TXCG 2016

After a couple years without a garden I'm really looking forward to having stuff growing again. We're getting the community garden started back up at work & since we had a few members give up their plots I now have doubled my space and have two 4'x8' plots to work with. The new plot is in pretty sad shape compared to my original one so I have a lot of work to do in the next couple weeks to get things ready for planting out at the end of March.
 
 
Don't really have any pictures yet since I didn't start seeds this year but ordered 24 plants from Cross Country Nurseries. I had really good luck with the plants I bought from them back in 2013 so I'm hoping this year turns out at as well. I've never had plants get anywhere near as big in this raised bed as they do when I grow them in containers so going to try and make up for size with volume.
 
 
Plants on order (arriving week of 3/28):
Texas Chiltepin (4)
Chupetinho (2)
Cumari (2)
Datil (2)
Sweet Datil (2)
Devil's Tongue (2)
Fatalii (2) 
Orange Jalapeno (2)
Lemon Drop (2)
PA 353 Red (2)
Shishito (2)

 
Now I just have to figure out how I want to space these things out. I'm thinking about putting 16 in my one good 4x8 bed and picking 8 to stick in a 4x4 section of my not so good bed leaving me a 4x4 space to plant some other things. After seeing Joyner's 16 plant 4x4 square foot garden I'm even kinda considering cramming all 24 into the one 8x8 bed especially because my plants never get more than about 2 feet tall here.

 

[Trident chilli]

I'd give it full sun, Mine is still producing pods in 100+ deg heat in full sun here. And yeah the plants got quite tall quickly but I didn't bother pruning just let them sprawl out and do there thing. Very heavy producer of neat looking fruit that makes great powder. Going to keep this one on my grow list for next season.

Thank you I will move to full sun and let it go ... hopefully I can get a few pods like yours

 

[Devv]

You did really well this season, and in full Tejas heat!
 
If you keep things going until mid September you're going to be so loaded with pods , you won't know what to do with all of them.
 
Super grow!

 

[Mikes]

Wow! Garden looks great and all of those pods....man oh man

 

[TXCG]

Been awhile since I posted an update. Plants are taller than me now. 
 

 
 
View from the back side. The tepins on the left are just a ridiculous jungle. I spend hours picking them and never make a noticeable dent.
 

 

 
 

 

[calchilihead]

Looking amazing as always dude!

 

[TXCG]

Got all kinds of wildlife out in the jungle
 
Deer

 
Deer + baby deer
 

 
Green Lynx spider 
 

 
 
Damselfly
 

 
Green Anole lizard
 

 
 
Giant Yellow Garden spider
 
 

 
 

 

 
That yellow garden spider owns this garden now. She moved in last Saturday and I haven't seen the deer since. I've been bribing her with grasshoppers.

 

[Devv]

The plants are huge! Are you gonna hang until winter?
 
I see the deer are just waiting for a chance there, hope they don't get to brave

 

[TXCG]

The plants are huge! Are you gonna hang until winter?
 
I see the deer are just waiting for a chance there, hope they don't get to brave

 
Yeah the plan is to let most of these grow out until the frost gets them. Going to try and overwinter a couple indoors, maybe bonchi one or two. And going to try to overwinter all 4 tepins right in the bed by cutting them back and mulching them heavily before cold gets to them. I've had tepins & pequins survive for multiple years overwintered outdoors in pots so I suspect at least 1 or 2 of the 4 should make it through winter. 

 

[Devv]

My son lives in Seguin, and has wild Pequins native on his place, so you may be OK   I do have a feeling that we will have a cold winter, we're over due. That and the El Nino that has given us all this nice rain usually is followed by a cold winter. So be prepared. I hope I'm wrong!

 

[TXCG]

Still going strong down here in Texas. Was 93 degrees today. 
 
I can't even give enough peppers away at this point  
 

 
Plants still haven't quite broke 6 feet but really really close

 
 

 
Infinite supply of chiltepins

 
 
Same with sweet datils. Such a prolific plant.
 

 
 
Getting loads of Fataliis. I have finally achieved a multiple year long goal of growing a shitload of fataliis. I have a quart dried, a quart frozen whole, a quart frozen halved, and like 2 plates and two bowls full of fresh ones left to process. Not to mention hundreds more still on the plants & they are still even setting fruit. Hell I have even thrown away a good half gallon of them due to grasshopper damage. They seem to really like these when they turn yellow so I have been picking them when they start to turn and letting them finish on the table.
 

 
Loads more unripe & just set fataliis
 

 
Cumari do Para still making up for lost time. These are such awesome little fruity fireballs. Definitely overwintering this one.  
 

 
 
Datils have finally managed to find some sunlight through the tangle of sweet datil and are producing again. I like how these blush purple when green.
 

 

[PaulG]

Just managed to take a look at your glog - a very nice record of the
awesome growth and production from May (where I started) until
now.  Nice work! And a very nice garden space.