Can the real Spring weather please show up, please show up, please show up!

Another busy week! Unfortunately there have been several losses within the families of my work community over the past week and I want to pass my condolences on to the families of those who have left us.

Between the bad weather, evening meetings and funerals, I have been kept jumping. In the meantime, my garden has continued to grow. The seedlings have shot up and the pepper plants are looking quite fantastic!

SO PRETTY!

While last week it finally looked like we had put the cold weather behind us, the weather this week has been pretty dreadful. Cold, rainy and windy, we even had snow on Wednesday afternoon and at one point on my way to Brantford, I thought I was driving in a full on blizzard. While I am exceedingly unimpressed with mother nature and her fickle ways (and the fact that our federal government is doing nothing to combat the climate change causing this weather), there was a little bit of good weather and all in all I was able to accomplish a few things both in and outside of the house.

* I finally cracked open the bottle of apple cider I have had fermenting in my bathroom. To say that it tasted like vinegar is an injustice to vinegar. I was able to buy a few carboys from a fellow brewer this past week and I am going to be restarting my brewing adventures over the upcoming weeks!*

When I wasn't busy this week, I transplanted pretty much all of my tomato plants. I have some extra pots, though, so perhaps I need to grow some more!

Ready for plants!

Planted!

Jenga!

Yesterday when it was warm I did some cleaning, both inside and outside of the house, and took my plants outside for a few hours while it was sunny, and then worked on cleaning up the back yard and my garden area. Last year I bought a greenhouse to store my plants in and I brought it back out again this year. It was super handy to put trays of plants on and the plastic covering keeps my little guys nice and warm while they still get the pleasure of basking in the sun all day.

The Greenhouse!

Peppers of the sun!

A little sunbathing al fresco!

Last year I grew all my plants in buckets and I plan on doing pretty much the same thing this year, although I am still planning on putting in a raised bed. Below is a picture of where all the growing is going to happen. Off the back of the patio where the buckets are in the grass is where I intend to put my raised bed. For the record, I owe a debt of gratitude to my girlfriend, who allowed me to take over her patio last year for my garden.

This is where the growing happens!

At this point, while I am trying to get something done every day, I am waiting for that warm weather that I know is slowly but surely coming. T-shirt and sandal season is just around the corner and me and my plants can't wait!

It's the most sproutiest time, of the year!

It's been a pretty busy week for me, both personally and in my garden. Being busy makes it hard to write a blog every day but the next few days should allow me the time to catch everyone up.

In the last week, my tomatoes have sprouted and grown large quickly. I was quite surprised by how quickly they have grown from seeds. From seed to sprouting took only 4 days, and while they have been sitting on a heating pad, I was quite surprised.  

BRAND NEW SPROUTS!

The one worry that I have about my tomatoes growing so quickly is that they will get too large too quickly. I don't want them to be too long or leggy as when they get bigger they will grow tall and thin, when I want them to be bushier. I feel in general that they have gotten WAY too much heat which is why they are so big. 

8 days from seeds!

As you can see in the picture they look very tall and thin. While it has been suggested that I throw these all away and start over again, I think I am going to try and see how these work out. When I transplant my seeds I try and bury part of the stem in the soil in order to help the root system become stronger, so that might help to offset the height of these seedlings at such a young age. 

Another batch of seeds!

I also planted another tray of peppers and tomatoes that I am not going to put on heat. I want to see how their growth contrasts with the seedlings that have been under constant heat. Over the next few days I am going to get my growing area in my backyard ready and I am looking at purchasing a pre-built raised bed. Exciting times for my plants!

Silence of the Peppers!

Yesterday, I awoke to a shocking horror. After transplanting my plants and having watched them recover in the life giving plant light they were desolated overnight! All the pots were dug up and the sprouts were eaten! It was a mass McPepperson Pepper Murder!

DEVOURED!

Now my first inclination would be to blame my dogs, however, they were all asleep in our room. My only conclusion is that we must have a pepper eating mouse! Needless to say I was pretty shocked by the large scale pepper homicides and I have purchased traps, set them and surrounded my plants with them in order to catch the culprit. I know it's a little bit eye for an eye and all that but they did eat my peppers. 

In totally non related news, Happy Good Friday to everyone who celebrates Good Friday! If you don't, I hope you have an amazing day relaxing with friends and family. With that being said ,I am off to enjoy my day off with some fantastic friends and tomorrow I will be doing more transplanting and seeding! 

