The Garden Grow Site
Because the weather was dry last weekend I decided to get cracking with some hole digging and site prep. There was also the fact that I had an operation scheduled this week and since this involved zipping open my abdomen I'm not supposed to do anything like digging for the next 6 weeks. This alas means I've had to abandon my 2 guerilla grow sites as I'm not going to be fit enuff to prepare them in time – well we'll see how it goes over the next few weeks anyway.
In the Garden Grow the less attention I have to give the plants the less suspicion I draw to them. They are after all going into what is technically a communal shared space, but I am the only gardener and everyone else who uses the space for hanging up washing etc knows what I do – but this isn't a place for the faint hearted if you are inclined to paranoia or the fear of getting busted. Since I grow largely for my own medicinal use to supplement my prescribed opiates I honestly don't give a toss and will gladly argue my case (and loose) in court if caught.
Even within our garden conditions range from a woodland area where soil is slow draining and quite acidic to flowerbeds where the soil is free draining and quite suitable for growing Mediterranean plants (without of course the glorious sunshine that comes with such a climate).
My Outdoor Soil Mix :
1/4 Soil from the garden - taken from some of the holes where the plants will go.
1/4 Enriched Compost - I'm using a compost designed for growing tomatoes which require a lot of nutrients but any good quality compost would do the job. I'm just ripping open a tomato grow bag for convenience.
1/2 Well rotted Garden Compost
If you have a garden you should be creating your own compost anyway – it's much cheaper than having to buy soil improver’s and conditioners and is a good way of recycling organic food waste as well – hell I paid for those potato peelings and coffee grinds so why bin them when I can compost them and get some benefit in the future. Made from a mixture of source materials: garden weeds, autumn leaves, shrub and bush trimmings, and ash from any charcoal BBQs or bonfires. From the house gets added: fruit and vegetable peelings/waste and crushed eggshells. This is all layered and rotted down over the summer before being turned over into a second bin to finish composting. This mix is then stored in a large black bin for a further year before being used (this extra year helps eliminate any annual weed seeds that may have survived composting but if you don't have lots of weeds to start with you could eliminate this stage. So generally the compost takes two years to make but once you start it's a continuous cycle that can provide quality compost for all your needs.
I also add into each hole :
Sharp Horticultural Sand – a couple of handfuls (just to help drainage).
Lime – a handful (my compost mix is a little acidic so a handful of this helps balance things)
Bonemeal – a handful (high in phosphorus this helps promote rooting)
Sulphate of Potash – a handful (high in potassium this helps promote flowering)
Volcanic Rockdust – a handful (good for a host of micro-nutrients or so say the marketing team).
You will notice that for additional drainage I'm only adding some sharp sand and not Perlite, quite simply I don't think its required on this site and if it were any more free draining I'd have to water frequently if it didn't rain every few days (an unlikely event but one that requires me to give the plants more attention than I'd really like – or rope in my daughter when I bugger of to Spain for several weeks in July).
The bits of netting are just to stop the cats from thinking I've created several places for them to crap and the stakes remind me where I've dug the compost mix in. So that's it – all prepared and ready to go. All we need now is a good summer….
for making proper compost (looks great btw as does the soil) and your zero fucks given attitude to getting your own meds. I hope your courage is rewarded and you get a nice harvest to keep you in good supply.
