(un)fashionably late to the party, but I prefer to stay in a state of constant departure while always arriving; it saves on introductions and goodbyes.
I'm germinating seeds today or tomorrow. The temp is supposed to drop to around 40 tomorrow night, so I might wait another day. Even with mini greenhouses, I'm sure a freshly germinated seed won't appreciate that low of a temperature.
Exact lineup yet to be determined. Will consist of:
Special Queen #1 by Royal Queen Seeds
Pineapple Chunk by Barney's Farm
Spontanica by KC Brains
Green Poison Fast Version by Sweet Seeds
My latitude is somewhere in the ballpark of 39-41 in good ol' dirt (poor) Appalachia.
I already have (dare I say?) everything I need for the season. Feeding with Jack's fertilizers, spraying with Karanja oil, silica, and aloe for general well-being and pest protection. Spraying with horsetail (equisetum arvense) for protection against mold.
Using the native soil. The soil is clay based, but it has a decent worm population. It also supports some pretty solid vegetation, so it obviously is decently fertile:
Being clay-based, I've just been pouring on the perlite. In fact, a good bit of perlite and some pulverized dolomite lime are the only amendments to the native soil. Whenever I plan the germinated seeds directly into the hole, I will mix in about 16 oz worth of my seedling mix, which is 2 parts Black Gold seed starter and 1/3 Fox Farm Ocean Forest. The seeds will go right into this added mix but will soon grow roots into the native soil itself. Fertilizers will be soon to follow.
Here are some pictures of a couple holes to give you a good idea of the soil in the area:
The soil is my biggest concern. Some places it looks nice, but others it looks a little bit too clumpy. Still, the worms seem to do just fine and, beneath the surface, it isn't too bad when I turn it over with my mattock. Kyg actually recommended digging holes with a mattock instead of a shovel and holy shit does it make life easier. Holes are dug in minutes.
The native soil should, at least, present heat stress because it retains water very well which is good, because these girls will be getting sun ALL FUCKING DAY!
This is the first and main plot I will be using, with an additional one or two elsewhere. No pictures of the others yet. This plot has 7 holes spread out over an area of about 1200 square yards (so a rectangle 40 long by 30 yards wide, roughly) and I plan on putting wither two or three seeds in each hole. All seeds are feminized, but I will be planting directly into the holes using clear plastic 20 oz cups as mini greenhouses, sand to protect from slugs, and 2 ft. chicken wire (painted green) to protect from deer. I expect to lose some seedlings starting this way, but even so, I've never been a multiple plant per hole kind of guy, but these straisn are all pretty mold resistant so if there is a problem, it will be the roots running into each other. The clay soil retains plenty of water to go around for 2 or 3 plants, I just hope the lack of room doesn't really impact them negatively.
All things considered, it should be a pretty good time. If nothing else, it's a blast just Being There. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for all of your input.
I'm germinating seeds today or tomorrow. The temp is supposed to drop to around 40 tomorrow night, so I might wait another day. Even with mini greenhouses, I'm sure a freshly germinated seed won't appreciate that low of a temperature.
Exact lineup yet to be determined. Will consist of:
Special Queen #1 by Royal Queen Seeds
Pineapple Chunk by Barney's Farm
Spontanica by KC Brains
Green Poison Fast Version by Sweet Seeds
My latitude is somewhere in the ballpark of 39-41 in good ol' dirt (poor) Appalachia.
I already have (dare I say?) everything I need for the season. Feeding with Jack's fertilizers, spraying with Karanja oil, silica, and aloe for general well-being and pest protection. Spraying with horsetail (equisetum arvense) for protection against mold.
Using the native soil. The soil is clay based, but it has a decent worm population. It also supports some pretty solid vegetation, so it obviously is decently fertile:
Being clay-based, I've just been pouring on the perlite. In fact, a good bit of perlite and some pulverized dolomite lime are the only amendments to the native soil. Whenever I plan the germinated seeds directly into the hole, I will mix in about 16 oz worth of my seedling mix, which is 2 parts Black Gold seed starter and 1/3 Fox Farm Ocean Forest. The seeds will go right into this added mix but will soon grow roots into the native soil itself. Fertilizers will be soon to follow.
Here are some pictures of a couple holes to give you a good idea of the soil in the area:
The soil is my biggest concern. Some places it looks nice, but others it looks a little bit too clumpy. Still, the worms seem to do just fine and, beneath the surface, it isn't too bad when I turn it over with my mattock. Kyg actually recommended digging holes with a mattock instead of a shovel and holy shit does it make life easier. Holes are dug in minutes.
The native soil should, at least, present heat stress because it retains water very well which is good, because these girls will be getting sun ALL FUCKING DAY!
This is the first and main plot I will be using, with an additional one or two elsewhere. No pictures of the others yet. This plot has 7 holes spread out over an area of about 1200 square yards (so a rectangle 40 long by 30 yards wide, roughly) and I plan on putting wither two or three seeds in each hole. All seeds are feminized, but I will be planting directly into the holes using clear plastic 20 oz cups as mini greenhouses, sand to protect from slugs, and 2 ft. chicken wire (painted green) to protect from deer. I expect to lose some seedlings starting this way, but even so, I've never been a multiple plant per hole kind of guy, but these straisn are all pretty mold resistant so if there is a problem, it will be the roots running into each other. The clay soil retains plenty of water to go around for 2 or 3 plants, I just hope the lack of room doesn't really impact them negatively.
All things considered, it should be a pretty good time. If nothing else, it's a blast just Being There. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for all of your input.
Il mio italiano non e molto bene, but I'll try to follow along 
