Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[imasickboy]

^^What he said.

 

[passedpawn]

Alrighty, that's what I'll do.

 

[Staestc]

Glad I came across this thread. I've been studying since I saw pawns self watering homer pots last week. The 3" net cup video scrap posted is fantastic! And, I already have them ordered for a sewer pipe (gutter) system I'm going to put together. I'm really behind this year even growing stuff in the ground, but I'm going to give some stuff a try anyway.

 

[applescrap]

This morning's harvest of habaneros. Don't know why my camera keeps turning them red, they are really solid orange. Odd. I've got to get that thing under control.

One green one there that fell off while I was fat-fisting the plant. Tons more of the green ones hanging. I have to come up with a plan quick for using these things.

Beautiful. I am impressed. You make more hot sauce no? That habanerro you need a drop or two of I like hot sauce like that . Dry, freeze, pickle or preserve are all good options. I really think freezing them as a good option and also making a tincture with olive oil.

I would freeze them with my seal a meal.

 

[StonesBally]

Here's a few shots of my peppers and tomatoes setup. They are about a month old, all heirlooms, and ready for the garden in about 2 weeks.

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[passedpawn]

Man, I've thought about building a greenhouse, something like this. I could build it, but I'd probably just buy it and make my life easy. Would be a great place to grow from seed until ready to put in the ground.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HR1VFA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[StonesBally]

Yes a greenhouse! I could start plants there instead of the basement, no plant lights or heat pads. I could grow greens all winter even here in Michigan with a greenhouse. I don't think the wife would enjoy losing any more yard space for the kids though. I still have a giant swingset answer a new shed this summer. Maybe next year after some lobbying on my side.

 

[passedpawn]

Yes a greenhouse! I could start plants there instead of the basement, no plant lights or heat pads. I could grow greens all winter even here in Michigan with a greenhouse. I don't think the wife would enjoy losing any more yard space for the kids though. I still have a giant swingset answer a new shed this summer. Maybe next year after some lobbying on my side.

Yea, I'd have some lobbying to do too

 

[BowAholic]

hey Eric... you can plant some veggies in my garden.. You could also weed while we are brewing!

 

[Staestc]

Man, I've thought about building a greenhouse, something like this. I could build it, but I'd probably just buy it and make my life easy. Would be a great place to grow from seed until ready to put in the ground.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HR1VFA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Your gonna build it even if you get it as a kit. Has anybody looked into what it would cost to just build it from scratch? Like that size or slightly bigger? I really need some place to put all our potted plants during the winter instead of replacing them each year. Would likely pay for itself pretty quickly! And I could start plants early!

 

[passedpawn]

After you ferment them you can use that as a base for different hot sauces. IT will be screaming hot and you can then mix it in other stuff for hot sauce. I often cut up some red or yellow sweet bell peppers and boil them in some vinegar. BLend until smooth and then add enough fermented habs to get to the heat level you like. Carrots are a nice addition also.

Job done (I think) - habanero mash and cayenne mash, ready for fermenation. I pureed 20 oz of cayennes and put in a couple of jars. Also 20 oz habaneros. I added salt (3.3% by weight). Now the waiting game.

 

[imasickboy]

:rockin:

If the salt doesn't draw enough moisture out of the peppers to submerge them, add a little bottled water. You want an anaerobic environment for the lacto to work in. Mold will grow on the peppers if they're exposed to air.

 

[estricklin]

I snapped a few photos this morning while having some coffee and getting ready for work. Our tomatoes are doing well, the peppers suffered every hardship after planting them outside you can imagine. Bugs, mold, a dog pissing on them, I have a half dozen or so left. I am heart broke!

Everything we direct sewed has sprouted, cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, okra and squash. My wife planted some herbs too and they have sprouted although I don't think they are very visible in the picture. She plants them in an old galvanized wash tub. This is pretty popular here in the south, but also popular is planting them in left over plastic containers that cattle feed comes in. She planted thyme, dill, parsley, cilantro and a couple others. We mostly make sure to plant the ones we will need for canning.

My garden is a raised bed, (sort of), that we built. It has a nice treated lumber wooden fence around it. At the moment the spring rains have turned it into a real mud hole and it went from no weeds, to covered in them in less than 2 weeks time. Will do some cultivating soon. Order some neem oil also, it looks like I may need it. I did add quite a bit of cow manure but other than that (and the few hand fulls of bone meal) I never do much else. I do check the pH usually, by mixing 100 grams of DI water with 100 grams of soil. Here in Arkansas almost all of our soil could benefit from some lime, although unless I'm planting onions I don't worry about it too much because it's pretty damn close to perfect where I live. I live in the Arkansas River Valley and the soil is very rich, drains well and has a desirable pH. An old trick if your soil pH is a little on the high side, dump the ashes from your grill in the garden. I will most likely add some 5-5-5 fertilizer when the plants just start to produce, but I never use much.

I am looking forward to the cucumbers so much! I love them just plain, not even peeled. I planted the Burpless hybrid. Pickling cucumbers are nice, as they stay firm when you ferment or can them, but they are gross raw, (tough skin and slightly bitter).

Pass, I wouldn't recommend water bath canning those fermented peppers for dry storage, (not sure if that's what you meant you were going to do after they ferment), in order for them to be technically safe the salt and pH have to be at certain levels. You could safely pressure can them though. Plenty of folks do water bath can fermented veggies, and I think your chances of actually getting sick are about as good as being struck by lightning, just thought I would mention it, I'm sure you've already heard that spill. I don't know if I'll be fermenting any of my peppers this year as I'm barely going to have enough to eat fresh, let alone make salsa. I will ferment cucumbers though, but I will also water bath can some too, along with okra, mmmmmmm love some pickled okra.

 

[applescrap]

Nice update @estricklin. It snowed here last weekend for three days straight. Glad i didnt plant yet. On this frontage road down the street this guy sells plants in his driveway, they take great care and by the time i get them they are huge so not worried yet. I appreciate the soil talk. Havent messed with mine a whole lot yet. The soil i use is potting mix

 

[applescrap]

Here are the pools ready to go. Want to do more lettuce in the one gallon bags. The strawberries have taken over like they do every year and I will pull them like I do every year. Part of me wants to leave them and see what will happen they take up all the space and don't produce anything. Last year real late in the year I stuck a couple beans in one of those 1 gallon pots look how big they got. You can see them in the back they were like 12 feet tall. If I had a 20 foot tall chicken wire setup they would grow that high. I had kale and lettuce where the strawberries were last year and we didn't eat enough of it. Need to actually eat the kale. Happy gardening

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[passedpawn]

Scrap, how'd you keep those tomato plants from tipping over?

 

[applescrap]

The bags are 7 gallonsish i think so in comparison to the 5 gallon bucket think plus 2 gallons of dirt. Come to have known them as massive really. But the one gallon pots seem to grow little one gallon size plants and the 7 gallon size grow big massive 7 gallon plants. I put a one by two stake in the ground it is 8 feet tall to help stable them but realized right away that I needed a cage at each so I start with a cage on each plant. I'll send a picture. Really would like to put the big 12 foot tall cages on them but they're super expensive. Last year those were heirlooms and they would have grown as tall as I could have got chicken wire up the side of my house I see people grow more husky like patio style tomatoes and I might try that.

I do tie the cages together and plants to the cage. But i think its the pot

 

[applescrap]

Man I can't wait here are the cages. I'm going to grow some chillies inspired by passed. So in these two pictures you can not only see the cages but also the little one gallon bags of Dinosaur Kale and Russian kale and what they turned into

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[Staestc]

Damn scrap! That's looking great! I'm way late to start any plants this year but I'm going to anyway. I'm about finished with my test auto watering air pruning planter thing. I think I can get 6 reusable Walmart bags on it. Gonna put it by a chain link fence to tie tomato cages to. It's all glued and screwed. I blame pawn for sending down this road!! Lol
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[applescrap]

@staestc are you going to use a Walmart bag with net cups in it On The Rain Gutter system awesome?! I think I've seen pictures where people drilled holes in buckets to create air pruning and/or laundry baskets to. That is awesome work and looks great. Then you put carpet around it and tell people to take their shoes off in your garden

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[Staestc]

Indeed, with net cups. I just finished drilling it out for them. I drilled holes in one of my buckets too, but with a little more research have blown off the buckets completely and am just going with Walmart bags with net cups.
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6 of them for this test. But if they do as well as I think they will I will do a much bigger one. I have the space. But I'm in Texas, and I'm late in the season to be starting plants because it will be damn hot here soon. Don't care though. Going to give it a try anyway. Peppers and tomatoes. I'm expecting they will out produce what I already have in the ground.

 

[applescrap]

@staestc really nice man. Don't be afraid to try some Walmart bags in any containers that will hold an inch of water either. I use slow-release osmocote and that really will make them take off. When you plant them be sure to water the holy cow out of them to get the capillary action started. Like really really really really water them. I guess I'm starting late too but like I said my Nursery takes pretty good care of them I had some corn in a cheap Walmart container that holds 2 bags and they worked just fine but nothing beats self watering I'm sure you will really miss the weeding. I thought this was the best way to go but if you have a huge piece of property it's hard not to put them in the ground it's just too economical. Man can't wait to see your results when I get this year up and running I'll post

 

[Staestc]

@staestc really nice man. ... I'm sure you will really miss the weeding. ...

Thanks! I was going to finish last night but was ragged out by the time I got home and we had big storms moving through. I looked at my peppers in the ground though, and I have Bermuda invading that needs pulling (huff). I will not miss the weeding! lol

 

[Staestc]

Okay. So trying to finish it before the next round of storms that are supposed to arrive tonight. Put feet on both ends to allow me to level it and provide some stability.
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There is a reason they are shorter than the width of the top that I will get to later. But I need to move it outside now to make room for a car before we likely get more hail.

I did cut the access hole to be able to adjust the float valve. But I don't want to just leave that open because of mosquitoes, so I took leftover pipe and split it, then fitted it over the valve access hole.
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[passedpawn]

Love it Travis. It's gonna be super awesome. If you're planting seeds, better get them going indoors asap.

 

[passedpawn]

Habs are producing a lot of good stuff now. I get at least a quart of red fruit each week from two plants.

 

[Staestc]

See, it's those kind of pictures with your double bucket system that got me building this damn thing! Lol

 

[Staestc]

Got it finished enough to move it out of the shop and into its final position. Leveled it and filled it with water. Once I'm done cleaning up the shop to make room for the car I will start loading Walmart "grow bags"! Then maybe I need to buy some plants to go in it! Lol

 

[applescrap]

Habs are producing a lot of good stuff now. I get at least a quart of red fruit each week from two plants.

Man words cant, those are beautiful. There is so much mature fruit as well, pretty reds. How long do they go before they need filled at this stage and also before? The reason I am asking is the kiddie pools are difficult to maintain an inch or so of water in because the sides are sloped and are cheap plastic. So I want to maybe just use the floats to fill them all at the same time and then let them be. Well I guess since those are covered it would be different but still curious. Thanks

 

[passedpawn]

They need filled every day. I don't mind at all (I work from home and enjoy my time with the plants). However, there has to be something better. I'm going to work on Gen 2 of my bucket system. Probably something similar to what Travis is working on above, but with a float valve to keep it full.

I'm super happy with how this has turned out for me. Everything has grown spectacularly.