A Frolic Through the Hamilton Farmer's Market

Yesterday I had a little adventure at the Hamilton Food Market. I don't usually get a chance to visit as their hours are a little erratic and a lot of the time they close too early for me to get out to do shopping. However my girlfriend won tickets to the Toronto Food and Drink Show this weekend from The Farm Network, one of the vendors at the market, so we headed down to collect our prize.

While I was hoping to do a bit more browsing once we arrived, a lot of the vendors were closed. We found The Farm Network stall with ease and I have to say that I was more than impressed with their service and selection. They have some amazing and unique products created by small independent artisans and they focus on providing Canadian products. Tyler and his wife were amazingly welcoming and gracious and provided tons of samples. Their daughter was a delightful ball of energy. After spending close to an hour chatting and sampling we left with a sweet haul of goods!

Now that looks awesome!

I ended up taking home a jar of pistachio butter, strawberry maple jam and maple herb salad dressing. I also scored some local Hamilton products buying the Cooksville Dill Hot Sauce and the Cooksville Steak Sauce. While I tried some of them at the store, I popped open all my new purchases to try them again. They all taste amazing and I can't wait to try them all when I cook. (I might have made a PB and J sandwich as soon as I got home with my new butter and jam and it was out of this world!)

LOOK AT THOSE SPROUTS!

In terms of my garden, there are more new developments. Quite a few more seeds have sprouted and so far I have grown at least one pepper from every variety I have planted. Even the Vesuvius and Full Moon Thai Chilis are growing! I also did a little bit more transplanting as some of the sprouts have grown too big for their peat pod. I transplanted 7 seedlings into a seedling grower I am experimenting with. While I am keeping most of my seedlings inside the greenhouse, I am putting 7 seeds into an open air seedling grower. 

My new seed grower!

PLANTED! 

I noticed right away when I planted my new peppers that they instantly wilted and drooped. I have popped them under the lights and watered them so I am hopeful they will perk right up like the last batch of peppers I transplanted. Until next time pepper peeps!

DAYMAN! FIGHTER OF THE NIGHTMAN! CHAMPION OF THE SUN!

After the tragedy of Pousse's death, I was determined to ensure my remaining peppers stayed alive. It was time to get some light! It was time to be DAYMAN!

TIME TO SAVE SOME PLANTS!

I was also spurred on by the fact that while I was examining the corpse of Pousse, the rest of my pepper plants began to droop and fade. Spicy McPepperson was in real trouble. I became seriously concerned that he was going to be the next to go!

DROOPY!

I went over to Home Depot first to pick up some bio-degradable pots and seeding dirt. I was advised to only expect one pepper plant for every peat pod but since several of my pods had two or three sprouts, I decided to try and separate them. 

After a successful trip to Home Depot, I went to Frank's Magic Crop for some lights! I picked up a 4 foot light, a stand for the light and two dome greenhouse lids. In total, I got the whole kit and kaboodle for $105, including tax, which I feel is a pretty sweet deal. Also the lady who helped me was amazing. She gave me some great tips and suggestions about how to get the best out of my lights and in general was awesome!

While I usually take pictures of everything, I was so excited about the life giving light I had just bought that I totally forgot to take pictures of everything before I ripped it out of the packages and put it all together. I found the assembly was rather simple however snapping the lights into the light holder was a bit difficult. Fortunately, my girlfriend is much handier than I am and she figured it out. In the end, my light was set up and I was ready start transplanting. 

My seedlings under their new light!

The new light! Where no McPepperson has gone before!

I found a pretty cool looking bag of seedling mix when I was at Home Depot. I bought Pro-Mix Seed Starting Mix. While I talked to a Pro-Mix rep when I was there, I legitimately bought a bag because it seemed like a good soil to plant in, and has enough natural fertilizer to feed the seedlings for 90 days. When I opened the bag I looked over the mix and I like the look and texture of the soil. I guess only time will tell if it works or not.

The bag was shiny and pretty!

I separated the bio-degradable pots I had bought and filled them with the potting soil.

Ready for plants!

Looking over the sprouts there were several that had three seedlings in each and deserved to be moved into a new home. After picking out the lucky sprouts that were going to be transplanted I labelled the new plant homes and began separating the sprouts. 

Three peppers!

Only one left now!

In total I transplanted 12 pepper plants, including Spicy McPepperson, into their new pepper mansions. I actually felt this was a pretty risky maneuver on my part as the plants were already looking wilted and disturbing their roots when they're already down is probably not a good idea.

A few of the McPeppersons find a new home! 

I watered them, covered them with the new dome greenhouse lid and put them under the bright lights. The lady at Frank's told me that they should perk up with some light and water. I was a little worried that all these plants would just die, but they have all recovered wonderfully.

