2018 First Time Organic Garden. Humboldt, Ca.

[SmokeyMcBowl]

hi to all the farmers out there! First off I want to thank all of you guys posting to help people learn how to grow for themselves. This is my first post ever so I’m a lil nervous and probably forgetting key details that I should add. If you need specifics please ask! I’m a 6 year veteran of the army that decided to ditch the 7 different meds they put me on and use a more natural medication. That being said I grew last season (2017) for my first ever grow. It was a Learning experience for sure. Everything from bud rot to pm issues but in the end I came out with 1 lb for 4 plants. Did a lot of different LST techniques, different pots, different nutes, etc. after all of this I had a friend tell me about “Subcool’s super soil” and after doing some reading I was sold on going organic. This is where I need your help! Let me lay out what I have planned and see what everyone thinks. I’m trying to make sure I cross my T’s and dot my I’s before I make a investment.

The plan is as follows:
-4x 100gal smart pots
-1x 5’x10’ bed
-20’x 10’ hoop house using 20’ pvc for hoops. (For smart pots) (pvc rib every 2’6”)
-use old greenhouse to cover bed (10’x10’)
- grow space will be fenced off 30’x20’ with 6’ shade cloth.
- security measures also set in place to let me know of intrusion.
- on private property

Environmental facts:
-6-8 hours of of direct sun light
- high humidity (80%)
- lots of rain in early spring
-cooler climate (70-85 on average in the summer)
-river is a mile away so I do get fog in the morning.
- 18ish miles away from the coast
-15+ hours of daylight in the summer.
- I think I have enough water set aside (3,500 gal tank with rain water)
-seeds I have: 6x regular blueberry cookies x ? (Possibly Afghan)(seeded unit my friend had from his garden) 4x “dankalicious” (gift from a friend from emerald cup)

My plan is to start “cooking” 2 of the large batches recipes of subs super soil to make for the bottom 1/3 - 1/2 of my smart pots and a little for my bed. For the bed itself I was was going to use equal parts old grow soil (someone gave me), compost from my yard (mostly apples, leaves, chicken poo, and some goat poo), and EWC. For the cooking part I have trash cans that I’ll wrap in tarps (to help heat) and put in the greenhouse starting in two-ish weeks. I’ll pop seeds around late February and grow them indoors till the end of March. I wanted to try seed starts this year (used clones last year) because of the growth properties I hear they have.

Questions I have for the community:
-was reading about no-till methods recently, so can I start with super soil then move into no till next year with the same soil?
- better methods for organic?
-strains suggestions? (Anxiety/sleep issues)
-tips and tricks.
-keeping the poly on the whole season to fight the moisture issues?
-organic pesticides?
-precautionary measures to use against pm and mites?

Again thank you all so much for all your guys help! Here are some pictures of my girls last year.

 

[Ecompost]

welcome, sorry for the delay getting to you. your plants look good, why do you want to change, is there any context other than you heard about other methods? Are you having issues, is this economic, eg whats the context driving your investigations?

Questions I have for the community:
-was reading about no-till methods recently, so can I start with super soil then move into no till next year with the same soil? Yes so long as the soil is healthy. smell it, feel it etc. If you dont know what good soil smells like, go to a forest and dig a bit of the soil up :-)
- better methods for organic?Active biology is the key to good organics, having kit to measure the performance of microbes tells you how well you are mobilizing organics to plant food eg CO2 soil burst rate tests, available widely, i use woodsend labs
-strains suggestions? (Anxiety/sleep issues) The Ox rare dankness, GG#4 for sleeping and relaxing Blue dream for anti anxiety worked for me, others will have others they use i suspect
-tips and tricks.
-keeping the poly on the whole season to fight the moisture issues? use Rhizo fungus like mycos and organic acids such as humic acid to help prevent water loss, mulch matts will help of course.
-organic pesticides? yes they can be used, I like Kaoline Clays, Nematodes, Entomopathogenic fungus, BTi-K, trichoderma an so on
-precautionary measures to use against pm and mites? watch your irrigation levels, mites like dry then wet so dont over dry over over water. if you cant control the environment, then use nematodes in the soil and beauvaria bassiana on the leaves.

dont over feed your plants, this will help you avoid most problems, as will looking on line for local resources to help forewarn you of insect outbreaks and weather risks. mechanical barriers are better than non selective control

hope that helps
eco

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

Thanks for the info @Ecompost! I guess is what I’m trying to do is trying to make the healthiest med I can for myself. I used chemical fertilizers last year but it felt ... unnatural when I’m trying to go the other way. I don’t know if that makes sense. Another reason I wanted to start with a supersoil the is cost (if I’m wrong please correct me), not having to test for ph and ppm, and the simplicity of being able just to water. It just seemed to be the best overall package and then learn more about Organics from there. Crawl-walk-run mindset I guess and don’t feel like dumping a bunch of cash on unnecessary stuff.

- keeping the poly on all season issue are you saying it will be ok to leave it and add macros and mulch mats? Just makeing sure I’m on the same page.

