Trent's 2014 Grow Log - COLD COLD COLD

Jeff H · Oct 4, 2014

TrentL said:
Long story short;

You can say that again.

I didn't really know what to say earlier, and I don't know what to say here, but I wish you all the best. You are a good man for picking up this gauntlet and running with it. That is a heck of a commitment you made.

The twists that life sends you can be really frightening and intriguing as well.

TrentL · Oct 5, 2014

So a low of 35 tonight. That's gonna hurt the plants.

Part of last weekend's pick, after packing boxes to ship;

Things didn't look too good once I got back to "normal activities" this week.

Lack of water.. lack of nutrients on my potted overwinters *just* about did them in.

My "spares" were really hurt bad by the lack of attention.

But my dirt plants were doing awesome. And man... two weeks without picking any pods, they were frigging loaded.

Bacterial leaf spot was destroying a few in the corner of the garden. I yanked them, to hopefully avoid contaminating my "soon to be overwinters"

Don't know how many gallons I pulled, this was *half* of the garden; I still have to go pick the other half!

And there's this oddball - cold weather has messed with ripening a bit. It's a butch-T.

tsurrie · Oct 5, 2014

wow, what a noble thing to do Trent ... a good man you are

and what a great amount of peppers you picked .. they seem to be growing just fine even when not attended
looks like you're gonna have a few more pulls like that
keep up with the good work

randyp · Oct 5, 2014

Trent your family and yourself are a perfect example of High Character people.Thats one hell of a commitment to get involved in.My season is on the brink.I have plenty of pods frozen down.It will be a shame those hundreds of peppers still on the plants will never make it.
God Bless you guys.

Devv · Oct 5, 2014

Well said Randy!

That's what "real family" is all about!

East Texas Heat · Oct 6, 2014

Just speechless man! Way to step up and take care of your family! It's so refreshing to know there really are some good people in the world still. Best of luck with your new addition.

TrentL · Oct 13, 2014

Well the deep freeze is stuffed to the brim. Plants are not liking the cold weather, but I'm starting to get to the point (through exhaustion) where I don't really care....

The amount of work required to prep the basement and maintain overwinters might be too much for me this year. Unless I get a miraculous burst of energy before we get our death frost this year, I might just be started off from scratch again with seeds this winter.

The "workload" is increased a lot with overwinters. Yes, my overwinters give me a few weeks or a month earlier pods, but they produced (overall) about the same as the plants I started from seed in Feb.

And it increased the workload because I had to maintain them, care for them, fight the aphids, etc. Having to do extra pics on the overwinters just to have them finish off about the time the rest of the plants are going, means I'm picking over a longer duration.

Leaving pods on the plants this year (not picking often) I found that
1. the plants will "maintain" ripe pods for QUITE a long time on the stem, after they ripen. (E.g. some ripe pods have sat on the plants for a month this year, and didn't rot). I lost maybe 1 or 2 pods per plant, average, which was really nothing, when I was pulling 2 gallon bags of pods off most plants.
2. it's easier to let the vast majority of the pods ripen together, and pick them in one shot, than to go out every weekend and pick pods. If I wait until the plants are "done", and then pick, I can just handle the big haul. Wash together, freeze together, ship together, whatever.

So... to make things easier on me next year...

1. Might not maintain any overwinters this winter (or a very hand select few, like my 2012 plants that are still alive)
2. I'm going to start the chinense a little earlier, from seed. Late January.
3. I'm going to start the annuums a little later, from seed. Early or mid March. (combined that puts the harvests closer together)
4. I'm not starting tomatoes from seed. I'll harvest and relocate volunteers. ALL of the volunteer plants were blight resistant, while ALL of my seed-started plants succumbed to wilt or septoria this year.
5. I'm going to amend my soil this fall, and cover the garden to let it "simmer" over winter. (Also cut down on weeding next spring.)
6. I'm going to use weed block cloth between *all* rows of the garden next year, and not just peppers, to avoid high losses on onions, carrots, etc that I had this year.
7. I'm going to wait to harvest pods until there's (at least) a gallon bag on most plants, instead of doing a lot of "little harvests". Much easier to handle everything "in bulk".
8. I'm NOT going to plant cucumbers anywhere NEAR my peppers again, ever. Those Cukes drain so much nitrogen out of the soil!!!
9. I will do some 5 and 10 gal cloth pots for peppers next year. 5 gal I'll grow in shade cloth covered frames, isolated, so I can harvest seed from them. 10 gal I'll grow open for production.

