Let the Harvest Begin

I 

 I picked 5 tomatoes off of this plant yesterday.  That plant has yielded 10 tomatoes so far and 55 more are set on and under development.  There is still some blossoms, so the total will likely go up.

 This is my one and only cucumber in the dutch bucket system.  I have picked 7 so far and there are several more that has set on.   These cukes are especially sweet, and that could be due to the shot of espson salt in the nute mix.

 This is a real nice brandywine that will soon be ripe. It is about 5".  I have picked one earlier and they are real tasty.

 This is a big boy.  I picked 6 off of this plant earlier and it is loaded now.

 Another big boy shot.  This is my only big boy plant and it has been a good producer.

 My dutch bucket brandywine is coming along nicely.

 Bell peppers love dutch bucket systems.

 Dutch bucket sun glow cherry tomatoes.  Heavy yields with very sweet fruits.

 My only two dirt tomatoes.   A sausage that will soon be ripe.

 My yellow plant is loaded this year.

 A 3 week old big beef clone.

These ghost peppers are loaded.  Any one like a hot pepper?

Updates on second Dutch Bucket system

Dutch Bucket Cucumber on Master Blend

Soil Cucumber

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans

Recent transplants

Seedlings in 2" of gravel

Here is my most recent updates on my second Dutch Bucket system.  As of today I have a total of 19 buckets in this system.  I think I can squeeze 2 more in.   The top two photos shows 2 cucumbers.  Both are Boston pickling cukes.  One is in soil, and the other is in a Dutch Bucket on Master Blend.   The soil cuke is potting soil with Miracle Grow.  Both are doing fine and small cukes have now set on.  It is interesting to note that the dirt bucket cuke is 3 weeks older.  The Dutch Bucket cuke on Master Blend has now caught up with the soil cuke.   We will soon see how the yield turns out.

8 foot plant plus

The 3rd photo shows two Kentucky Wonder seedlings in one bucket.  This is just an experiment.  Note that the drip  line is in the center of bucket lid with the underside having a emitter head installed.  This should spread the nutrient solution around effectively.

The 4th photo shows three transplants that were just put in the system yesterday.  They are hard to see due to the grass in the back ground.  The one of the left is a Hillbilly, the middle is a Sunglow Cherry, and the right is a seedling Chocolate Cherry.

The bottom bucket shows several seedlings in just 3" of gravel.  This is just an experiment.  So far it seems to be going just fine.   Stay tuned.

My deep water culture is coming along fine.   All of these plants are healthy and bearing fruit.  Most plants are now 6-8 feet tall.  The bottom photo shows a Big Beef.  I picked my second tomato from this plant yesterday and 3 more are nearly ripe.   I also picked a large Super Steak.  Both were very tasty.   These large plants (all setting fruits) demand a lot of attention.  I have to top the buckets off every day.  A very good reason to go just to Dutch Buckets next year.

Update on first Dutch Bucket system

Here is an update on my first Dutch Bucket system.  When I shot these photos the plants had been in the system 6 weeks.  Remember, they were only 6" tall when I started.   The top photos from left to right are 2 Hillbillys, 1 red cherry and 1 Brandywine.   The bottom photo has 2 red cherries, and 1 sunglow cherry.  The far left is a clone, and the middle photo also is a clone.  Boths clones are about 3 feet, and the other plants are about 4 feet.  This system is hard to beat.  All I have to do is check the nutrient water solution every couple days and add and/or adjust the trellis clips.   This is the way I will go next year.   DWC is OK, but far too much work.

Second Dutch Bucket system nearly complete.

I have been working at a fever pitch in order to get my next Dutch Bucket system up and running. I want to get the plants in the bucket by weekend. I have several clones and larger plants that need to be transplanted. I figure that the Dutch Bucket is the way to go. I currently have 12 buckets ready to go, with room for 8 more. All I have to do is add the drip lines and the pump and it will be good to go. Today July 10, 2013 I now have my second Dutch Bucket system up and running. I have made some minor modifications to improve the integrity of the system. I have three smaller holes in the plastic tote in order to minimize entry for mosquitoes. The power cord will soon have a large grommet in order to minimize that hole. Oh yes, one important note.  This tote is buried so the lid is just above ground level.  This provides two advantages.  During hot weather it helps keep the solution cool.   I have noticed with my DWC buckets that water temps in those black buckets does get quite warm, and  the plants will suffer.  Also by burying the tote I gain about a foot of vertical growing space.  I have started this system off with one cucumber, one ghost pepper, and one clone tomato. I now have 17 more buckets to fill.

Deep Water Culture is coming on strong.

I currently have 25 buckets in deep water culture. These are by far the best DWC tomatoes I have ever had. The top photo shows the row of buckets on my porch. All are 5-7' tall. The second photo shows a Big Beef which is absolutely loaded with tomatoes. One will soon be ripe. The third photo is suppose to be a Caspian Pink. I do have my doubts as this tomato definitely is not pink. The plant is nearly 8 feet tall and has 22 tomatoes set on and I soon will pick the second ripe one. The forth photo is a big boy that is about 7' tall. It has grown clear up under the roof on my porch and has no place to go. I may have to reposition this one. Since these plants are mature and healthy they keep me hopping. The demands of a DWC system with a mature tomato during hot sunny weather is unreal. You need to top of the nutrient solution on a daily basis. Not so with a Dutch Bucket system. That is the reason that I will shift to all Dutch Buckets for my bigger plants next year.

