# SQWIBS Urban Garden Adventure



## sqwib (May 28, 2015)

I haven't been on the forum much because I have been concentrating on my Aquaponics and Hydroponics this year, I realized when working on my page that SMF has a garden section so I am dropping by to show you what I have been up to.

The reason I posted this in "small spaces" is because that is the reason I got into this type of gardening (limited space) I am also working on some other projects like vertical gardening, NFT Systems and a bunch of other things.

If I can impress Mrs. SQWIB with this years crops, she may let me get a greenhouse!!! Well she put me on a diet and I replaced bread with Romaine *SO SHE BETTER LET ME GET A GREENHOUSE!!!*

Deep Water Culture Tomatoes / Peppers / Eggplants

I decided I wanted to expand on my tomatoes and other veggies and with a limited planting area, I chose the DWC method of hydroponics, This is a trial run and if all works well, I will double the size and plumb in a Recirculating Deep Water Culture w/nutrient reservoir and control bucket.

Most likely using the underflow design.

For my Fertilizer (Nutes) I used Bobbies formula, I also added about 1/4 ounce of vinegar to drop the ph to around 6- 6.5

                                                                      N     P     K
*Nute Mix per 5 gallons for tomatoes (20-18-38)*

12 grams Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer     15.5-0-0
12 grams Hydroponic Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38
6 grams epsom salts Magnesium Sulphate
*(N)* Nitrogen *(P)* Phosphorus *(K) *potassium
 ​ ​ ​Started with this​
5 gallon buckets x 6
6" inch Mesh Net Pot Lid for 5-3 GALLON BUCKET x 6
Nutes (see above)
Hydroton Grow Rocks
Elite Airline Tubing, 20 Feet
Air Pump - This is the one I used from my fish tank
(1) 12 way air control manifold
I had to lower the PH a smidgen by adding a 1/4 ounce of white vinegar per 5 gallons of water, PH was at 7.5, lowered to around 6.

Early Girl Tomato, Patio tomato, Black Beauty Eggplant, 

_May 18th 2015_






It's been about 3 weeks and so far everything is looking real good, so I decided to go a step further and build an "Undercurrent Recirculating Deep Water Culture Hydroponic System". URDWCHS for short, lol...
I will try out 10 buckets this year and may add two more next year if this system works.






5 gallon buckets x 10
6" inch Mesh Net Pot Lid for 5-3 GALLON BUCKET x 10
Nutes (see above)
Hydroton Grow Rocks
(11) Check valves (only needed if pump is lower than the air stones)
(6) - Elite Airline Tubing, 20 Feet cut in half
(1) Air Pump - This is the one I used from my fish tank
Eco Plus 2" x 3 3/4" Large Round Air Stone x 10
(1) 12 way air control manifold
4-Inch Round Air Stone for Control Bucket
(1) Danner model #7 pump (note that the inlet is barbed and not threaded, see pic below)
1.5" PVC Elbows x 11
1.5" x 10' PVC x 2
1/2" x 10' PVC X2
1/2" PVC Union x 2
5 - 1/2" PVC Elbows
1/2 in. Schedule 40 PVC Female Adapter
1/2 in. Schedule 40 PVC Tee x 1
1-1/2 in. x 3/4 in. PVC Sch. 40 Reducer Bushing x 1
3/4 in. Schedule 40 PVC Male Adapter
3/4 in. x 1/2 in. PVC Sch. 40 S x S Reducer Coupling
8 oz. PVC Cement
27-Gal. Storage Tote in Black
1-1/2" uniseals x 22
Dixon BAS974 Brass Fitting, Swivel Adapter, 3/4" GHT Female x 1/2" NPTF Female
Kerick Valve MA052 PVC Mini Float Valve, Tank Mount, Adjustable Arm, 1.5 gpm at 60 psi, 1/2" NPT Male
Milwaukee 49-56-0147 2-1/2-Inch Ice Hardened Hole Saw
Milwaukee 49-56-7055 Hole Saw Arbors for 1-1/4-Inch & Larger Hole Saws

 
Please note... I had to get a few extra fittings and a pice of 3/4" PVC, fittings so I had to use a 3/4 in. Schedule 40 PVC Male Adapter a piece of 3/4" pipe then reduce that to 1/2" with 3/4 in. x 1/2 in. PVC Sch. 40 S x S Reducer Coupling.

Danner Model 7 pump (Amazons picture is wrong)

you will need a piece of 1" hosing and two pipe clamps with this pump, if it's a threaded inlet purchase the
1/2 in. x 1/2 in. PVC Sch. 40 MPT x FPT Riser. The rubber hose actually worked out well, it adds a bit of flexibility juggling the components around.






I started by cutting eighteen 2.5" holes in the buckets using the bucket handles as a center reference (eyeballing).

Each hole was carefully drilled by putting pressure on the bucket and bending slightly so the hole would not be oblong.

Each hole was shaved with a sharp knife then sanded, then the uniseals were placed in the bucket.

The last bucket in line has a hole that comes out of the front for the return.

then I cut 10 pieces of 1-1/2" PVC to 12" lengths and one piece at 6", each piece was beveled and wiped down with a deglazer.

Buckets are at 18" centers (6" gap in between each bucket) but can go out to 22" centers.

The 12" PVC tubes are press fit in to each bucket using a dab of silicone o-ring lube food safe Dimethylpolysiloxane.

the tubes are wiped clean after insertion and alignment.

After all the buckets were plumbed in...





Each bucket inlet is then fitted with a 1-1/2" elbow.

I took two elbows and capped the ends, filled with water and checked for leaks, I was very nervous about leaks because of the nightmares I have heard about the uniseals on round 5 gallon buckets. Fortunately there was not one leak.





 

Then the return line is plumbed in 
6" nipple (1.5" PVC Pipe) 
1.5" elbow
1.5" x 3/4" reducer bushing
3/4" male adaptor
12" 1.5 PVC Pipe
3/4" - 1/2" SXS
10" OF 1/2" PVC Pipe
one side of the union
all these parts are cleaned and glued, for breakdown, the union is broken and the whole section slides out of the last bucket for storage.





 

then the 2nd part of the union is glued on to a 10' piece of 1/2" PVC Pipe, this goes to a 12" 1" black rubber hose and is clamped to the pipe and pump with hose clamps.
 

The control tank is drilled at the highest point to allow the 1/2" PVC pipe to slide in and then ther e is another smaller hole drilled at the same level for an air line.
 

from the pump on the outlet goes the 1/2" female adapter

10" 1/2" PVC Pipe 
1/2" Elbow
14" 1/2" PVC Pipe
1/2" Tee
two 1/2" nipples
then an elbow is placed on each nipple
the adapter is glued to the 10" nipple then to the elbow then to the 14" nipple. The elbows are glued to the nipples and the tee but the tee is not glued to the 14" nipple

The threads on the pump needed a ton of teflon tape





 






The only problem with a system like this is there is 0 tolerance for mistakes, a small leak and you're done, the air pump fails and you're done, you run your system dry and you're done the pump fails... well you might be OK if that happens.

All the air hoses are cut to the same length, I purchased twenty foot air hose sections and cut them in half, the pump is placed above the air stones to act as an airlock (anti siphon) in the event of a pump failure or power outage.
 

I measured the system by pouring in 5 gallon buckets, its roughly 60 gallons when operating. Once hooked into the Nute reservoir the system will be 115 gallons circulating about 6x per hour.

I ran the system for half an hour with the garden hose overflowing the buckets for a cleaning.






Did some math, then added the nutes.
 






The new system in place and only need a few minor tweaks.

New air stones will be added today as well as a float for a 55 gallon gravity fed nute reservoir . I will also need to raise the feed line off of the concrete to reduce heating up the nutes and run the electric cord under ground.
 






 

I was worried it would look obnoxiously huge, the only part that looks a little *BOLD* is the control tank.
 

(1) Patio Tomato Plant, (2)Early Girl Tomato Plant, (3)open, (4)Poblano Pepper or Bell pepper?,(5)Black Beauty Eggplant, (6)open, (7)open, (8)open, (9)Cloned Fantastico tomato plant, (10)Black Beauty Eggplant.
 

I wanted a mix of plants to see which ones did well in the DWC system using my current nute formula, I'm a bit worried combining eggplant with tomatoes as they like different nutes.






Kratky Peas and String Beans.
 ​I could never use this area before because there was a huge Bradford pear tree here. The tree was cut down last fall and I had to come up with a way to close off this area so the dog and turtles don't tear it up, but also allow access for the turtles. For Some reason they love it up there.​For my Fertilizer (Nutes) I used Bobbies formula, I also added about 1/4 ounce of vinegar to drop the ph to around 6- 6.5
                                                                                    N     P     K
*Nute Mix per 5 gallons for Sugar Snap Peas (20-18-38)*
12 grams Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer     15.5-0-0
12 grams Hydroponic Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38
6 grams epsom salts Magnesium Sulphate
*(N)* Nitrogen *(P)* Phosphorus *(K) *potassium


Behold FREE Pallets.
 






Cutout for the turtles bottom right





 
_May 4th, 2015_






_May 16th, 2015 (L)_





 
_May 27th, 2015 (L)_




  
_May 28th, 2015 (L)_





 
_May 16th, 2015 (R)_
I think one of my Green Bean seeds made it (rear plant)





 
_May 27th, 2015 (R)_




 
_May 28th, 2015 (R)_




 
Kratky Grow Bed​ ​This is an old slide out container that was in the front of my RV that was never used. I sealed up the ends with pond liner and Dow Coring 732 silicone to make a Kratky Grow Bed.​I think its 16" wide by 80" long, it's small but doesn't overpower the yard..​I had to lower the PH a smidgen by adding a 1/4 ounce of white vinegar per 5 gallons of water, PH was at 7.5, lowered to around 6.​ ​ ​For my Fertilizer (Nutes) I used Bobbies formula, I also added about 1/4 ounce of vinegar to drop the ph to around 6- 6.5

                                                                      N     P     K
*Nute Mix per 5 gallons for Grow Bed (20-18-38)*

12 grams Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer     15.5-0-0
12 grams Hydroponic Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38
6 grams epsom salts Magnesium Sulphate
*(N)* Nitrogen *(P)* Phosphorus *(K) *potassium





_May 18th, 2015_

_Red Russian Kale, Romaine and  ??? The iceberg and spinach is from seed and not looking good._





 

L-R Sugar Snap Peas, Habaneros and  Poblanos?





 ​ ​Kratky Lettuce in Folgers Cans​(Used established plants)​ ​
Folger coffee cans (change out to 2 gallon buckets)
2" Net Pots Changed out to 3" Net Pots
Nutes (see above)
Hydroton Grow Rocks
Jiffy 7 Peat Pellets
Spinach/Lettuce seeds.
Cheap plastic container to start seeds
Foam wrap Reflectix
Foil Tape
I had to lower the PH a smidgen by adding a 1/4 ounce of white vinegar per 5 gallons of water, PH was at 7.5, lowered to around 6.
 
For my Fertilizer (Nutes) I used Bobbies formula, I also added about 1/4 ounce of vinegar to drop the ph to around 6- 6.5
                                                                               N     P     K
*Nute Mix per 5 gallons for Kratky Lettuce (20-18-38)*
10 grams Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer     15.5-0-0
10 grams Hydroponic Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38
  5 grams epsom salts Magnesium Sulphate
*(N)* Nitrogen *(P)* Phosphorus *(K) *potassium

 

 
_May 5th, 2015_






 

 
_May 18th, 2015_





 
_May 19th, 2015_






_May 21st, 2015_









 


_May 25th 2015_
I harvested one of each but it was too soon the lettuce was very wilted in the refrigerator, however I ate some today and it was OK. I dumped the remaining 1" of solution into the other two containers and will give it another 10 days or so. The red kale hasn't been too thirsty, there's still a lot of nutes in there.
 

These were purchased the beginning of May and planted the week before mothers day.
I figure 5- 6 weeks should be OK, However I'm not sure if the nutes will last that long in hotter weather, I'm gonna try 1-1/5 gallon buckets next year.

 

_May 27th 2015_










 

Yesterday when I got home the lettuce was bone dry, I added a bit of pond water because I wasn't up to mixing any nutes, the next day I added some nutes from my DWC system as that was being upgraded. These guys are really drinking a lot the last few days and I have been careful just adding a few inches of water at a time.

I will definitely be upgrading this to 1.5 gallon containers and 3" net pots.


_May 28th, 2015_






 

Roots are getting a tad dirty, time to harvest these soon.
 





 

This head was almost completely flat yesterday.
 





 

The Red Romaine is really looking good.
 






The Russian Red Kale is hanging in there but I think the Kale in the Pond Planter is doing better.






 

The colors of the leaves are much brighter in the Aquaponic planter than the Kratky  Lettuce but also much less mature.
 





 

These Lettuce plant were purchased grown already, I tried planting seeds with no success, 

I would call this a total success but needs tweaking.
 

I have been so impressed with how the lettuce done in these kratky containers, with the exception of the containers being too small resulting in the nutes lasting less than three weeks I decided to remedy that problem I ordered 2 gallon buckets, this will more than triple the volume of nutes.
Another problem was the lettuce was top heavy and kept falling over and the net pot pulling out, I will glue the net pots in or at the least try to have a tighter fit.
 

Today I put out two new containers with nute solution, I'm trying to germinate 4 Black Seeded Simpson right in the planter with grow stones... keep your finger crossed.

Here's my newer setup, I am working on if the Black Seeded Simpson germinate.

2 gallon buckets and lids
3" Net Pots
Nutes (see above)
Hydroton / Grow Rocks
Spinach/Lettuce seeds.
If the lettuce "Bolts" in the summer I 'll try,

Foam wrap Reflectix
Foil Tape
Aquaponic Veggie filter 
 ​(started growing vegetables in here in 2013 and last year 2014 with some success)
 
Basically my veggie filter is an up-feed filter from the pond, the water travels a pipe outside the main pond and under the veggie filter, the water flows up through a few hundred pot scrubbers and 3-4" thick polyester filter media, up along the clay pots about 2" high. The clay pots rest on the filter media, the pots are lined with a pond underlayment to assist in wicking, the pots are filled with a clay soil and potting soil, then the water exits the veggie filter through three feeder tubes back into the pond, the dwell time in the veggie filter is several minutes.
I usually grow peppers in these planters with a little fertilizer.

*2012 veggie filter.*
 






*2013 veggie filter.* (Photo July 8th)

Tomatoes grew but only had a few fruits and the Chinese egg plant developed one small fruit*.* The Canna Lily kicked ass.
 






*2014 Veggie Filter* (Photo June 28th)

The peppers did well but could be better, I may up the Nutes this year







Roma on the left only produced a few tomatoes.





 
(Photo September 12, 2014)





 
*2015 Veggie Filter *(May 8th)

L-R  Three Bell peppers, three Poblano peppers,  Calla Lily in the very back and some Water Hyacinths. The phlox to the extreme left is in the ground.

_May 8th, 2015_





_May 11th, 2015_





_May 18th, 2015_





 

Aquaponic Planter (Updated for 2015)
Nightmare​ ​
Wood Planter
Roof Flashing Rubber
Plasti Dip Black Multi-Purpose Rubber Coatin
3/8 copper tubing and pipe
washing machine hose
small cheap pump
4 freaking tubes of Dow Coring 732 silicone

This is the old flower planter that we plant impatiens in. I tried a few cayenne peppers in there with no success, this year I may try spinach or something along side the impatiens. The New planter bottom is layered with some filter media then covered in pea gravel, the terracotta pots are lined with pond underlayment to promote wicking and the pots sit inside the pea gravel, the water flows from the top fills up the planter to the outflow submerging an inch or so of the terracotta pots, then empties in the veggie filter. Dwell time is a few minutes. There is a bottom drain that will be left open in the winter for proper drainage.

*2014 Planter*





 





 
For the new build I used some scrap 3/4 I had laying around, cut on the table saw, air nailed and glued with PL-500 and caulked the joints, the inside was coated with some Henry 201 ashphalt Roof Coating I had laying around then sprayed with Performix 11203 Plasti Dip Black Multi-Purpose Rubber Coating Aerosol - 11 oz. 

I do not recommend using the Henry 201 and if you do, you will need to coat it as it may leach harmful by products into the pond.







The outside was stained with some TWP Redtone that I had left over and will probably re-stain every other year. The inside was coated with Henry 201...again do not use this.
Rubber feet were placed on the bottom so the wood does not rot where it is in contact with the concrete.




 





 





 




 






 



 




 






 

OK let me just say that this thing is getting expensive and becoming a nightmare, after I sprayed with the plasti-dip and set up... it leaked, I let it dry 24 hours, sealed with two tubes of Dow Coring 732 silicone dried 24 hours and it leaked..., I ordered 3 more tubes of Dow Coring 732 and will give it one more shot.
In hindsight I should have cut 5 rubber panels from pond liner and sealed them to the sides and bottom then seamed the corners ...oh well, live and learn.

Do not build this how I did it!!!

*Finally, the dam thing is done!!*

 
L-R Red Russian Kale, Impatiens, Red Russian Kale, Romaine, Impatiens. I'll have to have Laura tidy up the planter pots a bit.
 





This is the Dirt Farmer section!

Herbs

I did away with my herb garden on the deck when I resealed the deck, it was nice to have access to fresh herbs from the kitchen but it was too much work trying to keep the soil moist, my last ditch effort was I removed the pots and placed in a pond liner and filled the liner with soil.

_April 28th 2013_




 
Herbs were moved to the back yard pond perimeter and the front of the yard and all wintered over but the rosemary.

For My herbs I have Chives, Sage, Thyme, Italian Oregano by the back pond. The front of the house I have Purple Sage, Oregano, Chocolate mint, that wintered over and added Thyme and Herb Lemon Verbena this spring, I placed the Basil next to the Pond Bench. I also tossed in another Arp Rosemary and Dwarf Sage plant in the garden closest to the house. Once the Rosemary and Basil get larger and I can get a couple suckers, I'll clone those. I had to remove the chocolate mint from the front lower herb garden and transplanted on the upper garden for a ground cover it was strangling my sage and on its way to the oregano.

I also took two cuttings one from the Sage and one from the Oregano that is in the back pond and transplanted them on the hill in the front yard, for some reason these two plants are much more aromatic than my other plants

Front of the house photo  chocolate mint center of photo.

_May 10th 2015_




 
_May 28th, 2015_






Sage and Rosemary


_May 26th, 2015_






 
Sage, Oregano transplanted from the back pond herbs and Chocolate Mint removed from the front yard. I know the chocolate mint will grow out of control but I'm hoping it will make a good ground cover.

_May 26th, 2015_





 ​ ​Dirt Farming​ 

My soil plants this year are 4 eggplants, three Early Girl tomato plants, 4 Habaneros, 2 Poblanos, 2 giant Jalapenos, 4 Jalapenos, one Fantastico Tomato Plant and 2 Patio Tomato Plants, not to mention my herbs!

This year I decided to prune the plants as well as top off some of the peppers, I did not do all of them because I was a nervous wreck, after all I cut off more than half of the pepper plant that was loaded with flowers OMG!!!

 

Giant Jalapeno


_May 27th 2015_






Giant Jalapeno 
 





 

Regular Jalapeno


_May 27th 2015_










 

The cuttings were placed in a container with tap water and looked dead yesterday, this morning they perked up very nicely so I placed them in partial sun, in retrospect I should have pruned most of the leaves I will do that tonight and maybe add some nutes to the water.

 
_May 28th 2015_





I figured I would try my luck at eggplant again this year (My favorite garden veggie) , I haven't had any luck with eggplants over the years but I am hoping this year will be different.

I will be pruning some and may try cloning a couple.


_May 27th 2015_






 
I have a tomato plant out front in a planter next to the pond, last year the tomato plant in this planter kicked ass, it was nice to snack on when working on the pond or hanging out front.
Hopefully this Fantastico Tomato plant will provide the same.

_May 20th, 2015_




 
_May 26th, 2015_




 
Early Girls in the Back, and there's one in the URDWCHS, I'm gonna clone an Early Girl and add a 2nd to the Hydroponic setup.

_May 28th, 2015_


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## wimpy69 (May 28, 2015)

Sweet set up's Sqwib. Everything looks real healthy. I did hydro decades ago after visiting Rodales, alot of tedious work but great results when your on with your solution. Used to get supplies up the road from you on rt 13 in Bristol at Garden Indoors.


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## Bearcarver (May 28, 2015)

Awesome Squib!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






For all that hard work & sharing it with us!!!------------
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Way over my pay grade!!

The closest I ever got to that was reading a couple of Rodale Press books years ago, including New Shelter.

Rodale is right near where I live.

Now you're gonna "Eat Yourself Skinny!!"

Bear


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## wimpy69 (May 28, 2015)

Used to visit Rodales alot when going to K-Town college back in the late 70's. I used to share a house down the road from the old Kempton Inn. Rodales still to this day push organic gardening practices which I still use.


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## daveomak (May 28, 2015)

Nice SQWIB !!!!!!     I been reading Bobby's stuff for a couple years now....  Just ain't pulled the trigger...   This place freezes for too long I think.....   He sure has figured out how to grow stuff....


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## gary s (May 28, 2015)

Wow !!   pretty neat, I've seen a few people grow that way, Always interested me but never tried it,   Great job   Love all the Pic's    
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Gary


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## sqwib (May 29, 2015)

Wimpy, thanks for that info, gonnna check them out.

Thanks Guys.

You should really try the Kratky Lettuce its "0" Maintenance, just mix your nutes drop in a plant with rinsed roots and you are done, its easier than dirt farming, you can put them in the house next to windows. A folgers can full of nutes will get you maybe three weeks and will yield a perfect head of lettuce.













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Todays Lunch (store bought tomato...Nasty little bugger)













20150529033.JPG



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20150529042.JPG



__ sqwib
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## sqwib (May 29, 2015)

I'm even eating my flowers

Chives

Last night for dinner I had this.
 

1% milk
Lemon black tea with Lemon Verbena, sugar of course! I need to drop the sugar too, looking into growing Stevia.
Chive / Chive Flower omelet 
with black pepper, pinch of salt, Lemon Verbena, chive flowers and stems.


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## Bearcarver (May 29, 2015)

There goes another 5 pounds of SQWIB down the drain!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Nice Omelet !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Have to laugh---"Lemon Verbena" was a Popular Perfume----Mentioned a lot on "Little House on the Prairie".

Bear


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## disco (May 30, 2015)

Impressive set up.

Disco


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## jaxrmrjmr (Nov 22, 2015)

I see you have found the Master Blend 4-18-38.  It's some pretty cool stuff and growing lettuce with it using the Kratky Method is super cool.  If the weather cooperates and doesn't make the lettuce bolt, it really is a set it and forget it method for 3-6 weeks depending on temperature.  Funny I found this post because I actually built two more 2' x 4' boxes today!  That lets me grow 8 plants at a time which works well for us.

I was very close to doing an aquaponics setup last year but never got around to it due to some family health issues and such.  The heat here in FL was a big concern for me.  A cousin is still holding on to a few 300 gallon IBCs for me along with a few yards of expanded shale.  I need to decide if I'm going to use them....?

What I don't like about hydroponics is the pump.  I would have to pump water all the time.

I decided on stringing together a bunch of self-wicking buckets.  I use a 2" net pot as the wick.  The grow medium is roughly 60% peat and 40% vermiculite.  It's able to draw enough water that my 4' tall by 4' wide eggplant plant did not droop during our 95+ degree days, yet it drained well enough that I can start seeds right in the buckets.  I didn't come up with this idea but I'm really happy with so far.

I use the Master Blend formula to feed my plants from underneath (the wicking system).  I recently switched to Texas Tomato Food to feed them weekly from above.  I'm really happy with the results.


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## sqwib (Nov 23, 2015)

I see what your saying about the pump, The kratky method is awesome and virtually bomb proof for lettuce. I sort of got lazy with my setup towards the end, but had a great crop, I was eating eggplant every week. My dirt crops did better towards the end but I think I was not adding enough fertz towards the end. I'm gonna probably do the same as last year but ad fertz more frequently


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## bmaddox (Nov 23, 2015)

@SQWIB  I am not sure how I missed this thread but WOW! You have some serious gardening skills. I started designing my aquaponics system a few months ago but have yet to convince my wife that it is worth the investment. Hopefully I can get her on board soon so I can have it ready by spring.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Nov 25, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> @SQWIB  I am not sure how I missed this thread but WOW! You have some serious gardening skills. I started designing my aquaponics system a few months ago but have yet to convince my wife that it is worth the investment. Hopefully I can get her on board soon so I can have it ready by spring.


Start one Kratky box and she will see.  It cost me roughly $18-$20 to build a 2'x4' box which will grow 8 somethings on 1' spacing.... I have had great success with leaf lettuce, but I'm going to try mustard greens here in a few weeks.  Butter or Bibb lettuce is well over $2 per head in the grocery store.  If you grow out eight heads, the box has paid for itself with the first harvest!  Make some chicken wraps with that sweet lettuce and she will let you grow more.  That may be a good way to get her on-board and get it started.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Nov 25, 2015)

SQWIB said:


> I see what your saying about the pump, The kratky method is awesome and virtually bomb proof for lettuce. I sort of got lazy with my setup towards the end, but had a great crop, I was eating eggplant every week. My dirt crops did better towards the end but I think I was not adding enough fertz towards the end. I'm gonna probably do the same as last year but ad fertz more frequently


If you like eggplant, you have got to try the self-wicking bucket.  It loves water and hot temps.  I put one small black beauty transplant in one of the buckets this past May and harvested over 35 fruits before I pulled it in late September. I fertilized it like a tomato plant to make it bloom more and seemed to work.  Wife and I got tired of eggplant......


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## bmaddox (Nov 30, 2015)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Start one Kratky box and she will see.  It cost me roughly $18-$20 to build a 2'x4' box which will grow 8 somethings on 1' spacing.... I have had great success with leaf lettuce, but I'm going to try mustard greens here in a few weeks.  Butter or Bibb lettuce is well over $2 per head in the grocery store.  If you grow out eight heads, the box has paid for itself with the first harvest!  Make some chicken wraps with that sweet lettuce and she will let you grow more.  That may be a good way to get her on-board and get it started.


I just looked that up and think I will be heading to the hydroponics store soon to get some supplies! Thanks for the info.


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## sqwib (Nov 30, 2015)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> If you like eggplant, you have got to try the self-wicking bucket.  It loves water and hot temps.  I put one small black beauty transplant in one of the buckets this past May and harvested over 35 fruits before I pulled it in late September. I fertilized it like a tomato plant to make it bloom more and seemed to work.  Wife and I got tired of eggplant......