-also garden store by house had a sale on “kings mix” by royal gold so I jumped on it and got 16x 3 cbft bags. (About 2 yds if I did my math right) going to use this soil for my smart pots and use the other soil for the bed.

-I guess my question is this. If you were to start from the beginning again knowing what you know now with a low buget. How would you do it? 6#-8# is my my goal to be able to cover me and 2 other people that need it for.

 

[brazel]

IMO there's better options then super soil!!!! Going by you wanting the healthiest imo

 

[Organikz]

What is super soil exactly? It's high in nutrients right? Look to high fertility vs high nutrient availability. Fertile soil can make nutrients available as needed...yah mean?

 

[brazel]

What is super soil exactly? It's high in nutrients right? Look to high fertility vs high nutrient availability. Fertile soil can make nutrients available as needed...yah mean?

So it's basically buying soil and adding amendments. Guano, bone meal...I forget exactly.
To each is their own

 

[brazel]

What is super soil exactly? It's high in nutrients right? Look to high fertility vs high nutrient availability. Fertile soil can make nutrients available as needed...yah mean?

IMO my health shouldn't hurt others. Guano horrible. Bone meal could be the best but I don't know it's origins, I'd rather be happy with my ewc

 

[Organikz]

IMO my health shouldn't hurt others. Guano horrible. Bone meal could be the best but I don't know it's origins, I'd rather be happy with my ewc

Guano is the worst shit to hit the market. They go and disturb guano and the bats can't live there anymore or they will suffocate

 

[brazel]

Guano is the worst shit to hit the market. They go and disturb guano and the bats can't live there anymore or they will suffocate

It's natural, it's organic... made with guano! Yeah well i say You are the problem!

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

@Organikz @brazel hey guys! Thanks for jumping in on this! Read posts from each of you guys. Some good reads! Get lost sometimes but I’m learning! Anyhow here is the recipe that I found that was simple and the link. Please feed me your wisdom! Lol

“
Subcool’s Super Soil- Improved by Subcool
Subcool’s Super Soil Recipe Improved,Large Batch :

• 8 ten gallon bags of high quality Organic Potting Soil Such as “Roots Organic Soil”
• 25 – 50 pounds of Organic Earthworm Castings
• 5 pounds of Blood Meal (12-0-0) http://growingorganicinvalid.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/dirt-028-300x224.jpg
• 5 pounds of Bloom Bat Guano ( 0-5-0)
• 5 pounds Fish Bone Meal ( 3-16-0)
• 3 pounds Rock Phosphate (0-3-0)
• 3/4 cup Epsom Salt
• 1 cup Dolomite Lime
• 1/2 cup Azomite
• 2 table spoons (Tbs.) powdered Humic Acid”

http://growingorganicinvalid.com/subcools-super-soil-improved

 

[brazel]

@Organikz @brazel hey guys! Thanks for jumping in on this! Read posts from each of you guys. Some good reads! Get lost sometimes but I’m learning! Anyhow here is the recipe that I found that was simple and the link. Please feed me your wisdom! Lol

“
Subcool’s Super Soil- Improved by Subcool
Subcool’s Super Soil Recipe Improved,Large Batch :

• 8 ten gallon bags of high quality Organic Potting Soil Such as “Roots Organic Soil”
• 25 – 50 pounds of Organic Earthworm Castings
• 5 pounds of Blood Meal (12-0-0)
• 5 pounds of Bloom Bat Guano ( 0-5-0)
• 5 pounds Fish Bone Meal ( 3-16-0)
• 3 pounds Rock Phosphate (0-3-0)
• 3/4 cup Epsom Salt
• 1 cup Dolomite Lime
• 1/2 cup Azomite
• 2 table spoons (Tbs.) powdered Humic Acid”

http://growingorganicinvalid.com/subcools-super-soil-improved

thanks man, stoked to see you going this route!
The only thing I'd recommend on this list is the castings.
If you already made it, roll with it. If not I can give you another recipe.

 

[brazel]

1/3 canadian sphagnum peat moss
1/3 compost/ EWC
1/3 pumice or lava rock
1 cup neem meal
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup crab meal
1 cup malted barley powder
1/2 gypsum
5 cups basalt
6 cups charged bio char
A layer of mulch on top
Cover crop
Worms

Is some good stuff

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

The only thing I bought @brazel was the “kings mix” by Royal Gold soil. Approx 2 yards.

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

1/3 canadian sphagnum peat moss
1/3 compost/ EWC
1/3 pumice or lava rock
1 cup neem meal
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup crab meal
1 cup malted barley powder
1/2 gypsum
5 cups basalt
6 cups charged bio char
A layer of mulch on top
Cover crop
Worms

Is some good stuff

Is this a water only method mix? If not is there a feeding schedule of sorts? Like a top dressing? Sorry if these are dumb questions just want to make sure we’re on the same page.

 

[Ecompost]

Thanks for the info @Ecompost! I guess is what I’m trying to do is trying to make the healthiest med I can for myself. I used chemical fertilizers last year but it felt ... unnatural when I’m trying to go the other way. I don’t know if that makes sense. Another reason I wanted to start with a supersoil the is cost (if I’m wrong please correct me), not having to test for ph and ppm, and the simplicity of being able just to water. It just seemed to be the best overall package and then learn more about Organics from there. Crawl-walk-run mindset I guess and don’t feel like dumping a bunch of cash on unnecessary stuff.

