Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Four Day Weekend

Tomorrow starts my four day weekend and I still have not yet planned out every detail but I think I am going to try and squeeze in a round of golf if I get the chance. 

First off I want to show a picture of a couple of the new babies. I took pictures of several of the hens and chicks but they were moving so much they are a big blur. This was the only one I could use. Plus, a lot of pictures of the same thing, like baby chicks, does get boring. 
We still have more in the house hatching out plus some turkey eggs.





 I also wanted to show a picture of the Hydroponics Tomatoes. This is a little over a month of growth. You can scroll back to the old post I did and see the tiny little plants I started in this. I never would have thought they would be this big so fast.
Two problems I came across, one being they are too close together. All four plants have grown into one giant bush. The next time I will space them out a little better and secure them to grow more upright.
Second, they are using about five gallons of water a day. Yes I do have a drip or two here and there but the plants themselves are using a huge amount of water and my water tank could have been a little bigger. Every other night I add ten gallons of nutrient filled water to the tank.
These are grown outside instead of in a greenhouse and the water temp is a little higher than it should be. To help that next year I will either insulated the tank or bury it.

I was surfing around on line and came across a great website full of information on hydroponics if you are interested in learning about this way of growing. Next year I plan to do more tomatoes and some peppers plus build a horizontal teared system for the strawberries.
If you are interested in learning more about this check them out.

Guide to hydroponic gardening

Other than that, have a great 4th,
MDR 
 

12 comments:

  1. MDR,

    Happy 4th of July to you and yours :-)

    I truly hope you get the opportunity to get out and golf on your 4 day weekend.

    This hydroponic site is one I will down load for future use, thank you for sharing it with us.

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    1. Thanks Sandy,
      I hope you get some good info from it.

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  2. Looking good! You might also check out mhpgardener on YouTube.

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    1. Thanks LadyH,
      I am already a subscriber to his channel. He has a lot of good info.

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  3. Obviously your tomatoes don't mind the extra warmth. They look fantastic.
    I have a big learning curve too, regarding plants and spacing.
    And still I have too many weeds...
    Maybe this is a way around it.
    Thanks for sharing your post with us.
    Hope you all have a safe and wonderful fourth!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks LindaG, I always space mine too close just because I am afraid of loosing one and then there would be a gap.
      There are not any weeds in the Hydroponics system, that's for sure.
      So far so good on the long weekend.
      Same to you.

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  4. I have been reading your blog for some time and I like what i read. Have you though of trying agriponics, using fish and their wastes to help grow plants, instead of using chemicals.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the compliment Anony.
      Yes, next growing season I plan to have two more systems. One being a horizontal tiered strawberry system and one for more peppers and tomatoes that be using fish.
      The chemicals I am using now is a organic nutrient so I am not as worried about what is in it. Next year I will also be experimenting on make my own from compost and worm teas.
      Thanks for the comment.

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  5. Fabulous infographic about hydroponic gardening. Not anything we've ever done here, but watching your experience is helpful. :)Thanks for posting, and hope your 4 day weekend is fun!

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    1. Thanks Amy,
      Even though this is my first actual experience with it, I have been studying it for some time now.
      If you have any questions please ask.

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  6. MDR,

    What type of medium are you using in the hydroponics?

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    Replies
    1. Izzy I am using Perlite. I think it works better and is cheaper than the clay balls.

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