The Pacific Northwest GLOG 2015

ColdSmoke · May 18, 2015

They are absolute aphid magnets. Hundreds per leaf. No aphids on the peppers though

OCD Chilehead · May 18, 2015

Sorry ColdSmoke. I need to look at the avatars better on my iPhone. All I see is red. I gave Jim all your credit. Dope.... Sober post Sober edit. LOL

bpwilly · May 19, 2015

Roguejim said:
BBQ? Those peppers were fried, unless you're talking about something else.

Jim,

I was just talking about the jerk sauce when you asked what I do with the MOA's and Goats. At least I thought I was. Sometimes my mind wanders or as my wife likes to say " Squirrel " when I get off on something other than what I had planned.

ColdSmoke

If the Hops attract aphids, are you saying they do such a good job, that you do not get any on your peppers? If so, Wow, I might have to do some strategic planting as a just in case measure this summer.

Bill

ColdSmoke · May 19, 2015

bpwilly said:
ColdSmoke

If the Hops attract aphids, are you saying they do such a good job, that you do not get any on your peppers? If so, Wow, I might have to do some strategic planting as a just in case measure this summer.

Bill

I suppose so. That's not the intent of the hops; the hops came way before the peppers. I was currious if they would migrate to the peppers but they never have. They must like the hops that much. Careful planting hops they will spread all over your yard if you don't contain them. They are great ornamental "weeds" and you can make beer with them.

bpwilly · May 19, 2015

Thanks,

I like multipurpose plants. Thanks for the warning about them spreading. There seems to be a lot of "garden" plants that spread worse than weeds if you do not take care. Horseradish, tomatillo, cilantro, oregano are a few that have gotten me in the past.

ColdSmoke · May 19, 2015

KevinH said:
Looking great guys. All mine are dead. So I will be looking for some replacement seed in the coming months. May my plants RIP

My offer still stands. I have a few plants for you if you find yourself in the Wilsonville area. Just shoot me a PM and I'll meet you somewhere near I-5

KevinH · May 19, 2015

Coldsmoke that's really cool. I sent a PM to your box.

ColdSmoke said:
My offer still stands. I have a few plants for you if you find yourself in the Wilsonville area. Just shoot me a PM and I'll meet you somewhere near I-5

ColdSmoke · May 26, 2015

quiet in here fellas. My peppers have spider mites or something. Tiny brown speckles all over the leaves misshaped new growth; they look pretty crappy. I'm a little bummed out. I'm hitting them with neem oil. Any other suggestions?

Roguejim · May 26, 2015

After last season's aphid infestation, I've pretty much given up on organic remedies for most bugs. I spent a lot of $$, and wore myself out with the constant spraying. It's my understanding that mites are even worse.

How's the weather all around the PNW? Here in southern Oregon, temps are quickly climbing. 82F today, up to 89F Thursday. Back down to 74F by next Monday with possible showers over the weekend. Scorching heat will soon be here.

ColdSmoke · May 26, 2015

low 80s through the weekend then back down to 66 on Monday. I'm not 100% that it's spider mites. It could be a magnesium deficiency...which would make more sense since I've never had mite issues before. Some of the signs on my plants look exactly like spider mite damage but I don't actually see any of them or their webs. I'll hit them with some Epsom salt tonight

Roguejim · May 26, 2015

I'm not sure that spider mites are visible to the naked eye.

turbo · May 27, 2015

Seattle's had highs in the mid 60's the past 5 days, but the sun is supposed to come out today and be in the mid 70's for the next few days. I'm really loving this whole hoop house thing. If the outside temps are mid 60's, its in the low 90's inside the hoop house. Really useful for PNW growing in the spring.

I decided not to mess with pruning, topping, or pinching buds this year and I'm very pleased with my plants. Almost all of them have great branching structures, and I've got a fair number of first round pods going...WAY more than last year at this time. We'll see how things look at the end of the season, but so far that strategy seems to be working well.

I planted fennel, dill, and cilantro in with my peppers. Supposedly their flowers attract ladybugs and other good bugs to help eat any of the baddies that might get into my peppers. We'll see how that works. Worst case I'll have plenty of cilantro for guacamole and dill for bakes salmon. Not sure what I'll do with the fennel.

ColdSmoke · May 27, 2015

Going to have to try the hoop house next year. Looks like all I will need to do is drive some re-bar into the ground and buy some PVC and plastic.

Roguejim · May 27, 2015

turbo said:
Seattle's had highs in the mid 60's the past 5 days, but the sun is supposed to come out today and be in the mid 70's for the next few days. I'm really loving this whole hoop house thing. If the outside temps are mid 60's, its in the low 90's inside the hoop house. Really useful for PNW growing in the spring.

