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:

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)

 

[StupidJerk]

Thanks lakers, I'll be doing some major work in the garden tomorrow. I'll try to get some updated pics when I'm out there.

 

[DesertChris]

Nice Roots!! I like the White Bullet Pot he got for a new home too!

 

[Devv]

I've found yet another great glog!

You're definitely doing something right, I'll be back to watch this one...

 

[StupidJerk]

Alright, a quick update on my progress.

Here is an updated picture of the plants I have in the ground:

I took it right when I got to the garden, so everything was a bit dry and droopy. Being the hottest day of the year so far at about 1 PM didn't help either.

This is the Carolina Reaper that I burnt all of the leaves off of when I didn't know how to harden off properly. It's making quite a comeback at this point.

Another angle:

Thai pepper from seed out of a pod I bought at 99 Market:

You can see a Black Pearl and another anuum behind it.

Here's a Scotch Bonnet, or at least that's what the company I purchased the seed from called it, looks a little too anuum to me. I'm no expert, though:

A Chocolate bhut. I have 2 about like this that I've been pinching buds off of, but I'm thinking of letting one pod up soon. What do you guys think?

This Fatalii is also fiercely trying to make buds. Are Fataliis always bumpy leaved like this? All the ones I started from seed have been, so have the ones I saw at the nursery. At first I thought I was doing something wrong:

This is something Aji Joe sent me labeled as a Chocolate Hab mix. The leaf that is on the ground is one I just pulled off because it liked hanging out in the dirt too much. Again this is before I watered, so it is a bit droopy in the pic. It perked up before I left:

I finally brought my overwinters to the garden. They had some spidermite issues and my garden is full of ladybugs, so I thought I'd see how they did out there. They are all doing 100% better. No mites that I can find now:
Aji Yellow:

Peach Bhut with Orange hab behind it:

I've got more pics if anyone wants to give me a bump.

 

[Sawyer]

Looking good.

 

[StupidJerk]

Thanks Sawyer! (And thanks for the bump)

A few of the plants that haven't made it into the ground yet. A couple Yellow Brains, a couple primos, a Butch T, Morouga Scorpion, some I can't remember, a red rocoto. Not sure which is which in this pic other than the rocoto obviously:

That is after I've weeded that spot several times. The nutsedge just never gives up. I'm going to be putting the last bed there. Maybe I could breed a variety of duck that only eats purple nutsedge.



One of my 3 Tomatillo plants. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them all. I just read that a healthy Tomatillo plant produces around 10 lbs of fruit a year:

This Black Krim tomato is doing nice as well:

I thought I had some more shots, but they didn't turn out.

 

[stc3248]

Looking real good jerk! That Scotch Bonnet is more than likely a Yellow Mushroom or Jamaican Hot Yellow, not the real deal. I ended up with the same ones last year...although it wasn't what I was hoping for, it was one of my favorites! Huge numbers of freakishly hot annuums that had just a hint of chinense flavor. If that's what they end up as, you're in for a treat! Great stuff, and what a great socal day today!

 

[DesertChris]

Your plants are looking awesome! That nice weather you have over the hill is soooo much better than here!!

 

[StupidJerk]

Well I was going to try to finish the other bed tomorrow but I ended up with a sunburn. Again.

These were the seeds I purchased, btw. http://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/view/0075/Pepper-Chile-Scotch-Bonnet-HEIRLOOM-Seeds

Sorry to anyone I shared these with. Maybe Chris?

Luckily I have a few other sb types I started from SoCal Chilehead. Red and Yellow SB Tobagos and Scotch Bonnet Foodorama.

 

[WalkGood]

For those that may have not followed along from the start … you’ve made amazing progress from when I first recommended making Mojito’s with what looked like mint in that poorly kept plot. You transformed it into a productive thing of beauty and today’s look is awesome, every ting looks great … keep up dat great grow mon

 

[DesertChris]

Well I was going to try to finish the other bed tomorrow but I ended up with a sunburn. Again.

These were the seeds I purchased, btw. http://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/view/0075/Pepper-Chile-Scotch-Bonnet-HEIRLOOM-Seeds

Sorry to anyone I shared these with. Maybe Chris?

Luckily I have a few other sb types I started from SoCal Chilehead. Red and Yellow SB Tobagos and Scotch Bonnet Foodorama.

