Trent's 2014 Grow Log - COLD COLD COLD

HillBilly Jeff · May 6, 2014

I hear you on the frost crap. I don't plant out until the 20th or so. Last year I had the entire garden planted and had to sweat out a cold weekend after that around the 24th. I can't cover 200 some peppers and close to 100 tomatoes. I'd rather wait a week and play it safe.

I planted my tomatoes on March 15th and they're over 2 feet tall too. I think next year I will wait until April 1st and go no feed until they show signs of needing it. Or keep them in the pellet longer. I kept them close to the light, so it has to be the feed. The good thing is you can bury em deep and they will root like a mother. Not sure on the balls on mine as I haven't potted them in a while.

I'm waiting another week on cukes as they can pop in a few days and I might be in the 20s next week lol.

Good luck to you....

TrentL · May 6, 2014

Had the afternoon off work (taught concealed carry last night, so worked 16 hours between my day job, and that).

So I'm potting up today. Gone through 4 cu/ft of potting soil so far with no end in sight...

When I'm done, they're going OUTSIDE!!!!!

HillBilly Jeff · May 6, 2014

This close to plant out, I sure wouldn't be potting up. I'm tight like that though....squeeze a nickle until the buffalo craps

TrentL · May 6, 2014

Well I bought the 5" pots, might as well use them. They were all stalled up BAD in those peat cups. The ones I'd potted up a couple weeks ago are 6" taller than the ones in the 3" peat cups (which simply stopped growing altogether).

So I'm trying to get them a LITTLE bigger before they go in the ground!

The other reason for the pot-up is last year when I took the peat cups outside, they dried out SO FAST that I lost a couple plants from it. I'm too busy this year to be watering 3x a damn day!
Funny thing too, I still have 70 pepper plants in the grow room, and it looks empty.

The other 200 plants are outside lining the north side of my house, in full shade.

Devv · May 6, 2014

You did the right thing burying the Tom's deep, keep em watered and all the stem will turn to root. Should be NP at your place, the soil looks nice and heavy.

I did some late potting up because they needed it, very little root expansion on those gals at transplant time. It certainly didn't hurt things, I put all the potting soil in the hole, so that's a bonus.

Take care of that back, stretches are the key. I'd call you old but I have about 17 years on ya

Switching from auto tech to IT made me softer, it's a constant stretch and exercise thang to be able to do what I want, when I want, I refuse to give in

maximumcapsicum · May 6, 2014

Tomatoes really explode after burying all that stem. Makes for very strong plants.

Glog is looking great Trent!

TrentL · May 7, 2014

North side (e.g. ugly side) of my house is lined with plants. I'm *HOPING* that no random deer come along for a lunch over the next week.

I *almost* lost my tomatoes last night when this random branch fell out of the tree at the end of the line....

These dang walnut trees shed branches like my husky blows his coat - every spring I'm picking up 4-5" thick branches that fall here and there. Last year one almost took out a row of potted peppers.

The other angle:

Over the last 24 hours they got THIRSTY. Some of the annuums started wilting, so I gave 'em all a good soak this evening.

Didn't grab a pic but the tomatoes I "buried in a 6" deep trench" the other day are still alive and kicking. I gave those, and everything else in my garden, another good soak tonight too. Been very dry since that wet spell passed us at the end of April! We need rain!

Also gave the random children playing in my yard a good soaking while I was at it. DAMN KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN! (They multiply ... two of mine were out playing, but there were over a half dozen running around at one point.)

Whenever they got too close to my plants, I let them know with the hose.

TrentL · May 7, 2014

I went out for a little recon tonight. (Yes, the marigolds died.. they didn't like life in my grow room for a week...)

I watered this evening so I wanted to get an idea of "worm life." Tons of nightcrawlers in the garden. (Also founds some earthworms when I was tilling & planting).

HOW IN THE HELL DID I MISS TAKING THIS TOMATO OUT OF THE GROW ROOM?!!!!!

Lots of cleanup to do.

Huge mess.

Random tray of annual flowers I bought and forgot about stuffed in the back... they're on the front porch now.

I got a (WAY the hell overdue) pack of ladybugs in so let a hundred or so loose tonight to end the aphid problem on the plants left indoors. (AGAIN)

They were hungry and went right to work.

jcw10tc · May 7, 2014

I hate walnut trees. Had same issue. Had to take out one about 50ft tall when moved here when it almost took out a fence. Have some others on back part of property. They make the soil pretty toxic for tomatoes and peppers, cant get anything to grow in the back where I wish I could put the garden as the soil is much better back there. I assume your walnut trees are not near the garden plot.

TrentL · May 7, 2014

jcw10tc said:
I hate walnut trees. Had same issue. Had to take out one about 50ft tall when moved here when it almost took out a fence. Have some others on back part of property. They make the soil pretty toxic for tomatoes and peppers, cant get anything to grow in the back where I wish I could put the garden as the soil is much better back there. I assume your walnut trees are not near the garden plot.

No, they're not. but I'm having that problem with non-peppers. Under the walnut tree in the front yard, I put in a rock garden last year. (FYI; arranging 5+ tons of granite boulders is back breaking shit-work.)

The stuff in the rock garden did somewhat OK - as each plant I put in, I dug the hole extra-large and used all of my leftover black potting soil to give them a decent bed. Even so, I had 8 perennials die this winter. (LOL I had to look up how to spell that, spell check kept wanting to spell out "peri-anal" and I'm like "WTF!!! I'm not talking about assholes).

When I redid the rock garden last year at least I used a very thick weedblock material under the rocks, to keep them from sinking. The good news, is I'll be able to keep walnuts out of the holes. (except for what the damnable squirrels go and bury... I had the burying walnuts *IN* my potted peppers last fall before I brought in my overwinters!)

To the right (off the picture) I tried to plant roses, and various bushes/shrubbery. Everything I put in the native soil ALL died. I'm talking 100% fatalities on about $350 worth of various bushes and shrubs. Was pissed! I'd have to do some serious soil amendment *and* use some hard core weedblock covers to keep the nuts out, and keep the squirrels from burying them there....

This year, in that rock garden I pictured, will be a few special "leftover" peppers for ornamentals. Pimenta de Neyde, Black Jalapeno, Mexican Rocoto, and a couple others. It's almost full shade with the locust trees and that one walnut tree bordering it, so they won't get big or produce much at all, but they'll look "cute".

And, I won't have to buy more plants (which will die anyway.)

jcw10tc · May 8, 2014

Even though we had this giant walnut cut down over 5 years ago, I think nothing will grow near where it was. I might put a few of my extras back there this year to see if the juglone has leached out of the soil. There is a hill, like a levi on the river runs the back of my property where this tree was. The soil on this hill looks to be the best spot of my entire property. Planted 2 blueberry bushes there 4 years ago. Was hoping for some blueberries and some bushes to add some privacy between us and the park. They have not died but never grown either. After a few years look it up and found that walnut is toxic to them as well.

TrentL · May 8, 2014

I've heard that pine trees also make the soil around them toxic to other plants. I wonder what other plants do this?? Might need to do a little research on it to satisfy my curiosity now.

Heuchera, dianthus, jacobs ladder, and azaleas sure didn't love life out there. I did have three rose bushes take under a different walnut tree, although I heavily amended the soil, and they were a different strain - those "knockout" roses are proving to be damn hardy!

I'm still wondering if the nasty hard winter might have had something to do with some of the perennials dying. I think we dropped a hardiness zone or two this winter. We had the most days below zero of any winter in recorded history, with 26 days below zero Fahrenheit (!!), and some in the negative-teens.

Speaking of cold, it's been a few pages without a random gun picture.

This was me demonstrating prone shooting at the February match. 14" of snow on the range. We had to meet up and carpool in 4x4's to actually get to the event. The high temp of the day was 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and windchill at the end had dropped to somewhere around -22F.

Due to the incredibly deep snow we had to hike out to change targets. One guy tried using a 4x4 but got stuck about 100 yards out.

This is looking back at the firing line 300 yards away.

Jeff H · May 8, 2014

TrentL said:
Speaking of cold, it's been a few pages without a random gun picture.

This was me demonstrating prone shooting at the February match. 14" of snow on the range. We had to meet up and carpool in 4x4's to actually get to the event. The high temp of the day was 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and windchill at the end had dropped to somewhere around -22F.

Hey, no fair, you have a scope.

Might want to invest in a shooting mat. It will keep you a little dryer. LOL.

TrentL · May 8, 2014

Jeff H said:
Hey, no fair, you have a scope.

Might want to invest in a shooting mat. It will keep you a little dryer. LOL.

See rule 19.5.3 - Optics. They became legal in High Power in 2011, and after a few rules changes, now have their own classification.

That's still not a legal High Power rifle due to the muzzlebreak, though. I brought it because I was dumb enough to stick around after the match and get a round of practice in. Need to swap out the muzzlebreak for a Smith Vortex at some point so it's a legal rifle.

Funny thing is out to 300 yards, I shoot that particular rifle just as well with or without a scope. It's on a set of ARMS quick detach rings so I can ditch it quick. Beyond 300 yards I have issues making out the target with irons; 300 is currently a stretch due to eyesight, need new prescription lenses. Mine are out of date by 4 years.

We were shooting from a nice shoveled off slab with shooting mats. I took that nose dive in to the snow only for a hard core "photo op."

Also have a heated shoot house at the range we were taking breaks in to let our snot-cycles thaw a little, and to score targets. The wind was brutal. I wore jeans, sweatshirt, arctic overalls, then a poncho over THAT to serve as a windbreak. Two pairs of socks inside insulated boots, and two stocking caps. Still froze my ass off over the 7 hours we were out there.

Jeff H · May 8, 2014

TrentL said:
See rule 19.5.3 - Optics. They became legal in High Power in 2011, and after a few rules changes, now have their own classification.

That's still not a legal High Power rifle due to the muzzlebreak, though. I brought it because I was dumb enough to stick around after the match and get a round of practice in. Need to swap out the muzzlebreak for a Smith Vortex at some point so it's a legal rifle.

Funny thing is out to 300 yards, I shoot that particular rifle just as well with or without a scope. It's on a set of ARMS quick detach rings so I can ditch it quick. Beyond 300 yards I have issues making out the target with irons; 300 is currently a stretch due to eyesight, need new prescription lenses. Mine are out of date by 4 years.

Cool, I just read it and the course of fire is the same as Service rifle (what I normally shoot). I might have to get a flat top upper and give it a try if I can find a decent scope for $5-600. I'm not buying a Nightforce for shooting 223. I didn't see anything about having to use an F-class center, maybe I missed it but if you can use regular targets that will be nice.

Here is a pic of mine.

Whiteoak upper with pinned rear sight and a geissele 2 stage trigger. A true joy to shoot, but as you pointed out, long distance is interesting with open sights. Our club goes clear out to 600. At 600 yards, the front sight post is the size of the black on the MR-1 target. How I'm able to hit the black most of the time is still a mystery to me. A testament to the guns accuracy.

As an interesting aside, my (liberal) wife looked at me last night and said that our kids weekly evening obligations should be just about wrapped up by the 1st week in June. She told me she expected me to take advantage of the added free time and catch up with the High power league that shoots every Wednesday. After 17 years of marriage, I think I'm winning her over.

sicman · May 8, 2014

plants look great,cool pic of you playing in the snow and my wife would smack me if i threw a plant on top of our stove :rofl:

HillBilly Jeff · May 8, 2014

You are going to make me start posting some pistol pics aren't you lol

TrentL · May 8, 2014

HillBilly Jeff said:
You are going to make me start posting some pistol pics aren't you lol

Dude go for it!

sicman said:
plants look great,cool pic of you playing in the snow and my wife would smack me if i threw a plant on top of our stove

My wife wasn't home at the time. First thing out of her mouth when she walked through the door was "GET THAT DAMN THING OFF MY STOVE."

So I moved it to the center of the kitchen table, where it sat until I took it out today.

Jeff H said:
Cool, I just read it and the course of fire is the same as Service rifle (what I normally shoot). I might have to get a flat top upper and give it a try if I can find a decent scope for $5-600. I'm not buying a Nightforce for shooting 223. I didn't see anything about having to use an F-class center, maybe I missed it but if you can use regular targets that will be nice.

Here is a pic of mine.

Whiteoak upper with pinned rear sight and a geissele 2 stage trigger. A true joy to shoot, but as you pointed out, long distance is interesting with open sights. Our club goes clear out to 600. At 600 yards, the front sight post is the size of the black on the MR-1 target. How I'm able to hit the black most of the time is still a mystery to me. A testament to the guns accuracy.

As an interesting aside, my (liberal) wife looked at me last night and said that our kids weekly evening obligations should be just about wrapped up by the 1st week in June. She told me she expected me to take advantage of the added free time and catch up with the High power league that shoots every Wednesday. After 17 years of marriage, I think I'm winning her over.

Great looking rifle! I love the classic A2 shape. White oak intentionally uses .050 width front sight posts so the front sight post SHOULD always be pretty dang close to the size of the target centers. (I also refit all of my AR rifles with those posts when I buy or build them.)

There's a lot of good glass in the 500-600 range. Same targets are used with optics. Just remember to set your parallax when you go from one distance to another, otherwise you'll be WAY the hell off center when you switch positions (standing/sitting/prone), regardless of whether you dial in the correct dope. (Not sure how familiar you are with using optics so I'm speaking in general terms here; you may know this stuff). If you don't dial in parallax, when your cheek weld shifts from one position to another (and it will), you will be all over the damn place. Most common mistake I see. It's enough of a difference that I've seen shooters get 12+ inches off the center if they forget - at 200 or 300 yards.

Setting perfect parallax is more than just dialing it in until the target is clear. You need to wiggle your head around a little moving your eye from side to side, up and down, tweaking parallax (or focus, if a combination knob), until the target and reticle appear to be on the same precise visual plane. If parallax isn't set 100% correctly a tiny difference in eye positioning will cause the reticle to "float" over the target, throwing off point of aim / impact.

Now... for some pictures. I took quite a few today.

I had a tomato split at the top of the stake in the wind, so I figured hardened or not, it's going in the ground right now.

Root mass when I took it out looked OK, not great, but OK anyway - better than the first two. Note it skipped over the jiffy soil layer - tomatoes must not care much for peat/vermiculite.

Dug a 2 foot long trench, about 9" deep and plunked it in sideways.

Top still stuck out quite a lot - about 16" high still... damn thing was tall and lanky.

Gave it a bath and tested out how level my pits were. (Garden is on a moderate hill slope). The middle of the right pit where I put the new one will settle down, I didn't want to pack the soil above the root mass and stem I buried.

I hope that one makes it, feel pretty good about it despite the split open stem.

Peppers are happy as hell outside.

Got my first flowers, on the annuums of course. They'll probably fall off; if not, I may pinch them anyway.

This cayenne is damn near 2' tall now, and has the second forks. It triple forked on the first, then doubled on each of those.

Chinense that I topped indoors a couple weeks ago forked (which is what I wanted it to do)

Quite a lot of my annuums triple forked then doubled again; here's another (Early Jalapeno) that's setting buds and flowers. Kind of excited about the "haul" I'll get off these this year if they keep going.

Another annuum, can't remember which strain this one is, but she's sure pretty. Glad the edema and curled up leaves have gone away. This thing looked horrendous a few days ago before it came outside.

And that's my 10. Got a few more left.

Jeff H · May 9, 2014

Great pics Trent. Plants are looking real nice.

those tomatoes will enjoy being buried deep.

Here is your bump.

TrentL · May 9, 2014

Thanks!

Compare the annuums above, to how they looked a week ago before potting up and taking outside;

Had a little whoops when carrying out the 6" pots. Was carrying 3 per hand....

The only true cumari plant I have. Got the seeds from Judy.

Compare to a week ago, indoors, before potting up and taking outside.

Marley dog watching the storm roll in. Every time it thundered, he growled back at it.

Volunteer cherry tomato popping up again in the same spot as last year.

The one I allowed to live grew about 12' long last year - ended up reached under the camper steps. Not sure if I'll let it grow out again or not.. it kind of cut off access to my lower garage.

(Also... I have 100,000 crab grass shoots trying to take over the garden again this year. Gonna be on my knees a lot this weekend... and it won't be the "fun kind of on my knees work.")
The first ultrahot I grew in 2012 was started indoors late.

Produced all of 3 ripe pods before first frost...

My son captured the moment ... this was "the moment" I became a pepperhead.. my garden would never be the same.

(That plant finally died this winter, unfortunately. Although I still have one survivor left from 2012 and it's doing really well outside; a yellow scotch bonnet).