Peppers, A guide to cultivation.

Peppers, Peppers, Peppers!!

     Hello again friends, another beautiful summer day and all I can think about are peppers. Here in the high desert, during June and July I always cover my crop to lower the ambient temperature as much as possible whilst also preventing sun burns on my potential crop. This time-frame is particularly important for any plant because if you don't watch the stress levels they are under outside in the hot sun it will totally result in a poor harvest the following seasons, which isn't worth the wasted effort in my opinion.

 (Chocolate Jalapeno Peppers, 8 weeks from plant to harvest)

     To get a bountiful harvest like you see here, takes a lot of patience and not so much pruning. So key thing for plants during the summer here is to NOT prune anything. Reason being that the extra foliage will protect your potential crop from the sun. Trust me you want the extra foliage, it'll save you the hassle and stress over freaking out about the state of the plant.

 (Poblano Peppers, 9 weeks from plant to harvest)

     As you can see in this photo, some of the plants were not covered during those hot months. Leaves quite the ugly burn on your crop which isn't a great thing especially if you are planning on sharing/selling your crop to friends and local foodies. Not only did the burn cause cosmetic damage to the crop but it also added more stress to the plant and the result was a less bountiful crop than what was projected. I could of gotten more peppers from the plant if I just provided it with some shade. Most vegetable plants will stop fruiting at about 95 F/ 35 C just because it is too hot for the plant to produce viable flowers that will hold above that temperature.

(Pepper Mix; Cayenne, Pepperoncini, Thai Dragon, Green Habanero)

     These pepper plants were covered, and I had an extremely bountiful harvest. 5 full bags of peppers that had to be given away in the long run. But that's the point of gardening, to bring joy to you and those around you with an organic crop that you couldn't get at your everyday market. So, please to save yourself the trouble and to reward yourself with a more bountiful crop to keep the gardening alive in your soul, treat your plants with the utmost respect and positivity. Your plants will recognize it and provide you with more than you need. 

     Again friends, feel free to contact me with any questions and concerns regarding anything for plants, and I will of course reply. Till next time...

Happy Gardening!

Farmer Jeff

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Microgreens are Fun and Easy!!

Hello again!

(Alto Leeks, 3 weeks of growth harvest by week 5)

      There is nothing better than watching your plants grow into a beautiful crop then devouring every tasty morsel right at the table. I've always been asked what are the easiest things to grow with a high return. Most people assume a root crop or flowers, which are easy but if you don't have even time to thin and replant after sowing seeds then you are honestly just wasting your precious seeds. 

     So what I recommend is to look through what herb or leafy green you constantly reach for whilst preparing your food, and choose that as your starter Microgreen. 

(Basil mix; Red Ruben, Thai, Lemon and Sweet Varieties)

     Here are some leeks and basil varieties that I have grown from seed in a mix of coconut coir and vermiculite. I used the flood and drain method (I'll go over in detail in another post) but what I suggest for beginners is to use a spray bottle with some nutrients in it and most the seeds and eventually the foliage when they develop. This will ensure great growth and a fool proof method to get some crop at the table, in about 15-25 days from when you have sown your seeds.

     Feel free to comment/message with questions regarding anything related to Microgreens or the nutrients needed. Again friends don't fear the garden. Engross yourself in it. 

Happy Gardening!

Farmer Jeff


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Soil, Soil, Soil!!

    Another Spring Season has come! Which means, for us gardeners, that it is time to break into the previous Winter Season's compost dirt pile and enrich it further with some steer manure! After dumping my compost dirt pile and cleaning through the various rubbish that did not fully decompose, your compost should look like this. For me, and other avid gardeners, compost is as good as gold. Without a great compost, your crop won't be as plentiful or as mature as it could be. You do not necessarily have to use a kiddie pool like I did, you can also use a tarp or a garbage bag that has been fully opened and flattened out.

