Windchicken 2013

KiNGDeNNiZ · Aug 28, 2013

Mmmmmm rennie

windchicken · Aug 28, 2013

meatfreak said:
Great to read the DTL's are doing so well over there and have become a big favorite of yours, Gary How about the Madame Jeanette, did you managed to get some harvest of those and what did the pods look like? Had to pull mine out due to sickness so I missed out again on them.

The DTL is a huge favorite with not only me, but everybody that tries one...Man I wish all chiles were that easy to grow!

The Jeanettes fell victim to yet another of my harsh gardening lessons...I set them in the ground during the month of June, something one should never, ever do in that garden. It's way too hot by that time for the poor plants to ever develop healthy roots, so they just sit there, not growing, barely surviving, until October, when the weather cools off. I tried to help them by adding some Osmocote pellets, resulting in the death of two plants....There are still 4 plants living, which will hopefully begin to flourish in a month or so...

Another seed I got from you was Calabrese a Mazzetto, which is doing fabulously....thanks! The pepper is exactly the one my wife saw on her cooking show, and she has really been enjoying them. It's a great plant, really pretty with the dark green leaves and the bright red, erect pods...I put the best one in a premium heavy terra cotta planter so that we can keep it. I'll get some pix up here soon...

KiNGDeNNiZ said:
Mmmmmm rennie

Lol, yep, tasty KD!

Today I received this sweet package of New Mexico chiles from THP member Chileaddict, who picked them in Hatch while on his annual pilgrimage....The Big Jims are insanely huge, and the Lumbre must be the hottest C. annuum I've ever had...The dried red pods are also Lumbre...You could almost use it as a substitute for super hots! I mean to grow a few plants of them next season...Thanks Richard!

Devv · Aug 29, 2013

Nice score Gary!

Can't beat the THP generosity!

windchicken · Aug 30, 2013

Thanks Scott!

Have a great weekend! Hope there's plenty of spicy Texas barbecue on the agenda.... :dance:

meatfreak · Aug 30, 2013

Have a great weekend, Gary! Made me one of these today

Always a winner over here, although the duration of the process takes a while

windchicken · Aug 30, 2013

Whoa, Stefan, that pik is making me salivate! I can smell the savory coming off of that!

You have a great weekend, too!

stc3248 · Aug 31, 2013

Dang Gary!!! Those pods almost make me miss living in El Paso where you could pick them up at almost every corner strore...ALMOST. If I never move back to El Paso it'll be too soon. Big Jims are a staple of my grow. Never grown the Lumbre...how does the flavor compare?

windchicken · Aug 31, 2013

stc3248 said:
Dang Gary!!! Those pods almost make me miss living in El Paso where you could pick them up at almost every corner strore...ALMOST. If I never move back to El Paso it'll be too soon. Big Jims are a staple of my grow. Never grown the Lumbre...how does the flavor compare?

Lol, it's West Texas for sure.... :fire:

Lumbre is a cross between Chile Pequin and one of the New Mexico varieties (6-4, I believe). Bred by Faron Lytle, the grandson of Jim Lytle, a.k.a. Big Jim. It's got a real nice kick to it, and a nice thick flesh. The fresh red pods are awesome—Think of giant Chile Pequins...I'm growing a row of it next year.

Hollah if you want seeds from the dried pods...and have a great weekend!

Devv · Sep 13, 2013

Hi Gary!

I have a question....and please forgive me if you already posted why...I read the PDF on using wood chips to enhance the soil, and have scarfed about 4 yds, and have a yard to get this weekend. Good stuff, nicely aged and free..can't beat free!

So last week I added 3"s (16yds) of nice heavy soil to my too sandy base. I covered a 45x45' area. I see you plant in raised rows. I'm thinking you do this so the plants are in "your soil". So what ratio are you using for the hills? And this question is about how much wood mulch you add to what you "hill up"

Thanks,

Scott

windchicken · Sep 13, 2013

Scott,

Thanks for asking about the RCW, and especially for reading the Lemieux work....Before I say anything, please know that I'm still figuring it out myself, and seem to still be making plenty of mistakes with my beds. But I do believe that for me, raised RCW-and-native soil is the way to go, especially after 2 summers of daily watering so many damn container plants!!! I can never leave town or they will die!

First of all, the reason I build my beds so high is because in both gardens the clay content is very high and there are also very impermeable "hardpan" layers just below the soil layer in both locations. So my soil doesn't have poor drainage, it has NO drainage. In the Lemieux literature there's no mention of bed structure, but I think good drainage is assumed. If your soil is very sandy, I'm guessing you have good drainage, so the tall beds aren't really necessary.

