CRANS 2013 Island Garden

[Crandrew]

Well its getting to be that time again. I will be using this thread throughout the season to document my different successes and failures.

I have been working hard to prep everything for the seedlings that will be going in this weekend. I had to remove my old beds due to having the fence replaced, but it gave me an excuse to build two more out of redwood fence posts. I have the cost down to $15 for a 6x3x1 bed.

Here is the blank slate that we will be painting with natures colors.


Now that you have a idea of the space, here is the plan I drafted up using http://www.growveg.com/freetrial.aspx free garden planner. Its an amazing little app and I will be using it each season from now on. Its a work in progress but I think I'm happy with it.




Part of the craziness is me trying a few new things this season and others are carry overs from last season. One thing I'm attempting to do is continued planting of certain varieties throughout the season, (lettuce, spinach etc)

-I will be running a CRW arch trellis between the two back beds. I am hopping the cucumbers will crawl over it.

-The peas and beans in the bed will be grown using a 6ft vertical trellis.

-I will be running drip tape for the first time, and only on the raised beds. I will hand water all the pots and border plants.



Here is the list of varieties I'll be growing as of now, of which many are a first:

Beans:
Blue Lake Pole Bean

Corn:
Stowell's Evergreen
Blue Jade

Cucumber:
Mexican Sour Gherkin
Japanese Climbing

Eggplant:
Listada de Gandia
Lao Purple Stripe
Udumalapet
Pingtung

Lettuce:
SSE Lettuce Mixture
Green Oakleaf

Watermelon:
Small Shining

Pea:
British Wonder
Amish Snap


Pepper:
Thai Hot
Aji Crystal
Jimmy Nardello's
Marconi Red
Chervena Chushka
Candlelight
Fish

Spinach:
Red Malabar
America

Squash:
Cocozelle Summer Squash
Black Beauty Zucchini

Tomatoes:
Black from Tula
Black Krim
Gold Rush Currnt
Green Grape
Dwarf Mr. Snow
Dwarf Beryl Beauty
Rosella Purple

Sunflowers:
Giant Greystripe
Velvet Queen
Sunflower Annual
Sunflower Mexican

A few 3 season old strawberry plants I keep replicating



Some more:



Now a shot within my first attempt at a little under cover gardening. I was able to sprout my lettuce and keep the strawberry daughters happy with some warmth. Notice the temp was getting just a bit high and outside temps were only 65.



I've never actually grown lettuce so I was excited when these came up and I got them repositioned in rows. I cant wait to start trimming some yummy leafs.



Oh but we cant forget one of my pet Widows...
This is Bellatrix, she does not like sow bugs or crickets. But loves hanging upside down and scaring me when i'm cleaning my shed. I've killed 6 other widows last week.



I will update more as i go. I'm cleaning my Germination tent tonight and will get eveything ready to setup this weekend. The first round is going to be Lettuce, Spinach and Peas.

Thanks for looking!

[Crandrew]

Reserved

[Crandrew]

Reserved 2

[JamesL]

Cran,
Nicely done!
I want to see a picture of the germination tent.
What is your method for starting peas?

[Crandrew]

Thanks James. I love all the prep and little jobs to take care of. I still need to build the two trellises.

Ill post a pic of the germ tent when its going, I will actually have to set up two stations at some point due to the number of seedlings and counting for the expected attrition.

To be honest, peas are something I've never grown. I think I'm going to try to germinate them in some Fox Farm or Happy Frog then harden off and plant out ASAP. If you have any suggestions I'm all ears.
The only items I was contemplating direct Sow would be Corn and beans, from what i've read they dont like to be transplanted.

[JamesL]

Was hoping you had some advice!
I grew peas last year for the first time - "tainer style. Had pretty good results.

Pre-germinate, inoculate, not too much N and more P.

Pre-germinate - Wet paper towel method works fine. Soak them for an hour (only) first.
Inoculate - N-dure or something like it.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6688-pe...culant-og.aspx

Inoculation makes them "nitrogen fixing" and promotes yield, but you have to be careful with how much N after that.