Starting to perk up!

After a few hours you can see the sprouts are straighter and they have already gotten a lot of colour back. 

This is a picture of what they looked lat 11:55 pm last night. I was pretty ecstatic about their turnaround.

LOOKING GOOD!

This morning they looked even better. I left the light on all night to give them a nice dose of light. Every plant stopped sagging and straightened up! While my girlfriend thinks I am full of hooey, I think they all look a lot more green. The nodes on them have perked up and I feel that the light is a game changing purchase for my little garden.

Poppy Stands on Guard for thee McPeppersons!
(Don't they look so green!)

They look so healthy!

Overall it was a tough few days for the McPeppersons. We suffered loss and heartbreak over the passing of Pousse, but emerged a stronger healthier pepper clan basking under the glow of a brand new sun. 

Trouble at the Pepper Corral!

The last time I updated everyone about my seedlings was on Wednesday night. From Thursday until today quite a few changes have taken place at the ole pepper homestead, not all of them positive.

Thursday dawned and it seemed like things were going pretty well. The sprouts were sprouting and things seemed to be progressing on schedule.

Not too shabby! 

Looking good McPeppersons!

When I got home from work on Thursday, I began to have a doubts about how well the peppers were growing. It seemed like they had stagnated, and they looked a little pale and white. I checked to see if they had dried out but everything was moist.

My plants look like Casper the Ghost!

I noticed that while my plants were on the window sill, they did not seem to be getting any significant amount of sunlight. In fact, all the sprouts were starting to grow sideways as they were trying to get as much sunlight as possible. I didn't seem to recall having the same problem last year, however, in the state my seedlings were in, I was beginning to get worried. A good friend of mine had told me about a hydroponics store in Burlington called Frank's Magic Crops, located on Guelph Line. I gave them a call and unfortunately they closed at 6:00 pm and I didn't have enough time to get to the store and still make my bee nest box building class. However, they did have lamps in stock that would give my plants enough light, I planned to go and buy one as soon as possible. 

Friday dawned and it seemed like things were ok, but not great. No new sprouts had really come up, but things were not looking that healthy either. The colour of the plants was still very pale and I cracked open the window as much as I could to let the sunlight hit my plants.

This makes me very worried. 

When I got home on Friday afternoon, I checked my plants as soon as I got home and they still looked the same, pasty white. I checked the moisture again and everything was nice and damp. By this time I knew it had to be the sunlight. It was clear that they were not getting enough from the window they were sitting on and I would need to get them an alternate reliable source of light. However, my beloved girlfriend was as sick as a proverbial dog, and, unfortunately for my peppers, her health comes before theirs. The light was pushed off for another day so I could care for her ailing body.

Friday afternoon is looking gloomy.

Had I been awake to see the sunrise on Saturday morning, it would have been a red dawn. Red to signify the spilt McPepperson blood. I checked on my peppers before heading out to grab some lights and transplanting pots to find the first pepper plant fatality of the season.

R.I.P Pousse McPepperson. At the age of 4 days, you passed before your time.

R.I.P. Pousse.

Stayed tuned tomorrow for the coming of light. If only Pousse could have held on for a few more hours, he wouldn't have had to go into the other light.

All's Quiet on The Pepper Front!

I woke up this morning and, I can't lie, there wasn't too much to report. There were no new sprouts and the plants stayed pretty much the same size. All is quiet on the pepper front.

Hello world! Nothing new in the greenhouse! With Love. The McPepperson Family!

I figured that today might be a slow day for growing, especially as it was raining all day and not too much sun was peeking out from around the clouds. Thus, when I got home and found the peppers pretty much in the same state as I had left them at 6:30 am, I wasn't too shocked or surprised. 

Same old, Same old!

I am still debating as to when to crack open the greenhouse and let more air in during the day. I think that I am going to wait at least a few more days and hope for more of my seeds to sprout before I crack it open during the day time. 

If anything, I am more worried about the amount of sunlight getting through to my plants throughout the day. It makes me feel I should be investing in some lights to help promote growth. Unfortunately the hydroponics store I was going to stop at in Burlington closed at 6:00 pm today. I guess I will have to wait until the weekend. 

Now, take a look at some of these closeup pepper selfies! 

OOOOOH!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!

The HEIGHT of Pepper Fashion!

What did you say to me???

Alright folks, it's happening. It's a grow off! Old School Rules!

Till tomorrow, may the peppers be with you!

Meet the McPeppersons! The biggest pepper clan in the Hamilton Area!