.... can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but those lessons are the ones that really stick out in my mind this year.

The hardest part of gardening is figuring out how to make it easier on yourself next year.

Jeff H · Oct 13, 2014

TrentL said:
The hardest part of gardening is figuring out how to make it easier on yourself next year.

+10000

I'm tired after this year and my year hasn't been near as tiring as yours, I'm sure.
For me, the biggest lesson this year is: "Really Jeff, how many gallons of dried supers do you really think you will consume this year???"

bpwilly · Oct 14, 2014

TrentL said:
Well the deep freeze is stuffed to the brim. Plants are not liking the cold weather, but I'm starting to get to the point (through exhaustion) where I don't really care....

The hardest part of gardening is figuring out how to make it easier on yourself next year.

Some very good observations that I am going to consider myself next year. This can consume a lot of time that I could be spending on other hobbies. I like your observation about leaving the pods on the plants till there is a bunch. I had not thought of that, as it sure would save some time processing, since that burns a lot of evening time.

Thanks for the thoughts. I will save this info!

randyp · Oct 14, 2014

I'm not overwintering this year either.It has some advantages but the plants I started from seed did just as well if not better.I also like your wait to pull idea.I have a tendency to pull unripe pods.I think this might teach me a little more patients. Cheers Trent.

Devv · Oct 14, 2014

Some good points Trent.

Keep it green!

kgetpeppers · Oct 15, 2014

Weather has been rather nasty, wet, cold. Almost that time of year!

PaulG · Oct 15, 2014

Late to your blog, but your production looks great!
I'll try to get on board early next season if you do another!

Congratulations and Kudos for bringing the baby into your family.

TrentL · Oct 18, 2014

Well, I think tonight might be "The Night" ... hard frost advisory.

I'm tempted to bring plants in... but... got enough on my plate. This year I'll just let them end, naturally... and start again in January with a clean slate!

Jeff H · Oct 19, 2014

It's about that time of year Trent. I took my gardens down today.

kgetpeppers · Oct 19, 2014

I got slammed with frost, Cleared out all the remaining peppers and am letting go

Devv · Oct 19, 2014

Sad to read 'yall are done, or close to it.

rory · Oct 19, 2014

It's about that time of year Trent. I took my gardens down today.

Yep I murdered my garden too today, RIP, only a few plants left!!

TrentL · Oct 30, 2014

Well, the garden has survived longer than last year (amazing!), but that's about to end.... going to do my last harvest and cut the plants down this weekend. Probably have another 10 gallons of pods on the plants, all ripe and ready to freeze... I'm NOT overwintering this year; all of the plants I'd earmarked for indoor growth have bacterial leaf spot (bad) ... and I need the rest!

A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP SOUTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS OVERNIGHT. BLUSTERY NORTH TO NORTHWEST
WINDS BEHIND THIS FRONT ON FRIDAY WILL USHER IN THE COLDEST AIR OF
THE SEASON THUS FAR TO THE REGION...WITH HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE 40S
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO BETWEEN 25 AND 30 DEGREES
DURING OVERNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN OVERNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT.
SO A WIDESPREAD FREEZE IS EXPECTED DURING THOSE TWO NIGHTS...AND
TEMPERATURES THIS COLD WILL BRING AN END TO THE GROWING SEASON.

A FREEZE WARNING WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
ILLINOIS THIS WEEKEND. NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO MAKE PLANS TO BRING
IN OR PROTECT ANY SENSITIVE PLANTS FROM THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES
BY FRIDAY EVENING.

I'll be starting 2015 Glog around mid to late January when I sprout next years Chinense.

Been a great year for peppers, I have more stocked away now than I possibly know what to do with. But... this winter, I see lots of hot sauce experimentation in my future....

tctenten · Oct 30, 2014

Thanks Trent. It was enjoyable following this year, enjoy your rest.