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The Surprise Garden - First Season

RocketMan

RocketMan

Ok, I have helped with gardens before, weeding, picking, etc... and have handled herb gardens very well before but this is my first time to try and grow peppers. I call this the Surprise Garden because I am using a bunch of herb seeds that I found laying around the garage along with some seeds that I saved from some really nice looking red habaneros I had, what’s this about drying the seeds, why yes I put them on a table in the garage and let them dry for 90 days (“OH NO, he did what…”). So when I walk out and actual see something growing besides another weed I need to pull it's going to be a real SURPRISE!!! Now, I know, well after reading some threads on here I know that is, that I shouldn’t have just have put the seeds in the ground, (“OH NO, he did what…”) but I figured that if I didn’t get them in the ground now I never would. I also thought that with the climate we have here in Orlando if something does come up I might get lucky and get a pod or 2. Any ways in the ground I have:

Thai Basil
Dill
Oregano
Spearmint
Thyme
Green Bell Peppers
Some Pepper seeds I got with an order to Peppermania
Red Habaneros (whether they’re Caribbean Red or Red Savina, I have no idea)

Question I have is, just incase I actually pull this off, what is the best fertilizer to use? I did read somewhere not to use Miracle Grow but beyond that I haven’t seen anything.

So, thanks for the help and I hope we get a really good laugh later and I can post some great pics of a nice little garden full of pods and we’ll all post question about how the heck I did it.

Cheers,
RM
 
I think MG Tomato food works rather well personally. I think its their soil that nobody cares for.

Botanicare products are good (but not cheap)

Fish emulsion is good for things
tomato tone

just a few...
 
Good luck with your surprises Rocketman. Oh no you did what? you really didnt do anything wrong. Fun to see how and if everything grows. Dony know till you try
As for fertilizer...get ahold of some compost manure cow or sheep should do the job. If not i use a 10-10-10 miracle grow shake and feed. Works for me. But i would probably use something a little lighter for the seedlings

cheers!
 
I am a bit east of you and have decided that herbs and peppers are about all I care to deal with anymore in these climes.
Not a big fan of chemicals...Central Florida can throw alot of challenges at any garden(er)...

Maybe a screened-in growhouse would be OK... until something tropical swings by !
 
Thanks for the info. I was actually thinking about a combination of everything y'all said. As Central Florida soil is rather sandy I was thinking about a mix of cow manure and peat and i remembered my Grandparents always using 7-7-7 and having great gardens so maybe that. I might hit up the garden center guy for what he thinks when I go as well.
 
7-7-7 isn't bad...

go to your local mom and pop nursery and just ask their opinion what fertilize to use for peppers...just tell them bell peppers and see what they say...


my local nursery makes a 7-14-7 for our "soil type"...here...when I mix my soil up before adding it to the pots, I mix in some 13-13-13 with the soil mix before potting up...
 
Great information everyone, thanks.

AJ
My Grandparents lilved in the Sherman / Dennison area so the soil was probably about the same as you have where you are. They had their own little garden for tomatoes and such and then did the family garden at my Uncle's little ranch in Dennison. They'd pull enough produce from there that with freezing and canning the only produce I ever remember them buying was salad stuff. 7-7-7 was what they swore buy.

Cheers,
RM
 
Me confused. Aint 1-1-1 equal to if not less than 5-5-5? What is it that my stupid head cant get around this? :P
 
Ok so last Monday I went out and there wS something coming up that didn't look like all the other weeds growing where I had planted the peppers. None of the her s came up but as old as I seem to remember them to be it's no surprise really. We had to come up to Alanta this weekend and as I passEd the plants I pulled out my iPhone and snapped a couple of quick pics. I think that they're going to be Orange Habaneros:

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What do you think growers, habs?

I also came into some Aji Lemons thanks to SoFlo.

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I can't wait to get these baby's into the ground. Looks like 7 of the 8 I planted came up.
Cheers,
RM
 
The only problem with planting seeds in the ground is that it only takes one grasshopper or whatever to eat a bunch of sprouted seeds.
Plants started indoors as starter plants to go outside are bigger before the critters get to the roots or leaves , a plant that can recover from being a stick to coming back from leaf damage or whatever.
Inside starts can be grown to be a size that the roots are more developed to handle the plant being chowed on by leaf eaters also.

Lots of people sow their seeds in the fall/winter so they sprout and grow before bugs get active.
Probably depends when you sow the seeds and when the bugs start eating everything up-the size of the plant etc.
 
millworkman said:
Those in the ground are not peppers. They look like a form of Nightshade.
Click to expand...

Yes Harry it's mandrake. Do you have your ear muffs on? :rofl:

Hum, I have no idea whee that could have come from. Prior to my putting some seeds in there that little plot was nothing but weeds which had been growing for about a year. Well we'll just have to wait and see what they do. But just in case I do happen to have a recip fir a mandrake beer. :cool:

Cheers,
RM
 
My Aji Lemons are starting to break soil now. I have 1 up and severn more still trying.

Picture006.jpg


I have some others that are drying right now and I should be able to get into some cups this weekend. Fatali, cayanne, a no heat Jalapeno that will be really cool. thanks to my SoFlo Bro. Hoping ot get these guys up this summer, over winter them and be ready for a great grow season next year.

Cheers,
RM

Edit, I put the tray out for a little sun the other day and it got caught in a down pour that got a couple of my habs. I still have enough though that I should be good

Picture005.jpg
 
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