As to how much RCW you should incorporate into the soil, my thinking is that it depends on your soil composition....In my home garden the ground is very nearly pure clay, so the porosity and permeability is just about zero. I used A LOT of RCW to remedy that...probably 1:1 soil to wood chips. It was a pain getting a good mixture with the stiff, sticky clay, but worth it. It's a really good bed, with big, productive plants. Everyone else in my neighborhood has sad little gardens, because they try to plant straight into the clay.

If you have a lot of sand, as I do in my country garden, you can use way less RCW, maybe 15-20%. Don't quote me on that, I'm just guessing. Whatever type of soil you have, the mulch layer is critical, especially in the damnably hot climate you and I share. Mine is at least 2" of RCW, up to 4"...I build the rows quiet wide on the top so that the RCW acts as a buffer to contain the water while the soil has a chance to absorb it, instead of just running down the sides of the mound....

Thanks for asking. Hope I wasn't too long-winded....I've got plenty more to say about what I've learned recently from my dumbass mistakes, but I don't want to be huge windbag here....

Devv · Sep 13, 2013

So then I should use the mulch as a mulch?

The drainage I have, in fact I usually plant in ditches. I added the clay material to help with watering...

I guess I'm (was) trying to figure out how you do things..and I guess I need to do my own experiments. Your info is good..
Thanks!

windchicken · Sep 13, 2013

Yes, I mix the wood chips in with the soil, and also in a thick layer on top....

Hope that helps....As long as you do the RCW amendment 3 or 4 months before plant-out time, I think you will be amazed at the results.

romy6 · Sep 13, 2013

Good stuff Gary. My drunk ass is trying to absorb a little of it.

Devv · Sep 14, 2013

romy6 said:
Good stuff Gary. My drunk ass is trying to absorb a little of it.

+1! I had to re-read today, heck it was Friday!

Thanks again for the info Gary!

Gonna definitely use it for mulch, and put some under the plants if I can get enough. They want 35 bucks a yd for it at the local place here, hate to pay that after 400 for the dirt! The existing soil has had about 24yds of composted leaves and horse manure tilled in 2 seasons ago. Under the good soil is a hard pack clay sand, I never see any roots get into it.

Have a great weekend!

windchicken · Sep 16, 2013

romy6 said:
Good stuff Gary. My drunk ass is trying to absorb a little of it.

Nice callback dude! I don't have that talent, sober or not!

Devv said:
+1! I had to re-read today, heck it was Friday!

Thanks again for the info Gary!

Gonna definitely use it for mulch, and put some under the plants if I can get enough. They want 35 bucks a yd for it at the local place here, hate to pay that after 400 for the dirt! The existing soil has had about 24yds of composted leaves and horse manure tilled in 2 seasons ago. Under the good soil is a hard pack clay sand, I never see any roots get into it.

Have a great weekend!

Sounds like you've got good soil already—A mulch layer of RCW could only help, the benefits of which increase with every passing year that you add more more.

Even with all the mistakes I made this year, my super hot bed seems to be recovering, with all plants setting new growth and blossoms. Hopefully the cool weather will bring a nice pod set..... :party:

Devv · Sep 16, 2013

Wow! We had .6 and temps in the mid 70's, if this can last a few days maybe I'll get the pods setting finally on the supers. Got another 1.5 yds Sunday before it got hot...cleaned them out!

capsidadburn · Sep 16, 2013

I got the dried pods in the mail today Gary, Thank you! They look and smell, and taste great! You are right about the poppers! I look forward to putting these in the dirt. :drooling:

I am curious if Brian origionally sent you seeds, or pods (dried or fresh)? I realize that has been quite awhile ago. End of 2011 I think.

Just in case there is confusion;
The pics of small pods in my grow log (in the jar) are grown from wild collected seeds here in central Texas. It is a smaller rounded oval than the pods you sent today. I prefer to call them Tepins but there are many names and I think they often get confused with the pequin types. A pic of the wild plant Taken in February 2010 near Rockdale, Tx (Williamson County)

I finally found my pics of pods that Brian brought to my house. In this first pic a couple of this years plants are making erect pequin like pods just like the center pod. The pods you sent look very much like the pod on the right. And a tepin like pod on the left.

The sliced pod in the next pic is what I've been trying to grow and are just not as hot as this sample was. Very tasty it was! The thick flesh was throwing me off as to what it was. I told him they were large pequin like pods but wasn't quite comfortable calling them pequins.

