2018 First Time Organic Garden. Humboldt, Ca.

[SweetTooth75]

If I were making an outdoor grow mix, I'd start with a pile of grass fed horse manure and load it with leaves, fresh cut alfalfa, powdered egg shells, banana peels and biochar. Let it cook for a year and BAM. When you fill your grow spot, mix in a little basement dirt. Basement dirt, is my word for the soil that's 10+ft down in the Earth. It has minerals and components not found in our topsoil. It will add killer flavor to your buds, like it does my heirloom tomatoes.

 

[Ecompost]

As always thanks @Ecompost for all your info! I’m going to try and put super simple hoops over them. And see how they do. I can always take the poly off if it starts getting too hot in the summer and pull it back over for bad weather/fog. I’ll have to play with it to find out what’s best for my climate. I’ll make sure to ajust my water according as well.

once the outside air temp is above 25c, your plant will struggle to get rid of excess heat in full sun. As your plants grow, if you live in a hot location in summer, you might want to look at a UV screen to help your plant accommodate the energy. I use one here from 10am-18hrs typically in June-August

 

[Ecompost]

My ground has a shit ton of clay in it And didn’t feel like digging big ass holes. Also where I need to put them to keep them out of sight and for The Sun is technically a leach field for my septic system. Even though the leach pipe is 10 ft down I just don’t trust it. Lastly the reason I was going to go for pots rather than beds/holes is because if at last resort I can move them on pallets. I thought about putting one in the ground in a different spot to see how it does. Also I keep my eye out for some master Kush too, always a good smoke.

you might use humic acid and or gypsum to break heavy clays. Clays become sticky due to accumulation of certain cations which make it tricky to manage. if we exchange say sodium or magnesium with Calcium, we can free up the clays making them more friable. Note tho that you may need extra N during the mineralization, but gypsum will have no net impact on pH :-)

 

[Ecompost]

If I were making an outdoor grow mix, I'd start with a pile of grass fed horse manure and load it with leaves, fresh cut alfalfa, powdered egg shells, banana peels and biochar. Let it cook for a year and BAM. When you fill your grow spot, mix in a little basement dirt. Basement dirt, is my word for the soil that's 10+ft down in the Earth. It has minerals and components not found in our topsoil. It will add killer flavor to your buds, like it does my heirloom tomatoes.

always let animal manures cook, this is great advice buddy.
here is why
https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/compost-concerns/pathogens/

you can inhibit pathogens by using a bokashi fermentation, this has an added benefit of reducing salinity as well as offering more wide ranging soil benefits. We bokashi ferment our manures ahead of mixing with green and brown manures. i like to compost material like leaves on their own, as they make excellent seed mixes, and its easy to add in to other piles :-)

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

once the outside air temp is above 25c, your plant will struggle to get rid of excess heat in full sun. As your plants grow, if you live in a hot location in summer, you might want to look at a UV screen to help your plant accommodate the energy. I use one here from 10am-18hrs typically in June-August

I have a pretty mild climate here where I’m at but I might pull some shade cloth over them in if it gets hot this summer.

 

[Ecompost]

I have a pretty mild climate here where I’m at but I might pull some shade cloth over them in if it gets hot this summer.

Living soil is better for plants than say using coco outside, which tends to lack sufficient diversity unless you add lots of other inputs. LOS means CO2 is being released from worm channels and root passages, water channels too, in to the air where it is pulled in to our plants. This extra CO2 helps plants growing with living soil, better manage environmental stress like high heat and UV, but there are limits of course and so having a sunscreen is a good idea for the times of day we get peaks, which might go above 25C. Keeping the soil covered again lowers LW energy by reducing radiated heat, so making it more possible to manage the absorbed totals and shed any excess :-)

 

[Cultivate420]

@Ecompost so I use cow and horse manure but all I did was top dress my beds in autumn and let it sit but this last outdoor cycle was not to my standards so I would love to improve it. What would you suggest I add to my soil this year in terms of the most affordable and organic way possible? How would I integrate the concept of living soil other than adding worms and planting a cover crop? Is there any books you recommend for organic gardening or youtube channels or threads on here.
thanks in advance