    Compost is always going to be on any organic gardeners list of things they have to continually upkeep. I cannot express how important it is to have compost on hand. You never know how your crop is going to take to your prepared soil, especially if you mix up cultivars like I do (i.e. two tomato plants but one a beefsteak and the other a roma). I usually add more compost to my plants roughly around two to three months into growth so that when I harvest the plants crop for the first run I will have a great probability of the plant to reproduce an equally or greater crop with the second run.

    It's always a fun thing to dirty your hands and get in touch with nature through gardening. Until next time folks....


¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING!!

HyperSmash

TIME TO START YOUR OUTDOOR GARDEN, INDOORS!

Organic Indoor Tomatoes and Peppers

    That is right folks! It is time to start getting everything ready for gardening outdoors! If you have been following my blog posts and various tweets I have put throughout the Winter Season, you will know I have already had some organic vegetable plants started indoors for my Outdoor Garden Spring run.

    But you guys are in luck! You still have time to start your outdoor crop, indoors. I would recommend doing this by the end of the week so your plants will be big enough and healthy enough to transplant into your outdoor garden beds or pots. I have been using only one hundred watt growing lights to propagate my seeds, which truly does the job quite well I must say.

Organic Flamingo Pink Swiss Chard

    I also use a mixture of manure, compost, plant matter and dirt to germinate my seeds so I don't have to add any rubbish to promote growth. But you can always use whatever soil medium you have on hand and just add manure or compost or both even down the road. If you start your seeds next week or the week after, don't freak out! Just wait the extra week or two and keep your plants indoors until they are healthy enough to transplant. You do not want to waste all that time just to aggravate yourself in the end.

    Well I hope you all are getting busy and warming your green thumbs up from the winter season. I wish you luck and hope all your plants are healthy and vibrant. Until next time folks....


¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING!

HyperSmash

A Rain Storm in the Garden!

This morning after I woke up to the wonderful pitter-patter sound of Mother Nature providing the desert I live in with much appreciated rain, (Which it has been raining for the past 3 days straight now!) I decided to check on the garden to see what kind of progress it has been making since the fall/winter weather is finally settling in the Greater Las Vegas Region. I walked outside, opened the gate and found a lovely surprise! My Red Russian Kale, (I grow Nero di Toscana Kale as well, or Black Kale from Tuscany) is still growing and still plans to grow! Next, I took a walk around the garden to see what else looked good and was photo worthy for my precious viewers, you guys!

 I went near my tomatoes and about half of them are starting to produce crop, but this little guy is taking his sweet time! It's still a good looking plant, and by far needs another run of healthy manure or a mix of plant tea (Which could be the only reason why it hasn't much fruit on it as of yet!). This breed of tomato is actually from Rome, Italy. I have family out there whom has been kind and generous enough to send me these lovely and delicious tomato seeds. Thanks Ziju!!

 After seeing how my tomatoes were fairing with this streak of weird weather, I checked on my abundant Santa Fe Peppers. These specific breed people say isn't that spicy, but that's because most people pick them when they are still green. This breed will change colour to yellow and that's when it will pack one hell of a punch! I use this pepper for my ramen constantly, it has such an addictive heat level and taste!

And finally, I came round to one of my favourite herbs, Sweet Basil. I love the fragrance and flavour when this herb is used in any dish that calls for it. I noticed it was still flowering and producing new leafs and nodes as well. Which is always an exciting thing to see. One cool thing I learned about Basil when I was a young boy, the Romans used Basil to cleanse their palettes and for deodorant. Who can't say no to someone smelling like fresh herbs, am I right?! And that's how I ended my morning walk through the garden. Nothing is more beautiful nor beneficial for a family to garden together. By teaching the newer generations to garden, it ensures that they will understand their food and know when it's fresh to eat or not. Until next time fellow green thumbs and gardening enthusiasts! Keep it Green and Keep it Growing! Ciao!!!





HyperSmash