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Me (on the right) and my son with the local scout troop and leaders
An assortment of different chiles that I grow hydroponically in "The Garden"
And of course, a photo of "The Garden"
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Our Chile Garden 2009!The triumphant (and expanded) return of the Refining Fire Chiles garden
Just to be on the safe side I would still run my 120 plant Hydroponic system at my home. Next was the planning. I had to design a system that was economical. At the same time, I wanted to improve on the efficiency of my home system. I already knew where to buy a cost effective greenhouse, and I knew where to get water tanks, piping, and hydroponic supplies. The biggest cost would be the growing tubes. We approached John, the owner of Aspen Vinyl Fence in El Cajon. John is known for helping many non-profit organizations with their fencing needs. We told him of my work with Youth Venture, and he came on board. He gave us a great deal and also drilled all the precision holes for our plant sites. Next came the assembly. The "do it yourself" Greenhouse is not a project for two men, but to our rescue came our good friends Larry Bridgeforth (my hydroponic mentor) and Marty Switzer. Along with my son, Danty, and Larry's son, Isaac, the four of us framed both greenhouses on a balmy 100-degree day! This was in early April. In three more weeks we hung the tubes and ran the supply and drain lines. Danty and the entire Bridgeforth family pitched in to help dig the huge holes for our tanks. Shortly after that, the plastic went up. Now came the planting of tomatoes, strawberries and my chiles. May was a hot month so it took forever to transplant. I found out the hard way by losing so many chile plants. But since I was growing many to sell I just kept on putting more plants in. Some took off and started to grow and other plants just got stagnant. Finally I figured out my water temps were too high. So I put 50% grade shade cloth above my chiles. It helped but was not enough. Next I insulated the pipes to keep the water inside them cool. Still it was not enough. After that we put frozen gallon water bottle in the tanks every morning. It helped but was too much work. In mid-July I was ready to give up. Then I put a fogger misting system above the plants. It cost me about $60. It dropped my water temps to a safe level and the air temperature was lowered 20 degrees. My chile plants loved this and started to take off! Also the aphids loved this and decided to live in my chile plants. So the heat problem was solved but now my plants were getting eaten alive. I tried organic sprays, blasting them off with the hose spray and spraying the ground below my system with pesticide. Still they were doing too much damage. Then I ordered thousands of Ladybugs, predatory min-wasps and lacewings. After releasing them I got all my friends to pray and you better believe it I prayed more than ever. The fate of over 300 chile plants was now in God's hands. And God came through. When I got back from being gone almost a week I saw fewer aphids and it looked like my plants had gotten all the growth they lost from starting so late in the season. So my prayers were answered. The pictures you see here are part of this journey. As the plants grow more and the chiles turn color I will add more to this page. We are growing 14 varieties of the World's Hottest Chiles I want to thank The Hicks, Switzer, Bridgeforth families for all their physical help and prayers. I also wish to thank my Home fellowship family Don Denniston & family, Mark and Margie Short, Candace, Mila, David, Jon and Terry Daniels and Jack and Cheryl. A special thank you to wives and children of the men who came out and helped. Thank you for giving up your time with these great men who came and made things happen. And a special thank you to Jon Press from Aspen Vinyl Inc. When we expand he will get our business again. We urge those that need a new fence to go visit him. See his ad and link below. 
The Chile plants in this system are Trinidad 7 Pot, Trinidad Scorpion, Trinidad Yellow 7 Pot, Bhut Jolokia (India), Chocolate Bhut Jolokia (India), Naga Morich (Bangladesh), Red Savina Habanero, Antillais Caribbean Habanero, Gambia Habanero (Africa), Fatalii (Congo), Yuacatan White Habanero (Mexico), Jamaican Chocolate Habanero, Mustard Habanero, Yellow Sun Habanero (Africa), Safi Red Scotch Habanero (West Africa), Jamaican Red Mushroom Habanero, Cleo's Dragon Habanero (Caribbean) and Maya Pimento Habanero (Isreal). If you want a consultation by phone or e-mail, I will charge a fee to help get you started. If you live in the San Diego area I can get you started by helping you go through all the steps for a fee. And if your family, organization or church wants a class, it will be a 4-hour training for $60 a person and I will show you how 3 types of hydroponics systems work, the setup and what grows best in them. I need a minimum of 10 people for a class, which will include refreshments. Those that take the class will also get a few follow-up phone call consultations to help get them started free of charge.Hydroponic Classes Available — Call or Email Today!As we face harder economic times we need to find ways to put good food on our family's table. But most of us because of our age, fatigue after a hard days work or even being a single parent, cannot see ourselves digging or pulling weeds on our hands and knees. That's why Hydroponics makes sense. No weeds. No digging in the dirt. Conserves water. Lower fertilizer costs. Less pest problems. Hydroponic veggies have a higher nutrient level and more flavor. So make a Hydroponic system — it will last decades! So learn how to make your own Hydroponic garden, it's easy! For $60 per person I'll show you the three different types of systems, how to start your seeds and grow your plants, resources to buy supplies online and locally so you will not get ripped off! I'll even get you hard-to-find seeds at low prices of rare and delicious veggies. Why not grow something to save money and give your family healthy meals? I need a minimum of 10 people for a class. |
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