Yep, you shared with me

I took a quick look, here are 2 seedlings....they are still.little guys but you can see they look a little different than the classic chinense leaves.
As far as I am concerned, it is totally cool, another different variety...Yippee!!
And if Shane says they are great, then we are lucky
I ended up also getting some scotch bonnet seeds from that vendor known as "He who should not be named"....lol

 

[StupidJerk]

Looking real good jerk! That Scotch Bonnet is more than likely a Yellow Mushroom or Jamaican Hot Yellow, not the real deal. I ended up with the same ones last year...although it wasn't what I was hoping for, it was one of my favorites! Huge numbers of freakishly hot annuums that had just a hint of chinense flavor. If that's what they end up as, you're in for a treat! Great stuff, and what a great socal day today!

Yep, you shared with me

I took a quick look, here are 2 seedlings....they are still.little guys but you can see they look a little different than the classic chinense leaves.
As far as I am concerned, it is totally cool, another different variety...Yippee!!
And if Shane says they are great, then we are lucky
I ended up also getting some scotch bonnet seeds from that vendor known as "He who should not be named"....lol

I'm all for some tasty peppers that aren't too flaming hot to eat. I'm starting to realize that a good portion of what I'm growing will be unbearably hot to eat by themselves.

For those that may have not followed along from the start … you’ve made amazing progress from when I first recommended making Mojito’s with what looked like mint in that poorly kept plot. You transformed it into a productive thing of beauty and today’s look is awesome, every ting looks great … keep up dat great grow mon

Thank you! Makes me feel good to hear that! Last year at this time I didn't even know how much water to give my girlfriend's houseplants and I had never even thought about starting something from seed. This website has been a huge part of learning about gardening. It is hard for me to believe that I just started getting interested in late summer of last year.

Here is a quick shot of then(Around Christmas 2012) and now:

Still not finished!

 

[Devv]

Hmmmm, I think I see just a little improvement

You're never finished!

Lookin' good!

Scott

 

[DesertChris]

Yep, me too....a whole bunch of hot and superhot...lol

Luckily I started plenty sweets and milds too though!!

 

[StupidJerk]

I need to edit that grow list at some point. I've given away so many plants and started new ones that it is completely inaccurate. Mildest I have growing are the Cherries, Aji Amarillo, and Fresno.

I'm not a fan of bells and neither is the fiance, so we're not growing any of those. She likes a lot of heat as well. She works as a manager at a restaurant and can handle more heat than most of the kitchen guys from south of the border, so we're going to need a lot of powder. I think it hurts their machismo a bit when a blonde white girl wants food hotter than theirs. I'm running out of the stuff I made from the dried pods Fernando sent me.

BTW, Chris, did you ever try that out?(Baggy labeled danger)

 

[DesertChris]

I need to edit that grow list at some point. I've given away so many plants and started new ones that it is completely inaccurate. Mildest I have growing are the Cherries, Aji Amarillo, and Fresno.

I'm not a fan of bells and neither is the fiance, so we're not growing any of those. She likes a lot of heat as well. She works as a manager at a restaurant and can handle more heat than most of the kitchen guys from south of the border, so we're going to need a lot of powder. I think it hurts their machismo a bit when a blonde white girl wants food hotter than theirs. I'm running out of the stuff I made from the dried pods Fernando sent me.

BTW, Chris, did you ever try that out?(Baggy labeled danger)

Heck yeah, the boy and I both have been using the danger powder But sparingly to make it last

I absolutely love the manzano powder!! I am seriously hoping some of those seeds make it through germination...
Round one they all.helmet headed and rotted in the helmet.
On round two now....

Amazingly in a place with what must be 50% hispanic population, there is not a single manzano to be found in the stores

 

[StupidJerk]

You want more manzano powder? I'll make another batch soon and send you some. How much do you want? I can get manzanos around here easily, I'll include some of their seeds in with the package.

 

[JJJessee]

Everything looks FANTASTIC!
You have come a long way in a year, through applied intelligence and hard work. Congrats!

 

[DesertChris]

You want more manzano powder? I'll make another batch soon and send you some. How much do you want? I can get manzanos around here easily, I'll include some of their seeds in with the package.

Wow! That would be awesome!!
Whatever you sent would get devoured!
And I will.be happy to reimburse you

 

[Dot Com]

nice plot. I like how you fenced it off and tilled/fortified the dirt. The pepper plants should thrive there as long as they get enough of everything they need.