Trent's 2014 Grow Log - COLD COLD COLD

TrentL · May 21, 2014

Thanks guys!

I think I got to the plants in time today. After pushing them back in the shade and giving them a drink, they perked right back up again!

D-Day is supposed to be 3 days away, hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can leave them out full time without seeing them wilt like that.

Having them on the driveway doesn't help, they get a LOT of extra heat mid-day.

All of the tomatoes are in the dirt now. I think the spotting on them was frostbite - they were left out when we had those two nights of frost last week. They seem to be shrugging it off!

Only thing left to go in to the garden is peppers, and my 2nd and 3rd lettuce plantings.
Oh and I have a rabbit problem. Lead pill in order. They ate an entire frigging row of green bean leaves leaving nothing but a stem. Sowed new seeds.

Those wabbits don't know who they are messing with man. Illinois has unlimited nuisance rights on non-protected furbearers, no hunting license required.

TrentL · May 21, 2014

You can tell when I've been drinking (I have tonight) when I'd give my left arm for a Jalapeno grilled cheese.

Why can't my damn peppers be all grown up yet???

TrentL · May 22, 2014

Re-tilled the pepper segment of the garden today to kill off crabgrass and hundreds of volunteer tomatoes.

After I cool off a bit, going to go stake it out and get the rows built. NOAA shows 30% humidity right now but they lie. After the little bit of sprinkle we just had it feels like a sauna out there.

Unsavory tasks today, too. My Irish Wolfhound somehow managed to snag a baby squirrel while I was watering the various sprouts and tomatoes.

He broke both hind legs, baby was still alive, momma squirrel was raising a hell of a racket from the tree.

Didn't want him eating it - he's up to date on shots, but rabies isn't the only concern out in the wild.. not wanting my dog to get some obscure disease or parasite. So I took Marley the Wondermutt inside, came back out with a knife, and dispatched the baby. With two broken hind legs, it was done for. Poor bugger squealed something fierce. Was very unpleasant.

Momma squirrel was NOT happy with me doing this, and continued to yell at me for 20+ minutes before finally retreating.

I apologized for killing her baby, for what it's worth.

My wife is not on speaking terms with my dog, at the moment.
Oh, my peppers made it to 2 PM today in full sun without wilting severely. A couple wilted but they didn't get a deep enough drink yesterday, soil was dry in the pots.

They're getting close!

I might be able to leave them out in the sun all day tomorrow... will keep a close eye on them in the afternoon to see what they look like.

If so they'll still be on track for Saturday in the dirt.

millworkman · May 22, 2014

Good on ya Trent and the place is looking great!

TrentL · May 22, 2014

Ok. Before I destroyed my arms and back. Measured & laid out lines with bamboo and thin rope using the driveway as a reference point.

I got about this far before collapsing in to a heap and resting. Wasn't "pacing" myself properly.

The trenches are about 9" deep. Hard to tell scale in the pic.

Need to finish weeding the beans. Also re-tilled today for lettuce planting #2. Crab grass is NUTS this year.

My view while taking a break.

I had good company. Marley never leaves my side.

Finally done. Ready for weed barrier to go down. (Will do tomorrow)

It's going to be a jungle in a month.

And I screwed up. I realized today that it's going to be impossible to get to the "inner tomatoes" later this year.

That's all for today!

(The white rope around the beans & onions keeps Marley the Wonder Destroyer out of that area. So far it's worked great. Although dumb frigging high school kids can't seem to avoid tripping over it, my dog does a great job staying out of it.)

millworkman said:
Good on ya Trent and the place is looking great!

Thanks man. I'm SOOOO frigging ready for these damn pepper plants to go in the ground. I've reached the limit of my endurance!!!

Jeff H · May 22, 2014

TrentL said:
Ok. Before I destroyed my arms and back. Measured & laid out lines with bamboo and thin rope using the driveway as a reference point.

I got about this far before collapsing in to a heap and resting. Wasn't "pacing" myself properly.

The trenches are about 9" deep. Hard to tell scale in the pic.

Need to finish weeding the beans. Also re-tilled today for lettuce planting #2. Crab grass is NUTS this year.

My view while taking a break.

I had good company. Marley never leaves my side.

Finally done. Ready for weed barrier to go down. (Will do tomorrow)

It's going to be a jungle in a month.

And I screwed up. I realized today that it's going to be impossible to get to the "inner tomatoes" later this year.

That's all for today!

(The white rope around the beans & onions keeps Marley the Wonder Destroyer out of that area. So far it's worked great. Although dumb frigging high school kids can't seem to avoid tripping over it, my dog does a great job staying out of it.)

Thanks man. I'm SOOOO frigging ready for these damn pepper plants to go in the ground. I've reached the limit of my endurance!!!

Prep work looks fantastic. The peppers will love it there.

TrentL · May 22, 2014

OK Dirt Day came early. (Not the "BIG" dirt day, this is like a preview dirt day).

I mentioned on here awhile back that I had a bunch of perennials die from this crazy hard winter.

So .. I took some spares and put them in the dirt today. Figured I have the holes, and I've spent enough money this year on "plant stuff".

The growing conditions are less than ideal. Right under a walnut tree (one strike), with crap soil (two strikes), in part/full shade (three strikes).

So I don't expect them to live; and if they DO live I don't expect them to prosper.
But you never know.. I might be surprised.

Pimenta de Neyde

Horrific soil conditions.

Two weeks after transplanting to the 5" pots, shows strong root growth.

Pair of Dedo De Moca

And several more Chinense went in... Red Brain Strain, Yellow Brain Strain, Carolina Reaper, Datil, and a 7-pot Barrackpore

Topped the areas around them off with an inch of black potting soil, gave 'em a good dousing, and now they're on their own.