Decent article on pre-germination here.
http://blog.mountain-plover.com/2009...e-germination/

This one discusses soaking times.
http://greenbeanconnection.wordpress...-ideas-part-1/

That's about all I got.

[Crandrew]

let me restate.
I was planning on pre-germinating them in a wet paper towel first then starting indoors in soil and finally planting out and using Actinovate and Myco to water the first plant out. I've never even heard of this inoculate procedure for peas and beans. Soo much to learn

Are you direct sowing your peas after the inoculation?

Last year I had HORRIBLE success with beans and peas. But I also learned a few things about my methods, but never tried them again on the peas or beans. I'm really hoping for a better time at it this year.

Thanks for the links.

[JamesL]

Direct Sow Peas- I haven't decided yet.
I don't do beans so I can't help you there.
Last year I put them in potting blocks under lights before planting. I want to do twice as many this year and I was debating a staggered start, half under the lights, pre germinating the rest 2 weeks later and direct planting them.
Less for comparison purposes and more for space considerations under my lights.
Hopefully it would stagger the harvest as well.

[Crandrew]

Originally Posted by JamesL

Direct Sow Peas- I haven't decided yet.
I don't do beans so I can't help you there.
Last year I put them in potting blocks under lights before planting. I want to do twice as many this year and I was debating a staggered start, half under the lights, pre germinating the rest 2 weeks later and direct planting them.
Less for comparison purposes and more for space considerations under my lights.
Hopefully it would stagger the harvest as well.

Ok sounds good. Report back as we go please

I was planning on doing staggered plantings of peas so I think I'll try the ones this weekend with starter pots, 4in,humidity dome, heat mat, lights etc. Then I will try some direct sow and see how it changes. For me its also about the lights since i can only fit 45 4in pots under my lights.

[JamesL]

Weather wise you are way ahead. all of 18 degrees here today. Peas will start at the end of Feb, Tomato's end of March!

[natural]

Crandrew,

I transplant corn each year and it grows successfully. I transplanted 3 different varieties all at one time (each with a different maturity date so that they I would have a staggered harvest). I transplanted in blocks of 4 plants with a 2in by 2 in spacing. I left 2 ft between blocks of corn. It worked great. I got the small space corn planting scheme from an old issue of Kitchen Gardener magazine.

Bill

[Crandrew]

James,
Oh, yes indeed. But my June and July stay in the low 70's so you'll catch up


Natural,
Thanks for the info. I normally have great results starting indoors, I was just going from what I had read. Since I have not grown corn or peas before I was a bit on the fence.

[Farmette]

Crandew: I like the garden planner, but am wondering how you copied and pasted it to this website...I tried copying my plan so I could email it to a friend but can't seem to get it done. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[amideutch]

Looking good. Typical SoCal January weather. We have white stuff with temps in the 20's.
Ami

[Crandrew]

Originally Posted by Farmette

Crandew: I like the garden planner, but am wondering how you copied and pasted it to this website...I tried copying my plan so I could email it to a friend but can't seem to get it done. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I'm pretty sure the paid version lets you email and download the versions. The workaround for the free trial is as follows:
1. Find the Print Screen button on your keyboard (normally over by the Scroll lock and Pause/Break buttons)
2. make sure you have fully maximized your browser window and hit the button.
3. Open a drawing or paint application (i used Paint in Accessories folder)
4. Hold the Cntrl and V buttons (paste function)
5 cut the existing image with the square box to the size you desire and save as a JPEG or whatever image type you like.

Originally Posted by amideutch

Looking good. Typical SoCal January weather. We have white stuff with temps in the 20's.
Ami

Thanks Ami! i bought the Myco products yesterday you suggested. The Myco sure is cheap but the Biota Max is crazy expensive for one tablet. You ever thought of making your own probiotics? Like the bokashi folks.
If it makes you feel better two weeks ago we were hitting 37 every night. Then last week it was hitting 75 in the day. Now it just started raining and its in the 50's. The weather is freaking out