- keeping the poly on all season issue are you saying it will be ok to leave it and add macros and mulch mats? Just makeing sure I’m on the same page.

-also garden store by house had a sale on “kings mix” by royal gold so I jumped on it and got 16x 3 cbft bags. (About 2 yds if I did my math right) going to use this soil for my smart pots and use the other soil for the bed.

-I guess my question is this. If you were to start from the beginning again knowing what you know now with a low buget. How would you do it? 6#-8# is my my goal to be able to cover me and 2 other people that need it for.

- keeping the poly on all season issue are you saying it will be ok to leave it and add macros and mulch mats? Just makeing sure I’m on the same page.
if you use the plastic then no meed to add mulch etc, since simply covering the soil around the base of the plant is the same thing, if you used hay, woodchips, plastic or whatever, newspaper, cardboard etc etc but you only need one. If you are using plastic sheet as a cover for the soil, you wont need mulch matts, If its a poly tunnel, then depending on the conditions you might need to remove the cover to allow sufficient airflow.
Netting young outdoor plants is a good idea since its usually young plants that get hammered by virus carrying pests, whose own predators aren't quite warm enough or are yet to show up and this is not what we want.

-also garden store by house had a sale on “kings mix” by royal gold so I jumped on it and got 16x 3 cbft bags. (About 2 yds if I did my math right) going to use this soil for my smart pots and use the other soil for the bed. - good dont know the product but I am sure its fine, so long as it drains freely, doesnt dry too quickly and holds plenty of air you will be good.

-I guess my question is this. If you were to start from the beginning again knowing what you know now with a low buget. How would you do it? 6#-8# is my my goal to be able to cover me and 2 other people that need it for.[/QUOTE]
basic soil, a CO2 testing kit, some good quality microbial inoculates, some good quality bio stimulants, either liquids sourced from good providers or I would just get solids eg. bag of worm casts, bag of malted barley, bag of seaweed, low aluminum rock dust, water filter or rain collector with filter. I would pre mix and let it cook out, testing the temp and CO2 burst rate before use, once it was in range, i would begin to use it, applying mycorrhizal fungus again from a good supplier and relax alot. :-)
So long as i had a healthy plant, I would reuse the media up to 7 times or more, depending on how well things had gone, pests, and so on, top dressing fresh compost and others listed above. I would just keep an eye on the CO2 levels and this will tell me where my soil is at biologically, if it is working or stalling.

 

[Ecompost]

Guano is the worst shit to hit the market. They go and disturb guano and the bats can't live there anymore or they will suffocate

if you damp the matter before collection it reduces the dust impact. I have been collecting guano for years, same spot all the time, they leave in winter and come back again every year. I always damp the guano for my own health and tolerate it weighing more as I collect it. Guano is super good P and contains lysobacteria which are solid bio control and n fixers etc, also able to tolerate higher salinity. I dont sell it i collect it myself for myself. Over using it is not great and can taint the taste of weed which might be an issue for this guy if he wants clean tasting meds. but in moderation it is super potent since its technically insect bodies rich in complex carbohydrates and minerals

 

[Ecompost]

Is this a water only method mix? If not is there a feeding schedule of sorts? Like a top dressing? Sorry if these are dumb questions just want to make sure we’re on the same page.

no dumb questions buddy, only silly answers.
If you use subs mix, you wont need nutrients, if you do it will be biological. You shouldnt need to top dress this either, not in a single crop rotation, it should be topped up using good quality compost, vermicompost, may be use some palm tree ashes in bloom but you should be good as long as you read CO2 being released, no CO2 no photosynthesis.

remember or know now, photosynthesis is CO2 + H2O - CH2O + O2. it is the tiny bit in our air, and the mass of microbes that enable this equation and so process. :-)

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

- keeping the poly on all season issue are you saying it will be ok to leave it and add macros and mulch mats? Just makeing sure I’m on the same page.
if you use the plastic then no meed to add mulch etc, since simply covering the soil around the base of the plant is the same thing, if you used hay, woodchips, plastic or whatever, newspaper, cardboard etc etc but you only need one. If you are using plastic sheet as a cover for the soil, you wont need mulch matts, If its a poly tunnel, then depending on the conditions you might need to remove the cover to allow sufficient airflow.
Netting young outdoor plants is a good idea since its usually young plants that get hammered by virus carrying pests, whose own predators aren't quite warm enough or are yet to show up and this is not what we want.

I Wanted to use the poly for a high tunnel/hoop house to keep the fog and early fall rain off the budding plants. Last year I had rain towards the end of the season and I soaked my plants in full flower. I thought if I could build a hoop house, keep the poly on the top to the hips on the side I could roll up the extra material between the hip and the base board to let extra air flow during the summer months.

Something similar to this design

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

This is the soil I purchased

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

@Ecompost would this be a good base soil?

@brazel this is the soil I already bought. Can I build on this?