If I can find the room I may try a few of the self wicking  buckets, although I really want to try and stay away from soil for the most part.

I got maybe 10 fruits per plant on the eggplant and some started turning yellow, wasn't sure if it was lack of nutes, but my soil eggplants done the same. I need to work on a better fertilizing regiment as my soil plants really looked good in September compared to my Hydroponics. I think I only added nutes three times the entire season, I was afraid to over do it.

My lettuce grows like crazy in the spring but bolts too soon in the hotter days.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Dec 8, 2015)

SQWIB said:


> If I can find the room I may try a few of the self wicking  buckets, although I really want to try and stay away from soil for the most part.
> 
> I got maybe 10 fruits per plant on the eggplant and some started turning yellow, wasn't sure if it was lack of nutes, but my soil eggplants done the same. I need to work on a better fertilizing regiment as my soil plants really looked good in September compared to my Hydroponics. I think I only added nutes three times the entire season, I was afraid to over do it.
> 
> My lettuce grows like crazy in the spring but bolts too soon in the hotter days.


I don't do hydroponics, so I'm not much help there but I would think refreshing the nutrient solution every 4-6 weeks would be needed.

As for the eggplant... I just noticed you are in PA.  They love insane heat as long as they can get water.  I'm in FL.  They seem to thrive in the middle of the summer when the daily highs are 88+ every day for months and months and months.


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## sqwib (Dec 9, 2015)

I agree, I'm going to try adding nutes to my main tank (55 gallon drum)


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## jaxrmrjmr (Dec 18, 2015)

Here's a few pics I took from the things that are still growing in my back yard this time of year... wet and windy morning.













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A couple of big beef that haven't ripened yet.  They are about 12 oz but have refused to ripen even though I topped the plant about 3-4 weeks ago.













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__ Dec 18, 2015






A few good sized San Marzano's hanging on but just starting to blush.













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Yellow bell pepper plant that almost died.  It's back and doing well.  Looks like a couple might reach super market size if I can protect it from freezing.













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__ Dec 18, 2015






Trinidad Scorpion pepper doing well.













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Ghost peppers two months ago.........













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Ghost pepper today.  Not sure what is going on yet, but all the larger, older leaves fell off and so did many small peppers.  New leaves coming out though.













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__ Dec 18, 2015






Good looking cabbage right in the middle.  Going to saute up some ham and cabbage as side for Christmas dinner.  The two back plants are Morris Cabbage Collards - big leaves that grow quick and just keep making after you pick a few.  They are cooked down into greens.  Top right is a small SWC tote with bibb lettuce in the back and a couple of strawberry plants up front.  Strawberries don't like the same fertilizer as lettuce!  Bottom left is a Kratky box with lettuce.  Just above that is a broccoli plant that I harvested the crown off of a couple weeks ago.  I also boiled the leaves down and surprisingly they made a fine tasting pot of greens.













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Morris Cabbage Collard leaf.  They grow big!













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Now these are planted in the ground rather than buckets.  The top two broccoli crowns are about 6-7" across and ready to be eat - hoping it holds out until Monday when my son and his family get here.  The other plants are some Georgia bunching collards.

Well, that was a quick sample of some of the things going on right now.  I should have taken pics of the pole beans as I am having to pick them twice a week right now!


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## foamheart (Dec 18, 2015)

And I thought I was being strange for enjoying the pepper seeds!! LOL 

Beauty is in the eye, right?

<Chuckles>


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## sqwib (Dec 21, 2015)

That looks awesome, I'm Jealous. I'm a but surprised you don't have a control bucket. How often do you water and do you replace the soil each year?

Do you do anything from seed! I'm thinking of starting from seed and setting up some grow lights for 2016.

The only thing that I still have alive (not growing but alive) is some herbs, lettuce and carrots, although the carrots are still growing a tad.













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The parsley has been great, I didn't realize how nice of a spice this is fresh, has a nice mellow pepper flavor.













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## gary s (Dec 21, 2015)

Looks Good,     The only thing I have left, is Lettuce, carrots & green onions


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## foamheart (Dec 21, 2015)

gary s said:


> Looks Good,     The only thing I have left, is Lettuce, carrots & green onions


Mmmmmm......... green onions!


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## gary s (Dec 21, 2015)

Foamheart said:


> Mmmmmm......... green onions!


I agree, Love those green onions.  I'd be lost without onions and Tony's  they go in just about everything I cook !!

Gary


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## sqwib (Dec 22, 2015)

Checking the garden again, I do still have some herbs going, I'm gonna have to cut these back and cover with a bed of leaves and hope they overwinter.

I had luck with my Sage and Oregano by the back pond coming back this year , no luck with wintering over Rosemary and well have to see if the Thyme comes back.

Sage, Thyme and Rosemary













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Its crazy...It's still December and I'm anxious to start planting.

I'm gonna setup a grow station in the basement to start some seedlings and try some Heirloom varieties this year.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Dec 26, 2015)

SQWIB said:


> That looks awesome, I'm Jealous. I'm a but surprised you don't have a control bucket. How often do you water and do you replace the soil each year?
> 
> Do you do anything from seed! I'm thinking of starting from seed and setting up some grow lights for 2016.
> 
> ...


I do have a control bucket.  My float is in a small tote over near my hose bib.  My control bucket is closer to the actual plants so that when I add fertilizer to it the water doesn't have to wander down 50 ' of hose to get to the first plant.  I drilled a hole about 3" up from the bottom and this seems to work really well at letting the excess water escape when it rains a lot.

I would like to get my system off of city water and use rain water.  A barrel or two that can hold a couple hundred gallons and let gravity do the work.  My system would be completely off the grid then.  Maybe I can get that done this year.

Depending on how many plants, how big they are, and how heavily they feed - I usually put fertilizer (Master Blend) in the control bucket so that it's the equivalent of mixing up 2-3 gallons of solution every day or two.  I fertilize from the top with different things about every week while sometimes giving them a break by skipping a week - Texas Tomato Food is great stuff as well, extra epsom salt for peppers, extra calcium nitrate for green leafy stuff, etc.

I start quite a bit from seed.  The wife won't give me that much room to do it inside, but I do what I can.  Here is the light I use:

link

It's a 4' foot grow light with 4 T5 bulbs.  It costs about $85 delivered and puts out a lot of light.  It is a basic model but it has worked great for me plus the 4 bulbs are included which saves you $40 right there!  They also have a 2' model for $20-$25 bucks less.

My house is full of family right now, but I'll get started with my seeds in a few weeks. I'm giving big heirloom tomatoes a try for the first time this year as well.  I settled on Cherokee Purple and Brandywine.  We have lots of diseases and fungi that like to attack tomatoes down here, so I'll see how it goes.  I have had good luck with big beef here.

Delicious looking roast there! Just put a 14 lbs packer brisket on the smoker - hot and fast to 170, cover and should be ready for supper this evening.


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## sqwib (Dec 28, 2015)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> I do have a control bucket.  My float is in a small tote over near my hose bib.  My control bucket is closer to the actual plants so that when I add fertilizer to it the water doesn't have to wander down 50 ' of hose to get to the first plant.  I drilled a hole about 3" up from the bottom and this seems to work really well at letting the excess water escape when it rains a lot.
> 
> _Gotcha!_
> 
> ...



_I had a few lettuces growing, a few were growing in the shut down Aquaponics planter and a couple sprouted from seed I had planted late in the season in the shut down Aquaponics rail NFT/Deep water culture hybrid system. I figured this would sort of be a trial, the plants are placed under one of my 2 bulb LED shop lights. The plants are in terracotta planters lined with a wicking material (pond underlayment) then placed in a steamer pan with some water and a bit of fertilizer. These will be moved to the grow table when completed, if they make it. I intend to do the indoor greens using the Kratky Method in 2016_













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## gary s (Dec 28, 2015)

Keep us posted,  I am very interested     Points

Gary


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## jaxrmrjmr (Dec 28, 2015)

You listing your plantings made me think about a tomato plant - Matt's wild cherry.  It is supposedly an old school breed from Mexico that some guy named Matt re-discovered on a visit to Mexico and then marketed.  Who knows?  Anyway, the fruit is about the size of a marble (the small ones we played with when we were kids) and they have an amazing tomato flavor.  Last year was the first year that I attempted to save seeds, but it was also the first time that I tried fermenting tomato seeds.  They may work, they may not.   I don't know yet.  I'll send you a few if you want to try them.

It's been so warm down here that I may try and over winter some of my pepper plants outdoors.  We are still in the mid 80's and will be for the next week or so.  We normally have a few freezes in December which kills everything.  I have tomato plants that are still sending out suckers.  I can usually plant them in early March and cover them if there is a late freeze.  Heck, I'm 60 days from that so I'm thinking of just rooting the suckers and having some good sized plants come March.  I love learning new things and trying different stuff.

With regard to the soil in the buckets...  I have no clue.  What I have done up to this point is dump it into a trashcan when a plant is finished.  I chop it up with a shovel, add bone meal and lime, mix it with some new peat moss and vermiculite, then put it back in a bucket and add some worms.  I am lucky that I can dig worms from my back yard.  I think they eat up the old roots and leave good poop behind.


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## sqwib (Dec 29, 2015)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> You listing your plantings made me think about a tomato plant - Matt's wild cherry.  It is supposedly an old school breed from Mexico that some guy named Matt re-discovered on a visit to Mexico and then marketed.  Who knows?  Anyway, the fruit is about the size of a marble (the small ones we played with when we were kids) and they have an amazing tomato flavor.  Last year was the first year that I attempted to save seeds, but it was also the first time that I tried fermenting tomato seeds.  They may work, they may not.   I don't know yet.  I'll send you a few if you want to try them.
> 
> It's been so warm down here that I may try and over winter some of my pepper plants outdoors.  We are still in the mid 80's and will be for the next week or so.  We normally have a few freezes in December which kills everything.  I have tomato plants that are still sending out suckers.  I can usually plant them in early March and cover them if there is a late freeze.  Heck, I'm 60 days from that so I'm thinking of just rooting the suckers and having some good sized plants come March.  I love learning new things and trying different stuff.
> 
> With regard to the soil in the buckets...  I have no clue.  What I have done up to this point is dump it into a trashcan when a plant is finished.  I chop it up with a shovel, add bone meal and lime, mix it with some new peat moss and vermiculite, then put it back in a bucket and add some worms.  I am lucky that I can dig worms from my back yard.  I think they eat up the old roots and leave good poop behind.


Sure I'll try them!

90% finished my Grow Station, just waiting on a few more parts. Blew out an LED strip and ordered another one.

Gonna plant some spinach and Black Seeded Simpson tonight for a trial run, making a wicking planter with a soilless potting mix.

My seedlings will most likely be started in Rockwool beings that for the most part will be dropped in my Deep water culture and Aquaponics setup. I wil be doing some in soil as well.

Still playing around with these survivors, got them on 16 hours of light.













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I also tried pruning last year with great success.













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Any ideas why my Black Beauties turned yellow? this happened with my soil plants and deep water culture plants.













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__ Dec 29, 2015






They were looking good until we got a lot of heat high 90's













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## jaxrmrjmr (Dec 29, 2015)

SQWIB said:


> Sure I'll try them!
> 
> 90% finished my Grow Station, just waiting on a few more parts. Blew out an LED strip and ordered another one.
> 
> ...


I wish I had the space for a grow station.  My little area is a corner of computer room.  It works, but I would like to have a table size deal like you.

I have had really good results with rockwool, but I am trying a 60-40 mix of peat moss and vermiculite this year.  I hope it works or I will be weeks behind.  It is the same stuff that I use in my buckets, so I'm hoping it works.  I'm sort of in that soilless but not quite totally area.  The plants seem to like it but I'm not sure how to treat it.  I put some worms in my buckets this fall so I'll see if they are still living when I dump them out this month. 

That's a nice set of tomatoes!  Looks like brussel sprouts growing like that.

I have no idea what causes the yellow eggplant.  Late in the season I would have one or two do that with 8-10 growing on the same bush.  The rest would turn out normal.  Sometimes they would drop early.  Maybe poor pollination?  I don't think it's the temps because mine made all summer with no problem (90's from late June through August).  It happened to me late Aug going into September.  I have only had it happen on older plants.

PM me an address and I'll send you some Matt's Wild Cherry tomato seeds.  Like I said, I'm not sure they will germinate as this is my first time trying to save any.  I planted mine tonight.  I'll throw some Datil Pepper seeds in too if you want.


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## sqwib (Dec 31, 2015)

Use height for your corner, if you can get e few shelves in there you could do a few layers of 18" wide fluorescents.

For your rockwool, Do you just drop the rockwool direct in your system? what do you do with the rockwool at the end of the season, recycle into compost to amend soil or trash it?

Goodluck on the seedlings!

Here's something I threw together a couple days ago you might be interested in.
[h3]Wicking Planter[/h3]

I threw together a wicking planter for a trial run of some winter crops, if this works out I'll make 2 more and grow some greens and radishes in the winter.
.
I picked up 2 Sterilite containers at Home depot for under $5.00 each, they will fit inside each other, one will be the wicking container and one will be the reservoir. I really wanted to have an opaque reservoir but couldnt find the right size containers in containers like the the Rubbermaid or Husky containers, if there is an issue, I'll wrap in some reflectix.


I used a beverage container with the bottom cut out for watering














Using a sharpie, the holes to be made are marked.







Holes are made with a soldering iron, these Sterilite containers crack when too easily to use a drill.






Wicking cotton is placed in the bottom of the reservoir.





 
Some cotton is pulled through the holes to help with wicking.







A mix of pre-moistened Sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite and perlite are added with some osmocote... I really should add some compost, maybe next time. this mix is tamped down a bit tight.





 
Next layer is added and this is packed down also but not a s tightly as the wicking layer.






Filling the reservoir.
​







Seeds are planted, Spinach, Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce, some radishes and 1 marigold (testing the seeds).
​







Some more water is added.
​







Covered in plastic wrap.
​







Lid is placed on the container.
​














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__ Dec 31, 2015







Each morning the top is sprayed with some water. After the 2nd day (36 hours) the top is removed as the seedlings have already emerged.






Ferts will be added once their true leaves show, I'm gonna use my 20-18-38


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## sqwib (Jan 6, 2016)

OOPS!!

Turned off pump this morning!














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Oregano and Sage-sicles

Dropped down to 9°F, Hell it was 70° Christmas Day

Carrots were frozen in the soil, had to use hot water to remove them, 













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cilantro  PARSLEY, was seriously wilted, probably dead but I brought it in anyway cut it back and tossed it under the grow light.













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__ sqwib
__ Jan 6, 2016


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## jaxrmrjmr (Jan 10, 2016)

Ouch.  We have been in the 60-70s during the day and usually in the 40-50s at night.  A few cooler snaps of 30s at night.  Yeah, we were in the low 70s Christmas Day as well.

I pulled my tomato plants today...  I cut off many suckers and stuck them in water to get them to root trying to get a head start on the season.  It's been so warm down here that they were still blooming and even setting tomatoes!


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## sqwib (Jan 13, 2016)

Here's my Micro Green grow, start to finish.

December 31st, 2015

I Picked up a bag of Black Oil Sunflower seeds at Home Depot for my first run on Micro Greens using my new Indoor Grow Light Setup.
This is all experimental to see if this is worth the trouble, the Grow Light was made to start Heirloom Seedlings but I wanted to utilize the table throughout the winter for other things.

This is a nice project if you're Jonesing to do some gardening during the winter in colder climates.


December 31st, 2015 (Day 1) First thing was to make a sprouting jar...no explanation needed here!







December 31st - January 1st, 2015 (DAY 1-2) Seeds are rinsed and drain with tepid water twice a day.






December 31st - January 1st, 2015 (DAY 1-2) The seeds are then placed in a bowl on an angle and covered after each rinsing.







January 2, 2016 (Day 3) After the seeds show 1/8-1/4" sprouts the soil is mixed, equal parts of Vermiculite, Perlite and Sphagnum Peat moss and soil is moistened.







Sprouts are added evenly to the soil.






Seeds are then covered and stored in a dark place until day 10.






January 3rd, 2016 (Day 4)







January 4th, 2016 (Day 5)









 







January 5th, 2016 (Day 6)





January 6th, 2016 (Day 7)





January 7th, 2016 (Day 8)




 






January 8th, 2016 (Day 9)




 





January 9th, 2016 (Day 10) The greens are uncovered and put under the grow light for 24 hours. 






January 10th, 2016 (Day 11) Greens are cut at base with scissors and stored in the refrigerator.
Burger with Smoked provolone, Jalapenos, Onions, Romaine and Micro Greens.







January 11th, 2016, (Day 12) Salmon Salad with Alfalfa sprouts, Romaine and Sunflower Micro Greens.






The micro greens are almost done, I have been using them in my morning smoothies with the alfalfa sprouts.

They were a bit of work removing the pods from the tops but worth it.


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## sqwib (Jan 13, 2016)

Here's my Sprouts grow, start to finish.

I have been wanting to grow sprouts for a long time as it seems like the easiest, least labor intensive thing one can do to grow a nutritious food indoors.


_January 5th, 2016 _(Day 1) 4:00pm, soak seeds overnight. I started with a tablespoon of Alfalfa sprouts for my first run.

 




 





_January 6th, 2016_  (Day 2) 7:00am, dump out water and rinse seeds, place in a bowl or container at an angle and cover.









 
_January 7th, 2016_  (Day 3) 7:00am, Ooops! I forgot to rinse in the morning, they seemed dry, hopefully they did not dry out.


_January 7th, 2016_  (Day 3) 5:00pm, fill with water, swish and pour off water, place in a bowl or container at an angle.






_January 8th, 2016_  (Day 4) 7:00am, fill with water, swish and pour off water, place in a bowl or container at an angle.
_


_

_January 8th, 2016 (Day 4) 5:00pm, fill with water, swish and pour off water, place in a bowl or container at an angle under a light for several hours, the idea is to get a little green on the leaves, I am told that this activates enzymes in the plant._






_January 9th, 2016_  (Day 5) sprouts are placed in the refrigerator right in the jar and used as needed for burgers, salads and smoothies to name a few. You can rinse the refrigerated sprouts every other day to keep sprouts moist.


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## sqwib (Jan 13, 2016)

I haven't forgot about posting my grow light (indoor grow table) build after I still need to take a few more pictures and edit the pictures.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Jan 15, 2016)

So, the idea of sprouts is to let them germinate, grow some length, and then put a little light to them?  Sounds like a plan.


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## sqwib (Jan 16, 2016)

Not really needed for sprouts but definitely for the micro greens.
Best time to harvest micro greens is after your first set of trur leaves. Yhe first sey of leaves are cotyledons.
This is when the magic happens

I've been growing these like crazy. Started a batch of bean sprouts and more sunflower micro greens.
Just had a smoothie from the indoor garden. Will post that Monday


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## foamheart (Jan 16, 2016)

Soylent green...........


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## gary s (Jan 16, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Soylent green...........


I remember that Movie  Charlton Heston and EG Robinson

Gary


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## sqwib (Jan 18, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Soylent green...........





gary s said:


> I remember that Movie  Charlton Heston and EG Robinson
> 
> Gary


Ha Ha you guys are showing your age..*. IT'S PEOPLE!!!*


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## sqwib (Jan 18, 2016)

Sorry, I Forgot to bring my camera card into work, Hopefully I'll remember to grab it and post tomorrow, anyhow here's a pic of the new batch of sprouts I took with my phone, this is a bean sprout mix (legume mix).  I'll post a start to finish when they're done, they should be done today or tomorrow.


_January 16th, 2016 (Day 5)_

_


_


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## sqwib (Jan 19, 2016)

Here is the results of the wicking planter. Continued from post #33


_December 31st _(Day 3) (Radish)







_January 1st_  (Day 4) (Radish)







_January 3rd_  (Day 6) (Radish)





_January 3rd_  (Day 6) (Black Seeded Simpson)







January 3rd (Day 6) (Spinach)





The spinach was not germinating very well so I tossed in a few dozen seeds


_January 9th 2016_. 







_January 16th__  _(Day 17) 






_January 16th__  _(Day 17) Smoothie Time!
_Indoor (Winter Garden) Smoothie_


Unsweetened Almond Milk (Store bought)
Cold Milled Flax Seed (Store bought)
Almonds (Store Bought)
Honey (Store bought)
Strawberries (Store bought frozen)
Blueberries (Store bought frozen)
Raspberries (Store bought frozen)
Fresh Spinach (Indoor Garden)
Red Kale (Indoor Garden)
Whole Radish. Leaves, roots, radish (Indoor Garden)
Alfalfa Sprouts (Indoor Garden)
Frozen Banana (Store bought fresh then frozen)
Carrots (Store bought fresh)
Broccoli (Store bought fresh)










_January 17th__  _(Day 18) 






_January 18th _(Day 18) Transplanted the spinach and lettuce in other containers and did a bad job. 






_January 18th _(Day 1) Replanted more radish seeds in the wicking planter. This batch I'm trying diluted ferts.





OK this has been a total success, I am very happy with this setup, especially for growing Radishes...very little maintenance and no fertilizer, next year Ill make 2 more of these and will probably grow radish in two and spinach in the other for my smoothies and salads in the winter. I'll most likely plant one container of radishes a week later than the other and replant after they are used up, I'm still undecided on this.


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## sqwib (Jan 19, 2016)

Bean Sprouts start to finish.

_January 11th, 2016 (Day 1)_


For my 2nd run I am trying a Bean Salad Mix purchased from The Sprout House through Amazon. Contains, French Lentil, Adzuki, Mung and Daikon Radish, this is a legume mix with the exception of the radish.
Seeds are rinsed and soaked for 24 hours











Seeds will be rinsed every morning and every evening, placed at an angle in a container and covered with a towel.







_January 16th, 2016 __(Day 5)_

_


_


_January 18th, 2016 __(Day 7)_
_


_


Alfalfa Sprouts, Bean Sprouts, Spinach, Lettuce, Kale, Radish...all from the indoor garden.

_


_


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## sqwib (Jan 19, 2016)

Sorry this took so long...
[h3]Grow Light Build[/h3]

December 26th, 2015
This year I decided to make an Indoor grow light station and try my luck at starting from seed and growing some greens in the winter. I wanted to be able to grow some winter veggies for my salads and smoothies. I don't know if this is cost prohibitive but I look at this like a hobby and eating slightly better is a bonus. There was an area in my garage that is just the right size, (barely), but I was using it for storing scrap metal, paint, deck stain, my generator, a tool box and a bunch of other stuff. I decided I would much rather have the spot for a permanent grow area, so I thinned everything out and made it work. The generator and toolbox will stay, the toolbox was thinned out and a few drawers will be used for the indoor grow area tools and supplies. There is another problem with this corner as it can be quite drafty from the garage door, I am working on that.

The area is cleaned out and wiped down then painted with a few coats of Kilz.












The next step was to make the table, I had a desk that was disassembled and sitting on the deck waiting for trash day, I decided to use the top from the desk as the table top. The desk was cut down to 52.5" a 22.5" then I glued and nailed some oak trim on the sides.











I didn't want legs on the table and wanted a "floating table", to do this, a hole was drilled in one corner and an eye-bolt is installed, I used a bead of silicone when installing the eye-bolt.

Another eye-bolt is installed in the shelf above where the table top eye-bolt is located, most on the weight will be on the nailer plate.


The bottom of the table top is painted with a heavy coat of Kilz... love those goopy brush strokes!







I installed a 2"x 4" nailer with two lags and caught 2 studs.







The wall is painted with Kilz again and two coats are applied to the nailer







The table top is scratched up for better paint adhesion.







I caulked the back of the table top (only had brown caulk) then the table top is slid into position and a temporary wire is added for support. About 8 pilot/countersunk holes are drilled and the tabletop is secured to the nailer using HD Coated deck screws.







The tabletop and the floor are painted with an oil base paint. My neighbor came over to say hello and swears I'm growing "Ganja".







When I was thinning out my junk, I came across a few glass floating shelves that I had removed from over top my old fish tank about 5 years ago, I decided to install the shelves above the table, the only problem is that they were shiny brass, so I put on 4 coats of flat white spray paint.






_December 27th, 2015_


I ran a level and popped in some drywall anchors for the shelf. I had to modify the screws on a grinder as these shelves take special size screws using very narrow heads. The floating shelf supports are installed with the modded screws and touched up with a few more coats of flat spray paint.






The glass shelves are usually secured with rubber inserts but since I have no idea where they are, I just placed a few strips of electrical tape on the glass and the fit is perfect... nice and snug!







Then I installed the power station and some timers. One timer will control the light and the other timer will control the oscillating fan.






After the shelf install I put on another coat of oil base enamel on the tabletop.


 
I had a few lettuces growing, a few were growing in the shut down Aquaponics planter by the Koi pond and a couple sprouted from seed I had planted late in the season in the shut down Aquaponics rail NFT/Deep water culture hybrid system. I figured this would sort of be a trial, the plants are placed under one of my 2 bulb LED shop lights. The plants are in terracotta planters lined with a wicking material (pond underlayment) then placed in a steamer pan with some water and a bit of fertilizer. These will be moved to the grow table once the table is completed.









_December 28th, 2015_


Installed the new chain and Safety Chain Clip Quick Links.







Rolled in the Tool Box.






I still need to thin out the tool box a bit more, but the two top shelves are for the Grow area for stuff like pruning shears, scissors, marker, ph meters, plant markers etc...







The Generator needs to stay in this spot.






After a bit of research I decided on a 4 bulb 4' Fluorescent fixture using 6500 Kelvin bulbs. I almost purchased this T5 grow light from Amazon (UNLINKED), it seems like a pretty good deal and is worth looking into.

I don't think I need to cover the Red spectrum for seedlings and greens.

Warm Glow - 2200k,  Soft White - 2700k,  Bright White - 3000k,  Daylight - 5000k,  Cool White - 6500k

The shop light is modified with 2 strips of LED's, these LED strips were removed from two 48" LED shop lights, one had a bad internal driver and the other was a wrong bulb sent to me as a replacement for a bad bulb from a 4 pack (the replacement bulb was a "linear led" and since my existing setup was a ballast bypass type LED with shunted tombstones, you can imagine my surprise when I popped this bulb in and sparks shot out and blew the circuit.

Anyhow the LED's are stripped out and wired together to share the driver, then the LED strips are glued to the lamp housing, giving me a 6 bulb fixture.


Adding strip LED's and driver to the reflector for added light.