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

What do you guys think of this mix. I can get it for a $1 a LB locally. @Ecompost @brazel @Organikz i thought this might be a good alternative while I learn more about organic growing and experiment with teas. For 3 yards (6x 100 gal) = $120 and 6 yards (6x 200 gal pots) = $240 for all my amendments for the year at full strength my soil (minus the soil)

Also I have a neighbor who’s husband used to grow but has pasted away about a year ago. He had left about 10 yards of old bagged soil he used that been sitting outside for like 3-4 years outside. She may be giving it to me. If so I’ll have it tested and see if I can use it. If so we’re going 6x 200 gal for sure :)

 

[Ecompost]

What do you guys think of this mix. I can get it for a $1 a LB locally. @Ecompost @brazel @Organikz i thought this might be a good alternative while I learn more about organic growing and experiment with teas. For 3 yards (6x 100 gal) = $120 and 6 yards (6x 200 gal pots) = $240 for all my amendments for the year at full strength my soil (minus the soil)

Also I have a neighbor who’s husband used to grow but has pasted away about a year ago. He had left about 10 yards of old bagged soil he used that been sitting outside for like 3-4 years outside. She may be giving it to me. If so I’ll have it tested and see if I can use it. If so we’re going 6x 200 gal for sure :)

looks ok to me, just so you know, I use basic soil without all these amendments. then i use powder and liquid nutes and bio stims, each cycle costs me just over $2 in added inputs, soil costs are approx $1/15kg

 

[Ecompost]

here is some 3 dollar bud :-)

 

[Ecompost]

here is some $3 hash

 

[Ecompost]

@Ecompost so I use cow and horse manure but all I did was top dress my beds in autumn and let it sit but this last outdoor cycle was not to my standards so I would love to improve it. What would you suggest I add to my soil this year in terms of the most affordable and organic way possible? How would I integrate the concept of living soil other than adding worms and planting a cover crop? Is there any books you recommend for organic gardening or youtube channels or threads on here.
thanks in advance

yes I like Ray Archuleta, I like Rick Haney, Will Brinton, I like Paul Stamets, I like all sorts of people doing great work oinline.
The NRCS has good resources via the secrets of the soil program

 

[Ecompost]

super soil people should always know this I reckon

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

Update 1/16:
Scored today on a ton of old grow soil! 10-15 yards! So hopefully going for 200 gal smarties this year. It’s been sitting outside leaching for about 5-8 years so I hope everything is out of it from the previous farmer. Do you think I should have it tested?

Also in the works possibly a 70’ x 10’ pvc hoop house that I can get for cheep second hand. I can break it down into smaller hoops and use them separately. If the price is right I’ll get it.

 

[Ecompost]

Update 1/16:
Scored today on a ton of old grow soil! 10-15 yards! So hopefully going for 200 gal smarties this year. It’s been sitting outside leaching for about 5-8 years so I hope everything is out of it from the previous farmer. Do you think I should have it tested?

Also in the works possibly a 70’ x 10’ pvc hoop house that I can get for cheep second hand. I can break it down into smaller hoops and use them separately. If the price is right I’ll get it.

best thing you can do is test its CO2 levels mate, no way of knowing if its any good otherwise. Compost piles and old soil should be covered, all soil should be covered. mans biggest mistake is to strip the land bare. We are still doing it and this is fucking annoying, excuse my french, but we simply have to be better at learning from errors :-)
Leaching means we are losing and someone else who may not be consenting, is going to gain from this. They might not be happy. I would rather we trapped nitrates in soils and not let them drift in our water where they give people cancer.

We dont want to leach, rather we want to balance. Time and biology will over come nearly all pollution as far as I can tell :-)

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

best thing you can do is test its CO2 levels mate, no way of knowing if its any good otherwise. Compost piles and old soil should be covered, all soil should be covered. mans biggest mistake is to strip the land bare. We are still doing it and this is fucking annoying, excuse my french, but we simply have to be better at learning from errors :)
Leaching means we are losing and someone else who may not be consenting, is going to gain from this. They might not be happy. I would rather we trapped nitrates in soils and not let them drift in our water where they give people cancer.

We dont want to leach, rather we want to balance. Time and biology will over come nearly all pollution as far as I can tell :)

I agree eco. I really don’t like people that leach all the old nutes out of there soil into the ground. But on the flip side of that coin I’m grateful that I’m getting it because it’s going to save me tons of money if it’s good. I really want to make my own base mix and add exactly what I want but I have one of the patients I was going to be a caregiver for pull out and take his part of the budget with him. It’s shitty but at this point I’ll have to change things in order to keep my budget. Also to be very honest I’m nervous I would mess up trying to dial in a living soil on these huge plants to be honest. If I lost them due to me not doing it correctly it would be detrimental for me and a huge loss of time, effort, water, and money. What I think I’m going to have to do this season is start with one plant that I can practice on this season with a smaller pot and dial in full Organics that expand on that experience. It’s a huge bummer because I really do want the most natural medications for my and a another veterans specific issues but I can’t risk going full force into Organics and completely flop my whole garden due to a lack of experience and knowledge. :’( still going to learn for all you incredible gardeners but my full organic dreams this year are dwindling because i don’t know if I can do it honestly.... I’m losing hope. Sorry for my long sob story today just pretty down about it today.

 

[Ecompost]

I agree eco. I really don’t like people that leach all the old nutes out of there soil into the ground. But on the flip side of that coin I’m grateful that I’m getting it because it’s going to save me tons of money if it’s good. I really want to make my own base mix and add exactly what I want but I have one of the patients I was going to be a caregiver for pull out and take his part of the budget with him. It’s shitty but at this point I’ll have to change things in order to keep my budget. Also to be very honest I’m nervous I would mess up trying to dial in a living soil on these huge plants to be honest. If I lost them due to me not doing it correctly it would be detrimental for me and a huge loss of time, effort, water, and money. What I think I’m going to have to do this season is start with one plant that I can practice on this season with a smaller pot and dial in full Organics that expand on that experience. It’s a huge bummer because I really do want the most natural medications for my and a another veterans specific issues but I can’t risk going full force into Organics and completely flop my whole garden due to a lack of experience and knowledge. :’( still going to learn for all you incredible gardeners but my full organic dreams this year are dwindling because i don’t know if I can do it honestly.... I’m losing hope. Sorry for my long sob story today just pretty down about it today.

the reason i dont make super soil myself buddy, is more or less covered here. I use organic nutrients, that i make and biology that I breed mate, i dont guess, preferring to use a system of inputs that I know attract XYZ microbes at the right time, and is predictable in terms of cost, is easy to measure, easy to use, and is used all over the world by people/patients with many complex real health matters and whom often have to negotiate life with widely compromised immune systems and so on.
the people we grow for demand clean meds, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

To me I find it incredible that we can grow MJ however and wherever the fudge we like, but try getting a lettuce to market without standards and you will feel the pain of those administering food quality. Where we are going to lose control, is in our lack of standards as a community :)

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

Garden update: hoop is up, scored on some 200 gal tan smartpots, weed barrier is up for fencing. Going to kick it back to 4 pots in my 30x10 hoop.

 

[Ecompost]

Garden update: hoop is up, scored on some 200 gal tan smartpots, weed barrier is up for fencing. Going to kick it back to 4 pots in my 30x10 hoop.

4 will be plenty bro, depending on why you grow. I did only 2 personal plants last year, scored a massive haul, enough for a whole year :-)
Good score on the pots, same as the ones we have :-)

 

[SmokeyMcBowl]

Garden update 2/9

-Poly on hoops
-roll up sides done. (Need to figure out a way to hold them up still -_-)
-mixed all dry amendments together and separated into 5 separate containers for 5 yards
-mixed soil with amendments and filled 4x 200 gallon tan smart pots (one amendment mix for a separate project)
-compost tea brewer built and ready for some action

Weather was awesome and warm for the last few weeks then I get a lil snow. -_- oh well I guess it was testing my hoop out lol. I’m so glad I got everything mixed before all these storms come in. I really hate working in the mud if I can help it. I checked the pots today and ones definitely cooking in the 80’s six inches below the soil with night temps in the 30’s and 40’s. I’m hoping I did everything right and see some beautiful organic meds in the end!

Should I make the rest of this to a different thread or keep it here? Like a grow log thread? Let me know what y’all think so far I’ll post up more about the amendments and go more in depth once I figure out if I’m going to keep it on this thread or not.

Till then friends. Stay green. Puff puff Smokey out