tobh goes swimming Dutch style

Kanzeon · Feb 26, 2021

tobh said:
Thanks! I'm coming in hot this year on the garden front. Last year the most prolific harvests we had were lettuce -- over 80lbs before heads started to bolt. Pretty much everything else fizzled out though. Can't be having that when trying to feed a family on the cheap.

Tbh, I use Mega Crop for every non-cannabis plant that I've grown and it's performed beautifully. I save the detailed nutrient analysis for the weed and let the peppers, herbs, tomatoes, etc do their thing.

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Fudge said:
Ahh shit sorry mate wrong thread, was reading through yours, put phone down. Then decided I was halfway through posting myself .

Haha no worries man. I was thinkin you just wanted to come hang out on the left side of the pond for a moment.

Fudge · Feb 26, 2021

tobh said:
Haha no worries man. I was thinkin you just wanted to come hang out on the left side of the pond for a moment.

I know you're always happy of a visitor, even if they unknowingly hijack your thread

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Kanzeon said:
Tbh, I use Mega Crop for every non-cannabis plant that I've grown and it's performed beautifully. I save the detailed nutrient analysis for the weed and let the peppers, herbs, tomatoes, etc do their thing.

In the raised beds, I've been working the soil towards a no-till organics regimen. I think my biggest problem last year was a way over abundance of blood meal. I didn't realize until recently that tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and others of that variety simply won't flower with too high of N. That, and I put too small of seedlings out, too early last year. Slugs ate over a dozen cucumber starts, the peppers never really did anything, and the tomatoes just vined out like crazy, with almost no fruits.

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Fudge said:
I know you're always happy of a visitor, even if they unknowingly hijack your thread

Hijack anytime, I don't mind. It's an unwritten rule of the forums haha "one's thread may be overtaken without notice."

Kanzeon · Feb 26, 2021

Yeah, growing fruit-producing plants is significantly different than growing flowering ones. You're in the right neighborhood, though. Nightshades, cucurbits, and brassicas are generally pretty easy to undestand and feed with some love.

I just sprouted like 4 kinds of tomatoes, 5 kinds of peppers, and a bunch of herbs for indoor this summer. It's a good way to be.

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Man, for the life of me I cannot get the brassicas to produce before they bolt. I've tried planting earlier in the season, later in the season, different types... I've given up on em for now. Peppers have proven pretty tricky for me too. Hence starting them now. Trying to get substantial sized plants before putting them outdoors this time so maybe they'll actually produce. Plus, knowing their nutrient requirements helps (I hope). If nothing else, I'll make up a batch of MOAB and give them a serious kick of PK.

Kanzeon · Feb 26, 2021

tobh said:
Man, for the life of me I cannot get the brassicas to produce before they bolt. I've tried planting earlier in the season, later in the season, different types... I've given up on em for now. Peppers have proven pretty tricky for me too. Hence starting them now. Trying to get substantial sized plants before putting them outdoors this time so maybe they'll actually produce. Plus, knowing their nutrient requirements helps (I hope). If nothing else, I'll make up a batch of MOAB and give them a serious kick of PK.

Brassicas bolt! Just cut the bolts off and blanch them in salt water before they get woody. Like cannabis, it'll start growing more densely at the bottom.

Peppers and tomatoes produce according to feed, which is why I've just stuck with Mega Crop. Once a plant is big enough to hold flowers, start feeding a higher PK feed to induce flowering if you've been high on N to that point, and stay with that feed, supplementing calcium to help with fruit production. Pepper plants don't have to be big before they start fruiting, mine live in 1/2 gallon of dirt until they're screaming at me to up-pot.

I've also found tomatillos easier to grow and more prolific than tomatoes, but I'm also a whore for roasted salsa verde.

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Kanzeon said:
Brassicas bolt! Just cut the bolts off and blanch them in salt water before they get woody. Like cannabis, it'll start growing more densely at the bottom.

Peppers and tomatoes produce according to feed, which is why I've just stuck with Mega Crop. Once a plant is big enough to hold flowers, start feeding a higher PK feed to induce flowering if you've been high on N to that point, and stay with that feed, supplementing calcium to help with fruit production. Pepper plants don't have to be big before they start fruiting, mine live in 1/2 gallon of dirt until they're screaming at me to up-pot.

I've also found tomatillos easier to grow and more prolific than tomatoes, but I'm also a whore for roasted salsa verde.

SOB, are you kidding me?! All I have to do to get some damn brocolli is cut the bolt off and it'll f'ing produce something my kids will eat?! That's irritating to find this out now. Last year was the first year I actually got them to grow well, they just never produced.

I was debating doing tomatillos this year too. I, too, am a bit of a salsa whore. Wish I could get hatch green chili up where I'm at consistently. Miss the state food from back home.

Kanzeon · Feb 26, 2021

Could always grow them indoors!

If you do get some hatch chili, send me some seeds!

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Kanzeon said:
Could always grow them indoors!

If you do get some hatch chili, send me some seeds!

For sure! Next time I'm in ABQ, I plan on shipping myself a burlap sack as I'm tired of not having chili in my life haha. Once I have it, I'll definitely harvest seeds. The thing is, growing it elsewhere may not produce the same results simply because of the region it's from. There's something about that mesa that makes the chili so damn good.

Kanzeon · Feb 26, 2021

Terroir exists! Is it dry and hot with rocky soil in that region? Peppers love heat and drought stress.

tobh · Feb 26, 2021

Kanzeon said:
Terroir exists! Is it dry and hot with rocky soil in that region? Peppers love heat and drought stress.

Yeah, that area is an ancient flood plain. Super hot, sandy/rocky soil that they've made a bit more loamy (soil in the area is more like caliche and limestone) but still doesn't get a ton of water. Average temps in peak season are upwards of 105F.

They say that the reason some of the peppers end up so spicy is because of drought stress, influences higher levels of capsaicin concentration.

Kanzeon · Feb 26, 2021

They're sun-dried on the vine! Excellent tomatoes are made the same way.

tobh · Mar 3, 2021

Been just adding water, no nutrients being added at this point. The girls seem to not have noticed yet, though. Most of the flowers look just about done, except for one that's still looking like she thinks it's week 5, not halfway through week 8. Maybe two more weeks, we'll see though. I don't think they can decide if they're going into a final push or if they're just going to ripen up at this point. Trichomes are mix of clear and cloud with the occasional amber, new pistil production is finally looking like it's slowing down. They're still drinking plenty, though.