2021 gardening planning and kickoff

 

So, I made it through 2020. Once that weather started to get bad, my love for gardening fell off. I think that is the cycle and how it is supposed to happen. In Spring you get crazy excited because the snow is gone, and everything is possible in the springtime.

Today’s date is March 14^th, and I am going to start some seeds in my grow tent to get a head start on this year’s gardening. I want some strong babies ready to go out for April. I want my girls (and guys I guess) to hit the ground running.

It is very nice to return to gardening and still having tools, soils, and other things that I do not have to buy again. My first garden load up last year was a cart full. This year it was only potting mix (so far of course). I am also contemplating getting a yard of compost delivered or one of those big bags of triple mixes that get delivered to your driveway.

Earlier today, I cleaned out all the dead plant life I just left in my grow tent over the past 6 months. I also cleaned everything out and moved my lights around. Everything is almost ready.

Then I will mix my seedling mix with some boiling water to remove any fungus spores or bat bacteria that might have collected in the bag. Once the soil is mixed and moist, I will be planning the following heirloom and determinate seeds.

4x Provider Beans
4x California Wonder Peppers
4x Space Master Cucumbers
4x Scotia Tomatoes

I want to grow determinates as I want the vegetables to grow quickly, drop fruit and die off. If there is still more time, I will do another round. I really want to learn on determinates before I take the time to plan out determinates.

Indeterminate plants take up double the space, need trellising/supports and need constant feedings to keep up their production. On the other hand, you can keep your monster tomato plants pumping out fruit for much longer and get much more.

I am trying to have some fun and hopefully off-set my grocery bills a little bit. Not live off the land or be mock homesteading. I still like broadband internet and fast food.

 I'll post again once everything is ready to go in the grow tent.

Hydro redo part 1

I am putting some new growth in my grow tent. The weather has broken so it is not a fryer anymore.  I took some cuttings of my strawberry plant that Tara’s sister Tony gave me. The one my mother gave me is dying a slow death in the shade. I also took some cuttings of my mint and my basil, but the basil did not really do anything, so nothing came home. Bride had to go out and woke me from a nap. The rest of the house was still asleep so she is in a few pics.

stuff is actually furiting!

Lettuce is slaying it like always. I do have some pickling cucumbers ... aka pickles! I might make a brine and pickle them. 

Indoor grow tent

I am not sure how many of my readers understand that I garden outdoors Monday to Friday at Tara’s fathers place. Then I go home and just play video games. I have been working on setting up an automated garden in my apartment that can grow vegetables and give me something to tinker with when I am away from my outdoor garden.  I was running a hydro setup with my root farm, but I did not have a grow tent.

So, from outside the window of the room I am growing in is the brightest window in my apartment building. I had to deal with light leakage as the grow light keeps everyone awake with the crazy bright light.

I purchased a fancy 4x4 grow tent from Amazon and it will do the trick. I will have to figure out an irrigation system so that I can put my plants in soil and have them drip fed water while I am not there.

Here are some pictures of the tent setup.

Marigolds

I wanted to find Marigolds for a while. They look ok and they keep the rabbits away. I am going to put them throughout my shade garden in what I hope will help repel my rabbits away from the fencing.