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Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD
- Thread starter enbloc
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Fixed it!
Just breezing through this thread I've learned, and continue to learn, so much.
I had my doubts as the heat was here but. after the cool nights and a little rain started coming back, things rebounded nicely. I've been fiddling with gardening for a while but, never made myself rely on it. This will be my second year in that cycle. It seems that my 25x25 plot is enough to get me through till the next harvest. But, I'm just feeding me. However, I could be using my garden space more efficiently with more overlapping/varieties of crops, and some of the tricks I'm seeing in this thread.
I ran quick numbers and I think I'm around $500 cost per year. This loosely includes three T5 fixtures for a few months for seed starting. Maybe a mobile cold frame needs to be constructed.
80% of what I have in the garden was grown from seed. I just need to improve on my pepper growing abilities and I "shouldn't" have to buy plants anymore.
Nice to see the harvests here!!
Harvested my Jalapeños and Habañeros today along with some variant which was supposed to be a sweet pepper... but got cross pollinated with the hot stuff.
They've been out in my smoker with low heat the last few hours. I'll bring them in for the dehydrator tonight and crush them tomorrow. Might make a nice Karma if I have enough.
They've been out in my smoker with low heat the last few hours. I'll bring them in for the dehydrator tonight and crush them tomorrow. Might make a nice Karma if I have enough.
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Thanks Davey.
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Cross pollination will not have an impact until you use the seeds of the cross pollinated plants, FYI.
My habanero peppers are just starting to ripen, may be able to pull one or two tomorrow. Happy days!
How are you smoking at a low enough heat? Similar to a cold smoke for cheese? Any pics of your setup?
I'm using an offset smoker, vents closed down to almost nothing. Hardwood charcoal, and then soaked wood chips wrapped in aluminum foil went in the side 'box.'
I have an even cheaper version of this:
I cut the peppers in half or thirds and then put them onto parchment paper on the far side away from the heat box near the chimney. They softened, but weren't fully cooked – I'm using the dehydrator to fully dry them.
Last time I tried to dry them out on the grill I let them go too long and used too much heat in a Weber Kettle. Lost that batch - the weber then fell apart and I figured I'd try a cheapo offset. It's held up for a couple of years now.
I already have a dehydrator, but if I didn't I'd do it on the grill - but would be hyper vigilant about the heat and not letting them burn. Use tongs to flip/dry evenly (I used parchment paper to not lose too many seeds).
I have an even cheaper version of this:
I cut the peppers in half or thirds and then put them onto parchment paper on the far side away from the heat box near the chimney. They softened, but weren't fully cooked – I'm using the dehydrator to fully dry them.
Last time I tried to dry them out on the grill I let them go too long and used too much heat in a Weber Kettle. Lost that batch - the weber then fell apart and I figured I'd try a cheapo offset. It's held up for a couple of years now.
I already have a dehydrator, but if I didn't I'd do it on the grill - but would be hyper vigilant about the heat and not letting them burn. Use tongs to flip/dry evenly (I used parchment paper to not lose too many seeds).
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Oh, and don't be a dumbass like me and not wear gloves. It's been almost a day and I can still feel the heat on my non-knife hand.
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Pro Tip: Also remember to take off gloves and wash hands thoroughly before & after a bathroom visit...
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Put the late season tomatoes and peppers to good use.
And then there is this.
And then there is this.
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Some of the last of the peppers.
And another pile of oregano to be dried. Trying to get everything out this week so I can put the garden to bed this weekend before I get busy at work.
And another pile of oregano to be dried. Trying to get everything out this week so I can put the garden to bed this weekend before I get busy at work.
FYI: Putting a small bag of the smoked Habañeros up for Karma: https://www.northeastshooters.com/xen/threads/karma-1-2-oz-14-2g-smokey-dried-habañeros.439827/
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My son brought a jar of cowboy candy that he and I made to school today. Used the lemon spice jalapenos, they were quite punchy.
