I'm actually going to try two different gardens this year. I have a couple of friends that live near me that have a garden in their back yard. They apparently like to invite other friends to share in their gardening, and this year my wife and I decided to take them up on their offer. Since they actually know what they're doing, I suspect that my plants will have a little better chance.
I'm also going to try my hand at hydroponic gardening. I only know one other guy who has ventured into this arena, and I think he's about as new at the game as I am, but maybe he'll be able to help me out anyway. I'm planning to use some plans that I found on the Make blog last year.
Despite my ineptitude in years past, I feel that I have a much greater chance of success this year. This is partially because I won't be the only one tending to my plants. But it's also because this year, I have some seeds that I'm really, really excited about. This weekend I received two packets of bhut jolokia seeds from the Chile Pepper Institute. The bhut jolokia is reportedly the hottest chile in the world, and you know how I like spicy.
One thing that I found interesting upon opening the envelope with the seeds was that the seeds actually had their own EULA.
Don't worry guys, I don't plan on selling the seeds. I just plan on torching a few taste buds. But this is also a good chance for me to learn a little about gardening. What kind of chef doesn't know anything about the place from whence his food comes? Probably not a very good chef. I'm also going to perform a comparison between the two different growing methods. I'm going to start all of my seeds in little pots, and then transplant them when they're ready. Half will be grown in a traditional garden and half will be grown hydroponically. I'll post updates periodically, and we'll see if I can grow my own chiles.
Any luck with your Jolokias? I purchased a few bags of those seeds and so far have only had 3 successfully germinate. Much better success with the Red Savinas @ about 13 plants. I haven't had much luck figuring out the optimal nutrient level I want to go for in my hydro system. Good luck!
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