I can tell you in 1 word.... PATIENCE
patient enough to let plant veg long enough
patient enough to not force feed them 50 different snake oils they don't need
patient enough to let them properly ripen
patient enough to dry right, and keep your damn fingers out of the jars til they're cured.
Damn, that was more than 1 word huh? Oh well, you get the idea. lol where's my damn bowl.