Anyone ever put habanero in their cowboy candy? Thinking it might be a bit too much...
Anyone ever put habanero in their cowboy candy? Thinking it might be a bit too much...
That would be a couple hundred $ of oregano in the store, lol.
Do you use that much or just harvest and dry it since you have it?
I will probably use a couple grams for the year. My wife doesn’t even like it. We’re just drying it because we have it. All Christmas present to our family this year will be farm goods. But if you (or anyone else) wants some I would be happy to give you some. Pickup in New Ipswich NH. Unless maybe I could mail it?
Appreciate that! I am growing some and to be honest, don't really know how to utilize herbs best so dont go through all that much. I do put some in my taco mix and italian related stuff.
I am also planning Christmas farm gifts. Not sure how the fam will feel about jams, salsas, and pickles though, haha. What are you planning gifting?
We will definitely have too much oregano and sage. We also have a few years worth of honey - but that will last forever so we might stockpile it. Lots of canned chicken stock and maybe a few extra chickens. And some pesto and subs baba ganoush.
Sauer Grapes
NES Member
I’ll be drying a good sized amount of herbs. I’ve still got new growths of zucchini, green cherry and big boy maters. My one banana pepper plant is loaded with baby peppers, I might have to bring that inside soon.
This is from this weekend. I guess I’ll be picking green tomatoes soon.
This is from this weekend. I guess I’ll be picking green tomatoes soon.
Any fall tips? I'll share mine:
- Keep soil moist - water until freezing if needed
- Cover crop or mulch bare spots
- Cut plants at base, leave in roots to decompose
- Get garlic in
- Get you last turn of the compost in
- Get your supplies/put in new structures to get jumpstart in spring
- Take semi-hardwood cuttings to propagate
- Sharpen tools
SKumar
NES Member
Is that scotch bonnett?
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I cover crop with turnip and daikon. Sow heavy and harvest leaves weekly for cooked greens. I sowed them on Sept 15th. They are already a foot tall and tasty.
I will leave full plants in ground to over-winter and rototill them under in early April as a mulch.
Gidge
NES Member
Would you kindly expound on this pro-tip -- I love garlic, but it seems like there is plenty of misinformation on how to grow it correctly.
It seems like a great deal of trouble, please tell me I'm wrong !
Fall planting garlic lets the bulbs germinate and get established in the fall before they go dormant in the winter. This allows them really take off in the spring since they have some roots in the ground. They will be in the ground even before the soil is workable. You should get better bulbs and more consistent yield using fall planting.
Did I miss anything?
Do you ever thin your cover root crops to get better tillage? Probably doesnt matter as much if youre rototilling but curious if thats a thing to encourage bigger roots.
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Habanero
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Naw. I set it and forget it. Except for eatin' the greens. The tubers are like little, fat drill bits that open the soil and provide nutrients as they break down.
That all gets tilled in in the Spring and I give it a month of break-down before planting the new Season's crop (which do seem to have an easier time filling out
in the soil because of the breakup of stiffer mediums.) Not sure if this helps, but I'm no rocket surgeon with agriculture. Just a guy who reads things, tries them and then incorporates what he learned.
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Gardening season may be winding down for us, but hunting season for the pup sure hasn't.
He snagged a groundhog last week and a possum just now. Dang jerk, I was hoping to have an early night and now he's covered in blood.
Off to get the bath ready when he's done f***ing with what remains.
He snagged a groundhog last week and a possum just now. Dang jerk, I was hoping to have an early night and now he's covered in blood.
Off to get the bath ready when he's done f***ing with what remains.
Gidge
NES Member
Thanks for the pro-tip -- someone else told me the secret to a good garlic yield is adding lime to the soil - has anyone ever heard of this, and if so, what is the ratio of lime to soil ? Does garlic need full sun like tomato plants ?
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It does prefer full sun. It prefers PH in a "normal" garden range (~6-7) so only add lime if its very acidic already.