Look at my Dutch Buckets just 3 weeks later.

Actually these tomatoes have been in the system as of today 3 weeks and 6 days. This is by far the easiest way to grow tomatoes that I have ever seen. All you have to do is adjust the trellis clips every couple days, and check your resevoir a couple times a week......and just let it grow.

Shifting gears for a new system

I must apologize for the long pause from my updates. I had a great crop last year and will have another good crop this year. I already will pick my first tomato today which is the earliest I have ever picked a large tomato. I currently have about 25 deep water culture tomato plants and several DWC hot peppers. However I am rapidly converting to a new system called "Dutch Buckets". It is much easier to work with. Once you set it up the system pretty much runs itself. I am into my third week now, and this system really does "kick butt". The very first week, my plants doubled in size. Today is my third week, and the growth continues. I now have 10 buckets with 7 tomatoes, and two tomato clones, and one ghost pepper. I have already started construction of my next system, which will have 15 buckets. Next year I hope to have 50 or more dutch buckets. Stay tuned in and I will give you a step-by-step process on how easy it is to build this system. You can click on the image to get larger photos.

3 Month update

It has been 3 months to the day since I have started this project. I have shot myself in the foot a few times, and lost a few plants, but I have learned a lot. And I have now harvested my first hydroponic grown plants. Just a few days ago I picked two nice bell peppers. Today I have picked my first tomato.

Here is a breakdown of where I am at.

Tomatoes

If you look at my first picture of the tomato clones you will see two buckets with about 8" cuttings. It took about a week for the roots to show on these. These two plants are doing fine. One is 6 foot tall and the other about 4 1/2 feet. That plant was initially set back as I tried to grow it on miracle grow plant food. It is an early girl variety. Here it is now with a picture of the first ripe tomato from my new garden. The second photo is another early girl clone that was cut from the same plant about 2 weeks later. I rooted it in my aeroponic system and much to my surprise the roots appeared in only 3 days. This plant is now healthy and about 3 foot tall.


I now have a total of six tomato plants in individual bucket systems. And I have several more seedlings that will have to be transplanted in a few weeks.

Here are a few more additional photos showing the size of the plants next to my wife who is 5'2" tall.




I have started the plants on shelves and I have repeatedly moved them down a notch as the grow nearer to the lights. The next move will put them on the floor. That will give me a maximum height of about 7 1/2 feet as I have a 8 foot ceiling, but I have to leave a little room for the lights. If you will notice there is a yellowish tint to the light. Just two weeks ago I added a high pressure sodium bulb which has a color temp of about 2000K. This bulb is geared to promote budding. My biggest tomatos are now starting to show signs of small buds. From the looks of things these plants will have numerous tomatoes.

There is also a photo of my wife seated next to two bell peppers. Since the photo shoot I have picked these peppers. I must confess, as I cheated on these pepper plants. They were in my garden this summer. The plants were still healthy, so three weeks ago I dug them up, washed the dirt off the roots and then tranplanted into their own bucket systems. If you will look close in an additional photo you will see some new leaves and buds on these plants. I am really excited about these peppers, as it was only an experiment, and they seem to be doing quite well.



Cucumbers

I started these plants from seeds. This first plant is in an aeroponic system run on a timer that kicks on for one mintue then off for 10 minutes. This plant is 2 foot tall and continues to chase the light. I have a trellis on the top of the bucket. I originally thought that I would have to train the plant up. The plant beat me to it. There is little green runners that reach out and wrap around anything in order to support itself. Even my light cord. Surprisingly thse runners are quite strong. This plant is now two foot tall and starting to bloom. If you will look closely in the photo you will see a tiny cucumber right behind the blossom. This is a female cucumber bud. When the pedals open up it will have to be fertilized or the fruit will not develope. The cucumber plant has both male and female flowers. When the female flower is ready I will take a tiny paint brush and dab it on the stamen of the male flower to get a little pollen and then dab it again on the female flower. Normally bees and wind would accomplish this task, but since the plants are indoors I will have to do the fertilizing.

This plant has a four foot trellis and a brooder lamp fixture that is right down on top of plant. As the plant grows I just move it up. I have screwed in a Y adapter and added one 23 watt 6500K cfl and one 23 watt 2700K cfl. Both of these bulbs put out equivalent to a 100 watt incadesent light. The 6500K bulb spurs vegatative growth and the 2700K promotes budding.

I also have two other cucumber in deep water culture systems, which are no more than a 5 gallon bucket with an airstone in it to keep the nutrient solution well oxygenated.

Potatoes???