FOCK!!  I shorted out one LED strip with the chain, I ordered a replacement bulb to bastardize.






Wooohoo, we have light.







Test plants are in place on 16 hours of light.






_December 29, 2015_


I threw together a wicking planter for some winter crops and doing a trial run, if this works I'll probably make 2 more.

_(Click the picture to see how it was made.)_






_December 30, 2015_


The bad LED strip is removed and the new LED strip is added. The Hydrofarm Germination Station heat mats are in place but are not turned on yet.







Organized and labeled my supplies.






Mounted the Temperature controller and ran an extension cord to power both heat mats.







Installed an oscillating fan to run several hours a day to help the seedlings grow with stronger stems this is called thigmomorphogenesis, I also have read it helps prevent dampening off.







Four more lights were added using led's this time, I glued 4 tombstones on each side of aluminum bar stock from an EZ-Up and secured to the shop light using 3/4" self tapping screws. The tombstones are wired to a cord with a plug scavenged from an old lamp, this is then plugged into the other end of the shop light, I can now turn the 11" x 22" trays 90° allowing four side by side trays if need be. I had to tape everything in place until the epoxy cured, lol... 







Ten bulb shoplight in place, the outer 4 LED bulbs can be unplugged if needed.


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## gotarace (Jan 19, 2016)

Unreal thread Sqwib..you have taken urban gardening to a completely new level. Thanks for sharing this...great thread!!


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## foamheart (Jan 19, 2016)

Have the neighbors called the Cops and told 'em you have grow lights burning all nite in your garage yet? 

Son asked if he can plant some seeds in just one corner?  Oregano? Maybe some Catnip for the cats?

You know you just gave me a thought, those old burnt up & gutted MES smokers could easily be transformed in great grow boxes. Its almost like they were built for it! I'd link a picture from the webb but alas I have used up this years quota.  

I have a seed starter already in the garage, we converted it into an egg incubator....LOL Ya gotta love multi taskers.

SQWIB I am so happy to started into this, its actually what I had in mind when I went to college. As a young kid, saw some movie were an officer on an aircraft carrier was doing veggies hydrophonically ( I have no idea how to spell that these days). 

What I am saying is I am really enjoying your thread.


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## sqwib (Jan 19, 2016)

The test subjects seem to be thriving so the lights seem adequate for greens. These were the plants from outside that started to grow with the unseasonably hot weather we had.


Black seeded Simpson






This is either "Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach" or the "Spinach Big Ruffles Hybrid" I hope its spinach




, I've been eating this. Hopefully its not a Gerbera Daisy!!


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## daveomak (Jan 19, 2016)

I'm still following and learning....  Thanks...


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## sqwib (Jan 19, 2016)

gotarace said:


> Unreal thread Sqwib..you have taken urban gardening to a completely new level. Thanks for sharing this...great thread!!





Foamheart said:


> Have the neighbors called the Cops and told 'em you have grow lights burning all nite in your garage yet?
> 
> Son asked if he can plant some seeds in just one corner?  Oregano? Maybe some Catnip for the cats?
> 
> ...


No cops yet, but to be safe I Better finish up my shine!

Thanks Guys, I'm glad you guys are along for the ride.

lol...​Multi tasking, The daughter wants to turn the playhouse into an animal shelter for baby rescues as part of her "Requirement", whatever that is, shes been saving baby rabbits at her dorm (that doesn't allow animals), so far shes rescued about two dozen, her room looks like a vets office. She's rescued, Turtles, Possums, Raccoon, Deer, Eagle, Beaver, Fox, Black Vultures, Red Tail Hawks, Barn Owl, Horned Owl to name a few...hope she doesn't plan on bringing them all home.

She's shadowing a few vets at a hospital that do a lot of Exotic animals, works part time at PennyPack environmental Center and volunteers at the Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center

She asked if she could bring home a rooster and I said sure, just as long as it pi$$es the neighbors off! Yippy fracking dogs all around us...PAYBACK!













20140518102.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Jan 19, 2016


















20140518120.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Jan 19, 2016






This black vulture could not be released because it imprinted on the caretaker, now they use him for training purposes, this vulture loves to nuzzle and is more affectionate than a dog.













20140518126.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Jan 19, 2016






This woman owns the Golden Eagle below and helps local folks with goose problems, yes its trained to kill!













20140518156.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Jan 19, 2016


















20140518147.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Jan 19, 2016






Wish I had more pics of the animals.

Pic below can lead to panic attacks and maybe even death













planter.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Jan 19, 2016


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## sqwib (Jan 20, 2016)

Finishing up the bean sprouts and probably wont do any more until Sunday, I'll be away at our first Mancamp, I'll post that in a week or so.

I'll finish up whats growing and start my seedlings in a few weeks for my outdoor crops.

Pork Fried Rice​
_January 19th, 2016_  

Laura has been sick with the flu and has only been eating grill cheese sandwiches, and Bagels I tossed this together last night and she was able to eat it, it was pretty good. The only thing I would do differently is coarse chop the bean sprouts, I bit into a huge bunch of sprouts and it was like when you eat too much mozzarella at once and you cant swallow it...lol, I almost Choked...Dam this healthy $hit will  Killya!!






I gotta laugh...I'm trying to eat a bit healthier and I'm eating pepperoni and hard salami while I make my dinner







Bean Sprouts (Indoor Grow)
Leftover veggies from a veggie tray (recycle)
onion
Roasted Pork Loin from Monday nights dinner (yes Smoked Loin would be nice
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





)
Eggs
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
Butter/Olive oil
Long Grain Rice (rinsed)




































Sorry for the huge pics this is a copy paste from my website.


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## sqwib (Jan 20, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> I'm still following and learning....  Thanks...


Thanks Dave... try the sprouts, you wont be sorry.


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## sqwib (Jan 27, 2016)

Had a major fail...I was so preoccupied with my Nor' Easter Camping trip that I forgot about my Microgreens that were on top of the fridge, they were growing like crazy and so was some fuzzy stuff lol.

Working on the video for the camping trip now.













20160123224.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Jan 27, 2016






Used up the last of my Sprouts and getting ready to plant my seedlings for the spring.

Jambalaya

_January 25th, 2016_  

I had some shrimp and Chorizo leftover from my Jambalaya I made on my camping trip a few days ago and since the shrimp was thawed I wanted to cook it up, I used the last bit of Bean Sprouts I had left.


Crushed Tomatoes
Green Peppers
Shrimp
Chorizo
Dash Old Bay
Long Grained Rice
Garlic
Butter
Onion
Shaved Carrots
Bean Sprouts (coarse chopped)


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## sqwib (Jan 28, 2016)

Indoor Garden Update  .


_December 27th, 2015_  - Rescued Lettuces from my outdoor gardens that decided not to give up.






_December 29th, 2016 - _They done OK and I decided to move them to the Grow Table. I then made a wicking planter to grow some radish and lettuce and tossed in a few marigold seeds.





 
January 17th, 2016 - I harvested the radishes then removed the lettuce, spinach and the only marigold that sprouted from the wicking planter and placed into other containers. To be quite honest, the radish tops make great greens and harvest much sooner than the lettuces or spinach. I have neglected these plants several times to find them wilting, its amazing they're still alive.










_January 28th, 2016 _- Black Seeded Simpson












The kale was a rescue plant.







The Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach seems pretty finicky and I have no idea why it went to seed, I'm not sure if this is normal or what but they had a tough start due to over watering.











Parris Island Romaine Lettuce...still not 100% sure what the hell it is, was also a rescue from outside, I have eaten some of this plant and its doing rather well.





Here's a pic of it when I first brought it in from outside.







This is the only marigold that germinated, and after 4 weeks it has a flower bud. This will definitely save me money this year... well...if I can get the other seeds to germinate. Hopefully I can germinate the Gerbera Daisy Seeds too!






I'll let these grow a few more weeks and do a complete harvest and start on my seedlings for the spring. 

Next year I'll probably do a Kratky Lettuce Bed...less time consuming, the radishes I'll continue to grow in the wicking planter.


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## foamheart (Jan 28, 2016)

I have to ask, we tried a couple a times to test it but.......... The Marigolds have always had a reputation for bug prevention. I don't know if its the smell, (Pop once said he thought it was because they would stop and eat the flower first, a bug magnet!), but its an old farmers tale.

It never worked for us, even though you didn't plan it seems you've got one, see what ya think and let me know, would ya, huh, huh, maybe, could be? 

<= College for me , besides the bars and women, Botany!


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## sqwib (Jan 28, 2016)

Your pop is probably closer to the truth than what I have heard, I always heard that they repelled rabbits, but the only way to get rid of a rabbit is with a bullet.

I don't plant marigolds for any of the presumed HYPE that they repel stuff, I like to add a bit of color to my gardens and they're CHEAP. lol. They also help a bit with pollination but a better choice for that would be oregano.


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## foamheart (Jan 28, 2016)

You'd have to understand Pop, I couldn't ever have a horse cause you couldn't eat it and the dog always looked like he was worried.

I have an entire freezer door devoted just to reclaimed seeds. LOL And corn came in I think 35# bags, maybe 50's but I was younger then...>LOL

I still have a Ford 3500 and a IH Cub under the barn with all the attachments, including ditch openers, posthole diggers, and all the plows, discs, drag blades, rakes, etc etc...  

BTW both the tractors have child's car seat attachments to the fender, so his grand babies could ride with him. Me? I had to walk behind and pull the corn, the grand babies rode!

OK, Sorry for the sidetrack......


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## sqwib (Jan 29, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> You'd have to understand Pop, I couldn't ever have a horse cause you couldn't eat it and the dog always looked like he was worried.
> 
> I have an entire freezer door devoted just to reclaimed seeds. LOL And corn came in I think 35# bags, maybe 50's but I was younger then...>LOL
> 
> ...


Poor dog! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Was it a Hot Dog.






Love the child seat attachment

Dont worry about it, Hell this whole thread is a sidetrack and I'm loving the stories.


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## sqwib (Feb 2, 2016)

_February 1st, 2016 - _Well it seems the Thyme likes the cold.


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## sqwib (Feb 3, 2016)

Trying to eat all the lettuce up this week to start my seeds.

Laura giggles every-time I say, "I'm gonna sow my seeds this weekend"...what the heck is so funny about that?
 ​


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## sqwib (Feb 4, 2016)

Calling it on the Lettuce (5 weeks)

_February 2nd, 2016 - _This will be harvested for tonight's dinner, One think I noticed is that this lettuce was started a week later than the established plants were brought in, and is doing much better. I guess there is some truth in the fact that one of the most critical things to a plants overall health is a good start from seed.






Next year I'll probably do a Kratky Lettuce Bed...less time consuming, the radishes I'll continue to grow in the wicking planter. Meanwhile I'll squeeze in another experiment using the Kratky Method.
 ​*Kratky Lettuce Experiment*​ ​
_January 31st, 2016 - _I decided to run a quick test using the Kratky Method, It's a bit late to be playing around because I have seeds to start this weekend. I will have to move these under one of the LED Shop Lights. These will not be on a heat mat. Why these bottles? Because I always have a ton of these in the recycle bin.

My only concerns are; 
1) I squeezed the rockwool a bit tight jamming it into the bottle, hopefully the roots will be ok.
2) Airspace...Usually I would have something like Hydroton in a net pot and the very bottom of the netpot would barely touch the water.





 





 
Due to the shape of the bottle I had to leave a bit of airspace so I just shake it a tad to moisten the rockwool if needed till the roots start reaching for the water. So far the rockwool has stayed moist for 3 days undisturbed. I would like to go back to the Folgers Coffee cans with the netpots and hydroton but they don't nest inside each other... I wish I wouldn't have thrown mine out. I'll be making a few Rubbermaid 10 gallon Kratky Containers and give them a shot.
 

_February 3rd, 2016 - Black Seeded Simpson_





 


Parris Island Romaine






Nothing from the spinach yet, but that is to be expected.​


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## sqwib (Feb 4, 2016)

Marigold Update


_February 3rd, 2016_ - This little guy is motoring! The bud looks like it will be opening soon. I am very happy with the results and will be planting the rest of my Marigold seeds this weekend, hopefully.


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## sqwib (Feb 5, 2016)

More from the garden

Last nights dinner

*Chicken Dinner*
 

Red Russian Kale
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Parris Island Romaine
Shaved Carrots
Sharp Cheddar
French's French Fried Onion
Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Acme Fried Chicken
Side of Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes.




​​Todays Lunch

*Turkey Club*
 


Fresh Sliced Turkey
Wheat Toast
American Cheese
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Mayo




​


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## sqwib (Feb 8, 2016)

*Turkey Club...again!*
 

Fresh Sliced Turkey
Wheat Toast
American Cheese
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Bean Sprouts
Pickels
Tomato - Store Bought...BOOOO!
Mayo


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## sqwib (Feb 8, 2016)

One more

 *Grilled Chicken Caesars salad*​
*Yes...with anchovies!*


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## sqwib (Feb 8, 2016)

Alright that's enough with the food pics,...no more food pics.

Finished up the asparagus bed.

*Jersey Knight Raised Asparagus Bed*

In an effort to grow more greens with less muss n' fuss, I looked into Perennial Vegetables and was extremely happy to see that Asparagus was a Perennial Vegetable. Asparagus is one of my favorite green veggies for cooking, followed closely by Broccoli. Eggplant is my overall favorite veggie for cooking, I'm not dissing my love for tomatoes but I look at them more as a standalone fruit, I can just pluck one from the garden and eat like an apple... cant really do that with eggplant!

But the problem was, where the hell would I plant asparagus? I literally have no room.

I think I may have found a place that gets good sun, it is directly in front of my AC unit, it's tight, but with a little construction, I think I can get a decent bed of 10 plants. It Is a small area, maybe 3' x 4.25' (12.75 sq.')
 

I have always disliked this part of the yard, between the slope, the AC, the trashcan, the neighbors hemlock hedge and the Bradford pear roots tearing everything up I just hate it. Over the next few years I plan on fixing this up somewhat, clean out the roots once the stump is dead, put pavers in place of my spray painted roof tile. This season I will be putting in the Asparagus bed and hopefully next year I can build a self wicking raised bed on the other side and lay pavers.

So, I ordered 10 Jersey Knight Asparagus plants in January from American Meadows. Asparagus is shipping the week of April 4th, so I do have plenty of time but want to get this knocked out ASAP.
  

From what I have researched these are supposed to be an all male variety and will produce more and last longer than their female counterparts.
 

The weather may be half decent this weekend so I'm gonna try to get my son outside away from Black Ops 3 and jump on building the bed.

OK, I'm going to need a 2"x10" x 12', some deck screws, aluminum strapping and loamy soil...whatever that is! I also picked up two 5/4" x 8' decking planks, I decided at the last minute to cap it, figured since its gonna be a permanent bed, I might as well dress it up a bit.
 

Dam I'm gonna need more 2"x12", oh well back to the store, picked up another 2"x12" but an 8 footer, dam again, it was supposed to be a 2"x10" not a 2"x12", oh well, I'll use it to my advantage.

First I cleaned out the area, removed the river rocks, removed the three pavers then cut the concrete slab that the AC rests on.





 
I didn't realize but this slab had concrete mesh which made the job a tad bit more of a pain.





Next, I trimmed the 4x4 on the walkway with a sawzall.
 

Then I dug out about a foot of soil.

 

The frame is assembled with 3" decking screws, dropped in place and leveled. 





Buckets of dirt and concrete are tossed in back of the truck to dispose of. I'll use the dirt to fill in a few holes in our lot at work.





The raised bed is capped with 5/4" deck board. This will be stained next year.





Over the next few weeks, the bed will be filled with a mix of peat, lime, vermiculite, leaves, manure and my spent potting soil mix from my indoor gardening... hope it's loamy enough.lol.

My son wasn't interested in this project...it's really a shame, he is the one missing out and when I look back I wish I would have hung out with my dad more, our parents are such an under appreciated resource.


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## daveomak (Feb 8, 2016)

SQWIB, Looks great....   Is that a concrete cutting chain saw you got there...  Pretty cool....  LOL......


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## sqwib (Feb 8, 2016)

Here's some roots from my Marigold plant that was in the NFT System.













24267390554_effdde79dc_c.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Feb 8, 2016


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## sqwib (Feb 8, 2016)

OK.. The moment of truth, time to get those seeds planted.

A shout out to JaxRmrJmr for hooking me up with some seeds.

The Grow table is cleaned up and the Heat mats are tied in to one thermostat, I'm hoping that the inside of the domes will be near the same, I will have to make heat adjustments if the dome is removed from one and left on for another. Next year I'll invest in another Thermostat and have two thermostats operating two heat mats each, but I have spent way too much THIS YEAR already.





 


The trays are in place and my Blackseeded Simpson is tossed back on the table until it cam  be harvested.






_February 6th, 2016 _- what are we planting?

Pepper - Hot, Anaheim Chili HEIRLOOM February 6th
Pepper - Sweet California Wonder HEIRLOOM February 6th
Pepper - Hot, Tabasco HEIRLOOM February 6th
Pepper - Ghost chili (From JaxRmrJmr) February 6th
Pepper - Datil Pepper (From JaxRmrJmr) February 6th

Flower - Marigold  February 6th I have one Marigold growing now as a test
Flower - Gerbera Daisy (only had a few fertile seeds) I'm not holding my breath February 6th
  I pre-soaked all the pepper seed s for 6 hours







Gerbera Daisy Seeds, one on the left is fertile, the one on the right is not. I really don't have much hope for the Gerbera Daisy seeds, I only got maybe 3 or 4 that looked good. The marigolds and the Gerbera Daisy seeds were all just tossed in potting soil and if they take, I will separate and transplant once they are big enough.







Water is set out for a few hours and the pH is checked, had to add a bit of Vinegar to drop the pH a bit. The rock wool is soaked. After 6 hours the seeds that float are discarded and the ones that sunk are planted, I had extra seeds that were put in 3" planters with soil. The only exception was the Ghost Pepper, none of the seeds sunk but I planted them just in case, but it's not looking good for the Ghost Chili.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 8, 2016)

Busy man I see.  Hope the seeds work out for you and thanks for seeds and set up for sprouts you shared.  The ghosts are hot as hell, but actually have good flavor behind them.  The datils are totally unique.  I think you will really like them.  Unique taste.  Yeah, only two of my kids even care about gardening or building stuff.

I have wanted an asparagus bed for years, but, like you, I'm not sure where to put it as it takes a couple years to really start producing and lasts for many years. I love cooking with it, so does the wife and 4 of the 5 kids.  Steamed with Hollandaise sauce or tossed with some garlic oil.  Good stuff.  Home grown broccoli is probably my favorite (tastes sweeter but really stinks up the house), but asparagus and brussel sprouts aren't far behind!  Roasted or mashed cauliflower, fried okra, cabbage with sweet onions cooked in bacon grease................ I love meat, but I love me some veggies too!  I guess I just love food.

My hat is off to you for what you have been able to accomplish this year!  I told the wife that I would wait until my previous investments paid for themselves before I would buy "much" more.  A successful spring crop should get me to a break-even point before my fall plantings.  It takes me about three plantings in my self wicking buckets to break even.  A bucket setup costs me about $10 each.  A head of cabbage, followed by a tomato plant, followed by greens or herbs pretty much gets me to or past that $10 point.  My goal is to get my plants, on average, to cost $1.50 to grow out after fertilizer, replacing hardware, starting seed, fungicides, etc.  That would be a $1.50 for a head of broccoli ( I also cook down the leaves as greens), or an entire tomato plant, or couple pounds of hot peppers, or 10-20 bell peppers from a plant, or 20-30 eggplants from one plant, etc.  I consider my labor as free since I like doing it.


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## sqwib (Feb 9, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> SQWIB, Looks great....   Is that a concrete cutting chain saw you got there...  Pretty cool....  LOL......


That would be cool if it was Dave, but I used a Angle Grinder with a Diamond blade...not in the pic.


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## sqwib (Feb 9, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Busy man I see.  Hope the seeds work out for you and thanks for seeds and set up for sprouts you shared.  The ghosts are hot as hell, but actually have good flavor behind them.  The datils are totally unique.  I think you will really like them.  Unique taste.  Yeah, only two of my kids even care about gardening or building stuff.
> 
> I have wanted an asparagus bed for years, but, like you, I'm not sure where to put it as it takes a couple years to really start producing and lasts for many years. I love cooking with it, so does the wife and 4 of the 5 kids.  Steamed with Hollandaise sauce or tossed with some garlic oil.  Good stuff.  Home grown broccoli is probably my favorite (tastes sweeter but really stinks up the house), but asparagus and brussel sprouts aren't far behind!  Roasted or mashed cauliflower, fried okra, cabbage with sweet onions cooked in bacon grease................ I love meat, but I love me some veggies too!  I guess I just love food.
> 
> My hat is off to you for what you have been able to accomplish this year!  I told the wife that I would wait until my previous investments paid for themselves before I would buy "much" more.  A successful spring crop should get me to a break-even point before my fall plantings.  It takes me about three plantings in my self wicking buckets to break even.  A bucket setup costs me about $10 each.  A head of cabbage, followed by a tomato plant, followed by greens or herbs pretty much gets me to or past that $10 point.  My goal is to get my plants, on average, to cost $1.50 to grow out after fertilizer, replacing hardware, starting seed, fungicides, etc.  That would be a $1.50 for a head of broccoli ( I also cook down the leaves as greens), or an entire tomato plant, or couple pounds of hot peppers, or 10-20 bell peppers from a plant, or 20-30 eggplants from one plant, etc.  I consider my labor as free since I like doing it.


I'm way past the point of breaking even, That's why I now call this a "Hobby", it eases the pain of the cost!!. Hopefully over the next couple of years when everything is established I may see a return, right now its an investment but keeps me out of trouble. I did ok on growing lettuce on the grow table and will be switching the soil out for Kratky lettuce next winter.

I am going to invest in some soil ammendments this year for my Dirt Farming...It must be 10 years or so since I done anything with it.

Everytime I make something I keep telling myself, "You're not getting any younger" so I try to make things least labor intensive. My next years project will be a self watering, wicking raised bed ...I'll make it high so I don't have to kneel as much..lol. I

This past weekend I noticed my Elaeagnus ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’ plant was infested with some type of mite.

pretty colors, and I contemplated buying some pest treatments for it and asked my self, is it worth it...I cant eat it, so this is what I did.






Grabbed a beer, pulled out my phone and ordered 3 Raspberry Plants.

 





I'm at the point now where my space is so limited, that I feel the plant has to earn its way to stay in the yard. Yes I like color, but I like to eat even more.

I was going to try the buckets like you did but I'm gonna try Kratky Buckets Instead and I have something else I am working on that I think you'll like.


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## sqwib (Feb 9, 2016)

I think you guys will find this project worthwhile, Next Year I plan on building another 20 gallon for herbs and maybe 55 gallon for various plants.

*Garden Tower*​ ​I was hoping to build a 55 gallon drum composting vertical garden last year. I had so much going on with the hydroponics and Aquaponics and my regular gardening that I put it on hold, Well I have been researching this a ton this year hoping to build one.

One of the problems I am facing is, where the hell will I put it? I literally have no room. Well I figured since it wasn't a permanent structure I could always move it or empty it at the end of the season and store it on my back hill.

What I have found out during my research this year changed my mind on how to make this. Much of my research about the composting part, primarily the worms needed, (red Wigglers) scared me off. I won't go into the science, but what scared me off was the fact that they may not survive my Zone 7 and that the amount of composting they would do in that small of an area (4-6" pipe) is negligible, so it really didn't seem worth the extra effort. I'm gonna put the extra effort into a center wicking pipe.

For composting I'm gonna stick to what I know.
 
Anyhow I figured this would be a fun project for My son and I and I'll let him take care of it this season.
 
This design will be simple, a standard 55 gallon drum, top cut off with 40 slots for plants. Center pipe will be added and capped at the bottom with a few tiny holes in the pipe at each level and wrapped in pond underlayment for wicking. I will drill a few holes in the bottom of the barrel to allow for drainage.
 

When I got home and made my way past the swamp, (lotsa rain), I climbed up on the hill to pull out the 55 gallon drum earmarked for this project. When I was sorting through all of the junk on the hill I came across one of my 20 gallon drums that I use for storing pool supplies, hoses, fittings, hardware and such. Since I am getting rid of the pool I decided that this would be our first Tower Garden. The barrel is in bad shape it has a couple breaks in the side that I will need to work around.


Lets get started,
 


I cleaned and marked the barrel...mostly eyeballing it.




 




 
Then I was wondering what to use to cut the slits. I figured a jig saw and then said nah, I don't want to drill starter holes, then I contemplated a circular saw, nope... I wanted to do this with my son and a trip to the ER was not sounding good. How about an angle grinder with a thin blade?...nah, probably melt too much when cutting due to the high rpms, Sawzall, nope ER. Biscuit joiner...nope. I got it I'll use my Fein Multimaster..check it out here. Pretty incredible tool.











 


The slits are cut, I had Stephen cut one of the slits and since it's an oscillating blade it was pretty tough so I took over the cutting.







Stephen manned the heat gun and I manned the beer bottles.












You could really make this fun and start with full beer bottles!!!






 


There we go, 24 slots, I decided not to put the 6 slots in the bottom, due to the taper and it being a little tight, we figured we could do 24 strawberries in the slots and 6 around the top for a total of 30 or 24 strawberries and 2-3 pepper plants, that's plenty.






 
Next up was paint... hmmm. what should we use, I really like the Krylon Fusion Terra Cotta Spray Paint... well guess what, it has been discontinued, like I was surprised.
I'll see what I got in the workshop and come up with something... maybe nutmeg will look nice.
I sanded the drum with a 220 grit and wiped down with vinegar.




 
I had Stephen cut out some templates that I had printed out that I found online









 

But he was too busy to help his dad and only cut a few of the butterflies out so I had to reuse several of them once the paint dried on one side.





The drum is then painted with a primer and then spot painted with various colors.





The templates are tossed on and the entire barrel is painted with a nutmeg spray paint.






I kinda like the barrel with all the different colors, I was undecided so I let my Daughter make the decision and she liked the nutmeg with the butterflies
.






Barrel is flipped and a few Holes were drilled in the bottom for drainage. As mentioned earlier I decided not to do the composting section but liked the idea of something in the center so I wouldn't need a whole lot of potting mix, What I did here was use a 4" piece of PVC, Capped the bottom and drilled 1/64" holes in it to slowly weep into the soil, I cheeped out on the cap and used a Mayo Lid, I wasn't about to spend $7.00 on a cap.





