neem and soap last night. When I went back today I crushed a lot of aphids I saw on the plants. They were all moving pretty slow, so I think the neem did something.

I see a lot of ants in the garden and assume that's where the aphids are coming from. I'm not sure if the ants are just everywhere or if it has something to do with how poorly I made my first compost batch.


Chris: Try using imgur. I use my phone and the app Imgupr to post most of my pics, and it works out well.
 
I've been planning on moving them to the balcony which gets about 5 hours of afternoon sun this time of year, then moving then to the garden after a few days of that. It's still all new to me, so I hope it works.
 
5 hrs afternoon may be a bit much...I have a semi-covered patio on the south side of my house. It gets indirect sun almost all day in the center and if I move them to one end or the other they get some morning or evening sun. I start them near center and move them closer to the west end 4 or 5 feet per day until their getting the 5 or so hours afternoon sun...then they're ready. If you go a little early you'll get some burned leaves, but they'll make it. Good luck.
 
Makes some sense, thanks. One of my plants had a few burned leaves, I just need to have done patience.. I'll try what you're suggesting with the next ones.

Do you shade your plants at all once they are outside?
 
StupidJerk said:
Makes some sense, thanks. One of my plants had a few burned leaves, I just need to have done patience.. I'll try what you're suggesting with the next ones.

Do you shade your plants at all once they are outside?
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Some of them get afternoon shade/partial shade due to some trees but most get full sun. No troubles with it though. August temps are hot here, but they handle it without too much trouble. Once we start hitting triple digits my water schedule is every 8 hours.
 
Well I better do some serious mulching, because I live in the hottest part of LA. Do your plants droop seriously during the day? Some of my balcony ones do in just the few hours a day they get.
 
StupidJerk said:
Well I better do some serious mulching, because I live in the hottest part of LA. Do your plants droop seriously during the day? Some of my balcony ones do in just the few hours a day they get.
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This time of year its not due to heat, they aren't used to real sun. They should get over it after they are hardened. Once it heats up they will drop some in the heat of the day, but if you keep them on the right water schedule it will be minimal. It can hit the far side of 110 here a couple days during august and stays at or near the 100 mark the rest of the days so I feel ya...my plants may have slowed down a little, but I was pulling monster harvest the whole time. Don't know if you have already, but if not I suggest a getting a drip system and timer to help out. So dry, especially when the Santa Annas kick in.
 
I start to harden plants on the back porch, mostly direct sunlight for 8 hours or so this time of year....run them in the house, or garden shed, at night....
A few leaves get sunburned, but the get used to it pretty quick.
Then when frost is over we start leaving them out at night until put into the ground.

Then when the heat hits later in the year, I have to water heavily in the morning, and then again in the evening....It can get up to 120 in the day, and pretty dang hot at night too.....
 
My garden has a no irrigation rule, but luckily it is on my commute for pretty much any work I get. So on days I'm working I guess I can water on my way out and on my way home. I also have a retired friend who lives right next to it, so maybe he can help me out a bit.

So far the only plants I have had get sunburnt on the balcony were both reapers. Not sure if that is a coincidence or not, but one dropped all of its leaves and focused on new growth, the other dropped about half of its leaves. My anuums don't care at all, and the rest of the chinenses are fine.
 
Splits like that are usually caused by some slight damage at the first node where the first set of true leaves is set to form...could also be genetic, but not as likely. If it grows beasty make sure you save me some seeds!
 
That makes sense, I think I caused it by having that seedling too close to the fan before it had any true leaves.

I finished my edged bed today at the garden with some boards a friend gave me. I dug down a bit and then mixed the soil with manure and the rest of my friend's compost pile. So I have that bed, one of the 2 large beds (raised, no 2x8s for an edge) and the perimeter finished. The only major project now is digging the last bed, which is another 4x14'er.

The plants responded well to the sun, no drooping at all. Also, the aphid population at the garden has dropped dramatically. Not sure if it is my companion plants sprouting or my meticulously smashing them one by one, but things are looking up.

Tonight I'm going to make a worm bin so we can compost easily at home. I'm using these plans and red worms I found in a bait fridge: http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/easywormbin.htm
 
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