Well I had not planned on this, but one day while I slept my wife dug up a late planted potato plant that did not have enough time to mature due to looming frosts that was soon to come. So she broke the plant and roots off of the original potato an placed it in a spare hole in my aeroponic systems. After one week the potato seemed to be doing fine, so pulled it up to look at the roots and much to my surprise there was tiny pea sized potatoes on them. In a couple of days the potatoes grew to quarter size! Amazing growth rate. I am now thinking about starting another system just for potatoes.


NASA's Potatoes

Be sure to click on this video link on NASA potatoes.

Other plants to come.

This photos shows some zucchinis that I have sprouted. They will soon have their own bucket systems.


I currently also have onions in my system, and will also soon transplant okra, eggplant,and a couple types of dwarf tomatoes. I have got quite a system going here. Kind of sounds like a tropical fish store here now as there is a lot of flowing water and bubbles.

Future plans

There is no doubt in my mind that I will do much less soil type gardening and much more hydroponics. The reasons are simple. No need to worry about nutrients, and water. It is easily monitored with hydroponics, and not so easy when it is in the soil. No need to worry about harmful pests, microbes, etc..

My systems are rapidly growing and I have no where to put the new plants. Check out my mister box. I now have cukes, peppers and more tomatoes that will soon need transplanting. My solution is to build a aeroponic rail system. I will provide a few links to a great DIY guys youtube, and also where you can buy a good system. Systems run from about $700-$1200. I think I can make one for about $300.

Super Cropper About $700.

Grow Maxx Grow Maxx 35 about $1200.

Both of these are super systems.

DIY Guy This guy built his own. It is a very nice system. I would guess it cost $500 plus. He has a lot of plumbing that I would not use with the system I plant to build.


building rails And here is how he actually built the rails. Also you can find links to his other projects here.

I will head to Home Depot and Lowes tomorrow and buy a couple of vinyl fence posts so I can start on my system.

By the way, I just got two heavy duty plastic boxes delivered to my door from Lowes for $$2.56 each plus a grand total of $7.00 for S&H. They did not have any in stock at my local Lowes so I ordered them from their web site. I think they made a mistake by listing them so cheap. I am very happy with them. Each are 17 gallons.

And here is one more photo of my cloner box that is loaded with plants that will soon need a new home.

Plant support and lighting

I have had to learn the hard way. My very first tomatoes have no supports. If you will notice in earlier photos they are leaning against the wall. Well, I waited too long and they simply grew too fast. I am afraid to try adding support as I might damage the plants.

On my newer plants I have come up with a trellis system. You can get tomato cages and/or trellis at Lowes or Home Depot. I already had a few cages. I also got a couple of the tomato trellises for $6.00 each. You can make three supports from these as they are flat and can easily be taken appart and bent to suit your needs.

All I did was bend in a circle fashion and then drill holes in bucket lid, insert wires in holes and then bend them over for support. I also discovered that I could get brooder lamps and insert them right over the plants by sliding them down inside the wires. You can move them right down on top of the plants and move them up as the plants grow. These brooder reflectors can be bought for about $9.00 each at Walmart, Lowes, or Tractor Supply. I am using a 23 watt 6500K CFL which is equivalent to 100 watt incadensant. When I want the plant to bloom I convert to a 2500K bulb which is more of the red light spectrum. You could also screw in a Y if you wanted to add two bulbs. This is the ideal setup for bucket systems, as you can lift the lids to check your solution and the plant and all will still be supported with the trellis.

Notice my cucumber. It has doubled in size since I took this photo a week ago. Should be picking cukes in 5-6 weeks.

2 month updates

Seems hard to believe that two months have already elasped since I started this project. My regular garden is pretty well gone, but I still do have tomatoes, peppers and some pole beans. The quality is starting to go down hill, but they are still better than store bought.

It seems that I learn something new every day. Here is my latest updates.

There is now no doubt in my mind that short cut to nutrient solutions is a no no. I first started with Green Air Products hydroponic nutrients on one tomato and then used miracle grow on another tomato. All looked good for a couple of days. After one week there was a noticable different. The GAP was twice as big and the main stalk was much thicker. So now I have converted all to GAP nutrients. I just today ordered two gallons of GAP nuets. One gallon each of the micro base, and grow solutions. They are pricey at $27, but highly concentrated. Each gallon will make 768 gallons of solution. I have yet to use the GAP bloom solution. I will do this with a couple of my early buckets later on this weekend. I will also cut my lights back to 12 hours today to encourage blooming and fruitation. Kind of funny since I had several of my plants outside and they were already blooming due to the shortening of the days. My biggest hydro tomatoes are now near tennis ball size. Since they are of the early girl variety, I expect them to be ripe by early Oct..

And here are some of my latest pics. Actually these pics are two weeks old. The tomatoes are clear to the ceiling now, and I will have to move the buckets off of the shelves and set on the floor. Once I cut the light back and add the bloom nuets I am hoping vegetative growth will slow down.

If you will notice, in the background I have sheets of styrofoam insulation with foil backing. I already had several sheets laying around, and they make the ideal light relector. Eventually I will make a grow closet around my plants. That way light will remain concentrated to encourage maximum growth.