Naming peppers gives me great joy for some reason. It makes me feel like I am conducting my own Harry Potter sorting hat ceremony, yet with my peppers. I am highly amused and entertained by this. Now on to the naming.

LET US BEGIN THE PEPPER SORTING CEREMONY!

Yesterday we heralded Spicy McPepperson into the world as the reigning pepper overlord. Today we had to name his little brothers and sisters. Since I had a hard time deciding what to name the first born pepper, as the names were so good, I used the hopeful pepper king nominee names to name the rest of the sprouted pepper plants.

The McPepperson Dynasty!

It is with great honour I give to you, the McPepperson Pepper famliy, as of today.

Heppertitis is an Early Jalapeno. Flavourful with a robust medium burn she is wanted at all the hottest parties. No one can say no to Heppertitis!

Purdy Peppa and Groot are both spicy Long Thing Cayenne! Sweet with heat, this spicy little pepper will but some pep in your step! But always remember when you eat this pepper that IT IS GROOT!

Spencer the Sprout is the most direct descendant of Spicy McPepperson as he is an Aleppo Pepper. Fruity yet tangy, he is a delicious taste sensation!

Johnny Peppercorn is a Chinese Five Colour! Perhaps the most colourful pepper grown this year, and I do mean colourful!

Pousse is a Jimmy Nardello Sweet Pepper! A complex sweet yet apple flavour is what we have to look forward to and to be honest, I can't wait. 

Last but not least we have CTB! rounding out the family as a Matchbox Pepper! Fire and fruit all in one! The Matchbox Pepper is a match (heh) for any pepper she faces on the field of pepper battle!

In general I think that the sprouting has gone very well so far and I have had quite a few plants sprout up. While I am still hopeful for many of my seeds, I am happy with what I have as a start so far and I feel that more will come up. I can see a huge difference in the plants from the morning at 6:30 am to when I get back home around 3:00 pm.

They all look a little sleepy still\at 9:30 am!

A little more awake at 3:00 pm!

You can see how the plants have grown in just a short amount of time. I am impressed by how quickly they have been able to grow with just light and water.

A little closeup action!

Till tomorrow, when we may encounter more pepper surprises!

ALL HAIL SPICY MCPEPPERSON, MASTER OF THE PEPPER UNIVERSE!

I can't lie, I had a pretty tough time picking out the winning pepper name. There were some notable nominees such as Heppertitis, Purdy Peppa, Groot, Peppercorn Johnny and Spencer the Sprout. After much deliberation and laughter the winner of our ultimate pepper naming challenge is..........SPICY MCPEPPERSON. The winning name was submitted by Meat Ventures! Congratulations Meat Ventures for having the dubious honour of naming my first pepper plant!

LOOK AT THE BIG LITTLE GUY!

A little bit more information about the newly anointed pepper liege, Spicy McPepperson. He is an Aleppo Pepper which is predominantly used in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cooking. He is noted to have a round sweetness with substantial spicy kick at the end! Hail Spicy McPepperson, long and healthy may he reign!

To those that came close but didn't quite make the naming cut, rest assured that Spicy McPepperson will be having numerous brothers and sisters all in need of fantastic names and your entries will not go unremembered when it comes to the naming ceremony!

Since yesterday my peppers have really put on a growing clinic. I had a few more sprouts come up this morning when I looked at 6:30 am before I left for work.

The white little dots around the large Spicy McPepperson are little pepper sprouts!

When I arrived home from work and took pictures at about 4:00 pm, my peppers looked like this!

You can see that there are quite a few more small sprouts and some sprouts have grown bigger over the course of the day!

A long angle, long exposure shot of the new Pepper Master, Spicy McPepperson!

In general I am feeling very pleased with the overall growth of my peppers. I am happy they are sprouting, especially after learning that peat might not be the best soil to germinate peppers in. They are popping their pepper heads out of the dirt and getting ready for a long, awesome summer of growing. 

On a personal note, I love to cook. I love trying new recipes and creating new dishes, although my girlfriend will tell you that I overspice my dishes. During my travels today I came across a long lost culinary masterpiece that I believed, until today, was lost to the ravages of time. I found this book at that most amazing of stores, Dollarama. 

If only he could narrate his recipes while I cooked them!

My first thought upon finding this hallowed tome was, "I wonder who his friends are??". I cracked open the pages to discover that Morgan Freeman's one and only true passion in this world is not acting but rather sailing and that he counts Ben Affleck, Kevin Bacon and Tom Hanks amongst his Caribbean Cooking friends. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail.