MikeinSC's 2012 Digital Diary of Delaying Impending Doom

It's the last year of the Earth so I hope I get this right for once.

Last year I bought a house and 5.7 acres with the sole intention of starting a farm and commercial greenhouse and grow operation.

The goal is to eventually expand to also growing fish but that is 5 years away in my head.

Within a few weeks of buying the house I was already clearing off an acre to use for the garden. Eventually I got to the point I could start turning over the ground.

I now have about 4500 sq ft tilled but still I need more space.

This year I am growing corn, honeydew, watermelon, peanuts, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes and pumpkins.

More to follow.

 

[RedtailForester]

Hey man, those Mayans killed Dick Clark already! We can't have a New Year's now. THE WORLD'S COMING TO AN END, GET GROWING!!!

 

[Justaguy]

Looking good. Wish I had that much land. Lots of work.

Let me get ready for this season

OK grow something.

 

[PIC 1]

Nice property Mike,

Lots of work ahead......takes time and eventually you'll hit the half way point of what your driving at. Then the rest is down hill, or shall I say "down row"
Good luck with your ventures, and this seasons grow

Greg

 

[MGOLD86]

This is gonna be epic! Followed...

 

[mikeinsc]

I've been growing stuff for bit now but very little has actually made it in the dirt. I work and go to school leaving at 4:30am and get home anywhere from 5-9pm depending on the day.

Back in February I had started close to 1500 seedlings that I intended to sell as a way of raising money for the business. In the Weeds Produce, LLC is my companies name and I will market my produce under. If you've ever worked in a restaraunt then its a term you're familiar with already and likely won't forget.

So anyway, as school and work drug on, the plants really took a beating from all of the neglect. They were on the big concrete pad where my truck is in the first pic. After many, many days of wilting, high winds that seem constant here, storms with 40-60mph winds and hail, bugs, etc well, they just started to look sad. That depressed me and it got so bad that I wouldn't park upfront and instead drive around to the back and just walk in the back.
Last week, I trashed what should have made me a net profit of close to $2,000 but instead cost me close to $700. Maybe more if I figured in a decent salary.
I have now started a lot of things over for this year. We have a long growing season here so I should be ok on the things that will make the most money.
All of the money I make will go back into the business this year so that I can buy a greenhouse and other things needed for next year.

I am not taking any classes this summer so I can have more time available to grow and get these things done right. I still have a lot to do. In the morning I will bury 220' of 1"pvc so I can get water to the big garden from my well. I should be able to get 40psi out that far with no problem but I have 100' rows that will get water off drip irrigation. If my psi drops off too much, then I'll need to change stuff on the pump.

I currently have in the ground, carrots, corn, okra, potatoes, honeydew, yellow watermelon, eggplant, peanuts, bell peppers, jalapeno, cucumber, onions ( with a few hundred more going in tomorrow) thompson seedless grapes and 17 tomato plants.

Ideally I want about 125 - 150 tomato plants in the dirt that are mostly big round, red maters because where I'm at is mostly older people and I think its what they'll eat and buy. Bell peppers and okra should also have the cars stopping on the side of the road.

In the coming year, assuming I can get the commercial greenhouse up and going, I will be able to grow year round and be able to supply some restaraunts in the Charleston area. Eventually I wan't to be big enough, or small and profitable enough, that I can grow enough on the side to regularly supply the shelter that I work for and small struggling food pantries with a steady supply of fresh veggies.

That's the sum of all the parts and kinda where I'm at now.

 

[mikeinsc]

I do have one superhot forming already. I overwintered a Yellow Trindad Scorpion CARDI and have somewhat tried to make a bonsai out of it. It grew so funky last year that I had to keep it.

This is my row of potatoes when I planted about a week ago.

And how they were yesterday.

 

[midwestchilehead]

It sounds like a nice dream. Good luck to you!

I have now started a lot of things over for this year. We have a long growing season here so I should be ok on the things that will make the most money.
All of the money I make will go back into the business this year so that I can buy a greenhouse and other things needed for next year.

 

[mikeinsc]

Here are the plants, minus the new starts, that need to go in the ground here at my house. Although some of these will be planted in the garden beds at my work or grown for use in the soup kitchen.

 

[mikeinsc]

The compost pile plants are doing well. Fruit has set on the vines and on a few tomatoes. It looks like I'll be putting a cage on the ones I don't eventually cull. For the first time ever in my life, I watered a compost pile today. I sure hope the pics are ok. They look fine on the phone.

I think this shaping up to be a spaghetti squash.

Maybe a Roma tomato?

And uhhh....

 

[mikeinsc]

Peanuts are hatching

The okra too.

Potatoes are doing well.

The meyer lemons are growing.

The one pepper i am excited about the most, CGN 21500.

I'm still looking for a greenhouse. I did come across a decent sized one today that will suit my needs for the next year or so i may get it.

 

[kiddc]

nice work!

There's no impending doom from what im seeing

 

[romy6]

I agree. No doom in your plants future. Looking good.

 

[MGOLD86]

Wow, I say GO FOR THE GH! That monster is HUGE! I am waiting until I retire and find a place to hang my hat for good before I make the investment.

Everything is looking good and I can't wait to see that CGN 21500

 

[mikeinsc]

That greenhouse is only 20 x 40. I like it because it is big enough that i can install some nft channels as well as have room for veggie starts next year. I would want more room though.

I'll know by the end of next week though. I need to find out if the price she is asking for it is a fair price considering that the only thing i would be getting that's useful is the frame. The poly has to be replaced. The end walls and baseboards are no good to be reused and the ground fabric i dont think i would reuse. I might reuse if it could be sanitized or otherwise treated for disease, bugs and weed seed. She says the fabric came from a dairy that used it as a filter. I visit a dairy every monday for my job and plan to ask them what they may know.

 

[MGOLD86]

You could also forego the floor and that will open it up for some in ground or raised beds. I know you have plenty of room to plant on your property, but may be cool to overwinter into raised beds in the greenhouse...That or you could always start collecting pallets and use that for a floor. I have seen some people use them with great success.

 

[Geist]

Nice plot of land you have there and very cool grow. I'm jealous.

 

[mikeinsc]

I want to eventually have concrete floors with a central drain but that is certainly a luxury item. Gravel with a permeable covering would be a better bet to reduce the chances of buuigs.

I want to have hydroponics in there so i really want a floor that reduces weeds and places for bugs to hide.
To grow in a bed I would simply build a bed and bring in sterilized soil.

 

[mikeinsc]

I came home from work a little while ago to find that this little dude had cut out the top of a bell pepper. Tragically, it died as a result of an increased weight load that exceeded its capacity.

 

[mikeinsc]

Unfortunately i have found what i believe to be an adult squash bug and about 100 eggs on the plants in the compost pile.

An innocent squash of some type.

The tomatoes are doing well in the pile. Actually doing better than the ones i have in pots and in the ground.

And a cucumber beetle