Weeks ago, on one of the forums, I read that 90% of a successful grow is in the preparation prior to putting anything in the ground. After going on my first few missions these past couple of weeks, I consider that gospel.
My plan is to hoard
promix. I'm on a limited budget, and time, so my guess is each of the holes will be a 50/50 mix of
promix and native soil. Should I have extra cash I'll add as much perlite as possible, and I plan on spreading worm casting near the stem of each plant (around 16) when I transplant.
As I mentioned in a previous post, my first set of four holes filled with groundwater quickly; about 9 inches, about 20 minutes after being dug. Later in the week we got late season snow, about 4 inches. It melted quickly, but the holes filled with about 1 and 1/2 feet of groundwater. On that trek I lugged a 40lb. bag of
promix, and it was a bitch, as I'm hauling in rough terrain. I was bummed to find that it wouldn't be nearly enough. Anyway, I mixed the
promix in with native soil and some perlite. With all the water it was like soup. I'm still worried about all the groundwater, but reason dictates that it'll dry some; likely never completely.
Following that I found a sweet spot near a creek. I dug five holes. Hardly any water at the bottom appeared. They're a bit vulnerable to hunters, but I'll be harvesting the first/second week of October, so they should be drying before the hunters flood the woods for turkey and deer seasons.
Between now and the first week of June my plan is to buy between 6-9 40lb bags of
promix, and any extra $ for chicken wire, perlite and worm castings. I'll be popping seeds in cups beginning the third week in May, outside.
Being a newbie, on a limited budget and time, I'll be satisfied if even a few of the 16 plants are harvested.
Tips, thoughts, etc are always welcome. I'll update as often as I can.