Quite a nice bit on that -- hammer drill? When I first started doing gardening here, I spent $100 (with discounts and coupons) on the lowest quality Harbor Freight demolition hammer (like a mini jack hammer, but can be hand held). It acts a little funny (won't engage easily sometimes) but I've put many hours on that thing and it was WELL worth it as renting one would've been $70 for the day. It tears apart the rock-hard hard pan. My hard pan cannot be broken with a pick axe; the first time I tried was hilarious. I had padded gloves, safety gear, lifted the axe overhead and let loose a full-body powered swing onto the pan (I love to chop wood and I've broken up sidewalk with a sledge and pick, so I know how to "power chop"). Well, my attempt was less than successful as there was a loud CLANG and with it a giant spark! The smallest little dent was made the size of a dime. My boys laughed as I put the axe down and tried to get feeling back into my still vibrating hands for the next couple minutes. Felt like I was in a Looney Tune cartoon. This picture is a section that was breaking off in chunks. The piece in my hand it turned over -- the pan to the right of my hand is more typical.

Hi Melissa -- did you ever get that email I sent you about digging a swale to capture rainwater on a hillside? I'm working on a similar project (slowly) and thought of you. Fundamentally I agree with you. It's best to grow plants that want to grow in the conditions you can offer them. I have a couple exceptions. You mentioned blueberries. I just adore blueberries. If you stick to the newer southern highbush varieties such as Misty, Oneal, and Sunshine Blue you may have better luck. Sunshine Blue in particular is said to be a little more tolerant of higher pH. Try a raised bed filled with compost, wood chip, and peat as a growing medium. I'm experimenting with the same mixture, some soil and sulfur added, dug as a trench in the ground. It is too soon to tell, but so far all but one of my blueberries are growing well and not chlorotic. I did lose one, but think that I lost it to hot dry weather when I was away. They do need water. I don't begrudge it to food plants. My other exception is that I planted a couple of avocado trees because Tom loves them so much. I'm not convinced that I'm going to be able to make them happy, but we're giving it a try. After killing about two dozen rhododendrons, I've given up on them. I have two left. One under the redwood trees actually looks reasonably happy. The other, alas, is on its way out. I do so love rhododendrons. At least I have roses! And apples. And plums, and figs, and citrus. Really, so much does well here that it is silly to sigh for the few plants that won't thrive for me. It means that when I go garden visiting and see favorite plants I cannot grow well, I have the special thrill that comes from seeing the less accustomed beauty. Rosefolly

PH - I forgot to commrent on that "over-potting" thing. Here is an ovedrview of what determines appropriate pot size, from something I wrote and posted to another thread or two past: How large a container 'can' or 'should' be, depends on the relationship between the mass of the plant material you are working with and your choice of soil. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of a basic understanding about the relationship we will look at, which logically determines appropriate container size. It's often parroted that you should only move up one container size when "potting-up". The reasoning is, that when potting up to a container more than one size larger, the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the plant material you are working with, and the physical properties of the soil you choose that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not a formulaic upward progression of container sizes. In many cases, after root pruning a plant, it may even be appropriate to step down a container size or two, but as you will see, that also depends on the physical properties of the soil you choose. Plants grown in 'slow' (slow-draining/water-retentive) soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil before root issues beyond impaired root function/metabolism become a limiting factor. We know that the anaerobic (airless) conditions that accompany soggy soils quickly kill fine roots and impair root function/metabolism. We also know smaller soil volumes and the root constriction that accompany them cause plants to both extend branches and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have your sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a soil that is too slow and water-retentive. This is a key point. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the perched water table (PWT) in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (fully saturated). So, if you aim for a soil (like the gritty mix) composed primarily of particles larger than 1/16", there is no upper limit to container size, other than what you can practically manage. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to allow room for roots to 'run' and to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations. Bearing heavily on this ability is the ratio of fine roots to coarse roots. It takes a minimum amount of fine rootage to support the canopy under high water demand. If the container is full of large roots, there may not be room for a sufficient volume of the fine roots that do all the water/nutrient delivery work and the coarse roots, too. You can grow a very large plant in a very small container if the roots have been well managed and the lion's share of the rootage is fine. You can also grow very small plants, even seedlings, in very large containers if the soil is fast (free-draining and well-aerated) enough that the soil holds no, or very little perched water. I have just offered clear illustration that the oft repeated advice to 'only pot up one size at a time', only applies when using heavy, water-retentive soils. Those using well-aerated soils are not bound by the same restrictions. Al

This thread has come a long way ; The year was 2008. Bruce (esox07) and edymnion are two of the three familiar names to me. I, myself, was not then growing anything with more heat than Habanero. The topic ( Bhut best growing conditions ) has covered just about any issue about growing chili peppers, from seeds source, germination, growing under lights, potting soil,.. ..you name it. Bhut Jolokia is on my grow list in the future. Most people who have grown it , have described it as one of the tastiest super hots. Good reading stuff here. Seysonn