Had a little help carrying things by Marley the Barbarian. (Had a locust sapling to cut down... I swear those are bigger PITA's than dandelions and crabgrass.)

Had a snapdragon I grew for my daughters bloom today. I swear the flower on the left reminds me of Mick Jagger for some reason.

millworkman · May 22, 2014

That rock garden seems like an awesome spot to grow. I think you will be surprised with peppers there. Oh and MOAR GUN PICTURES!!!

TrentL · May 23, 2014

Getting ready for my birthday bash weekend. (Pics are old but some of the things I'll be dragging out this weekend)

(Yes that's an MG3 tripod with an MG42 on it; note the periscope? Germans were innovative folks; shoot from 100% cover using the periscope to aim)

Gonna lug the Dishka out this weekend too.

Jeff H · May 23, 2014

millworkman said:
Oh and MOAR GUN PICTURES!!!

Some days, you get what you ask for.

Nice toys Trent. Makes my pile of 7.62x54R look positively anemic. I'll fix that as soon as we have someone more reasonable in the White House.

millworkman · May 23, 2014

THATS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!! Happy birthday bash this weekend too!

tctenten · May 23, 2014

Happy birthday. Love the peppers & rifles!!!!

Runescape · May 23, 2014

TrentL said:
Had a snapdragon I grew for my daughters bloom today. I swear the flower on the left reminds me of Mick Jagger for some reason.

lolwhat...

Devv · May 23, 2014

Glad you're planting, and the prep work looks great!

Enjoy the B-Day weekend!

TrentL · May 23, 2014

My Dianthus is blooming. Had to stop and take a pic.

Putting things out last year using "Meh about this far" measuring resulted in crooked rows so this year I'm trying to be a little more organized.

Laying out the first row of annuums (Early Jalapeno, Black Jalapeno, and Sweet Cayenne)

Second row. This one has three overwinters in it. The 2014 plants are Giant Jalapeno, Large Cayenne, a Pimenta de Neyde. The overwinters are two Yatsufusa (on the ends, they're little bushy things), and a Cayenne that I saved from certain death with Hydrogen Peroxide a few weeks back.

They were pretty dry and wilty when I transplanted them so I gave them a real good bath. Tonight when I checked on them they were all perked up and doing fine. Was a little nervous transplanting dry wilty plants (*especially* the more fragile annuums), but it didn't seem to phase them one bit.

I decided to change the original 3'x2' plan and went 18" spacing on the annuums. The walkway I put through the garden (far side) cost me a bit of room but I have to have SOME chance at navigating this jungle later this year. The two top left in this picture are overwinters.

MOST of the plants did really well being in full sun today. Except this Carolina Reaper. This sad sonofabitch was NOT happy.

Gave it a good drink, and 2 hours later it looked like this:

Gardening is such thirsty work.

Six more rows to go this weekend, then lay down the weed block barrier, mulch, irrigation, and at some point I'll be done and tired. Or dead and not tired. Whichever comes first.

Jeff H said:
Some days, you get what you ask for.

Nice toys Trent. Makes my pile of 7.62x54R look positively anemic. I'll fix that as soon as we have someone more reasonable in the White House.

Haha yeah I figured I'd drop some good pics.

Speaking of 7.62x54R... going to burn off a thousand rounds of it Sunday out of the PKM and Uk. Vz 59.

Also planning to shoot about 500 rounds of 8x57, a few hundred rounds or so of 7.62x39, and around 250 50 BMG.

At least that's what I got linked up and ready to go in the truck. Not sure if we'll have enough daylight to get through all of it. Not sure how busy the range will be or how many guns I can put on the line at once.

millworkman said:
THATS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!! Happy birthday bash this weekend too!

My friends have been asking "what time does the shindig start tomorrow", to which I've been answering "Sometime between the time I wake up at 1 PM and until I pass out."

tctenten said:
Happy birthday. Love the peppers & rifles!!!!

I love it when my birthday falls on a weekend. Most years I ignore it and don't celebrate, but when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday we have a bash.

Last time we did this was 2007? or 8?

Anyway the fire department got called on a neighbor who decided to light a 20 foot tall fir tree on fire. After they put that out I pulled out some cash and bribed the firemen to hose down one of my buddies. (Literally)

It's not a Trent Birthday Bash unless someone goes home bleeding.

Devv said:
Glad you're planting, and the prep work looks great!

Enjoy the B-Day weekend!

Man I tell you what... moving that much dirt around with a garden rake left me pretty sore. But it's starting to all come together finally.

I'm glad I waited, we got that cold snap about the same time as we did last year. That REALLY hit my peppers hard.

All 11 of my tomato plants got frost-nipped but seem to be recovering pretty well. They flowered up finally, at least!!!!!

Devv · May 24, 2014

Plant out is looking good!

I know it's a ton of work, but beats the heck out of the "day job". Physical work is a fantastic release after a day in front of a terminal!

cypresshill1973 · May 24, 2014

Your garden is being very good

TrentL · May 25, 2014

OK. Laid out the rows...

Plant and water. Took about 4 hours to get done.

Feels good to be DONE!!!!

Except for these extras left over;

120 frigging plants.

Not sure what the hell I'm going to do with them all. I'll keep them alive for awhile in case I have problems with the ones I planted, but in a month they'll be root bound, out of nutes, and essentially become a "hydro-in-soil" nightmare.

maximumcapsicum · May 25, 2014

That is a ton of plants man! Looking good though. Can't wait to see what it looks like when they're waist-high. Say hi to Marley for me.

You got a favorite variety this season?

cypresshill1973 · May 25, 2014

I watching a vintage chevy????