I'm still undecided on the underlayment at this point. This pipe will just sit in the center and can be removed if needed. Hopefully this will work and I can add additional ferts and water through the center every other week or so.

This center piece will be added when the soil as added.

This barrel will be light enough to rotate 180° to change expose the North side facing South.

I have a lazy Susan type thing that this will sit on to spin, you can also mod a rotating Christmas tree stand on a timer to turn it every couple of days, but I'm gonna keep it simple.

This will  be for some ever-bearing strawberries and a few hot pepper plants on top.
 

Larry Hall's potting mix is the following: 

two 5 gal buckets of sphagnum peat moss 
one 5 gal bucket of well rotted manure based compost (bagged is fine) 
one 16 oz coffee can of perlite (you could use vermiculite but if what you plant doesn't like "wet feet" be advised, vermiculite holds much more water) 
1 1/2 cups of garden lime (powdered) 
1 handful epsom salt Mix well
I use 16 oz of vermiculute and 16 oz. of Perlite


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## sqwib (Feb 9, 2016)

Test Marigold update

_February 9th, 2016_ - Flowered and got another bud, I do have a concern about some of the leaves it appears that the leaves could have a fungus, I''m not sure but it don't seem to be hurting the plant.


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## daveomak (Feb 9, 2016)

The barrels are really cool.....  Genius, using the heat gun......


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## sqwib (Feb 9, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> The barrels are really cool.....  Genius, using the heat gun......


Can't take credit for anything but the paint job and method of cutting the slots, was all gleaned from others. Definitely a great way to get more garden space, Vertical gardening is pretty cool stuff.


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## sqwib (Feb 15, 2016)

_February 12th, 2016 - _I had off Friday and decided to plant some seed that were scheduled for Saturday, No pre-soak. Water pH 6.0.


Tomato, _Mortgage Lifter HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th
Tomato, _Brandywine Red (Potato Leaf) HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 1 Soil) February 13th
Tomato, _Matt's wild cherry_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *8 weeks *(1 Soil) February 13th
Eggplant, _Black Beauty HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks *(3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th
Eggplant,_ Meatball Hybrid_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th
Eggplant, _Striped eggplant_ (From JaxRmrJmr) -* 8 weeks *(2 Soil) February 13th
Leeks, _American Flag_   -* 8 weeks *(Soil) February 13th





_February 12th, 2016 _- 6 days

Pepper Hot, _Anaheim Chili HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Hydro, 3 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*
Pepper Sweet, _California Wonder HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Soil) (4 Hydro) February 6th *NOTHING*
Pepper Hot, _Tabasco HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) (2 Hydro) February 6th* SPROUTED*
Pepper Hot, _Ghost chili_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) February 6th* NOTHING*
Pepper Hot, _Datil Pepper_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks *(2 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*

Flower, _Marigold_ - *10 weeks* (ALL SOIL) February 6th I have one Marigold growing now as a test *NOTHING*
Flower, _Gerbera Daisy_ - *10 weeks* (ALL SOIL) (a few fertile seeds) I'm not holding my breath February 6th* NOTHING*

Since I had a good germination rate I took the peppers off of the heat mat removed the lid, elevated the tray closer to the light and put on the fan.





 

The California Wonder and Ghost chili still not sprouting, I moved these to the tomato/eggplant tray that will be covered and placed on a heating mat at 80°

Time to chill, lets watch some TV.





Oh wait, I forgot, my German Shepherd killed my TV, at least the radio works.





_February 13th, 2016 _- 7 days - So far I am sold on this Rockwool stuff, I had seeds sprout in 6 days and my soil peppers haven't sprouted as I write this, 9 days later!




 





 







I finished working on the wicking tube for the 20 gallon, this tube holds about 1.5 gallons. A few 1/16" holes are drilled in the tube, then its wrapped with Pond Underlayment and secure with polyester twine. Not pretty but you wont see it.




 

I decided to make another vertical garden for herbs, I didn't want to hack up my other 20 gallon barrel for two reasons, one is that I use it for my fish tanks and when working on my pond, the other reason is if 'm not happy with the results I wasted a good holding tank. This will not have a wicking tube and I will see how often it needs watering before I make it a self watering garden.





 





 





 








I was working on quite few projects this weekend and had time to mix my hydro fertilizer. 





The Marigold was moved upstairs, I want to see how it does with minimal light. I think it may have been getting too much light on the grow table.




 






I even had time to work on my NFT Rails and smoke a Prime Rib


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## gary s (Feb 15, 2016)

Great job, I really like what you are doing, keep those pics coming  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Gary


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## sqwib (Feb 15, 2016)

Thanks Gary...

Oh! I almost forgot this.
 
Kratky Lettuce in 10 Gallon Totes


_February 13th, 2015_ - I decided to make two new Kratky Lettuce containers with five 2" net pots, I'll use these two totes alongside the six 2 gallon Kratky Buckets. $15.00 and 15 minutes.





 





 ​


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## sqwib (Feb 18, 2016)

_February 14th, 2016 _- 8 days - How are the seeds doing?

Pepper Hot, _Anaheim Chili HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Hydro, 3 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*
Pepper Sweet, _California Wonder HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Soil) (4 Hydro) February 6th *NOTHING*
Pepper Hot, _Tabasco HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) (2 Hydro) February 6th* SPROUTED*
Pepper Hot, _Ghost chili_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) February 6th* NOTHING*
Pepper Hot, _Datil Pepper_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks *(2 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*

Flower, _Marigold_ - *10 weeks* (ALL SOIL) February 6th I have one Marigold growing now as a test *NOTHING*
Flower, _Gerbera Daisy_ - *10 weeks* (ALL SOIL) (a few fertile seeds) I'm not holding my breath February 6th* NOTHING*
_February 14th, 2016 _- 2 days (Tomatoes/Eggplants) - How are the seeds doing?

Tomato, _Mortgage Lifter HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th *SPROUTED (unbelievable!)*
Tomato, _Brandywine Red (Potato Leaf) HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 1 Soil) February 13th* SPROUTED (unbelievable!)*
Tomato, _Matt's wild cherry_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *8 weeks *(1 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant, _Black Beauty HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks *(3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant,_ Meatball Hybrid_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant, _Striped eggplant_ (From JaxRmrJmr) -* 8 weeks *(2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Leeks, _American Flag_   -* 8 weeks *(Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
I was blown away by the quick germination on the tomatoes, it's actually a bit sooner than I would like. I may plant a backup of the tomatoes in 2-3 weeks to be safe.

 





 




 




 
_February 16th, 2016 _- 10 days - How are the seeds doing?

Pepper Hot, _Anaheim Chili HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Hydro, 3 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*
Pepper Sweet, _California Wonder HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Soil) (4 Hydro) February 6th *SPROUTED*
Pepper Hot, _Tabasco HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) (2 Hydro) February 6th* SPROUTED*
Pepper Hot, _Ghost chili_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) February 6th* NOTHING*
Pepper Hot, _Datil Pepper_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks *(2 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*

Flower, _Marigold_ - *10 weeks* *[PLANTED IN SOIL] *(ALL SOIL) February 6th I have one Marigold growing now as a test *NOTHING*
Flower, _Gerbera Daisy_ - *10 weeks [PLANTED IN SOIL]* (ALL SOIL) (a few fertile seeds) I'm not holding my breath February 6th* NOTHING*
 
_February 16th, 2016 _- 4 days (Tomatoes/Eggplants) - How are the seeds doing?

Tomato, _Mortgage Lifter HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th *SPROUTED (unbelievable!)*
Tomato, _Brandywine Red (Potato Leaf) HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 1 Soil) February 13th* SPROUTED (unbelievable!)*
Tomato, _Matt's wild cherry_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *8 weeks *(1 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant, _Black Beauty HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks *(3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant,_ Meatball Hybrid_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant, _Striped eggplant_ (From JaxRmrJmr) -* 8 weeks *(2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Leeks, _American Flag_   -* 8 weeks [PLANTED IN SOIL] *(Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*

My side experiment of soil seedlings is pretty slow, My Datil peppers just came up, nothing from my leeks, California wonders or Tabasco yet!

 





I almost lost this crop, I left the fan on MANUAL for the entire day, when I got home the seedling tray was bone dry but the rockwool was slightly moist, I need to be more careful, I am watering these guys twice a day, once in the morning before work and once when I get home from work.
 

_February 18th, 2016 _- 12 days - How are the seeds doing?

Pepper Hot, _Anaheim Chili HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Hydro, 3 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*
Pepper Sweet, _California Wonder HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (1 Soil) (4 Hydro) February 6th *SPROUTED*
Pepper Hot, _Tabasco HEIRLOOM_ - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) (2 Hydro) February 6th* SPROUTED*
Pepper Hot, _Ghost chili_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks* (2 Soil) February 6th* NOTHING*
Pepper Hot, _Datil Pepper_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *10 weeks *(2 Soil) February 6th *SPROUTED*

Flower, _Marigold_ - *10 weeks* *[PLANTED IN SOIL] *(ALL SOIL) February 6th I have one Marigold growing now as a test *NOTHING*
Flower, _Gerbera Daisy_ - *10 weeks* *[PLANTED IN SOIL] *(ALL SOIL) (a few fertile seeds) I'm not holding my breath February 6th* NOTHING*
_February 18th, 2016 _- 6 days (Tomatoes/Eggplants) - How are the seeds doing?

Tomato, _Mortgage Lifter HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th *SPROUTED (unbelievable!)*
Tomato, _Brandywine Red (Potato Leaf) HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 1 Soil) February 13th* SPROUTED (unbelievable!)*
Tomato, _Matt's wild cherry_ (From JaxRmrJmr) - *8 weeks *(1 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant, _Black Beauty HEIRLOOM_ - *8 weeks *(3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th *SPROUTED*
Eggplant,_ Meatball Hybrid_ - *8 weeks* (3 Hydro, 2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Eggplant, _Striped eggplant_ (From JaxRmrJmr) -* 8 weeks *(2 Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*
Leeks, _American Flag_   -* 8 weeks [PLANTED IN SOIL] *(Soil) February 13th* NOTHING*


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 18, 2016)

Sorry to hear that some of the seeds aren't coming up.  My Matt's tomatoes and striped eggplant took almost a month to sprout.  I did not plant any Ghost peppers this year as I am over wintering the plant I have and, frankly, they are so hot that I only need a few a year.  One ghost, one reaper, and one trinidad scorpion, two datils are enough heat for the whole year!

The Matt's tomato is really good so I am disappointed it hasn't come up.  But I think you will really like the Datil.  I sowed mine in the same stuff I use in my buckets - 3 scoops of peat with 2 scoops of vermiculite.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 18, 2016)

I can't use those totes for my Kratky stuff.  We get too much rain and the tops funnel it into the reservoir.  I had to build mine out of 2X6's and use foam board for the top.  I think this should be almost mandatory for anyone who uses lettuce - super simple, super cheap, super great to go pick it right when you need it!  It cost about $20 to build a box that will hold 8 net cups.  It pays for itself the first time you harvest.

Here's a pic of the yellow bell pepper that I finally picked....... yep, it's February and I still have plants growing!  Yeah, Florida!  I'm trying to overwinter most of my pepper plants.  There were over 20 peppers on this plant at one point.  A storm tore up the plant and I lost some branches.  Then I cut all of them off except for one per branch because winter was coming.  I ended up with 8 good sized peppers.













IMG_3471.JPG



__ jaxrmrjmr
__ Feb 18, 2016






A pleasant surprise was the broccoli, I had harvested all of the main heads back in December but had not pulled the plants or plucked the leaves for greens.  Well, I ended up with enough smaller shoots/heads to make a meal last night! When I say a meal I mean feeding 5 people one of which is a college soccer player so he eats like a horse!  It was equal to almost 2 big heads.  All off of six plants.


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## sqwib (Feb 19, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Sorry to hear that some of the seeds aren't coming up.  My Matt's tomatoes and striped eggplant took almost a month to sprout.  I did not plant any Ghost peppers this year as I am over wintering the plant I have and, frankly, they are so hot that I only need a few a year.  One ghost, one reaper, and one trinidad scorpion, two datils are enough heat for the whole year!
> 
> The Matt's tomato is really good so I am disappointed it hasn't come up.  But I think you will really like the Datil.  I sowed mine in the same stuff I use in my buckets - 3 scoops of peat with 2 scoops of vermiculite.





JaxRmrJmr said:


> I can't use those totes for my Kratky stuff.  We get too much rain and the tops funnel it into the reservoir.  I had to build mine out of 2X6's and use foam board for the top.  I think this should be almost mandatory for anyone who uses lettuce - super simple, super cheap, super great to go pick it right when you need it!  It cost about $20 to build a box that will hold 8 net cups.  It pays for itself the first time you harvest.
> 
> Here's a pic of the yellow bell pepper that I finally picked....... yep, it's February and I still have plants growing!  Yeah, Florida!  I'm trying to overwinter most of my pepper plants.  There were over 20 peppers on this plant at one point.  A storm tore up the plant and I lost some branches.  Then I cut all of them off except for one per branch because winter was coming.  I ended up with 8 good sized peppers.
> 
> ...


I hear ya on the totes. I would love to see some pics.  I'll probably do a Fall and Early spring crop in the totes then use them for winter lettuce, I am making a third for a holding area for my Hydro Veggies, I'm actually a bit worried that my Maters are already a few inches high, so I may plant a second crop in 2 weeks. Everything is coming along good, Nothing from the Matts or the striped egg *but...BUT,* I don't want to jinx myself, I think one of the Ghost Chili's may have sprouted.













fingers crossed.png



__ sqwib
__ Feb 19, 2016






I tried this storage unit from my RV for a Kratky float and wasn't very impressed, however it was my first year.










 

That pepper is gorgeous.

_February 18th, 2016 _-  (Leeks) - How are the seeds doing?

Leeks, _Dawn Giant_   -* 8 weeks [Germinating in water] *(Soil) *0 days* February 12th* NOTHING*
Leeks, _American Flag_   -* 8 weeks [PLANTED IN SOIL] *(Soil) *6 days* February 12th* NOTHING*
 

_February 19th, 2016 _- 7 days (Peppers) - 13 days (Tomatoes/Eggplants) - How are the seedlings doing?

*From L-R*

California Wonder (1.5 Rows)
Datil Pepper (JaxRmrJmr) - *Datil Pepper Relish*
Tomato Mortgage Lifter
Tabasco
Tomato Brandy-wine
Anaheim Pepper* - chile relleno*
Eggplant Black Beauty
Eggplant Meatball
 




 





I have few more projects to complete and should be good to go, other than the actual setup and planting., I actually have a few projects outlined for next year, doing everything this year was just too much work and cost prohibitive.

One of  the projects I am working on, I am really excited about, after going back and forth with you on the self watering planters with a control, I decided to add a similar system, I will post that in a few weeks when it is set up.

Hopefully I can get my herbs going this weekend. I'm a tad late for the Parsley and Rosemary but what the heck. I have one parsley plant that I have been trying to nurse back to health all winter, but its not looking good.













20160213003.JPG



__ sqwib
__ Feb 19, 2016


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## sqwib (Feb 23, 2016)

Moving along, I got some stuff done this weekend.

Trimmed the two bradford Pear trees in the back, burnt the trimmings, split and stacked some wood for the pit, tossed our pool in the trash, finished the Asparagus Bed, Finished the vertical tower#2, Started on the pavers out front...laid directly on clay soil. Finished the NFT Rails, Got the water drums in place. Just need to install a spigot for the water reservoirs and spray paint.

_


_
 

_


_





 





 





 


















2016-02-20 16.35.26.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Feb 23, 2016


















2016-02-20 17.34.44.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Feb 23, 2016


















2016-02-20 16.38.22.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Feb 23, 2016


















2016-02-03 04.59.07.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Feb 23, 2016






_February 21st, 2016 - _OK the seedlings are doing well, now its time to figure out how to transplant them. I'm not worried about the soil plants but the Hydro plants got me worried, I am not sure how to hold these over until I can setup the Hydro systems, NFT, Kratky and the Deep water Culture gardens.

I tossed the question around on a few forums and someone suggested a Crowded Kratky Setup, hmmm, that sounds good, so of to HD again to pick up another totes.
 

This is what I came up with, the plants will be placed in the net-cups with the rockwool still intact and filled with Hydroton. The reservoir will be a diluted solution of my fertz, probably 20 percent (diluted 80%)
 


Crowded Kratky Seedling Reservoir






This will hold 24 plants, that should be plenty for my Hydro plants.







 
_February 21ST, 2016 _-  (Day 0) Planted some Herbs


Basil* 8 weeks *  (Soil/Hydro) *0 days* 
Rosemary *8 weeks *  (Soil) *0 days* 
Parsley* 8 weeks *(Soil) *0 days* 

 





Over the next few weeks I will be thinning the seedlings.

*Seedlings *


*Ghost Chili* (middle) JaxRmrJmr




 
*Datil Pepper* (L) JaxRmrJmr - *Matts Wild Cherry* (R) JaxRmrJmr






*Purple Stripe Eggplant* (R) JaxRmrJmr





 







*Gerbera Daisy*?






*Marigold*







Leeks, American Flag






Extra Pepper seeds that were planted...backup lol. These (soil) seedlings are all at least a week behind the rockwool plants.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 24, 2016)

Hey!  They finally came up!  I feel much better now.

We are going to have a little cold snap over the weekend where we might get a frost.  I'm thinking of putting my seedlings out after this cool snap.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 24, 2016)

Oh yeah, dilute it down like you are thinking (if you are using the Masterblend).  I used a solution of 50% and almost killed my seedlings.  They are still alive but I burnt the first set or two of leaves off mine.


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## sqwib (Feb 25, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Hey!  They finally came up!  I feel much better now.
> 
> We are going to have a little cold snap over the weekend where we might get a frost.  I'm thinking of putting my seedlings out after this cool snap.


Yep 100% germination on everything but the Striped Eggplant, gotta save some seeds this year.


JaxRmrJmr said:


> Oh yeah, dilute it down like you are thinking (if you are using the Masterblend).  I used a solution of 50% and almost killed my seedlings.  They are still alive but I burnt the first set or two of leaves off mine.


Did that happen this year? WOW!

Double check my math...

For my Fertilizer (Nutes) I used Bobbies formula, I also added about 1/4 ounce of vinegar to drop the ph to around 6- 6.5

                                                N    P    K
*Nute Mix per 5 gallons    (20-18-38)* regular nute mix

12 grams 15.5-0-0 
12 grams 4-18-38
6 grams epsom salts Magnesium Sulphate
                                                                  N    P    K
*Nute Mix per 10 gallon TOTE for    (20-18-38)* 80% dilution

4.8 grams 15.5-0-0 (3.36g - for 7 gallons)
4.8 grams 4-18-38 (3.36g- for 7 gallons)
1.2 grams epsom salts Magnesium Sulphate (0.84g- for 7 gallons)
Basil is up, this took 48 hours, photo is 72 hours.

_February 24th, 2016 _-  (Day 3)


Basil* 8 weeks *  (Soil/Hydro) Basil is up, actual took 48 hours *SPROUTED* 
Rosemary *8 weeks *  (Soil) 0 days 
Parsley* 8 weeks *(Soil) 0 days


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 25, 2016)

Here are a couple of the Cherokee Purple tomatoes that I started.  I had mentioned that they had gotten leggy because I didn't get them under the light soon enough, but you can see the crispy leaves where the first set or two died. I may have used fertilized water on them too early, don't know.  I don't mind them getting leggy as that just allows me to plant them deeper.  The late sprouter of the bunch (on the left) looks much better and the peppers that sprouted later look fine.













IMG_3534.JPG



__ jaxrmrjmr
__ Feb 27, 2016


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## sqwib (Feb 26, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Here are a couple of the Cherokee Purple tomatoes that I started.  I had mentioned that they had gotten leggy because I didn't get them under the light soon enough, but you can see the crispy leaves where the first set or two died. I may have used fertilized water on them too early, don't know.  I don't mind them getting leggy as that just allows me to plant them deeper.  The late sprouter of the bunch (on the left) looks much better and the peppers that sprouted later look fine.


Hey wheres the pic?

Same here. I'm not sweating leggy tomatoes they can be buried neck deep.

I'll probably thin and replant into 3" net cups and the kratky container next weekend, I want to see roots coming out of the rockwool. I just hope I didn't plant the tomatoes too early, I still have 7 weeks till my last frost!


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 27, 2016)

fixed it.


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## foamheart (Feb 27, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> I just hope I didn't plant the tomatoes too early, I still have 7 weeks till my last frost!


LOL.... we didn't even have a frost this year and you say you've got 7 weeks to go. How do your mosquito's survive?


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## gary s (Feb 27, 2016)

Cool,  Only thing we ever used rock wool for was insulating smokers.  Nice plants  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






     
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Got my onions and carrots planted yesterday

Gary


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 27, 2016)

Last year was the first time I had used rock wool.  It's great for starting seeds - seems to hold just the right amount of moisture.


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## sqwib (Feb 29, 2016)

_February 28th, 2016 _-  (Day 7)

Basil* 8 weeks *  (Soil/Hydro) Basil is up, actual took 48 hours *SPROUTED* 
Rosemary *8 weeks *  (Soil)  
Parsley* 8 weeks *(Soil) *SPROUTED*
_February 28th, 2016 _-  (Day 8)

Leeks, _Dawn Giant_   -* 8 weeks [PLANTED IN SOIL] * (Soil) *8 days* February 12th *SPROUTED*
I had time this weekend so I figured I would transplant my seedlings, some will be for soil and some will be for hydro. I may have been a bit early to transplant some of the plants, but it was much more practical to do it all at once and adjust the grow table lights accordingly. The hardest thing to do with the seedlings was determining who shall live and who shall die! I planted 2 seeds in every rockwool cube and 3 in some that I wasn't confident in germinating... well, guess what... I had a lot of thinning to do!

I am using a regular potting soil mix and 3" net cups for the soil plants, the Hydro Plants will go in the Kratky Container. For the tomato plants the bottom of the net pot is lined with a bit of soil and the rockwool cubes are placed as low as possible, then the soil is added right up to the cotyledon leaves. For all other plants, the net pot is filled 3/4 and then a hole is pushed through in the center with my finger, the rockwool is dropped in and topped with soil.










This is the Kratky Container with a diluted nutrient solution, I'm guessing in the range of 80-90% Diluted, I can always add more ferts later but wanted to ease the seedlings into the nutes. The rockwool cubes are dropped directly in 2" net cups. Depending on the root structure, these will be dropped directly in the Deep Water Culture 6" net cups with some Hydroton/Grow Stones.





This is the whole gang, the soil plants have no ferts yet, I may add a diluted nutrient solution to the water once they all have adjusted to the transplant.




 

I made 13 Air Pruning Pots that I am testing out this year, I may switch over to these pots depending on how good they do. My only concern is getting the plants out of the pots once they've grown a bit. The tomato plants in the air pruning pots were placed lower than the other plants and soil will be added as they grow.




 






 

I may have been overzealous this year with my planting strategy but since this was my first year with my indoor grow table, I planted heavy, It's not like I cant give them away but space is an issue. I just didn't expect a near 100% germination rate. I had almost every seed germinate except for the striped eggplant.





 

Yep! I'm out of room!!


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## sqwib (Feb 29, 2016)

_February 28th, 2016_
Today I installed a 2nd water tank  and in an attempt to try and blend the tanks in better I spray painted them various colors...blue just wasn't cutting it.

One tank is for the DWC system that will have a premixed nutrient solution, and the other is for my new Air pruning setup, (Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow System) [HRGGS] that will be straight water. Hopefully next year I can install a rain water collection system.





 




 




 




 





I have a lot more to do on this hill, like, redo the raised beds, prune the arborvitaes, move the firewood etc..  but I am fairly happy with the water tanks... much better than blue!


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## sqwib (Feb 29, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> LOL.... we didn't even have a frost this year and you say you've got 7 weeks to go. How do your mosquito's survive?


Got me, seems the cold don't bother those little bastards.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 3, 2016)

Scored 15 of the black nursery pots today.  They hold 6 1/2 gallons of soil each.  There was also about 20 of the smaller 3 gallon pots as well.  Someone had set them beside the dumpster outside of of my warehouse.  Hello rain gutter garden for the wife's herbs!

I have a big roll of black plastic that is 10' wide.  I'm thinking of building the sides out of 2X4X8 and the bottom out of OSB then lining it with the plastic.  3" net cups and we should be ready to rock and roll!

How are the seedlings coming along, Rich?


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## sqwib (Mar 3, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Scored 15 of the black nursery pots today.  They hold 6 1/2 gallons of soil each.  There was also about 20 of the smaller 3 gallon pots as well.  Someone had set them beside the dumpster outside of of my warehouse.  Hello rain gutter garden for the wife's herbs!
> 
> I have a big roll of black plastic that is 10' wide.  I'm thinking of building the sides out of 2X4X8 and the bottom out of OSB then lining it with the plastic.  3" net cups and we should be ready to rock and roll!
> 
> How are the seedlings coming along, Rich?


Coming up nicely, but I'm actually a bit miffed, my soil plants (extra seeds planted in 4" pots) are blowing past my Rockwool plants, the soil plants were at least a week behind in germination. 

What about a solid wood instead of OSB? How are you gonna do the pots? Lined? Are you gonna use Larry Hall's mix for wicking? I'm working on a Hybrid RGGS (Same Theory as the kiddie pools). Here's what I got so far for that Air Pruning system that I mentioned in an earlier post.
















These bags are nice, they have a lid for "so called" mulching.

Hopefully I can finish cleaning out the hill and get my raised bed built then tie in the two water tanks and get this guy in place. This will be fed by those tanks I just installed. I have a hose running underground that I'm gonna dig up and add a 2nd hose, one for this air pruning system and the other for the Recirculating Deep Water Culture system.

Just ordered a stationary Compost bin to get back into composting, had one years ago that I gave away and ordered this model for aesthetics.













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found these interesting...

this guy just used 2x4's then lined with plastic.













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I love this setup













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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 3, 2016)

You have a lot going on!


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## sqwib (Mar 4, 2016)

Finished Raised bed #2

Earlier in the week I picked up some 2x10's, 2x4's and hardware for the raised bed and dug out around the old raised bed, I got home late and only had about a half an hour of light so I didn't get much done. I was actually pretty impressed with the soil. Since the weather forecast is for snow until Saturday sometime, I left work an hour earlier today to try and knock out this Raised bed, I figured the extra hour would be just enough time to knock out one of the raised beds. The weather complied, it wasn't too cold if I kept moving.
 