I decided not to mess with pruning, topping, or pinching buds this year and I'm very pleased with my plants. Almost all of them have great branching structures, and I've got a fair number of first round pods going...WAY more than last year at this time. We'll see how things look at the end of the season, but so far that strategy seems to be working well.

I planted fennel, dill, and cilantro in with my peppers. Supposedly their flowers attract ladybugs and other good bugs to help eat any of the baddies that might get into my peppers. We'll see how that works. Worst case I'll have plenty of cilantro for guacamole and dill for bakes salmon. Not sure what I'll do with the fennel.

Now you got me thinking hoop houses, too. How wide are your raised beds, and how long is the pvc? Any fans necessary? What type plastic cover do you have there? Looks great, dude. Good luck with attracting beneficial insects. I planted dill, fennel, yarrow, and marigolds, but had aphids by day 4. I wasn't about to wait for the beneficial insects to show up. Ortho became my weapon of choice this time.

turbo · May 27, 2015

ColdSmoke said:
Going to have to try the hoop house next year. Looks like all I will need to do is drive some re-bar into the ground and buy some PVC and plastic.

Yup, that's about it. Instead of re-bar, I went fancy and screwed on some PVC hangers to the side of the bed. And for plastic just get 0.5 mil painters tarp...WAY cheaper than official hoop house covers. I found the "large binder clips" of any office supply store fits perfectly over 1/2" PVC. Just put a small square of cloth between the plastic cover and the binder clip to keep the clip from tearing the cover. Thass'it

Roguejim said:
Now you got me thinking hoop houses, too. How wide are your raised beds, and how long is the pvc? Any fans necessary? What type plastic cover do you have there? Looks great, dude. Good luck with attracting beneficial insects. I planted dill, fennel, yarrow, and marigolds, but had aphids by day 4. I wasn't about to wait for the beneficial insects to show up. Ortho became my weapon of choice this time.

Thanks Roguejim! My beds are 3' wide, 18" tall. I purchased 10' PCV pipes, and cut them down to 9'. You can go shorter, but I wanted the hoop house fairly tall so the plants would have plenty of room to grow. No fans, just be sure to cut an opening on each side of the hoop house. When I first planted and the highs were in the mid 50's, I kept the opening closed which gave me about 90F inside. But once the daily highs got into the mid to upper 60's I needed to keep the openings wide open, otherwise it got up to 110F inside.

Blister · May 27, 2015

Roguejim said:
I'm not sure that spider mites are visible to the naked eye.

Yep. Just visible. I appear to have picked some up since I've been putting my plants out in the sun. The weeds had grown long enough to touch some of the leaves. I'm guessing that's where they made the transfer. In my case, you'll see tiny specks of red running around on the leaves. Not too sure what I'm going to do about them just yet.

Neil

bpwilly · May 28, 2015

Roguejim said:
I'm not sure that spider mites are visible to the naked eye.

Jim,

It has been my experience that by the time you see any webing from the mites, you really have a full blown infestation. They are real small and seeing them with your eyes is possible, but dang hard. At 10-30 power magnifying device sure helps. To test for webs, just use a mister with a real super fine spray and the webs will pop out and be visible.

Neem can help, but it is mild, but I normally do not mess with these guys and go all out and nuke them. There are several types of miticides available. They all cost a arm and a leg, but a little goes a long ways, since they get diluted pretty well. Any of your grow shops around you will have a good supply of chemicals for those buggers, or good old Amazon.com.

Roguejim · May 31, 2015

Pod/plant photo time. Picked a couple of ripe Chilacas, and a couple of MOAs, already. Temps are shooting up in the day, with warmer nights. Plants are podding up big time.

Ma Wiri Wiri. When it starts podding up, they will be small and many.

Big Jim.

4ft Cacho de Cabra. It hit 7ft last season.

Here's where I need some help. It was supposed to be a Choc Hab, but it's looking like a White Hab?

Cumari Do Para.

Jamaican Mushroom.

Choc Scorp.

I also found this site dedicated to gardening in the Pacific Northwest.
http://www.rainyside.com/index.html

This book also from the above site.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570615349/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=rainysidegard-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399377&creativeASIN=1570615349

turbo · Jun 1, 2015

Don't know if that's a white hab. They are smaller, less round, and more jelly bean shaped. It'll be interesting to see what they turn out to be.

bpwilly · Jun 1, 2015

Jim,

Wow your plants are really humming along there. Looks like the wood chips must be working for you. Nice sized pods for this time of the year. You must be doing them right, as they really look healthy.

As for the Chocolate Hab, I have no idea, other than to say that I am never sure what will grow from seeds that I have open pollinated in past years. With the helpful bees in the garden, I am not sure just how much cross pollination really happens between the various species. I know last year I tried real hard at the start of the season to use the old Q-tips to beat the bees to the pollination, but this year, I have just let them have their way and will see what happens next year with these seeds. Might be some good surprises?