Cold country, small balcony, grow accordingly 2020

Hello and a warning: this is going to be boring and small grow located in finland, mainly for keeping record.
 
This is my 4th or 5th season and 2nd in the same appartment. I have a small windowed balcony facing so, that in the summer sun hits it from ~12 to late evening between 18-22 if I remember correctly.
 
Last summer I had 2x aji fantasy, 2x harold st bart as main plants, then amashito wild and moruglah in a more shady spot. Results were nice for aji fantasies, got around 2kg overall from them and maybe 500+g from harolds. This year I'm not going to waste space with  chinenses, the conditions just aren't there.
 
This years grow will be:
2x Challuaruro
2x Jalapeno orange spice
1x aji fantasy x harold st bart (if seeds viable, own cross)
1x spanish giant.
 
I have a tent for germinating and getting to summer, 120x60x180 sized, so 2'x4'x6'. Seeds will hit the rockwool next week, will put out pics then. My growlight is solux twin 2x55 tubes, 6400k and around 10 000 lumens.
Basicly plan is, rockwool -> coco coir with maybe perlite/vermiculite, final pots will be pots with water reservoir below, acts kinda like passive hydro with coco. 
 
 

 
That is my now 3yo starfish.
 
edit what is the best way to up pics? can I upload them to place X and embed link here?

 

[Inoks]

Watering been working fine, didn't check up on plants for 5 days and all was good.
Another orange Spice had put out a pod. I really need More light next year to get decent pods in tent before summer.

 

[PaulG]

Watering been working fine, didn't check up on plants for 5 days and all was good.
Another orange Spice had put out a pod. I really need More light next year to get decent pods in tent before summer.

Great that you have some Orange Spice Jalapeño
pods coming along. Keep up the good work. Glad
to see your watering system is working out for you.

 

[Inoks]

Smooth sailing, almost zero effort growing atm.

Watering system working fine, some sensor placement adjusting but otherwise great.

Challuaruro putting out small pods and jalapeno orange Spice a couple too.

Really surprising, because I only have that one 10 000 lumen lamp.

Lähetetty minun Nokia 8.1 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

 

[Mildfruit]

Glad to hear about the watering system, I might look for a similar setup next season. Looks like you have everything under control! Great job

 

[PaulG]

+1 Rasmus!
 
Nice grow tent, Risto!
Plants look like they like the environment a lot.

 

[Inoks]

Thanks! You all outshine me, but I'm dragging along
Really hope for warm summer, bummed for the lack of windowed balcony.

 

[Inoks]

So I did some cleaning up in the backyard. Seems like the previous owner had done something back there, soil on the sides seemed very fluffy and some digging revealed a lot of worms.

I have zero clue about Soil health things, are there any basic things that I need to do to it before planting herbs and vegetables?

Edit. Added pics. Its still a mess and a lot will be done before planting, its too cold still

 

[CaneDog]

I have zero clue about Soil health things, are there any basic things that I need to do to it before planting herbs and vegetables?

 
I hate to answer your question this way, but it all depends on the condition of the soil.  If drainage is decent - not too much clay or sand - I might just mix some compost and granular fertilizer - like a tomato fertilizer with calcium - into each planting hole.  That would be a simple approach.  You can certainly get more complicated.  A raised bed is a very good way to go and your soil will get up to temperature much earlier, but you need to create volume for that.

 

[Inoks]

 
I hate to answer your question this way, but it all depends on the condition of the soil.  If drainage is decent - not too much clay or sand - I might just mix some compost and granular fertilizer - like a tomato fertilizer with calcium - into each planting hole.  That would be a simple approach.  You can certainly get more complicated.  A raised bed is a very good way to go and your soil will get up to temperature much earlier, but you need to create volume for that.

Yeah Im going to have a raised bed too. Planning to put herb on those sides and peas to bed
Thanks.

Lähetetty minun Nokia 8.1 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

 

[CaneDog]

That's awesome.  My peppers and other veggies love the raised beds.  I expect you'll have great results.

 

[PaulG]

So I did some cleaning up in the backyard. Seems like the previous owner had done something back there, soil on the sides seemed very fluffy and some digging revealed a lot of worms.

I have zero clue about Soil health things, are there any basic things that I need to do to it before planting herbs and vegetables?

Edit. Added pics. Its still a mess and a lot will be done before planting, its too cold still

For the goods on soil health, check out Rich's
(Pepper Guru) grow logs. He's got it down.
 
As for raised beds, the gold standard is Double
Digging. Your can find information on it by searching
Biodynamic Gardening, or French Intensive Gardening.
 
Have fun getting those beds ready, they will be awesome.

 

[Inoks]

Yard progressing.
Chilis still in tent, all fine. Spanish giant started to work on its first pod

Lähetetty minun Nokia 8.1 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

 

[PaulG]

Looks like you are about ready to go Risto!
 
Now for some sun and nice weather to go
with those nice beds.

 

[Inoks]

Temps are still around 0-10celcius, so way too early for chilis. Peas and carrots will get planted tomorrow

 

[Inoks]

Peas and carrots planted. Interesting to see what happens. Never grown anything else than chili.

Will up pics if/when germination happens.

Also challuaruros putting out nice amount of pods considering the amount of light

 

[podz]

We have 6 of those pallet-collar raised beds in our yard, each 3 collars high so the hares can't stand up and reach into them. They are quite amazing.

 

[Inoks]

Kinda scared of them hares, covered it with Frost cloth for now. But that won't Be there forever.

I see hares daily here and deers sometimes, but rarely...

 

[podz]

Also, one advice: puutarhaturve (peat moss) is hydrophobic once it gets dry one time. You should really mix in some proper dirt (puutarhamulta) with it so that the beds actually retain some water and don't go powder dry on hot days.

 

[podz]

Kinda scared of them hares, covered it with Frost cloth for now. But that won't Be there forever.

I see hares daily here and deers sometimes, but rarely...

 
Those critters can be kept away with a periodic sprinking of bloodmeal (verijauhe). You can buy it in Bauhaus or K-Rauta.

 

[Inoks]

Thanks! Gotta get me some blood
I have a mixture of peat moss and "proper" dirt (Biolan puutarhamulta)