 


I dug out the area a bit more and removed the wood, I'd be lying if I said for sure but I'm guessing that this raised bed has been in there over 15 years, you can see how weathered the wood is that's behind the shovel. What happens is it rots out where the screws are but the wood is usually still in fairly good shape, if left undisturbed. Anyhow I figured this is my last time doing this... they're gonna bury me in this bed... so I opted for additional hardware. Then the wood was all cut and placed on the hill.
















_


_

 


I am glad I knocked this out yesterday, its gonna be a mess with all the snow we have coming.





 

It's not done yet, there's a few more tweaks (decorative with function) that this bed will get, I am working on copper corners that I will cut from 3" pipe, anneal and peen , then the cap will be trimmed with Copper tape to keep slugs out and finally it will be stained in the fall after it has weathered a bit. 

I'm still toying with the idea of trimming in led lights,

Anyhow, I will be making another smaller one (8') right next to it, hopefully this season, if I have the funds and the time.

My Ozark Beauty strawberries came today , I'm a bit worried putting them in the towers with the cold weather were having but I'm going for it anyway.


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## sqwib (Mar 4, 2016)

My Heirlooms seem to be doing good.













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## foamheart (Mar 4, 2016)

I know nothing about Arkansas beauties but we always plant our strawberries in the fall, we usually get just a couple a berries before the first freeze which you cover your berries for. Then in the spring the berries start back up. Oh and FYI, here most of the strawberries now are Cayanosa. They travel well, much tuffer berries. But the best tasting berries, most juicy and sweet are Chandlers.

Since I was too young to run away from home we did 3 to 5K plants a year. That required picking twice a day to hopefully keep up. Then Pop would load up the truck and go give 'em to friends. LOL   Gwad I hated strawberries.....ROFLMAO.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 4, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> What about a solid wood instead of OSB? How are you gonna do the pots? Lined? Are you gonna use Larry Hall's mix for wicking? I'm working on a Hybrid RGGS (Same Theory as the kiddie pools). Here's what I got so far for that Air Pruning system that I mentioned in an earlier post.


I was thinking about OSB because of the cost - much cheaper than an 8" or 10" solid piece.  It has held up in the bottom of my Kratky boxes, so I think it will work.

Not sure what you mean by "lined".  Some of the pots have holes near the bottom of the sides that are about 3/4" so I figure they were drain holes.  I might stick a layer of weed fabric in the bottom to cover these holes.

I will look up what Larry Hall uses, but I have been using a mix of roughly 2:1 of peat moss and perilite.  I am going to try the 3:2:1 (just like ribs!) in a few buckets this year.  That being 3 parts peat, 2 parts pine bark fines, and 1 part perilte.

So, you are looking at 4 different systems this year?


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## sqwib (Mar 4, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> I was thinking about OSB because of the cost - much cheaper than an 8" or 10" solid piece.  It has held up in the bottom of my Kratky boxes, so I think it will work.
> 
> Not sure what you mean by "lined".  Some of the pots have holes near the bottom of the sides that are about 3/4" so I figure they were drain holes.  I might stick a layer of weed fabric in the bottom to cover these holes.
> 
> ...


I thought you were going with wicking pots... They sit in a shallow reservoir regulated by a float valve. The mix is 2 5 gallon buckets of peat 1 5 gallon bucket of composted manure a coffee can of perlite, handful of Epsom salts and a cup and a half of garden lime
I'll hopefully get mine setup this weekend and take some pics.
1) Air pruning (wicking Grow bags)
2) NFT strawberries and herbs
3) Recirculating Deep Water Culture, mater's, peppers, eggplants etc.
4) vertical towers, strawberries, herbs, peppers.
5) Traditional Dirt Farming in ground and raised beds
6) Hybrid Aquaponics
7) container gardening.
Sounds like a whole lot but it really isn't.


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## sqwib (Mar 4, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> I know nothing about Arkansas beauties but we always plant our strawberries in the fall, we usually get just a couple a berries before the first freeze which you cover your berries for. Then in the spring the berries start back up. Oh and FYI, here most of the strawberries now are Cayanosa. They travel well, much tuffer berries. But the best tasting berries, most juicy and sweet are Chandlers.
> 
> Since I was too young to run away from home we did 3 to 5K plants a year. That required picking twice a day to hopefully keep up. Then Pop would load up the truck and go give 'em to friends. LOL   Gwad I hated strawberries.....ROFLMAO.


wow.... I'm gonna check out those Chandlers.
I could almost live off of strawberries


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 5, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> I thought you were going with wicking pots... They sit in a shallow reservoir regulated by a float valve. The mix is 2 5 gallon buckets of peat 1 5 gallon bucket of composted manure a coffee can of perlite, handful of Epsom salts and a cup and a half of garden lime
> I'll hopefully get mine setup this weekend and take some pics.
> 1) Air pruning (wicking Grow bags)
> 2) NFT strawberries and herbs
> ...


Looks like Larry's mix is about 60% peat where what I have been using is 66% peat, which is the key component to allow the water to actually "wick" the water up.  The pine bark is supposed to hold water and the shape helps provide air space.  Perilite is just for drainage.  Much of what I have read is from people that use the SWC Earth Boxes, so I thought it was the same concept.  Most of them say that compost makes the soil too wet and heavy.  I haven't tried it, so I can't really speak to it.

That still looks like quite a bit, but the beauty of most of those systems is that the maintenance is less. once you get it going.


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## sqwib (Mar 10, 2016)

Bed #3 done and got the tiller out.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 11, 2016)

Reminds me of when my great dane dug up my entire garden the day after I planted it about 5 years ago!

You still have snow? Golly..... over 80 degrees here today. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Found a version of the Datil pepper that is supposedly sweet but still has the unique flavor.













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Chablis sweet pepper - I top pretty much all of my pepper plants which forces them to develop multiple branches.  Instead of this growing an inch or two more and then splitting into two branches - I now have caused 7-8 branches to develop.













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Purple bell pepper - topped again and 8 branches have started.













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Over wintered Ghost pepper starting to bud out again.













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Brandywine tomato flower buds already! - I bought a few tomato plants when I thought I had burned up my seedlings.  There are a total of four flower bud sets on this plant so far - two can be seen here.













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Here's the third....













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....and the fourth!













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Blaze orange bell pepper already blooming!













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Standard bell pepper budding out after being over wintered.













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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

Dam dogs!!!

No snow just that one day, been around 65-70. Took a chance and planted a BrandyWine Red and a Matts outside with a few cloches.

*(let me know if my posts load slowly, the pics are hosted flickr and copy/pasted from my website, its much easier that way but I don't want to tie up bandwith)*

_


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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

Raised beds are done, just need to hook up the irrigation.


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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

Air pruning system setup, just need to add grow medium and some plants. This will be stored away each year.

 

This Cedar planking is the cover for the Koi Pond Veggie Filter, the veggie filter is shut down in the winter and this piece covers the top.


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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

NFT Rail is up and running in Recirculating Deep Water culture mode, once the roots reach near the bottom of the rails the stand-off is flipped and water level dropped. I decided to plant all My Strawbwerries "Ozark Beauties" in this system.

NFT Position with 3/4" reservoir
*


*


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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

Potting Up.






 
Wow what a chore, I wont be making that mistake again, next year... right into the Solo Cups. The smell of the tomato plants and basil were driving me crazy especially after having lunch at Panera and having a turkey sandwich with a slice of what they think is a freaking tomato, it was so pithy/mushy,  I cant even explain it...it was just plain nasty.


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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

Patio done.

 
The planter that was on the side of the house was moved to this spot, Although still 4 weeks till the last frost, I planted a Matt's Wild Cherry Tomato plant in this planter using a Cloche. The planter in the back will get some Leeks. Transplanted a bunch of Phlox to the (L) side.


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## sqwib (Mar 14, 2016)

Planted the Raspberries, now I'm just waiting for my Everbearing Strawberries and Jersey Knight Asparagus. I'm getting there little by little.


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2016)

Wow! You're like Pop, he used to grow those milk jugs too. I never saw one bloom though.


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## gary s (Mar 14, 2016)

Dang Buddy, you've got things going on. I'm waiting on my garden to to dry up a bit after over 7 inches of rain.

Gary


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 14, 2016)

I don't see how you do it.  Many different builds and setups there.  A lot to even think about because each system is different.

I spent last weekend cleaning out water buckets.  The algae was thick since light was getting through the buckets and I used fish emulsion without thinking of what it would grow.  The buckets are now wrapped in aluminum foil.  It serves two purposes - 1 to keep the light out, 2 to save the buckets from breaking down from the sun's rays.  Dollar store aluminum foil covers about 5-6 bucket setups. 

Here's what I worked on after work today.  Another self watering and self wicking container but a different concept......

A 27 gallon tote like the one I saw in one of your pics













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Drill a 7/8" hole at each end for the water supply pipe to enter and exit....













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Fit it with 5/8" grommet....













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Sections of perf pipe with the ends covered with weed fabric and zip tied to keep the grow medium out...













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Three sections fit just right in the bottom of those totes and it leaves just a little space for the peat to work down around them so that it wicks water upward...













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Stick a knife through the rubber grommet and poke a hole in the weed fabric and daisy chain your water pipe from container to container...













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Let it fill up. 













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I then took a mix of 3 parts peat moss, 2 parts pine bark fines, and 1 part perilite and filled it up - compacting it somewhat like you would do when re-potting plants.  This is my first time using this exact mix but it felt right when I stuck my hands in it.

Rich, I didn't notice any delay in loading your pics to this thread., but thanks for letting me ride the coat tails of your thread.


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## sqwib (Mar 15, 2016)

Doug no problem riding my coat tails...lol , I'm learning a lot.

I love the Self Watering/Wicking idea and always wanted to try it...Maybe someday on the deck. The closest I have come to that system is the air pruning system its self watering/wicking but only 5 containers (Grow Bags) problem is I have to store this stuff in the fall, I figured I could leave the grow medium in the grow bags, store on the hill, cover then in the spring add some fresh compost. 

Here's my end of season cleanup/storage.

End of Season - The *NFT* rails  - are velcroed in place and can be removed in the fall and stored, all the net pots are removed, the strawberries will be planted and mulched in the raised beds for next year the hydroton/growstones are put in a 5 gallon bucket for storage , the net cups are stacked and stored. I just unplug the pump and leave it in the pond.

The *Deep Water Culture System *is drained, hydroton/grow stones are removed, net cup lids are stacked and stored, tote is placed on the hill and the buckets are flipped, The water pump and air pump and stones are stored inside. The water supply is disconnected and valve is left open.

I may build a platform for the Recirculating Deep Water Culture system.

The *Self Watering/Wicking Air Pruning System -  *is drained, Disconnected from the water supply and the valve is left open, Grow bags are removed and stacked on the hill with grow medium still inside, reservoir is placed on the hill over top of the Grow Bags. Cedar plank is put back on the veggie filter and the 2 6x6 supports are stacked on the hill.

  *Aquaponics (Veggie Filter) *- Clay Pots are removed, grow medium is composted, pots are stacked on the hill and the cedar plank top is placed over the top, I will turn off the pump to the veggie filter and drain.

*Aquaponics (Veggie planter) *- Clay Pots are removed, grow medium is composted, pots are stacked on the hill. I will turn off the pump and drain by a small valve underneath the planter.

*Vertical Towers* - Plants are removed from the vertical tower strawberries will be planted in the raised beds and mulched over for next season and the towers will be stored on the hill soil still intact.

*Dirt Farming - *Soil plants are just cut back, trashed, composted or burnt.


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## sqwib (Mar 15, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Wow! You're like Pop, he used to grow those milk jugs too. I never saw one bloom though.


I better get a few with milk!


gary s said:


> Dang Buddy, you things going on. I'm waiting on my garden to to dry up a bit after over 7 inches of rain.
> 
> Gary


  

Dam that's a lot of rain, I just beat the rain, we just got a steady heavy rain for a couple days, ...funny, it took weeks for the yard to dry out, now its a swamp again, too messy to do anything until it dries out again! I'll be camping with the scouts this weekend so maybe by next weekend I can get back out there.


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## gary s (Mar 15, 2016)

My Buddy that lives about an hour north of me got his onions and potatoes planted before the monsoon  he got 12 inches still has water standing said it washed out a lot of his onions.

Gary


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## sqwib (Mar 15, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Chablis sweet pepper - I top pretty much all of my pepper plants which forces them to develop multiple branches.  Instead of this growing an inch or two more and then splitting into two branches - I now have caused 7-8 branches to develop.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I topped off half of all my peppers last year to see how it worked, I got bushier plants but not any more peppers.

I may try *supercropping* on a few plants this year.


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## sqwib (Mar 17, 2016)

_March 16th, 2016 -  (4 days and their is obvious growth)..._ No leaks in the rails yet, strawberries are coming along nicely, once the root structure shows new growth, I'll add some ferts to the pond.
 





Everbearing strawberries arrived earlier this week, temporarily transplanted into the raised beds till next weekend


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## foamheart (Mar 17, 2016)

You'll have to monitor strawberries closely will you not? Just a little bit two much h2o and strawberries taste like water instead of strawberries and rot super fast. They will look beautiful and be super juicy, but they loss that strawberry taste. 

With all the flooding here right now, even high water, and they are pulling all the berries now and throwing them out to rot. Too much water. Was going to be a bumper crop this year too with no cold this year. The plant will replace those pulled and maybe after another complete pull, the water table will drop enough to get berries. <shrugs> Probably most will loose their whole crop this year.

And with me expecting a bumper crop, I have been having strawberry shortcake real often, emptying the freezer stockpile...>LOL


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 17, 2016)

I've never had luck with strawberries.  Low yields and they are either really tart or tasteless.  Easier to want until They put the Driscolls on sale for $1.25 a pound for me - and not many things I give up on.


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## sqwib (Mar 18, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> You'll have to monitor strawberries closely will you not? Just a little bit two much h2o and strawberries taste like water instead of strawberries and rot super fast. They will look beautiful and be super juicy, but they loss that strawberry taste.
> 
> With all the flooding here right now, even high water, and they are pulling all the berries now and throwing them out to rot. Too much water. Was going to be a bumper crop this year too with no cold this year. The plant will replace those pulled and maybe after another complete pull, the water table will drop enough to get berries. <shrugs> Probably most will loose their whole crop this year.
> 
> And with me expecting a bumper crop, I have been having strawberry shortcake real often, emptying the freezer stockpile...>LOL


I'll compare the NFT Ozark Beauties to my Soil Red Everbearing during the season, but as long as the roots get air, water and nutrients the plant will not know the difference and fruiting should be the same. There have been numerous studies on this and as long as the plants needs are met there should be no difference in taste or nutritional value.  

borrowed quote _"Hydro has its benefits like In aquaponics, the nutrients that the plants normally derive from the soil are simply dissolved into water or another liquid instead, and depending on the type of aquaponics system used, the plant’s roots are suspended in, flooded with or misted with the nutrient solution so that the plant can derive the elements it needs for growth. The same goes for taste. Hydroponics farming also uses up as little as 1/20 of the water conventional dirt farming uses, so it is also more eco-friendly. With hydroponics, 1 plant will have a larger yield per harvest, and they grow faster. With hydroponics, you can eliminate conventional farming issues such as pests in the dirt, poor soil drainage and salt build-up from fertilizing soil. It also allows gardeners to grow plants/fish in environments that wouldn’t otherwise support them, such as gardens with poor soil or even indoors. Gardeners can grow plants and fish out of season to enjoy year-round vegetables, fish, or flowers, too. The careful control of the environment that goes along with a aquaponics system can eliminate problems such as lighting and temperature issues as well.That’s why in Australia, hydroponics is commonplace. They made the good decision."_

I quoted this because this has been my NEWBIE experience as well.

I like the Hydro/aquaponics, but I also like to play in the dirt, one will never replace the other only compliment it.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 24, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> I topped off half of all my peppers last year to see how it worked, I got bushier plants but not any more peppers.
> 
> I may try *supercropping* on a few plants this year.


I have never compared cropping vs non-cropping side-by-side.  Our seasons may be different.  Down here there are basically two seasons - March to June and August to Nov.  I never get many big peppers the first half of the year.  So, I have decided to grow the plant during the first half of the season and harvest peppers during the second part.  I usually get 10-12 smallish peppers during the first part, but I'll get 20+ good sized peppers the second half if I have bushy plants.

My hots and superhots seem to do better the subsequent years than do bells.


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## sqwib (Mar 29, 2016)

_*March 26th, 2016 *_- Repotted twenty plants.
 






Yeah its time!
 










 

Had to snip off a few buds and flowers.
 




 





 

There was no room for everything so I took my chances planting the California Wonder Pepper Plants in the aquaponics, the gerber daisy and Marigolds on the front hill, Parsley, Leeks and Basil. Some of the Basil looks like it ain't gonna make it, I don't know if its root burn from my compost or the fact that I didn't harden them off at all.
 






Dam I have plants everywhere and I'm getting a bit frustrated, my Hydro Seedlings are not doing as well as my Soil Plants, so I upped their nutes I started hardening off some plants and it got so windy I figure I would bring the plants in so they don't get knocked over, so guess what the *&%!## I do, I knock the soil plants over right on top of the hydro plants, now there is soil in with the nutes (you got chocolate in my peanut butter moment).

Anyhow I learned a bit this year and think one of the things I'm gonna change is to start right in solo cups with potting mix, germination takes longer in soil but in the end its less of a hassle, sure I'll have to clean the soil off the roots for the hydroponics but that's a small price to pay to have everything more uniformed.

_*March 26th 2016 -* _A dozen Leeks are planted in the planter and some on the hill next to the planter.
 ​







​ 
_*March 25th, 2016*_ - The turtles finally came up, speedy hibernates at the other end of the yard but they love going under the playhouse, after speedy marked his path I removed the trellis, dug out and replaced the soil, planted my snap pea seeds, put in some copper pipe for a fence, then placed the trellis back in place.
 




 



​


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## gary s (Mar 29, 2016)

Dang Buddy Looking Good, Really coming on.   Like the Turtle

Gary


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 29, 2016)

You have been busy.  I am jealous of that summer sun that is not blistering hot where it scalds your produce.

I finally got all of my stuff in, so I'm looking at the sprouts you sent me.  I need to find a place with little to no light......


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## sqwib (Mar 31, 2016)

Got one vertical tower up and running.

*March 28th - * I moved the Vertical Tower to another location and planted the strawberries.




I


I decided to use this toro water timer and connect it to the 55 gallon tank that was intended for the Self Watering Air Pruning system. A 5 foot hose runs from the timer down into the wicking tube. As of now it cycles every 24 hours for one minute, I have the Timer hooked into a "Y" so I can throttle the flow back a bit or increase as needed as the lowest setting is one minute. I timed it so that the self wicking tube will fill up and overflow for about 10 seconds then kick off. I am sure this will change with head pressure as the water drops in the barrel and weather conditions.





 

This is the potting mix I am using in the Tower Gardens.
 

Sphagnum peat moss 
Manure based compost
Perlite


----------



## sqwib (Mar 31, 2016)

_*March 22nd, 2016 -*   (10 days and their is obvious growth)..._ No leaks in the rails yet.





 






_*March 30th, 2016 - * (18 days)..._ No leaks in the rails yet, strawberries are coming along nicely. The roots are starting to stretch a bit towards the water, its still running in DWC mode, once I am sure the roots can reach the bottom, I will switch to the NFT mode. I am going to start adding the ferts most likely the 2nd weekend in April.


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 31, 2016)

If I'm looking at that right, you have about 45 strawberry plants.  How much do you get for that many plants?

I know growing stuff is a hobby (and I blew my budget, so stuff won't be "paid off" this year like I planned) but they ask $2+ here per plant.


----------



## foamheart (Mar 31, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> If I'm looking at that right, you have about 45 strawberry plants.  How much do you get for that many plants?
> 
> I know growing stuff is a hobby (and I blew my budget, so stuff won't be "paid off" this year like I planned) but they ask $2+ here per plant.


Wow, you might try these guys......

http://www.noursefarms.com/category/strawberry-plants/

I highly recommend the "Chandlers", Best strawberries I ever raised. Not as tuff or hearty as some of the others, but sweeter that any. Its not surprizing to get a few as big as tea cups.


----------



## jaxrmrjmr (Apr 1, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Wow, you might try these guys......
> 
> http://www.noursefarms.com/category/strawberry-plants/
> 
> I highly recommend the "Chandlers", Best strawberries I ever raised. Not as tuff or hearty as some of the others, but sweeter that any. Its not surprizing to get a few as big as tea cups.


Dang!  That is quite a price difference.  Even ordering their minimum of 25 is like buying 3-4 at the store around here.


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## sqwib (Apr 1, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> If I'm looking at that right, you have about 45 strawberry plants.  How much do you get for that many plants?
> 
> I know growing stuff is a hobby (and I blew my budget, so stuff won't be "paid off" this year like I planned) but they ask $2+ here per plant.


If I get some runners I'll propagate them and  I'll mail you some in the spring


Foamheart said:


> Wow, you might try these guys......
> 
> http://www.noursefarms.com/category/strawberry-plants/
> 
> I highly recommend the "Chandlers", Best strawberries I ever raised. Not as tuff or hearty as some of the others, but sweeter that any. Its not surprizing to get a few as big as tea cups.





JaxRmrJmr said:


> Dang!  That is quite a price difference.  Even ordering their minimum of 25 is like buying 3-4 at the store around here.


Bookmarked Nourse for next year, may try the Chandlers

Shipping is what hurts when ordering on line, is best to get a gameplan and order a lot at once. I think these averaged around a $1.00 - $1.10 a plant.

I'll bury these in the raised beds in the fall and mulch to winter over.


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## foamheart (Apr 1, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> Bookmarked Nourse for next year, may try the Chandlers
> 
> Shipping is what hurts when ordering on line, is best to get a gameplan and order a lot at once. I think these averaged around a $1.00 - $1.10 a plant.
> 
> I'll bury these in the raised beds in the fall and mulch to winter over.


I always assume things and usually it make one out of me one way or another but................

Don't you two use your country agent? He's not just for the professionals and he's a lot smarter than Hank Kimball.

He'll know who the berry farmers are in your area, and you could approach them. They always buy in bulk, and when you buy in bulk they get extras for "guaranteed replacements" in the original deliveries. Listen, you'd be amazed at what you can get when you approach a farmer with your hat in your hand. I know we always have plants leftover wwhen we had all the planting we swore we'd ever do! LOL

Plus were bought for all the other gentlemen farmers in the area. It really sucked, when they came in, we'd sit at the picnic table for hours and hours counting and dividing the plants. Then drive around delivering them and getting drunk because everyone wanted ya to stay for a beer and some farm talk...LOL

I am rambling....... seriously find the time to meet your county agent, pull some strings if ya gotta. Once he knows you and what you are capable of..... well it might surprize ya.

BTW I gave you Nourse because of your address......... did you see where they are located?


----------



## sqwib (Apr 1, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> BTW I gave you Nourse because of your address......... did you see where they are located?


Whately, Massachusetts


----------



## foamheart (Apr 1, 2016)

Isn't Massachusetts a suburb of Philly?


----------



## sqwib (Apr 2, 2016)

Mass. Is about 250+ miles away


----------



## sqwib (Apr 4, 2016)

Planted this at least three years ago and this is the first bloom. I think the dog kept going back there and busting up the plant.


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## justplainbob (Apr 4, 2016)

cover those plants tonight


----------



## sqwib (Apr 4, 2016)

JustPlainBob said:


> cover those plants tonight


LOL, you aint kidding!!! 25°, I took my Aquaponic Peppers inside yesterday, lost all my basil outside. Have a Brandywine and two Matts wild cherry tomatoes I'll cloche tonight. My Mortgage lifter is near dead and wont make it till Wednesday, I'll cloche it anyway. Hopefully my Parsley and Leeks will survive.













IMG_20160323_163606446.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 4, 2016


----------



## sqwib (Apr 6, 2016)

_*April 6th, 2016 -*_ Three of my 10 gallon Grow bags arrived this past weekend and I had a little time after work today so I loaded them up with my potting mix. I have 3 more 10 gallon pots and 2 more 7 gallon pots on order, I'll probably just use two more of the 10 gallon pots.






 
_*


*_

_*April 5th, 2016 - *_Well, nothing has died yet.
 






_*April 5th, 2016 - *_Still alive and I got some action going on!

 




 





.

Woohoo, the little Face Huggers, (Alien reference) arrived, as I was planting these I found that one of the turtles likes this bed, hopefully it wont be a problem.
 





_*April 5th, 2016 - *_Welcome to the jungle...I will definitely be starting my seeds 4 weeks later next year!!! I 'm going to have to feed these guys, some leaves are yellowing,  may try a pinch or two of Epsom salts first.


----------



## daveomak (Apr 6, 2016)

They look a little mag deficient....  My garlic gets like that...


----------



## wimpy69 (Apr 6, 2016)

Sqwib, saw 10gal bags at garden indoors for $5.15 per but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Are ya happy with yours and where did you order them from. Just looking to save time and shipping. Going down this weekend to get some Happy Frog soil conditioner so might pick um up then. Thanks.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 6, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> They look a little mag deficient....  My garlic gets like that...


I agree, gonna hit them with some Epsom salt tonight


----------



## sqwib (Apr 6, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> Sqwib, saw 10gal bags at garden indoors for $5.15 per but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Are ya happy with yours and where did you order them from. Just looking to save time and shipping. Going down this weekend to get some Happy Frog soil conditioner so might pick um up then. Thanks.


Hope this post is OK with the mods.

Some notes if you order these bags, I love these bags from Awesome Harvest, they are extremely heavy duty (recycled plastic bottles) and have a corded mulching top (lid) The only problem is getting them. I tried direct from Here and ended up disputing the purchase with PayPal after several weeks. His site doesn't even show the closed bags anymore.

You have to watch the pricing, Awesome harvest has a flat ship Rate of $15.00 and works out good for multiple bags, however the guy is not on top of his business and I suggest purchasing elsewhere.

I ordered from here really nice folks but a little laxed on communication, your best bet is looking on Amazon... but like I said watch the pricing, seems Amazon lumps the shipping into the bag price, and the 7 gallon pots were like 5 bucks more than the 10 gallon pots.

Amazon

Also consider the closed top ones for mulching.


----------



## gary s (Apr 6, 2016)

Hey Buddy, You need a bigger Yard !!!