Recently I stumbled across some Chris Phillips pics of even larger pequins from Mexico via Grant/ Junglerain. Can't remember the name of the pod though.

Let me know if Brian sent you seeds instead of pods. The last couple of years has been a little confused I think. Recently someone here asked you for a scale picture of your OW F2 pods. Your origional pic post #514 page 26 looked like huge pods to me at the time I made my semi rude post following. Regretted it later. When I saw the scale pics I saw they were smaller than what I've posted above. I think we've had two different plants from Brian with the name pequin floated or attached to them.

Sorry to ramble on so, I feel relieved actually.

Thanks again
Mike

windchicken · Sep 16, 2013

Devv said:
Wow! We had .6 and temps in the mid 70's, if this can last a few days maybe I'll get the pods setting finally on the supers. Got another 1.5 yds Sunday before it got hot...cleaned them out!

Awesome! I'm so jealous you got rain, but happy for you at the same time....I've got a feeling your supers are going to be bountiful and spicy as hell....

capsidadburn said:
I got the dried pods in the mail today Gary, Thank you! They look and smell, and taste great! You are right about the poppers! I look forward to putting these in the dirt. I am curious if Brian origionally sent you seeds, or pods (dried or fresh)? I realize that has been quite awhile ago. End of 2011 I think.

Just in case there is confusion;
The pics of small pods in my grow log (in the jar) are grown from wild collected seeds here in central Texas. It is a smaller rounded oval than the pods you sent today. I prefer to call them Tepins but there are many names and I think they often get confused with the pequin types. A pic of the wild plant Taken in February 2010 near Rockdale, Tx (Williamson County)

I finally found my pics of pods that Brian brought to my house. In this first pic a couple of this years plants are making erect pequin like pods just like the center pod. The pods you sent look very much like the pod on the right. And a tepin like pod on the left.

The sliced pod in the next pic is what I've been trying to grow and are just not as hot as this sample was. Very tasty it was! The thick flesh was throwing me off as to what it was. I told him they were large pequin like pods but wasn't quite comfortable calling them pequins.

Recently I stumbled across some Chris Phillips pics of even larger pequins from Mexico via Grant/ Junglerain. Can't remember the name of the pod though.

Let me know if Brian sent you seeds instead of pods. The last couple of years has been a little confused I think. Recently someone here asked you for a scale picture of your OW F2 pods. Your origional pic post #514 page 26 looked like huge pods to me at the time I made my semi rude post following. Regretted it later. When I saw the scale pics I saw they were smaller than what I've posted above. I think we've had two different plants from Brian with the name pequin floated or attached to them.

Sorry to ramble on so, I feel relieved actually.

Thanks again
Mike

Thanks for the great post Mike! I love your meticulous record-keeping...I need to step up my scientific method...

That's a wonderful pik of the Rockdale plant. Tepins are such pretty plants.

My parents lived in the Rio Grande valley for several years around the time I was born. During that period they picked up yet another name for Pequin: "Chile Petin." Whether they are referring to Chiltepin or Chile Pequin, I'm not really sure, because I don't think they really know the difference. So many different names for those little peppers, and they seem to get used interchangeably. I guess there's actually a range of those types rather than two well-defined varieties.

I don't recall any rudeness....If you're talking about the post where you implored me to remove a Pequin pik from the site, I got a huge laugh out of that...

Brian sent me seeds (no pods) back in 2011....I didn't sow them until 2012. So I never knew what his Pequin pods tasted like. The sliced pod in the container looks real tasty...It will be interesting to see what the F3 grow brings...

I still plan to do a full 20-plant row of Brian's chile next year. I'm thinking I will probably start with maybe twice that many in containers, so I can cull the untrue plants once they set fruit, and only put good Pequins in the ground...It seems to me that would be the F3 generation, so hopefully I will do better than the 1 in 6 true plants I got in the F2 grow.

Thanks for stopping by Mike and Scott!

I received this awesome box of pod love from Jamie today...I had one of the Dorset Nagas and what looked to be a Barrackpore 7 Pot with supper....Damn dude you grow some nuclear hot chiles! :fireball:

I'm still burning, and it's been 45 minutes since I ate! Thanks J-Man!!! :flamethrower:

romy6 · Sep 17, 2013

Very nice G money. I can't believe you ate a barrackpore and a dorsett in one sitting. You are a mad man :hell:

windchicken · Sep 17, 2013

The Naga was so tasty that I just couldn't stop, J-Daddy. I paid for it later, but I won't go into details....Suffice it to say it was well worth the pain... :flamethrower: