GreenEnvy22
Cook
I cut pretty much all my peppers in half before drying them. I have them in a dehydrator on a low heat setting so it takes 24 or more hours.
What are your 2020 garden plans?
- Thread starter GreenEnvy22
- Start date
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pepperhead212
Executive Chef
I cut my habs, jalapeños, aleppos, and other large peppers, but the Thai and small, thin peppers I leave whole. And I also dry them at a very low temp - 110 to 115° - so that they don't darken. The first dehydrator I had did not have a thermostat, and the peppers would be very dark, by the time they dried, which is not good, as they would burn, when cooked in a stir fry, or something like that. I didn't keep that dehydrator for long.
GA Home Cook
Sous Chef
Taxlady - there are several mail order houses, Burpee is one, that carry a very high quality seed and planting medium. There are several options that you can get from them from peet pots to seed starting mix. I normally do mine myself, but this year I was traveling every week and did not get to do them.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Renee's Garden has some unusual seed mixes - for example, you can get three colors of squash in one packet, or three colors of green beans, including purple and yellow. I buy through Amazon.
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
Our peas, lettuce, arugula, spinach and radishes went in this weekend. They are the only seeds we use.
We’re a little concerned about getting plants this year at the garden store ...
We actually have a greenhouse so you’d think we’d start some seedlings
We’re a little concerned about getting plants this year at the garden store ...
We actually have a greenhouse so you’d think we’d start some seedlings
Thank you for the suggestion. While, I won't be mail ordering any seeds or soil or peat pots, it did make me think. I have a very tiny yard (14'x16', if I remember correctly). So, I really don't try to grow very much. Shipping on seeds and stuff just isn't worth it for my tiny quantities. However, I suddenly remembered that one of the places where I get groceries delivered from is an urban farm. Yes, they sell "soil mix for seedlings" and seeds. I already have pots. So, I will probably add some stuff to next week's order.
pepperhead212
Executive Chef
Yesterday I got a young helper over here (somebody I've hired to do odd jobs before), to help me with some things. First, he loaded and unloaded some heavy bales and bags of promix HD and worm castings, that I ordered at a local store, which will place the order outside now, to be picked up. I got the bag of perlite. lol Next, we went to Lowe's, which didn't have a lot of customers, but surprisingly, only about 25% of them were wearing masks. We picked up lumber for me to make another raised bed in the garden! He helped me get the long ones onto the picnic table, and edge join them, with gorilla glue and dowels...and a lot of clamps! (He shoved the short pieces to me in my workshop - I worked on that, to make the ends, today). While that was curing, he helped me uncover all of my Earthboxes, and other SIPs, and put them in their places, under all the trellises. We got finished out there just as the rain started, so it worked out well. I fed him before and after, in addition to paying him for his labors, and he never turns down food, even spicy ones!
larry_stewart
Master Chef
repotted some of my tomatoes, which are growing indoors rapidly. Buried them deep to take advantage of all the extra roots. Planted shallots yesterday too. A few potatoes are poking through the ground. Looking forward to unwrapping my figs to see how they weathered the mild winter we had here.
Vinylhanger
Sous Chef
Finally got my first raised bed planted last Monday. Had sprouts by Wednesday. Had frost this morning. Oops.
They seem to have toughed it out though. The dirt is a bit below the sides which I think kept the cold breeze off them.
May throw a poly panel over them tonight just in case.
Started my hot weather seeds yesterday in soil blocks. Peppers, tomatoes and melons.
First time doing solid blocks, so I'm excited to see how it goes. Put them in my mini greenhouse.
Will fire up the heat pad tonight.
They seem to have toughed it out though. The dirt is a bit below the sides which I think kept the cold breeze off them.
May throw a poly panel over them tonight just in case.
Started my hot weather seeds yesterday in soil blocks. Peppers, tomatoes and melons.
First time doing solid blocks, so I'm excited to see how it goes. Put them in my mini greenhouse.
Will fire up the heat pad tonight.
bbqcoder
Senior Cook
Planted about 280 onions in my community garden plot. I bought some bundles from Dixondale Farm and some I grew from seed.
The rest I planted at my house. Altogether about 500 onions. I also have beets, spinach, carrots and peas in the ground.
The rest I planted at my house. Altogether about 500 onions. I also have beets, spinach, carrots and peas in the ground.
GreenEnvy22
Cook
Bbqcoder, I'm glad you could get to your community garden. Some of my friends can't get to there's because they are closed for lockdown.
pepperhead212
Executive Chef
I got my second raised bed in - not an easy feat by myself, but I got it in a couple of days ago, and yesterday I got all of the Hugelculture stuff in - the branches from all over this winter, some rotting wood from behind my neighbor's house, in the alley, some compost, that sawdust from the workshop, and some organic straw (had some weeds growing on it, so it's not the sprayed stuff). Then I got another third of it filled with soil, and let it settle in, with the rain, and tomorrow, the rest of the soil. After that, I have to concentrate on the tomato spots - usually they go in around 5-1 here, but it has been below average the second half of April, unlike March, and the mild winter I had! And every day in the forecast, through 5-2, was below average. Still, not bad for tomatoes, but the greatest weather.
Soon, things like cukes and gourds get planted indoors, followed by okra, a little later. I'm planting more okra this year, and a couple more of those gourds. And soon I have to set up my cloner, for the basils and epazote, to get it from inside to outside.
Soon, things like cukes and gourds get planted indoors, followed by okra, a little later. I'm planting more okra this year, and a couple more of those gourds. And soon I have to set up my cloner, for the basils and epazote, to get it from inside to outside.
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bbqcoder
Senior Cook
Yes, I heard about some towns banning people from their garden so I’m glad that it didn’t happen in my town. I especially like my garden because of the wildlife. There are bluebirds, hawks, & eagles that I get to see. It’s a great way to spend my time while in isolation.
GA Home Cook
Sous Chef
Well all of mine is in the ground now. Added 54 tomato plants before this last set of storms. I saw some corn peaking through yesterday. Now I just wait.
pepperhead212
Executive Chef
Hope your storms are just rain, GA, not a lot of wind! That's not good for newly planted tomatoes, or anything else, for that matter!
I got the soil, and spread it in my raised bed - we are supposed to get a couple inches of rain tomorrow, so that will wash it down into the cracks - I got a little rain after the first time, and it looked totally different yesterday!
While out today, I also stopped at Ollie's - a place I usually get a small bag of grass seeds really cheap in the spring, and usually new and unusual gardening items, from buyouts. This year I got the grass seed (to re-seed those areas I cover with a bunch of SIPs, under tarps every winter), and an organic tomato/vegetable fertilizer - 5-4-6 Ecoscraps, for only $3.49 for a 4 lb bag. I am going to test it in some of the SIPs, with new soil mix for the year. I'll post the results.
I got the soil, and spread it in my raised bed - we are supposed to get a couple inches of rain tomorrow, so that will wash it down into the cracks - I got a little rain after the first time, and it looked totally different yesterday!
While out today, I also stopped at Ollie's - a place I usually get a small bag of grass seeds really cheap in the spring, and usually new and unusual gardening items, from buyouts. This year I got the grass seed (to re-seed those areas I cover with a bunch of SIPs, under tarps every winter), and an organic tomato/vegetable fertilizer - 5-4-6 Ecoscraps, for only $3.49 for a 4 lb bag. I am going to test it in some of the SIPs, with new soil mix for the year. I'll post the results.
GreenEnvy22
Cook
A cousin donated some polycarbonate panels from their greenhouse, so I built a permanent one. Just cost me $30 in lumber and $30 for the corrugated roof.
Tomorrow I will close up those top sections in the roof, with vents that will open automatically. I built it over one of the windows into our basement, so the plan is in the cooler months, to have that window open blowing warm air into the greenhouse. Hopefully I won't need to run a heater much then.
I used untreated studs, so I will go through and paint everything with a waterproof outdoor paint.
this should give us way more options for overwintering some of our plants, as well as saving us a bunch of room in the garage.
Tomorrow I will close up those top sections in the roof, with vents that will open automatically. I built it over one of the windows into our basement, so the plan is in the cooler months, to have that window open blowing warm air into the greenhouse. Hopefully I won't need to run a heater much then.
I used untreated studs, so I will go through and paint everything with a waterproof outdoor paint.
this should give us way more options for overwintering some of our plants, as well as saving us a bunch of room in the garage.
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pepperhead212
Executive Chef
Tomatoes are going in tomorrow! 
I spent another 7 hours out there today, getting all those SIPs ready; a little spitting occasionally, but just enough to see drops on the picnic table for a couple minutes at a time. Around 5:30 it started getting worse, as predicted, but I was done, and I just put everything in the shed and came in.
I topped off all of the bucket SIPs, and I had two empty 18 gal SIPs that I did a silmilar experiment that I did with the cherry tomatoes - in one, I mixed the dolomite and organic fertilizer in with the Promix HD, and in the other, I just mixed the dolomite with the Promix HD, then put my usual fertilizer sock in it. Big Beef will be one of the varieties in both - I'll have to check for the other. All "snacks" and other additions to the tubs will be the same.
These tomatoes were growing too fast indoors, until I put them out in this cool weather the last few days, to harden them off. 51° for a high today, and down in the 40s most of the time. It's been quite breezy, to strengthen them up, plus I have been adding silica to their watering, to strengthen the stems, and had an oscillating fan on them an hour at a time,about 8 hours each day, since they were maybe 4" tall.
Tomatoes, and 2 tomatillos, ready for planting on 4-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I spent another 7 hours out there today, getting all those SIPs ready; a little spitting occasionally, but just enough to see drops on the picnic table for a couple minutes at a time. Around 5:30 it started getting worse, as predicted, but I was done, and I just put everything in the shed and came in.
I topped off all of the bucket SIPs, and I had two empty 18 gal SIPs that I did a silmilar experiment that I did with the cherry tomatoes - in one, I mixed the dolomite and organic fertilizer in with the Promix HD, and in the other, I just mixed the dolomite with the Promix HD, then put my usual fertilizer sock in it. Big Beef will be one of the varieties in both - I'll have to check for the other. All "snacks" and other additions to the tubs will be the same.
These tomatoes were growing too fast indoors, until I put them out in this cool weather the last few days, to harden them off. 51° for a high today, and down in the 40s most of the time. It's been quite breezy, to strengthen them up, plus I have been adding silica to their watering, to strengthen the stems, and had an oscillating fan on them an hour at a time,about 8 hours each day, since they were maybe 4" tall.
Tomatoes, and 2 tomatillos, ready for planting on 4-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
What are "SIPs"?