Looks great  I like your post

Gary


----------



## foamheart (Apr 6, 2016)

gary s said:


> Hey Buddy, You need a bigger Yard !!!
> 
> Gary


ROFLMAO...... He doesn't need a bigger yard, he needs a yard. I have been enjoying the entire journey.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 7, 2016)

gary s said:


> Hey Buddy, You need a bigger Yard !!!
> 
> Looks great  I like your post
> 
> Gary





Foamheart said:


> ROFLMAO...... He doesn't need a bigger yard, he needs a yard. I have been enjoying the entire journey.


A bigger yard would be nice I would be happy with an acre...I got an acre of crap in my little yard.

Got home last night and the pond water was VERY low again, I think the "Veggie Filter" is leaking, drained and cleaned and found roots from a past plant grew in between the silicone and PVC pipe that feeds the veggie filter. Cleaned it up best I could and reapplied some silicone, will hit it again tonight if the rain holds out...freaking roots are incredible.

This is the part I think is leaking. (picture from original build)

Feed pipe from pond.













8695805823_05cdd76d26_b.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 7, 2016


----------



## jaxrmrjmr (Apr 8, 2016)

Looks like hot peppers and eggplant up front.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 11, 2016)

Never gonna get a jump on the planting season with this weather!!!


----------



## Bearcarver (Apr 11, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> Never gonna get a jump on the planting season with this weather!!!


LOL---WE got over 4" of white stuff up here on Saturday.

The first 5 hours didn't stick, but before dark we had over 4" on the ground.

Almost all gone already!!

Bear


----------



## sqwib (Apr 11, 2016)

My hose froze up, I'm glad I took in my irrigation stuff last week.

I usually don't care what the weather is doing but this year since I planted everything too soon, I want to get them in the ground/HYDRO and stop worrying about them. Everyday I'm picking off tomato flowers, now the peppers are budding, lesson learned! The hydro plants are looking sad, tomato plants are leggy and about 20" tall.


----------



## gary s (Apr 11, 2016)

Hey Buddy it happens.  Three years ago I rolled the dice and planted early, no lat freeze everything did great had early Veggies. last couple of years

I planted early and had to replant.  This year I waited, everything looking great

Gary


----------



## sqwib (Apr 11, 2016)

gary s said:


> Hey Buddy it happens.  Three years ago I rolled the dice and planted early, no lat freeze everything did great had early Veggies. last couple of years
> 
> I planted early and had to replant.  This year I waited, everything looking great
> 
> Gary


Yeah, and it's my first year with seedlings, I usually don't do anything till mothers day weekend, then stop at a few local nurseries, grab a few plants and toss them in. But this year I wanted to grow some Heirlooms plus the fact it was hard to find some of the plants I wanted. When starting from seed I doubled what I wanted and the problem is I got double than I need, I didn't expect everything to do so well. Not only that but I also got a care package from JaxRmrJmr with striped eggplant, Ghost Chili, Matts Wild Cherry, Datil Pepper and they all sprouted!

I think I'll be fine next year starting the seeds 4 weeks later, broadcast seeding and thin after a few weeks, transfer to solo cups and figure on planting mothers day weekend.


----------



## gary s (Apr 11, 2016)

Funny thing, I'm not a farmer, but had a garden for many years. Most of my neighbors come to me for advice, or to look at their gardens. Makes me feel good

they think that much of me to ask, especially since you can Google anything you want in about 2 seconds..  I was telling my friend (The one who had the Brain surgery) and lives in the country , (Plowed him up a proper garden).  I still amazes me after all the years of planting, watching the little plants popping up out of the ground from little seeds and producing all the great veggies we eat all summer long and my wife can's of the winter.  Wow

Gary


----------



## jaxrmrjmr (Apr 11, 2016)

Wow!  I really wouldn't know how to garden up there.  Snow in April....


----------



## foamheart (Apr 11, 2016)

I was talking about the video at supper, laughing and feeling sorry for SQWIBS at the same time. Pop (he's 91) says, yep farmin is a bitch everywhere..... And reminded me of all the times we lost all the corn to rain.

He believes that when ya farm, his Dad was a farmer, that when you plant, 1/3 doesn't make, 1/3 goes to the birds bugs and blight, and you get 1/3 to take home on a good year. Anything more than that you owe to the preacher.


----------



## jaxrmrjmr (Apr 11, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> I was talking about the video at supper, laughing and feeling sorry for SQWIBS at the same time. Pop (he's 91) says, yep farmin is a bitch everywhere..... And reminded me of all the times we lost all the corn to rain.
> 
> He believes that when ya farm, his Dad was a farmer, that when you plant, 1/3 doesn't make, 1/3 goes to the birds bugs and blight, and you get 1/3 to take home on a good year. Anything more than that you owe to the preacher.


I've heard a saying something to that exact same thing.  Something like, "One for me, One for thee..."  they mentioned a third which was something like "One for the raven in the tree".  But I was always told to plant 3X as much as you want.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 12, 2016)

So true guys, Foam...pops is a wise man.

I will let the birds and squirrels grab a few but one year I had a groundhog that left me with nothing. And I don't mind if a critter grabs something and eats it but what peeves me is the peck holes in 10 or so tomatoes, I have learned to live with it, maters with a peck or two become sundried tomatoes or turtle food.







Funny story, there's this one squirrel that runs along my fence and will grab a mater, place it on the fence and eat some, he leaves it there and comes back every day to eat the same mater, so I leave him be, don't mind sharing with a critter that isn't destroying everything.

I don't want to cover the plants because the birds help remove pests too...it's all a balancing act.


----------



## gary s (Apr 12, 2016)

Hey SQWIB,  Birds peck our tomatoes too. Here is what we observed, When they turn bright red is when the bird peck them, Pull them a couple of days early let ripen in the window or table. Trick is get them before the birds do.

Gary


----------



## jaxrmrjmr (Apr 12, 2016)

Gary is right.  As soon as they start to blush they will ripen up fine on the kitchen counter.

Last year was the first year that I did not have birds pecking my tomatoes.  One year is a small sample size, but the thought was that birds are not looking for food, but for water, as they never return to finish "eating" the same fruit, nor does any other bird visit that tomato.  I left a few bowls outside filled with water and I didn't have one ruined tomato (by birds).  I will know better after this year but it's worth a try in the meanwhile.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 13, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Gary is right.  As soon as they start to blush they will ripen up fine on the kitchen counter.
> 
> Last year was the first year that I did not have birds pecking my tomatoes.  One year is a small sample size, *but the thought was that birds are not looking for food, but for water,* as they never return to finish "eating" the same fruit, nor does any other bird visit that tomato.  I left a few bowls outside filled with water and I didn't have one ruined tomato (by birds).  I will know better after this year but it's worth a try in the meanwhile.


Yeah I read that too and don't believe it, I have a pond 20' away and 60' away.













8698811868_3489345585_b.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 13, 2016






They only get the maters on top and leave the ones below alone. Ill pick the top ones sooner.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 13, 2016)

gary s said:


> Hey SQWIB,  Birds peck our tomatoes too. Here is what we observed, When they turn bright red is when the bird peck them, Pull them a couple of days early let ripen in the window or table. Trick is get them before the birds do.
> 
> Gary


Gonna try this on the top maters, if they start pecking my eggplant fruit, I'll be grabbing the shotgun.

Do you ever ripen in paper bags, What about adding a banana for ethylene gas.

One petpeeve I have is when my Mom puts maters in plastic grocery store bags and there's one mater in there that gets nasty and ruins the whole batch. I have been telling her for twenty years, "KEEP THE DAM FRUIT AND VEGGIES OUT OF PLASTIC BAGS".

She's gonna have a coronary next time she hands me a bag of maters and watches as I walk over to the trashcan and drop the bag into the trash.


----------



## gary s (Apr 13, 2016)

I have heard of doing that, but never tried it. We get a lot of sunshine on the kitchen table so my wife just sits them there.

Another thing we do (Helps a little)  We put a double hanging plant holder in the garden take a couple of aluminum pie pans

and a fer old CD's and hang from the holder wind moves them around a lot and make noise. Works till the birds figure out

it doesn't bother them.

Gary


----------



## Bearcarver (Apr 13, 2016)

*FYI:   *That time I got over 3,000 Cherry Maters on one plant, when I pulled it because of frost, I had over 900 green cherry maters.

I put them all in our basement, on a table, on top of newspaper. Then more newspaper on top.

Almost all of them ripened nicely.

Bear


----------



## foamheart (Apr 13, 2016)

Just a thought, not implying anything thing here either, but....... You do know that rats do damage also. AND they only take one bite per fruit, usually on the top of the fruit. I don't know 'bout maters but they do like fruit.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 14, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Just a thought, not implying anything thing here either, but....... You do know that rats do damage also. AND they only take one bite per fruit, usually on the top of the fruit. I don't know 'bout maters but they do like fruit.


Definite groundhog, he has moved, havent seen him in several years.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 14, 2016)

I gotta say, I feel like I'm burning out... I took on a lot this year and getting to the point where its becoming more of a chore than fun! I knew what I was getting into and I did pace myself so I wouldn't burn out and I AM SURE it will all be worth it... *no regrets,* but certain things are eating up my time and killing me like tree roots lol, and unexpected things like both ponds leaking...have you ever tried to find a leak in a pond? Goodluck! Anyhow the ponds are fixed but I lost a few good days dealing with the ponds. 

I must have removed a ton or two of concrete, rocks and (CLAY) dirt and my back is killing me from carrying everything, placing in the truck and disposing of it.

I just keep telling myself to do it now so its easier later when you're older and unable to do this $hit! 

Seems a bit A$$Backwards digging out dirt and stone and tossing then going out and buying dirt and stone and carry it back into the yard.






This is a root, not a stump, this cost me an entire evening!

_*April 12th -  *_I spent several hours trying to get this root out, I even tried irrigating the soil away to get under it and only made a mess. This thing is just SICK!






I still have to get the irrigation finished (halfway now), tweak one of the beds, get the veggies and herbs planted, setup the hydroponics system, plant the hydro plants, I'm going to have to cut some pavers to level the hydroponic system , more on that later, redo the trellis for the hydro plants, finish the Air pruning system, mulch everything, trim the shrubs, remove the neighbors shrubs (4 hour project), treat the weeds, fix the landscape lighting, put away the firewood, clean out the firepit and add pavers, remove two more trees and roots and another ton or two of dirt and 25-30 buckets of river rock that I need to deliver to my brothers, stain the raised beds, fix the front yard hose bib. 

I am going to remove the trees and stain the raised beds in the fall.

This is about half of what I used so far, I just want to get everything looking good so the neighbors don't have to look at this crap.













26360624021_808dd86eec_b.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 14, 2016






Weekends are getting harder to come by especially with upcoming events. 

I'm not complaining just a bit overwhelmed. After all is said and done, I am still ahead of the game because I usually don't even plant until mothers day weekend which is May 8th, my goal is to have everything done the weekend before and maybe I can do a bit of smoking and have a few glasses of Shine!


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## sqwib (Apr 18, 2016)

I am in a better place this week, I got a lot done. The weather has complied and looks like I may be in the clear.

I did have a few disappointments, I lost half of My Brandywine Red Mater plants and a few Matts WC, The Brandywine Reds are pretty sensitive, the mortgage lifters struggled but are coming back.

Most of the stuff I still have to do is not a priority, just some grunt work, cleanup and tweaking, now I can enjoy my gardening.

Heres what I worked on this weekend...

... NFT

_*April 16th, 2016 - *_The roots are looking good, I added a small dose of Nutrients (20 gallons) to see how the fish do. This weekend I'll switch the system over to Strict NFT.
 





 




 





24 hours later and the fish are doing fine, I will add another 20 gallon mix of nutrient solution this week.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 18, 2016)

My hydroponic system is up and running, I 'll toss a video together that explains the system better but heres a quick pic...


----------



## gary s (Apr 18, 2016)

Looking good buddy love those pics

Gary


----------



## sqwib (Apr 18, 2016)

Ran the irrigation to the Grow Bags, this is the system I was going to use a self watering, wicking setup but decide to simply irrigate with a drip line. I'll get more pics on how these bags work and repost.


----------



## sqwib (Apr 18, 2016)

And this is a project that I am real happy with the way it turned out, this is a long post...sorry!

*Raised Bed #4*
 
[h1]Hugelkultur Bed[/h1]_April 2nd, 2016_​OK... Time to start this nightmare, I hate this part of the yard, it has never looked good and the Bradford Pear tree tore it up pretty good. Working around the stump and roots is gonna be a nightmare especially factoring in the close proximity to the fence. Last year I tossed in this pallet fence to keep the dogs out and try to grow some beans...FAIL!

This bed will be a Hugekultur bed, I have researched this form of gardening and was quite impressed, so I figured I would give it a shot. I have plenty of wood from the Bradford Pear tree to fill it with, (Crotch wood, roots, stuff I can't easily split for firewood). Ray next door wants his shrubs out, so my goal is to get this built, add my logs, cut Rays shrubs back a bit, trim the evergreens and toss everything in the bed. The build will be similar to Raised bed #2 and #3, but three (10") boards high. 

The yard slopes a good bit here so the bed will be approximately 30" at the low end and 18" at the high end.







First I removed the pallet fence and 4x4.





 


Oh boy!







Dug out a bit.






Then marveled at the roots and tried to come up with a game plan. I decided to "irrigate" the soil away with the hose then chipped away to see what I was up against. OH BOY!






 


Look at this thing






These are the two roots that almost sent me to the emergency due to a cardio event.





This project is proven to be a total nightmare. Working around the stump is impossible the roots are embedded with rocks so after frying my chainsaw blade on root embedded rocks, I switched to a Sawzall  then an axe, it was impossible to get a swing on the axe. The roots were so abundant that I had to irrigate the soil away with a hose but after I got down so far I hit Green/Gray clay.

The clay was so hard that I had to chip it away with a hammer and screwdriver. I finally got through one root that was over 12" thick...REALLY, A DAM FOOT!!!. I am pretty persistent but finally gave up on my original plan to dig behind the stump for the 2x10's and went another route.

Anyhow, after building one frame I decided to put this section in place, level and secure, the next piece was a three sided section that slid in underneath, everything was leveled (somewhat) and secured. What a dam mess!
Of course my wife lets out the, "two stupid dogs" and they decide to run through the mud and jump on me to show me how much they love me!
 







After everything was secured, I added some of my crotch wood, roots from the Bradford Pear tree from the back yard and some old firewood. The section in the center where the buckets are will be tore up and pavers will be put in and in case you are wondering, the piece in the center are huge roofing sheets about 1/4" thick.




 





 


After some of the trimmed bush was added to the Hugekultur Raised Bed, the third section was built and secured.






I can't finish the uprights yet because the pavers need to be installed first, then I can cut the uprights.





 


Another layer of Crotch wood and logs are added. I told a friend that I am planting firewood so I  can have a firewood crop in the fall.





 


The soil that was removed during construction was dumped into the bed. It's a fairly heavy clay soil but I have had no problems growing anything in this soil, quite the contrary. It will be top dressed with perlite and composted manure.







  I had said in the past, "The hardest part about building these beds has been removing the River Rock and the cleanup", BOY WAS I WRONG! The Bradford Pear stump and roots are kicking my ass.

After dealing with this stump and the roots, I decided to remove the two Bradford Pear Trees on the back hill... I'm getting too old for this $hit!


_*April 12th -  *_I spent several hours trying to get this root out, I even tried irrigating the soil away to get under it and only made a mess. This thing is just SICK!








_*April 13th - *_I finally gave up and removed as much as possible with a 12" sawzall blade. I wanted to remove the whole root and back-fill because the pavers will sink when the root rots, I figured it would be less effort to lift the pavers, back-fill with paver stone and replace the pavers in 5 years or so.





 





 




 




 





 

Looking good so far, In a few years I'll most likely lift the pavers and peak the center up a bit so its rounded and not concave, but for now I'll leave it!
 






_*April 14th - *_Final touches, adding the side pieces and irrigation.

 

There was a 1-1/2" gap on one side of the cap stones (steps), so I centered the cap stones (steps) and cut two pieces of 5/4 P.T. and placed the cut 5/4 in the gaps.















 


Finished the pavers and uprights






 

Ran some drip irrigation to the bed.




 


This year the bed will be used as an overflow (extra veggie plants)







Even looks good from the deck, and the wife unit was happy.






Much nicer


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## daveomak (Apr 18, 2016)

Looks very good...   definitely adds value and character.....  Now for sure I know you are waaaaay younger than me...  I couldn't make it through that project...    
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  ....


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## sqwib (Apr 18, 2016)

DaveOmak said:


> Looks very good...   definitely adds value and character.....  Now for sure I know you are waaaaay younger than me...  I couldn't make it through that project...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well Dave... If the saying is true that, "you are only as old as you feel",... then I am $hit out of luck!


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## gary s (Apr 18, 2016)

Nice Job,  That's a lot of work I couldn't do it anymore    Too late now but you could have rented a stump grinder. When I lived at the

Lake I rented one ground about 50 stumps.

Gary


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## foamheart (Apr 18, 2016)

Anyone else note how the "Plant box" he built resembles the size of a coffin? He showed us all the "Composte" added, then the dirty on top. He is from Philly. Anyone know his nickname?  Maybe Joe SQWIB Mouse? Uncle Joe SQWIB? Maybe Big Lou SQWIB, I am just saying, you never know whats under all those pavers either, might have been a slow year for building erection or bridges needing concrete. You realize how many places he's showed us where he could have gotten rid of all the evidence?

We could rat him out to the feds, were did you want the ground all tilled up and ready for planting SQWIB?


----------



## Bearcarver (Apr 18, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Anyone else note how the "Plant box" he built resembles the size of a coffin? He showed us all the "Composte" added, then the dirty on top. He is from Philly. Anyone know his nickname?  Maybe Joe SQWIB Mouse? Uncle Joe SQWIB? Maybe Big Lou SQWIB, I am just saying, you never know whats under all those pavers either, might have been a slow year for building erection or bridges needing concrete. You realize how many places he's showed us where he could have gotten rid of all the evidence?
> 
> We could rat him out to the feds, were did you want the ground all tilled up and ready for planting SQWIB?


That might explain the Skulls placed around the top of the Pond Wall???

Bear


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## okie362 (Apr 18, 2016)

After reading this thread I need a nap and a massage!


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## foamheart (Apr 18, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> That might explain the Skulls placed around the top of the Pond Wall???
> 
> Bear


Oh my.... if he tries to make any deal with you, don't refuse.


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## sqwib (Apr 18, 2016)

You never know whats in my yard...













22825632114_6f8bf7e91d_o.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 18, 2016


















22847100504_122d2ca855_o.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 18, 2016


















23366615122_8af0356ee4_o.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 18, 2016


















23449282216_695525768a_o.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 18, 2016


















23084409679_f457f9fc1a_o.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 18, 2016


















23107453589_1ce45c2510_o.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 18, 2016


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## Bearcarver (Apr 18, 2016)

LOL----Gotta watch out for the SQWIBMonster!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			


















Bear


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## jaxrmrjmr (Apr 18, 2016)

You are a madman!

Foam thinks you are hitman, but you are definitely a madman.


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## foamheart (Apr 18, 2016)

I didn't say he was a soldier,  he's probably more like a consigliere or a   caporegime. He knows where all the bodies are hidden.


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## sqwib (Apr 19, 2016)

Bearcarver said:


> That might explain the Skulls placed around the top of the Pond Wall???
> 
> Bear


What you mean my X-Wives


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## sqwib (Apr 19, 2016)

Well I'm losing my Brandywines and Mortgage lifters in the hydro setup, what the freak is up with these heirlooms!!!

Grow bag update,

_*April 18th, 2016 -*_ I gotta say, I am really liking these grow bags so far, no weeding or mulching, just close the lid and you are done, the only problem is if planting more than one plant in a bag, then the top is a bit tricky to secure but manageable. The turtles love the little area under the bags too! I may get two 15 gallon bags next year for watermelons.

Hopefully they will be easy to put away at the end of the season, my plan is to let the bags dry out snip the plants at the base and store away covered, then the following spring remove whats left of the root-ball, add some compost, fertilizer and replant.


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## sqwib (Apr 20, 2016)

Sugar Snap Peas





_*April 20th,  2016 -* _Leeks are perking up





  
  
_*April 20th, 2016 -*_ I lost one plant and another was on the brink of death but pulled through, I should have pushed the roots into the center more instead of downward. I started watering every few days to keep the soil moist until the roots are a bit more established.





 

_*April 20th, 2016 - *_I wasn't going to use this tower but had so many orphaned plants that  I decided to just toss them in here to see if they make it..they are mostly peppers. I'll have to come up with a self watering setup for this tower...I can see this tower drying out in a day!


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## sqwib (Apr 20, 2016)

Here's my URDWC

Say Hello and Goodbye!!!


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## gary s (Apr 20, 2016)

Pretty dang impressive video   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





     
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Gary


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## foamheart (Apr 20, 2016)

What variety were those tomatoes? You needed a crane to hold them up?


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## sqwib (Apr 20, 2016)

Those are Early Girls.

*May 28th, 2015* - Early Girls
 
















The early Girls always do well in the raised beds. They will grow right out of these cages and just go nuts, tons of fruit and the birds tear them up every once in a while, well mostly the ones on the top.


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## sqwib (Apr 20, 2016)

*Raised Bed #5*​*Did he say "5", Yes! I said "5"*​ ​[h1]Hugelkultur Bed[/h1]
_*April 19th, 2016 - *_I must be freaking nuts... I'm sitting in the yard playing with the dogs looking around thinking, "this is great, the bulk of the gardening is done, now I can relax", I'm sitting on the grass tossing the ball up by the Hugelkultur bed past the Hydroponic system, the dogs a Shepherd (Maggie) and Shitzu (Millie) are happily retrieving the ball each time. 

A couple tosses and the ball lands behind the Hydro Buckets, as Maggie is trying to dig out the ball I'm thinking, hope she don't tear up the plants or the air lines... a couple more tosses, then I start eyeing up my Hydro setup and then the Hugelkultur bed, then the Hydro, then the Hugel and thought, Wow that Hugeklkultur bed looks really nice. I especially like the clean look of the pavers up to the side of the bed, and the irrigation setup is working out so well. 

I just like the aesthetics more of the Hugel bed. Anyhow as I'm processing all of this, I started comparing the setup of the Hydro and the Planting of the Hugel bed, thinking how nice it was planting in the Hugelkultur bed compared to the Hydro System. 

I know what my subconscious mind was doing, it already knew what the outcome was gonna be, it just had to convince my conscious mind.

I called the wife out and said, "what do you think about another raised bed instead of the Hydro system", she looked at me like I had two heads and said, "What will you do with the Hydro setup", I said, "I'll give it away"! "Really", she replied. "But you just built the hydro setup and love it". I said, "but look how nice the Hugelkultur bed looks"... every time I say Hugelkultur I expect someone to say, "gesundheit".

So the conversation continues with stuff like, "I'll make the bed at bench height and make a top piece wide enough for a sort of bench, it is right across from the bar". "It will also tidy up the pavers a bit", "It will look neater than the buckets in the winter", she says, "yeah I do like the pavers you just did". I have such a mish-mosh of pavers, but that story is for another time. I said, "Plus I can get rid of the rest of the trees that I cut down", she liked that idea. I do have wood all over the yard.
 

"And the irrigation line is already there, I only need to install 2 barbs and that's it", she of course had no clue what I was referring to.

Her last statement was the kicker, "well it would be easier on you with your back and stuff, we are getting older, chuckles all around.

"OK, I'm doing it this weekend", her reply, "Your nuts"! We both smile and my mind starts racing!

Now the hydro setup is pretty easy but there are more things to consider and a much larger margin of error when using this setup, there's a lot more worries like Nutrient Level, getting the plant roots just right so they don't dry up or drown, water temperature, air pump or water pump cutting out, electricity going out, squirrel chewing through any of  the air hoses or electric.

And then there's end of season cleanup, water pump is removed and stored indoors, air stones are removed, air hoses and air pump are removed and store indoors, hydroton and growstones are cleaned and stored, net-cup lids are cleaned and stored, buckets are flipped so they don't catch water and the up-righted buckets aren't aesthetically pleasing. Now all this sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't that bad, its just me trying to convince myself to go with the Hugelkultur bed.

Now none of the aforementioned problems have happened, but I do worry about these things on a regular basis and the more I thought about the Hugelkultur bed, I was definitely going to build it. What can I say... I love dirt!
 

I thought, I can do this, I still have 2 weeks till mothers day (my normal planting time).

OK So here we go again!


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## foamheart (Apr 20, 2016)

You sound like my Pop did. He always kept an immaculate vehicle both cosmetically and mechanically but ya knew when he had the bug to trade. LOL


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## sqwib (Apr 22, 2016)

Hydrponics system has been broken down, trying to save my Heirloom Tomatoes, have them in potting soil.













20160420206.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Apr 22, 2016


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## sqwib (Apr 22, 2016)

Started the Hugelkultur bed yesterday, just need some finishing touches and need to fill.

*Long post *but figured there may be something here to help someone if building raised beds.

I thought I can do this, I still have 2 weeks till mothers day (my normal planting time).

OK So here we go!


After work, I Picked up all the wood at Lowes, I was only going to get the 2x10x10's but got crazy and got some 16 footers too. Dam the wood was heavy, it was very wet, if you ever hauled dry vs. wet pressure treated wood, you'll know what I'm talking about.





 

 
I have Rear side open doors on my Suburban and was going to wait and take my wife's suburban, to get the 16 footers, her Suburban has a rear hatch that would have been much easier (safer) to leave the back window open and leave the wood hang out of the back. 
New hobby, Suburban Jousting!




 


I got home safely and unloaded the wood and stood the wood upright to inspect and decide which pieces will be the front (visible) part of the bed. 







Then I broke down the Deep Water Culture setup and transplanted the plants to a tote with potting soil. Hopefully, I can save these guys.




_*April 19th, 2016 - *_This morning on the way to work I stopped at Home Depot and picked up some hardware for the beds and a new Segmented Diamond Blade for my angle grinder.
 






 

During break I went out into our parking lot and chopped up some dead wood for the Hugelkultur bed, hey... killed two birds with one stone!







_*April 21st, 2016 -*_ I gotta say, "I really have good feeling about this project". I feel like a kid in the candy store! C'mon 4:30!!!

4:00 I head straight home and into the back yard, no dinner. I start by running a line for the pavers to be cut, second time doing this, I just did this Saturday for the Hydroponics before I decided to replace it with a Hugelkultur bed.






