2015 Garden Journal - Page 19

Starlight · July 16, 2017

Beautiful! So glad your doing so well. A good feeling too when you can make a couple of bucks over your costs. Really makes all the work worthwhile when you have a few coins to jingle in your pocket doesn't it. : )

BigVanVader · July 16, 2017

Thanks Star! Yeah, and it is starting to happen so fast. I've had several opportunities to sell large amounts to wholesalers but just don't have enough. I could double my profits if I had a tunnel full of greenhouse hybrids. When I add a few more crops like salad mix & root crops, plus all the new flowers I will be adding, I think I could actually make quite a bit of profit next year.

One big game changer this year is we have met so many great farmers that are always looking to help or offer advice, including connecting us with other distributors. It is also nice to see how other backyard farmers actually make a living doing this (with 5 kids no less) so that makes us really feel like it is in reach. I don't even plan to go full time for 3 more years, so I have plenty of time to build a customer base, learn, and gather all the tools/equip I need. Then if all has went well the retirement comes out and I'm going full time.

BigVanVader · September 30, 2017

Long time since an update but I've been busy reconfiguring the garden. I made all my beds 30 inches wide with 16 inch pathways. This nearly doubled my bed space.

I'm also doing winter growing for the first time and so far so good. I bite the bullet and ordered Salanova lettuce and it was worth every penny. My salad mix bags are full with 3.5 ounces. They regrow in around 2 weeks after cutting and harvesting is easy compared to mesclun mix or the like. Also doing mini romaine. Also have some late Mat-Su growing well. Here are some pics.

bower · September 30, 2017

Nice garden, good luck on the winter grow, BVV! It looks great and I wish I had something looking like that in the greenhouse right now, instead of the old tomato plants I haven't cut down.

Will you get frost at all?

BigVanVader · September 30, 2017

Yes. Our first frost is usually around the end of October, but it seems to get warmer every year. For example it was 80 degrees in February here this season. I plan to grow lettuce year round now. Multiple watering per day with overhead irrigation are key in our heat.

creeker · October 2, 2017

The lettuce looks fantastic. Do you direst sow the lettuce or grow starts than transplant? Using pelleted seed? Ron

BigVanVader · October 2, 2017

Thanks! All my lettuce is transplanted. All Salanova is pelleted, the mini romaine is not. I do 4 rows per 30 inch bed on 6 inch centers staggered. It helps do to the outside rows first to get the distance right.

wildcat62 · October 3, 2017

Looking good

October 3, 2017	#278
wildcat62 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Zone 6 Northern Kentucky Posts: 1,094	Looking good __________________ Mark

July 16, 2017	#271
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Beautiful! So glad your doing so well. A good feeling too when you can make a couple of bucks over your costs. Really makes all the work worthwhile when you have a few coins to jingle in your pocket doesn't it. : )

July 16, 2017	#272
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Thanks Star! Yeah, and it is starting to happen so fast. I've had several opportunities to sell large amounts to wholesalers but just don't have enough. I could double my profits if I had a tunnel full of greenhouse hybrids. When I add a few more crops like salad mix & root crops, plus all the new flowers I will be adding, I think I could actually make quite a bit of profit next year. One big game changer this year is we have met so many great farmers that are always looking to help or offer advice, including connecting us with other distributors. It is also nice to see how other backyard farmers actually make a living doing this (with 5 kids no less) so that makes us really feel like it is in reach. I don't even plan to go full time for 3 more years, so I have plenty of time to build a customer base, learn, and gather all the tools/equip I need. Then if all has went well the retirement comes out and I'm going full time.

September 30, 2017	#274
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Nice garden, good luck on the winter grow, BVV! It looks great and I wish I had something looking like that in the greenhouse right now, instead of the old tomato plants I haven't cut down. Will you get frost at all?

September 30, 2017	#275
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Yes. Our first frost is usually around the end of October, but it seems to get warmer every year. For example it was 80 degrees in February here this season. I plan to grow lettuce year round now. Multiple watering per day with overhead irrigation are key in our heat.

October 2, 2017	#276
creeker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Southern New Mexico Posts: 106	The lettuce looks fantastic. Do you direst sow the lettuce or grow starts than transplant? Using pelleted seed? Ron

October 2, 2017	#277
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Thanks! All my lettuce is transplanted. All Salanova is pelleted, the mini romaine is not. I do 4 rows per 30 inch bed on 6 inch centers staggered. It helps do to the outside rows first to get the distance right.