 
The area is somewhat leveled but made very flat. Next step was to get the chop saw and make all the cuts. Each box length is 7' 11" the reason I used this measurement was so that a 16' 2x6 would cap the top without any seam, the 16 foot 2" a 6" was 1" over length (16' -1") I deducted 3" from the overall length of the 16 footer and divided by 2,to allow for a 1-1/2" over hang on each side so the 2x4 uprights would be flush on the sides.





 
The first bottom half of the box is put together, angle pieces were used, then 3" deck screws secure the other end.






 

 
The bottom half of bed #1 is flipped so the corner braces are on the bottom. $HIT, that's tight, I did add over a half inch to the depth when cutting the pavers.




 

 
Building the bottom half of raised bed #2






 
Same with the bottom half of box #2. Then the boxes are leveled and the center pieces are secured together. This is even tighter.





 


OK, Looks good so far.





 

 
Installing the Galvanized reinforcing L angle. I strongly suggest using these especially if you are going to join more than one board together or are in a tight spot. The angles are offset so they will be screwed into both sections of the bed.















 

 
Then the side pieces are installed.

















 


Followed by the fronts and backs.







After everything is secured,m the two end pieces in the center are secured to one another.








 
Capped the top with 2"x4"s on the sides and back, the front is a 2" x6" for a little bench.





 
I started filling with wood but its getting dark and I haven't eaten yet.








 

 
Maybe I should go eat something, these are going to my head!








_*April 22nd, 2016 - *_Before work, I saturated all the wood in the bed.











Off to Lowes for more supplies after work today.


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## foamheart (Apr 22, 2016)

LOL.... drinking Coonazz beer in Philly! Everyone here will drive a state over so they can buy Yuengling, none in Louisiana. The grass is always greener.

I have not tried making this yet but............ Abita does!


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## Bearcarver (Apr 23, 2016)

Looking Real good on those built in boxes!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I built decks for a few years, so I know what you mean about wet PT wood.

18 Footers are even worse!!!

Be Back.







Bear


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> LOL.... drinking Coonazz beer in Philly! Everyone here will drive a state over so they can buy Yuengling, none in Louisiana. The grass is always greener.
> 
> I have not tried making this yet but............ Abita does!


Too funny!







Bearcarver said:


> Looking Real good on those built in boxes!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep, getting too old to be hauling this $hit all the time.

_*April 24th, 2016  - *_Got a mater already, my common sense says to prune it off but  I just cant bring myself to doing it.


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

Finished the Hugelkultur beds


After work I picked up a few more supplies, added some supports in the back, I wanted to get the back supports in before adding the wood because I cant secure the supports from the back, they need to be secured from the inside. Soaked the wood again





   


Started the tedious task of filling with wood.












 
Saturated the wood.





 
Added about 10 buckets of soil from the back hill.






 
Added 2 bags of shredded mulch, figured this would help keep everything intact to help planting this year, I'm sure this is going to settle quite a bit and I'll keep top dressing with compost and composted manure. 






 
The shredded hardwood mulch and soil are saturated.






 
Composted Manure is added






 
The composted manure is saturated.









Then I installed the plants from the DWC system.

 

_*April 23rd - *_Removed the pavers again and added some paver base to level the pavers a bit better.
 





 






_*April 23rd - *_Installed the uprights, these aren't only for aesthetics but also for structure, and it pulls the boards flush. Then the drip line, then tossed some paver sand down and worked between the bed and pavers.
 





 
Cut the rest of my firewood and saved the bark for mulch.





 


Once the bed is seated well, I'm going to pull the fence in and secure it to the bed in an effort to get rid of that lean.





 


LED Lights are installed and will run on a timer, the LED's are just taped in place for now and will be added permanently after the beds are stained.


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## gary s (Apr 25, 2016)

No matters yet but I've got blooms   got a couple of squash about 2" long   

Gary


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## gary s (Apr 25, 2016)

Now that's nice  Looks great  I like the lighting      Hey I use the same Black Kow S___   "Stuff"

Gary


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

gary s said:


> Now that's nice  Looks great  I like the lighting      Hey I use the same Black Kow S___   "Stuff"
> 
> Gary


From Lowes or Home Depot?


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

*April 24th, 2016 - *Lookee what I got!
 

*


*


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

When working on the hill I noticed a puddle of water and when I fiddled with the area water started gushing up, what happened was the male, hose end on the feed hose from the house had snapped off inside the female end of the other hose. I was going to replace each end with one of those hose mend kits and thought that it was a waste and wasn't nothing a piece of copper and a few hose clamps couldn't take care of!


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## gary s (Apr 25, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> From Lowes or Home Depot?


From Lowe's    FYI  Year before last I tilled about 16 bags into the garden I got a bunch of weeds and clover.

Only thing I could figure is was in the Poop

Gary


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

NFT Update

_*April 23rd, 2016 -*_ Are they ready to eat yet!!!
 





A welcomed guest, I'm always happy to see these guys.


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

gary s said:


> From Lowe's    FYI  Year before last I tilled about 16 bags into the garden I got a bunch of weeds and clover.
> 
> Only thing I could figure is was in the Poop
> 
> Gary


Most likely the manure, Do me a huge favor if you can, next time you get some Black Kow, pickup a bag from each store and let me know what you think.


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## gary s (Apr 25, 2016)

Probably be this fall    What am I looking for ?

Gary


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## sqwib (Apr 25, 2016)

The bags at Lowes is smaller and lighter than the HD Bags and the compost itself looks different.

I really don't know whats up with this composted manure, the three piles further away in the picture are from Home Depot and the one closest me is from Lowes. Here are the following specs;

Lowes 1 cu ft $4.98
Home Depot 50lb $5.17






Home Depot




 

Lowes





The home depot bag definitely has more volume, by like 20% but not sure which is of better quality, they are the same exact bag other than the weight/volume that it is sold by. 

I noticed the same thing again when doing this bed, Lowes on the left, Home Depot on the right.


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## gary s (Apr 25, 2016)

I see what you are saying  

Gary


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## foamheart (Apr 25, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> When working on the hill I noticed a puddle of water and when I fiddled with the area water started gushing up, what happened was the male, hose end on the feed hose from the house had snapped off inside the female end of the other hose. I was going to replace each end with one of those hose mend kits and thought that it was a waste and wasn't nothing a piece of copper and a few hose clamps couldn't take care of!


OMG its a Yankee redneck!!


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## gary s (Apr 25, 2016)

That's what I was thinking Foam    Looks like my stuff !!

Gary


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## sqwib (Apr 26, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> OMG its a Yankee redneck!!





gary s said:


> That's what I was thinking Foam    Looks like my stuff !!
> 
> Gary


Thank you, I take that as a compliment!

Meanwhile back at the ranch.... Grow dammit.

*


*


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## sqwib (Apr 26, 2016)

Grow Bags - Air Pruning plants are doing the best so far. You cant beat this system, no weeding, no mulching and if I think they need more or less sun, I can move them. The bonus is at the end of the season they are stacked up on the hill and I get some of my yard back.


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## gary s (Apr 26, 2016)

Cool   Looking Good,                         I am going to go plant my Okra seeds and take a few pics

Be back later

Gart


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## foamheart (Apr 26, 2016)

You know that's surprizing you can see the stripes forming at such an immature stage on the heirloom tomato.


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## sqwib (Apr 27, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> You know that's surprizing you can see the stripes forming at such an immature stage on the heirloom tomato.


Maybe because the plant was stressed? I should have pruned it off along with the flowers but I am curious how the plant will do if left alone.


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## foamheart (Apr 27, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> Maybe because the plant was stressed? I should have pruned it off along with the flowers but I am curious how the plant will do if left alone.


Well it is a heirloom.......


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## sqwib (Apr 28, 2016)

*April 26th, 2016 - *Last night I was going through all of my landscape lighting supplies to find some lighting for the new bed, I came across 4 railing lights that I decided to use, I ran some wire and connectors today.

*April 27th, 2016 - *Last night I installed the 4 railing lights and two Bolo lights, I have a 21 watt incandescent bulb in one socket and 3 led's in the other fixtures to see how they looked at night. I did not like the LED's but really like the glow of the incandescent but its 21 watts, that would be 84 watts on the transformer that's too much.

If I used the current LED's, it would be 4 watts but I don't care for them. I ordered some 0.48W LED's to try, that would be less than 2 watts, I also ordered some 11 watt incandescent, I can live with an additional 44 watts on the transformer if need be.
The Bolos had 20 watt bulbs and were replaced with 3 watt luxeon LED's.


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## gary s (Apr 28, 2016)

Cool -----------------   Only lighting in my garden is when the sun shines

Gary


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## sqwib (May 2, 2016)

Been raining since Tuesday and rain is in the forecast till Friday and the lows have been around 45° highs maybe 55°-65°. Everything is at a standstill, I'm hoping for a growth spurt once the soil temps get above 50° or so.


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## gary s (May 2, 2016)

Been raining here all morning  we got a little 7" the other night. Keeps this up I switching to Rice

Gary


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## sqwib (May 2, 2016)

Rice sounds like a good idea!













WEATHER.jpg



__ sqwib
__ May 2, 2016


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## foamheart (May 2, 2016)

I applogize for the hijack, but I have to show you what its like here....... LOL

This is what I planted last Friday













IMG_7085.JPG



__ foamheart
__ May 2, 2016






This is what it looks like today.... poor things.













IMG_7108.JPG



__ foamheart
__ May 2, 2016






The reason the water is standing in the pot is not poor drainage, its because a 2" hole can't keep up with this weekends rain!

OK, Hijack off.....back to our regularly scheduled program.


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## sqwib (May 3, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> I applogize for the hijack, but I have to show you what its like here....... LOL
> 
> This is what I planted last Friday
> 
> ...


No Hijack, this is everyones thread.

Dam dude that sucks, I dont feel so bad now...well I feel bad for you though lol.

If I could make a suggestion....






These bags are doing better than anywhere else. I planted similar plants in three different systems to see what works for me, so far these grow bags are the least work with the best results.


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## sqwib (May 3, 2016)

Finished tweaking my "Smoking patio" hopefully I can get some"Smoking" in this weekend and post something in the "Smoking" section.



















20160502233.jpg



__ sqwib
__ May 3, 2016


















20160502239.jpg



__ sqwib
__ May 3, 2016


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 3, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> The bags at Lowes is smaller and lighter than the HD Bags and the compost itself looks different.
> 
> I really don't know whats up with this composted manure, the three piles further away in the picture are from Home Depot and the one closest me is from Lowes. Here are the following specs;
> 
> ...


They do that because of their "price match + 10% guarantee".  They got tired of getting beat by $0.10 and having to discount a $50 item by $5.  They don't sell the EXACT same thing anymore, thus no price guarantee.  Lowes sells Black Kow item #0001, while Home Depot sells Black Kow item #0002.  They technically aren't the same item, so they don't have to price match.

If you notice, even their pressure treated lumber is treated to a slightly different percentage as to not be EXACTLY like the other, and they don't have to price match and give the 10% discount.  Home Depot had to give me over $400 off a bunch of 6x6x12 years ago because they were treated to same percentage as Lowes but they were like $4 cheaper.  I was building a retaining wall - that's why I needed so many.


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 3, 2016)

I feel bad about all of you getting swamped.  I live in FL so I've been there - weeks and weeks of rain suck!


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 3, 2016)

A quick update to live vicariously through....

Better Boy








Pink Brandywine







Black from Tula







Big Beef







Matt's Wild Cherry







Cherokee Purple






As usual, quite a bit of leaf miners, but the plants are setting fruit nicely.


----------



## foamheart (May 3, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> I feel bad about all of you getting swamped.  I live in FL so I've been there - weeks and weeks of rain suck!


LOL.... if you take it too seriously, you really shouldn't be doing it.


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## sqwib (May 4, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> A quick update to live vicariously through....
> 
> Better Boy
> 
> ...


Were their supposed to be pics?


----------



## sqwib (May 4, 2016)

*Blueberry/Raspberry*






_*May 4th, 2016 - *_I busted the top off of the plant a few weeks ago, so I snipped  a few inches off to promote some new growth.











  


_*May 5th, 2016 -  *_These two blueberry plants are doing OK, they are between the two Hugelkultur beds, directly across from the Raspberry Plant. This is the only pairing that made it. One is a Bluejay Blueberry Plant from Stark Bros. and the other is a Blueray Blueberry Plant from Home Depot. I planted these in three areas and grouped one of each together, two plants died, but not sure which they were.
 











*NFT Strawberries*

_*April 30th, 2016 *_- Added 25 gallons of of fertilizer mix and reduced the flow a bit, waiting for a week of 55°+ weather to switch over from DWC mode.

_*May 5th, 2016 *_- leaves are slightly yellowing, doing a bit of research I came across this
 
[h3]June Yellows [/h3]
Plants turn completely yellow in May & June but then later recover
Genetic disorder common in Mesabi and related varieties 
Not sure if its that or a nitrogen deficiency but they started yellowing after I added more fertz, I'm going to let it go and see what happens.
 






*KOI Pond Patio Planter*

_*April 25th 2016 -*_ The plant is doing OK. I added a few Leeks this past weekend.






 ​_*April 28th 2016 -*_ 
 






_*April 30th 2016 -*_ Planted a Basil Plant.

_*May 5th 2016 -*_ Added a rogue strawberry plant I found in the raised bed that I thought was dead, need to do some pruning if it ever warms up and stops raining.
 






*Side Patio Planter*

_*April 28th 2016*  _ -   The Brandywine is slowly perking up. The Basil plants died, I added some Leeks, Parsley and Basil.








_*May 5th 2016*_ - The Brandywine is hanging in there. This plant and a Matts Wild cherry are the only two plants that survived the snow and below freezing temps.






 

*Leeks (Koi pond patio planter small)*

_*May 5th, 2016 -*_ I'm hoping the Leeks perk up a bit more so I can add another inch or two of soil to blanch the stems. My wife using this planter as a trashcan for half empty water bottles aren't helping the plants either. 

*


*

*Front House Planter Sweet 100*

_*April 25th, 2016 -*_ I don't know what it is with this planter but the tomato plants seem to love it. I added some leeks to this planter.






_*April 28th 2016 -*_ 
 





_*April 30th 2016 -*_ Planted a Basil Plant.

_*May 5th, 2016 -*_ 
 





_*May 1st, 2016 - *_I was looking over my notes and realized that I have a boatload of pepper plants but none that my daughter will eat, so I told her to pick up some seeds and I'll toss in a few plants, I should have thought of this in January..
 






I planted some, watermelon 2 varieties, sweet peppers, Brussels sprouts (sprouted already) and some spinach, I know it's late especially for the Brussels Sprouts, but I want to see how the Brussels S grows then will replant for a fall crop maybe with some broccoli, lettuces and spinach.

A lot of the leaves look more yellow than they actually are, I think it must be the Droid Turbo's camera settings, I really need to use my good camera.


----------



## sqwib (May 4, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> They do that because of their "price match + 10% guarantee".  They got tired of getting beat by $0.10 and having to discount a $50 item by $5.  They don't sell the EXACT same thing anymore, thus no price guarantee.  Lowes sells Black Kow item #0001, while Home Depot sells Black Kow item #0002.  They technically aren't the same item, so they don't have to price match.
> 
> If you notice, even their pressure treated lumber is treated to a slightly different percentage as to not be EXACTLY like the other, and they don't have to price match and give the 10% discount.  Home Depot had to give me over $400 off a bunch of 6x6x12 years ago because they were treated to same percentage as Lowes but they were like $4 cheaper.  I was building a retaining wall - that's why I needed so many.


Interesting... I would definitely buy this item from Home Depot if they are the same quality.


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 4, 2016)

So, overall, somewhat water logged but everything looks like its in place to take off when conditions improve.


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## gary s (May 4, 2016)

Hey I understand Waterlogged 

Gary


----------



## foamheart (May 4, 2016)

I am going to show my ignorance here, so excuse me. Why to you keep sticking wood pieces in you pots? I though when you dumped them in the raised planter it was to get rid of them and not require as much dirt, a biodegradeable filler.

But now I see them in container pots, If I am not mistaken I think I have seen cherry or hackberry above. I thought maybe he's just cutting back with a vengence. But it doesn't seem to be so. Whatcha doing? Saving dirt?


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## sqwib (May 5, 2016)

Because I think they look cool 







They're just extra pieces of wood that will eventually go on the bottom of the planters, I'm switching all my planters to Hegelkultur in the fall, they are shoved in the dirt to wick some water and start the rotting process and were a bit of a windbreak for the early seedlings. Hopefully they wont take up too much nitrogen in the process


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## sqwib (May 5, 2016)

*Kratky Lettuce 2016*
 
_*May 4th, 2016 - *_Had to place my Kratky lettuce under the eaves of the garage, they were drowning with the 10 straight days of rain we had. The lip of the lid catches the rain so I'm going to have to work on that.​


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## sqwib (May 5, 2016)

*Jersey Knight Raised Asparagus Bed*

_*May *_*5th 2016 - *Not a whole lot going on here, it's been too cool, hopefully we will get our lows over 50° by next week.
 

*


*


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## sqwib (May 5, 2016)

*Raised Bed #5** (Hugelkultur)*

_*May 5th, 2016 *-_ Sweet 100 - A lot of the other plants are just in limbo due to the weather but it does not seem to be affecting the Sweet 100.






*Raised Bed #4 (Hugelkultur)*

_*May 5th, 2016 - *_Anaheim peppers, the one to the left was in the hydroponics Kratky tote, the one on the right was in soil. The twig in the back is actually an Elaeagnus ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’ plant that I found after tearing out the mother plant for the Raspberry plant. Way to the right of the rock is a "California Wonder pepper" plant that was in the Kratky Tote as well. I scattered all the Kratky Tote plants throughout my entire garden.






 

Not sure if this is a "Datil" or "Anaheim", you can see the "Matts Wild Cherry" did not make it.





Fellow gardeners, Do you think I should remove the peppers from the plants or let them go?


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## sqwib (May 5, 2016)

*Garden Towers*

_*May 5th, 2016 - *_Everything is in here lol...
 






_*May 5th, 2016 - *_The Strawberry Plants seem to be doing well, the top right is a "Tabasco pepper" and the Top Left is a "Datil Pepper".


----------



## wimpy69 (May 5, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> *Raised Bed #5* *(Hugelkultur)*
> 
> _*May 5th, 2016* -_ Sweet 100 - A lot of the other plants are just in limbo due to the weather but it does not seem to be affecting the Sweet 100.
> 
> ...



I'd leave them on, with this weather I wouldn't want a wound on plant. Looks like it has some stress already, don't want anymore. Looks like some leaf curl happening, have you fed them any cal or epsom salts? Could be from trans shock.


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## sqwib (May 5, 2016)

I don't expect much from the plants in the Hugel beds this year. They may be nitrogen deficient, due to it being first season with the beds. they're in top soil and composted manure with a handful of Epsom salts.
If it ever warms up I'lltoss on some 10-10-10


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## wimpy69 (May 6, 2016)

No disrespect but that soil may be to heavy for peppers. How's the drainage? Your bed really is considered a container planting and should be light. Almost a potting mix consistency with good drainage. Top soil will compact quick and stay to wet. Peppers don't like wet feet.


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## sqwib (May 6, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> No disrespect but that soil may be to heavy for peppers. How's the drainage? Your bed really is considered a container planting and should be light. Almost a potting mix consistency with good drainage. Top soil will compact quick and stay to wet. Peppers don't like wet feet.


None taking, and I appreciate the feedback, the drainage is more than adequate, been raining for two weeks and predicted another week of rain, everything is growing but extremely slowly, still haven't had more than two days in a row above 50°.

I wouldn't consider the Hugelkultur Beds Container Planting, the entire bed 16' x 15" has only three bags of topsoil. The top soil was added so the plants had something to hold them in place, under that is 4 bags of composted manure, 2 bags of Shredded Mulch, garden soil, twigs, sticks, logs. The next few seasons it will be top dressed with a cover crop in the fall and then a few bags of composted manure in early spring before planting, well at least until the bed is where I want it...maybe three seasons.

And I learned a long time ago, do all the research you can, ask for advice, experiment, but in the end, do what works for you. I have also grown Bells, Jalapenos, and other peps in fairly hard clay soil for many years.

A far as peppers not liking wet feet, I don't believe that for a second, well not in my case anyway. 

Wet feet,

Here is a post from my website from last season, these peppers are in a clay soil, dug from the garden and sitting in two inches of water the entire growing season.

_*June 22nd, 2015 *- _I am telling you...I can't be happier with these 6 pepper plants, all are producing flowers and fruit like there's no tomorrow.
 










 

The plant far left has one section where there are a cluster of five peppers, I am totally Impressed. Next year I will be using the last slot (currently a calla-lily) for another variety of pepper. The calla-lily will be transplanted to the front.
 





Almost every website discussing peppers always state the same thing,"Pepper plants do not like their feet wet", I call bullshit on this. These plants have been in moist soil since they were transplanted on May 2nd.


 

*July 6th, 2015*
 





 










*


*

*July 13th, 2015*


----------



## sqwib (May 6, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> No disrespect but that soil may be to heavy for peppers. How's the drainage? Your bed really is considered a container planting and should be light. Almost a potting mix consistency with good drainage. Top soil will compact quick and stay to wet. Peppers don't like wet feet.


MY bad, the bed with the pepper in that pic is  the 10' x 15" bed... Potting soil, composted manure, top soil, garden soil, logs, twigs and leaves, garden soil, logs.

Although I basically have a clay soil, I put some back in the beds for all the beneficial critters. 

But like I said before, I don't expect these beds to fare to well this season and maybe next season.

There is only maybe 6-8" of soil between the surface and the logs.


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## wimpy69 (May 6, 2016)

With all those layers you would have good drainage. Just thought it was soil and manure off your post. I've been putting up with the same weather since I only live several miles from you. This time last year my hots and super hots were loaded with peppers but these swings have caused some stall and blossom drop. Nights have been wet and cool so they came back in under lights for now. Things look real nice at your place. Good luck this year.


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## sqwib (May 6, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> With all those layers you would have good drainage. Just thought it was soil and manure off your post. I've been putting up with the same weather since I only live several miles from you. This time last year my hots and super hots were loaded with peppers but these swings have caused some stall and blossom drop. Nights have been wet and cool so they came back in under lights for now. Things look real nice at your place. Good luck this year.


Its supposed to rain till next Thursday!!! The rain isn't too bad but throw in lows below 50° everynight and the plants just stopped dead in their tracks!

Only peppers I struggle with are Habs, not sure if they are slow growing or what but I usually have an OK crop by October.

Some of the plants got a bad start that went in the Kratky Tote for my hydro setup.

They started out fine the just stopped.

Good luck on your growing too... and toss up some pics when you can.


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## wimpy69 (May 6, 2016)

20160501_073330.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ May 6, 2016


















20160506_204159.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ May 6, 2016





Getting some supplemental 42w cfl light this week. Buds are starting to come back.












20160502_183641.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ May 6, 2016





These are hopefully my first strain of jalabaneros that came from a cross last year.  Both plants shown came from same seeds with annuum (jap) leaf characteristics on  left and chinense (hab) on right. Can't wait to see what pods end up like. Total 8 plants,4&4.












20160506_171507.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ May 6, 2016





28 Genovese basil plants from last years seed.


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 7, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> *Raised Bed #5** (Hugelkultur)*
> 
> _*May 5th, 2016 *-_ Sweet 100 - A lot of the other plants are just in limbo due to the weather but it does not seem to be affecting the Sweet 100.
> 
> ...


Pretty sure that is an Anaheim.  Leaves don't look quite like the crinkly ones of the Datil and the bloom is much bigger than what the typical Datil throws.


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 7, 2016)

I have always heard the "wet feet" thing about okra and peppers as well.  I no longer believe it.  I have been growing peppers in self watering, self wicking pots for a couple of years now and they are huge!  Their feet never dry out and they get all the water they want - constantly.

Same thing with okra.  They make like crazy when allowed to drink how much they want.

IMO, the old term of "they don't like wet feet" is better expressed "they will put up with slightly drying out in between waterings".  Some people say that by letting the soil dry out it forces the roots to grow more and thus a larger root system to support the plant.  But, if the root system has every thing it needs in X volume, why does the root system need to be 2X in size?

I have had great results with a grow medium that both wicks well and drains well - consistently the moisture level of a damp sponge that has been rung out.


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## wimpy69 (May 8, 2016)

I have had great results with a grow medium that both wicks well and drains well - consistently the moisture level of a damp sponge that has been rung out.


Exactly, when I refer to wet feet it is a compact soil that doesn't drain well lacking air space for roots. When you have a medium as you described roots can breathe as it still remains a constant moisture level. Dense muddy soil also sets up for root rot in some plants.


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## sqwib (May 8, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> I have had great results with a grow medium that both wicks well and drains well - consistently the moisture level of a damp sponge that has been rung out.
> 
> 
> Exactly, when I refer to wet feet it is a compact soil that doesn't drain well lacking air space for roots. When you have a medium as you described roots can breathe as it still remains a constant moisture level. Dense muddy soil also sets up for root rot in some plants.


You nailed it wimpy... One thing about roots is that they need air also. This is definitely the case when growing in kratky type hydroponics.
However it still baffles me that my peppers did so well in my clay soil from the garden in the veggie filter.


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## sqwib (May 9, 2016)

More on air to roots

My NFT Strawberries went from a deep water culture setup  (most of the roots in the water) to Nutrient Film Technique (roots barely in the water) , in the photo most of the roots you see are taking up oxygen, only the bottom of the roots are actually touching the water, they are sitting in about 1/4" or so of water in these rails, the rest of the roots are getting oxygen.

Side note, I don't foresee these plants doing as well as my Soil plants for the simple fact that I cant load up the reservoir (Pond) with nutrients in fear of harming the fish. And the dogs also drink from this pond.

_*May 7th, 2016 *_- Roots were looking good, switched to NFT.


_*May 9th, 2016 *_-


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## foamheart (May 19, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> I applogize for the hijack, but I have to show you what its like here....... LOL
> 
> This is what I planted last Friday
> 
> ...


Remember me telling you what a tuff plant these seeds came from? Remember the flood I had here and showed the above picture? Well I had just pushed the pot back and wrote off the peppers for this year when my neighbor needed a pot yesterday. Imagine my surprise!













IMG_7177.JPG



__ foamheart
__ May 19, 2016






These plants so remind me of the energizer bunny..... or maybe the old Timex commercials.


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## gary s (May 19, 2016)

Hey I started noticing all my veggies are growing Pontoons !!!

Gary


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## sqwib (May 20, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Remember me telling you what a tuff plant these seeds came from? Remember the flood I had here and showed the above picture? Well I had just pushed the pot back and wrote off the peppers for this year when my neighbor needed a pot yesterday. Imagine my surprise!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hardy little buggers.


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## gary s (May 20, 2016)

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.   BIL worked for Timex for years

Gary


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## sqwib (May 20, 2016)

Everything is still in limbo, well that and the fact the dumb @ss dog has been eating all my plants, hopefully with the temps staying over 50° and keeping an eye on the dog, I'll start to see some growth.

Sad news, I may have lost two of my Eggplant Plants

*Raised Beds*

_*May 20th, 2016 - *_I think I may have lost one of my Black Beauty Eggplant Plants.
 
















*Air Pruning*

_*May 20th, 2016*_ - I may have lost one of my Meatball Eggplant Plants.
 






 

The tomato plants are doing real well.





*NFT*

_*May 20th, 2016 *_- 
 











_*Garden Towers*_

_*May 20th, 2016*_ - 











*Kratky Lettuce*

_*May 20th, 2016 - *_
 











*Sugar Snap Peas*

_*May 20th, 2016 -*_ 
 






*Asparagus Bed*

*May 20th 2016 -*
 

*


*

*Herbs*

*May 20th, 2016* - Oregano


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## sqwib (May 20, 2016)

gary s said:


> Hey I started noticing all my veggies are growing Pontoons !!!
> 
> Gary


If you listen closely I swear I hear my plants saying... *Noah!  Noah!   Noah!*


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 20, 2016)

I'm jealous.  You can grow lettuce this time of year.

I'm eating iceburg tonight.


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## jaxrmrjmr (May 30, 2016)

Update?


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## sqwib (Jun 1, 2016)

Vacation got in the way, we went to our hunting cabin and was checking out the Fracking devastation, I'll post some pics of that when I upload the photos from my camera, these pics are just phone pics.













27119505290_be05dddfbe_b.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Jun 1, 2016






Pretty much everything exploded the 4 days I was gone with the exception of my Aquaponic Peppers. I'll try to get some more photos up by the end of the week.

*NFT Rails*

*May 30th, 2016 -* _The strawberries were decimated every one torn to hell, looks like a blood battle, anyhow I'm, undecided if I want to KILL whatever got into the strawberries or just ditch the NFT setup for next year and plant the strawberries in a vertical tower, I could cover with bird cloth but its too much of a bother. I do have other options for the NFT but to be honest the novelty already wore off and I think I have enough planting area for next season without it._

*Sugar Snap Peas*

_*May 30th, 2016 - *_got some flowers






*Kratky Lettuce*
 

_*May 30th, 2016 - *_Brought the lettuce in due to the heat, lettuce is good, there is no bitter taste and no milky excretions when cut.
 




 







It will sit in the Kratky containers until we are finished eating it.






*Koi Pond*
 

*June 1st, 2016 -*_ "Pink water lily" and "Black Gamecock Iris"._

_I lost my other "goldie", not sure if he was a Heron dinner or not._
 
_


_

 

_


_

 

And Some BB's on the grill.

_May 30th, 2016 - _

Baby Backs grilled 2 - 2.5 hours at 300 - 400° indirect heat.
Mopped with soy and Rib Rub, flipped several times, built glaze with "Sweet Baby Rays Original" and my own BBQ sauce, grilled over direct heat 5 minutes meat side down, flipped reglazed and moved to indirect again for 10 more minutes.
 





 

These were extremely gooey and messy.


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## gary s (Jun 1, 2016)

Beautiful   all of it   Wow !!

gary


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## sqwib (Jun 6, 2016)

I snapped off a few pics with my phone this weekend, I'll post some better pics when m y new Lens comes in... my 17-55mm that I use for most of my photos died.

*Vertical Towers*

_*June 4th, 2016 - *_I decided to ditch the NFT Rails and planted the 24 strawberry plants everywhere I had some space, birds were getting int the berries so I put on some bird netting, I need to find something better because I am afraid the turtles will get stuck in the netting...they see the red strawberries and start climbing to reach them. 

Strawberries are favorite food of Box Turtles and I do feed some of the strawberries to the turtles.
 











_*June 4th, 2016 - *_This Parris Island Romaine blows my mind, I will be harvesting this week for Roll Ups for lunches.
 





*Raised Beds California Wonder*

_*June 4th, 2016 - *_This guy is almost as big as the plant, I should have snipped off the fruit and flowers early on to have a healthier plant, but I just couldn't bring myself to doing it ...lol_*.*_
 

_*


*_

*Raised Beds - Brandywine*

_*June 4th, 2016 - *_Today was pruning and trellising day. since the plants exploded when I was on vacation this needed to be done ASAP, this is always tough for me, especially when there's fruit and loads of flowers on the trimmed pieces. What made it easier to butcher was that these trimmed pieces are clones to give away once they root.
 
_*


*_
 




 
_*


*_

*Air Pruning pots Brandywines and Mortgage lifters.*

_*June 4th, 2016*_ - Trimming and trellising the Air Pruning Brandywines and Mortgage lifters.
 

Sometimes I overthink stuff...I went out and bought 4 elbows for EMT conduit I think they were near $4 bucks each, anyhow after breaking two of the 4 I said screw it and decided to do this instead.
 




 






I really like this type of supporting tomatoes, at the end of the season all the pipe and stuff will be tossed behind the 16' Hugelkultur bed for storage.





 

...and its not an eyesore
 







Trimmings in the pond waiting for a container.






In the shade to avoid shock.


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## sqwib (Jun 28, 2016)

Quick update with some crappy Phone pics, just got back from a week at Bar Harbor, still have a lot going on! After I get through this weekend I'll be able to take some decent photos.

_*June 6th, 2016 - Had this guy on a pizza!*_

_*


*_

*June 26th, 2016* - This Meatball eggplant Fruit will be left on the plant to harvest the seeds. (Prickly little bastards)






*June 26th, 2016* - This striped eggplant fruit (From JaxRmrJmr) is on the healthiest plant so I will leave this to harvest the seeds.






Asparagus Bed and some basil (1st year)
 

*


*



_*June 26th, 2016*__ -_


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## gary s (Jun 28, 2016)

Nice looking  Everything, Garden looks great.

We are still getting lots of veggies, garden looks rough Haven't been able to keep it up since my had surgery

Gary


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## sqwib (Jun 28, 2016)

gary s said:


> Nice looking  Everything, Garden looks great.
> 
> We are still getting lots of veggies, garden looks rough Haven't been able to keep it up since my had surgery
> 
> Gary


Take care of that hand, the garden will take care of itself.

I'm gonna try cover crops next year to try and eliminate weeding.
[h1]Low Growing Perennial Cover Plants for Northeastern US
Achillea tomentosa (Woolly Yarrow). Zones 4-10. Height: 6-12 inches.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry). Zones 2-6. Height: 6-12 inches.
Chamaemelum nobile (Roman Chamomile). Zones 4-6.
Hypericum reptans (Creeping St. John's Wort). Zones 5-9. Height 4-12 inches.
Origanum vulgare (Oregano). Zones 4-9. Height: 4-12 inches.
Sedum spurium 'Fulda Glow' (Fulda Glow Stonecrop). Zones 3-9. Height: 4-6 inches
Sedum spirium 'Tricolor' (tricolor Stonecrop). Zones 2-9. Height: 4-6 inches.
Sedum 'Vera Jameson' (Vera Jameson Stonecrop). Zones 3-9. Height: 10-12 inches.
Seudm spurium 'John Creech' (John Creech Stonecrop). Zones 3-8. Height: 1-4 inches.
Sedum sieboldii (Stonecrop or October Daphne). Zones 3-9. Height: 6-12 inches.
Sedum reflexum 'Angelina' (Angelina Stonecrop). Zones 3-9. Height: 3-6 inches.
Sedum 'Bertram Anderson' (Bertram Anderson Stonecrop). Zones 3-9. Height: 6-12 inches.
Teucrium spp. (Germanders) T. Chamaedrys 'Prostratum' (or 'Nanum'). Zones 5-8. Height 6-8 inches.
Teucrium spp. (Germanders) T. Montanum. Zone 7. 
Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus 'Lanuginosus' (Woolly Thyme). Zones 5-9. Height: 1-2 inches.
Thymus praecox subsp. srticus 'Coccineus' (Crimson thyme). Zones 5-8. Height 1-3 inches.
Thymus praecox subsp. arcticus 'Quinquecostatus', 'Albus', Zones up to 4. Height: 4 inches.
Thymus pulegiodes, T. sephllum (Mother-of-Thyme). Zones 4-8. Height: 6 inches.[/h1]


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## sqwib (Jul 11, 2016)

*Anaheim Peppers*​_July 10th, 2016_​
Anaheim peppers stuffed with Chicken Sausage Topped with Mozzarella, Fresh Basil and Sauce.





*July 10th, 2016*

_I have been patiently waiting for some eggplant from the garden and the time has come._

_Sunday morning I asked the my amazing wife if she would whip me up some eggplant dishes, Of course my first request was towards a typical fried eggplant using the Black Beauty. I had her cut out a middle piece to harvest seeds then the rest was fried. My second request was for a "Caponata" but I wanted them served like an appetizer not a sandwich. For this we picked a few striped eggplants._

Ingredients from the garden





_This is the beautiful dinner I had last night (recipe below)_
_Caponata on fresh baked Ciabatta_
_Fried Eggplant_
_Anaheim Pepper stuffed with Chicken Sausage, Mozzarella, Fresh Basil and Sauce._
_Salmon_





 
[h3]*Eggplant Caponata Sandwiches*[/h3]
Makes 5 cups of Caponata, enough for about 10 sandwiches

1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes, about 4 cups total
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baguette or ciabatta bread, to serve
Fresh mozzarella, about 2 thick slices per sandwich, to serve
Fresh basil leaves, optional, to serve
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or wide, deep sauté pan and add eggplant, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

Add the olives, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Season again with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking, and add a tablespoon or two of water (or olive brine) if the mixture is too thick and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Allow Caponata to cool. Spoon on bread, top with mozzarella and basil, and serve. Or, serve warm as a dip.


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## gary s (Jul 11, 2016)

Wow !!  My kind of meal.  You are getting some really nice veggies

Gary


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## sqwib (Jul 12, 2016)

Was a little late for work this morning, my oldest daughter (vet to be) helped me cut this guy out of my strawberry netting.













2016-07-12 07.44.17.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Jul 12, 2016


















2016-07-12 07.44.20.jpg



__ sqwib
__ Jul 12, 2016






He will spending a few days with us until she gets to the AARK on Thursday night.


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## daveomak (Jul 12, 2016)

Not much meat on that little guy....  too small to practice survival skills on.....


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## foamheart (Jul 12, 2016)

SQWIB said:


> Was a little late for work this morning, my oldest daughter (vet to be) helped me cut this guy out of my strawberry netting.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


OMG!!! Its the LSU rally 'possum! After the CWS he disappeared. Good Find!


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## gary s (Jul 12, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> OMG!!! Its the LSU rally 'possum! After the CWS he disappeared. Good Find!


I thought that was Supper !!  A little gravy and some grits ???

Gary


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## wimpy69 (Jul 12, 2016)

Everything looks great. I went with "Little Finger's" eggplant this year. I've been getting a 4 avg of 5"-6"x1.5" solid eggs every other day.













20160712_185315-1.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ Jul 12, 2016





Great for stirfry and panko fried sticks. For me in our area has been on a constant hard grow for the last two weeks. After blossom drop most of june  on my hots gotta a good fruit set going into this next heat wave Thu into Fri.  Jalapenos












20160712_193741-1.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ Jul 12, 2016


















20160712_192829.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ Jul 12, 2016





Caribbean Red Habanero













20160712_190437-2.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ Jul 12, 2016





Turkish  Aci Sirvi Cayenne













20160712_191433-1.jpg



__ wimpy69
__ Jul 12, 2016





How's your Hots going? Basil looks healthy. Genovese? Topped mine July 4th weekend for grilled pesto shrimp and pasta. All in containers (1 & 2 gal) spread thru out property.  Next time Ifert them all i'll snap a pic. Just put 4 pruned in a 7 gal container after work today. Shade cloth will go on peppers in garden and pots will go back in the shade end of this week. Keep it going looks good. Maybe i'll trade you up for some of those eggplant seeds come fall???


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## sqwib (Jul 13, 2016)

I believe they are all sweet Basil, Ive been topping off a few times a week and still cant keep 'em from flowering. My hots are thriving but not producing, with the exception of my Anaheim peppers, WOW these things are setting fruit like crazy.

My Hugelkultur beds are thriving, been pretty much letting these beds do whatever they want.

No luck on my Zuchini, they get about 6" long, fat around as my thumb then start to rot, I've been picking them early and feeding to my fish and turtles.

Purple Stripe and Black Beauties are fruiting like crazy, I'm a bit unimpressed with the MeatBall Eggplant.

California Wonder peppers are producing nicely. I planted some Spanish Sweet Peppers later in the season that are thriving but no flowers yet.

Mortgage Lifters and Brandywine Red Tomatoes are at the top of the trellis, 8', going to make them 10' next year.

So far it seems like the raised beds and Hugelkultur beds are doing the best, the Air pots are not far behind. The vertical tower is thriving like crazy with basil but no peppers on my Ghost, Datil and sweets yet.

Everything is really green and healthy, but for how long remains to be seen.


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## foamheart (Jul 13, 2016)

Foamheart said:


> Remember me telling you what a tuff plant these seeds came from? Remember the flood I had here and showed the above picture? Well I had just pushed the pot back and wrote off the peppers for this year when my neighbor needed a pot yesterday. Imagine my surprise!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Foamheart said:


> I applogize for the hijack, but I have to show you what its like here....... LOL
> 
> This is what I planted last Friday
> 
> ...


Well a little time makes a lot of diffrence, course these got a late start (had recovery time), but they are growing! Got some greens so far, but no where near last years bunch. Could have been the storms or just the second generation lag. Most likely all the heat. We went longer already this year without ever dropping below 80 this year than any year every before. I have actually been watering plants every other day and they would have preferred daily.

BTW can ya see all those little white blooms?













IMG_7300.JPG



__ foamheart
__ Jul 13, 2016






Little green peppers?













IMG_7302.JPG



__ foamheart
__ Jul 13, 2016






And that bay twig I planted......... 14" of growth! 













IMG_7304.JPG



__ foamheart
__ Jul 13, 2016


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## sqwib (Jul 15, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> Maybe i'll trade you up for some of those eggplant seeds come fall???


Sounds good to me, I have my BB eggplant seeds already, just need to harvest the striped. I got the Striped from JaxRmrJmr. The meatball eggplant is a Hybrid and so far, from a growth standpoint, I'm unimpressed.


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## sqwib (Jul 15, 2016)

Welcome to the Jungle!!!
_*July 13th, 2016 -*_ Just letting the plants do their thing, collecting seeds and any fruit they produce along the way. Most of this will be compost in the fall.
 
_*


*_
 
_*


*_

 ​It's starting to look like a jungle!
 ​_*


*_

_July 13th, 2016_
 
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_
_*July 13th, 2016 - *_
 
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*_​


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## dave17a (Jul 15, 2016)

Good lord. Lots of garden in little space. Lotsa good work there. Veggies doing better than mine. Too much rain on a big garden 













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__ dave17a
__ Apr 27, 2016


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## gary s (Jul 15, 2016)

Looking Good, Yours is still nice and green, Mine is turning yellow, about done with everything but Okra

Gary


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## wimpy69 (Jul 16, 2016)

Third day into a possible six day lower 90's heat wave. Went trough 30 gal+ today of stored water about 50 left. Early Girls in two weeks late but setting nice.













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__ wimpy69
__ Jul 16, 2016





.
Jamaican red Habs getting brainy.













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__ wimpy69
__ Jul 16, 2016


















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__ wimpy69
__ Jul 16, 2016





A little hot today Sqwib.


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## wimpy69 (Jul 17, 2016)

Up to 93* afternoon . Moved some peppers so they'll get morning sun then shade today. Rained a good shot late last night, so its off to beef up mulch around more bush bean sprouts and Romas. Tomorrow 97*. Coolers are full and pool is ready.  Stay cool today.













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__ wimpy69
__ Jul 17, 2016


















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__ wimpy69
__ Jul 17, 2016


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## jaxrmrjmr (Jul 22, 2016)

Between work and my oldest son's family moving back, I haven't been on long enough to pay attention to much.  I need catch up on what you have been doing.


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## sqwib (Jul 25, 2016)

Happy Harvest notes...

_July 25th, 2016_

I have been extremely happy with all of my Brandywine Red and Mortgage Lifter Tomato plants, whether they are in the Hugelkultur beds, Air Pots or in the raised beds. Most of the fruit is over one pound. Splitting has been almost non existent in all three systems I'm guessing its due to the new irrigation system. These Brandywine Reds are really meaty guys!
 


Brandywine Red 







Mortgage Lifter







This has also been a great year for my Black Beauty Eggplants and my first year with Striped Eggplants has been a joy.






I have a ton of Tabasco and Ghost Chilis popping up, I'm guessing they like it real hot. My Anaheims kicked butt then petered out, still growing strong but not many new buds, I'll double up on these plants next year.

I'm disappointed with my Meatball eggplants, I won't be planting them again. My Brussels Sprout plant was looking gorgeous but no sprouts, I may try these again in the fall when its cooler, Let my lettuce flower to harvest seeds.

I'm a bit disappointed in my California Wonders, I'll probably move them and give them more room next year. I have basil coming out of my ears.

Really REALLY, Disappointed with my Zuchini, not sure what I did wrong with those, I may try them again next year and fertilize frequently. 

Strawberries were so-so. Nothing on my Blueberries or Raspberries. 

Asparagus is growing like crazy, first year so no harvest. I have been letting it go to fern.

Matt's Wild Cherry and sweet 100's took over the neighbor hood and are fruiting nicely.

My leeks in the raised bed are kicking ass, the leeks in the pot are doing OK, I will probably winter harvest those.


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## sqwib (Jul 25, 2016)

wimpy69 said:


> Up to 93* afternoon . Moved some peppers so they'll get morning sun then shade today. Rained a good shot late last night, so its off to beef up mulch around more bush bean sprouts and Romas. Tomorrow 97*. Coolers are full and pool is ready. Stay cool today.


Last week was hot and it's Gonna be a scorcher most of this week too.


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## sqwib (Jul 25, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Between work and my oldest son's family moving back, I haven't been on long enough to pay attention to much.  I need catch up on what you have been doing.


Well I can tell you this, your striped Eggplants are OUTSTANDING. Growing like crazy.


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## sqwib (Jul 29, 2016)

Quick update before I head out on vacation.

*Garden Tower*

_*July 27th, 2016 -*_ I am really pleased with these tower gardens. They really need to be cleaned up a bit.
 




 





*Air Pruning*

*July 26th, 2016 - *Brussels Sprouts plant grew nicely but no sprouts, I may try this again in the fall.
 
_


_

 

Mortgage lifters are doing great but not quite as good as the raised bed Mortgage Lifters.
 
_


_

*Raised Beds*

*Black Beauty*

_*July 26th, 2016*_
_*


*_

*Leeks*

_*July 26th, 2016*_





*Raised Beds*

_*July 26th, 2016*_
 




 





Seeya in a few weeks, Cheers!!

*Man I got a big head*


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## sqwib (Aug 9, 2016)

Update

_*July 29th - August 4th, 2016 - *_The Black Beauty Eggplant Plants have exploded, each eggplant is larger than the next, most are breaking 1.5lbs at this point. I couldn't be happier with these plants this year, the plants actually got away from me and I just let them go.
 

_*


*_

_*


*_

_*


*_

_*


*_
 
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*_
 
_*


*_
 
_*


*_

_*Dinner was awesome Last night!!!*_

[h3]*Battered Eggplant *[/h3]
Eggplant, sliced, floured and battered in Zatarains
Served with Ketchup and Horseradis Sauce
Sweet Potatoes
Brandwywine Red Tomato with Mayo and Old Bay Seasoning.



​


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## sqwib (Aug 9, 2016)

I haven't posted much on the tomatoes, it would require a full time job, I have been throwing out as many as I'm keeping and giving away due to splits, birds and squirrels but its not a big deal because I can't keep up with the good ones alone.

I started making sundried tomatoes, once I get a mater that is bruised or split, I'll dry it.

Once my 32 oz, mason jar is full I'm gonna try drying and make a tomato powder.

I have been really happy with the Brandywine Reds and Mortgage lifters but prefer the Brandywine Reds. 

The Mortgage Lifters are harder to judge ripeness due to them being pink and ripening to  a pinkish red, they don't look ripe then a day or two later they're bruised, split or pecked. I can judge the Brandywines better, which are more of a red-orange look.

Plus they're so dam big, well they are the Beefsteak Variety. I'm gonna go with the Brandywines again but may plant a smaller tomato next year in place of the Mortgage lifter.

My biggest Brandywine 1.25 lbs. I believe was a twisted pile of a mess 

My biggest Mortgage Lifter was IIRC 1.75 lbs. I cant find the dam pic and of course it was my biggest mater, anyhow here's a few.













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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016


















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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016


















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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016


















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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016


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## sqwib (Aug 9, 2016)

Found it...













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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016


















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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016






I ate half and took seeds from the other half, it was upside down on the vine and got ripe on the bottom but not completely on top, you can see the slices below as I got towards the top of the mater. (Brandywine 1.75, left)













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__ sqwib
__ Aug 9, 2016


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## sqwib (Aug 12, 2016)

_*August 11th, 2016 -*_ OK, These plants got away from me, I should have been a little more brutal on pruning. The "Mortgage Lifters" got so heavy that they broke the nylon garden twine and collapsed under their own weight, I salvaged what I could and went to secure it but the plant was breaking up. I'm going to leave it alone and see what I can get off of it the rest of the season.
 

My kids keep asking me what the hell I put in the soil!
 









 





 

"Mortgage Lifters" are in the bed on the right and the "Brandywine Reds" are in the bed to the right. One Brandywine red is starting to get out of control (far right).

Next year I'm going to spend a little extra effort on a building a better support system.

 





Salvaged what I could and I'm going to let the two collapsed Mortgage Lifters do whatever they want.


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## foamheart (Sep 21, 2016)

Peppers!!!

Remember the storms and floods, we got peppers! This is one pepper's worth of seeds.













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__ foamheart
__ Sep 21, 2016






They looked like this













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__ foamheart
__ Sep 21, 2016






Then I replanted in a larger pot, and got this!













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__ foamheart
__ Sep 21, 2016






Then they came back....................













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__ foamheart
__ Sep 21, 2016






Lots of flavor there. Think maybe next year we'll make some hot sauce?


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## wimpy69 (Sep 21, 2016)

Why not this year? Freeze those babies and make some as a fall project after gardens finished. Should get at least one more fruit set this season. My Jamaicans and cayennes are pumping out flowers with this latest weather change. Been hitting them with a paintbrush trying to pollinate as many as possible. So far so good. Making 1st batch of salsa and sauce this weekend. Should be proud of that plant, went thru alot this year. Are you going to overwinter it?


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## sqwib (Sep 22, 2016)

Did someone say hot sauce

Still picking Tabasco peppers for my Tabasco hot sauce

Finishing up my "Peach/Apricot Datil". I'll follow up with some more pics later.

Still have my "Roasted Pineapple Ghost Chili" and "Roasted Pineapple Anaheim" fermenting.

Need to order some hot sauce bottles.














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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016






Sun dried tomatoes on the left.Tomato powder on top of the Sun Dried tomatoes jar.













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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016






Ripped out most out everything but left a few peppers and eggplants in.














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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016



















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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016






Stained two of the three raised beds and planted some fall crops, lettuce, spinach and very late Brussels.














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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016



















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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016






Hopefully I'll get these beds cleaned and stained this weekend.













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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016






My neighbor killed my watermelon when weeding.













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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016


















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__ sqwib
__ Sep 22, 2016


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## jaxrmrjmr (Sep 29, 2016)

Those Matt's wild cherry do go crazy, but it's easy enough to share with the neighbors.  Same thing with the striped eggplant.  They go nuts for a while but at least they taste good.  Those come from a pack of free seeds that I got when ordering some Cherokee Purple tomatoes, but they are a keeper.

What do you think of the Datil pepper?  I had never heard of it before moving to Jax, FL, but I love the fruity taste without it being scorching hot.  It makes great pepper jelly to serve with cream cheese.  I also have a recipe for a pepper sauce that I make for a large part of my family.

Good looking garden.  I'm trying to get my second plantings in here.......  Too much going on.


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## sqwib (Sep 30, 2016)

JaxRmrJmr said:


> Those Matt's wild cherry do go crazy, but it's easy enough to share with the neighbors.  Same thing with the striped eggplant.  They go nuts for a while but at least they taste good.  Those come from a pack of free seeds that I got when ordering some Cherokee Purple tomatoes, but they are a keeper.
> 
> What do you think of the Datil pepper?  I had never heard of it before moving to Jax, FL, but I love the fruity taste without it being scorching hot.  It makes great pepper jelly to serve with cream cheese.  I also have a recipe for a pepper sauce that I make for a large part of my family.
> 
> Good looking garden.  I'm trying to get my second plantings in here.......  Too much going on.


The Matts were out of control, took over my yard and the neighbors, I had to cut them down and they were loaded, one was so sweet it threw me for a loop, I thought it was a grape. I may plant one next year with a sweet 100.

The Datils took off and are the only plant still growing along with the Tabasco and strawberries.

I wanted to make a Datil Barbecue sauce (Tomato Base) but already had so much going on.

I did make a Peach-Apricot, Datil sauce thats pretty dam good, I have three more hot sauces I'm working on and will post them when they're bottled.

You probably read this post but this was my last hoorah with my veggies.













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__ sqwib
__ Sep 30, 2016


















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__ sqwib
__ Sep 30, 2016






Finished cooking all my eggplants into Lasagnas and sliced into portions and froze, ate my last mater yesterday 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Made a heap of sun-dried maters and some tomato powder for a thickener.

Finished staining my other two beds, I only have one more to go, The Asparagus bed, but Ill do that in the spring when the plant has died back.













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__ sqwib
__ Sep 30, 2016


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## wimpy69 (Sep 30, 2016)

Really looks nice.


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## sqwib (Sep 30, 2016)

I was really fortunate this year, Almost everyone I spoke with said that they had "0" luck with their garden.

My parents said they are still waiting for the tomatoes to ripen, although their Cucumbers took off this year.

My only complaint this year were with the Aquaponic Peppers, but it may have been my fault. I will be giving them one more shot next year.


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