So I mentioned briefly I my last post that I bought my seeds. I purchased 15 bags @ $90 (US) each, so now I am definitely committed to this project! Based on my greenhouse growing trials I really had no choice – these seeds just performed too well! So that should be enough seeds for about 12 weesk of production which will give me an idea of how good my estimates were. I will order the rest once I get rolling.
I can’t remember how much I have written about my trial results. But of the two varieties the black oil did much better, and of the black oil, planting at 500ml of seed per tray produced the best results. So using that number, and the fact that I would be growing 108 trays/week for about 20 weeks, I was able to calculate my seed requirements for the season. The total seed investment will be over $3000, my biggest investment in this project.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 1st) I will be going to purchase the lumber for building my benches and dropping that off at UBC Farm. I will also buy the coroplast (I think) and a few other supplies for the benches. Then on Friday I will go to put together the frames, which means going out and buying myself a new power tool – a mitre saw! AARRRRR, I love power tools. I could easily do the job with the tools I have now, but the saw is a good investment for future projects and will make things faster and more precise. And actually, the saw will be very cheap as I can use credit card points (gained from all these purchases) to buy the saw!
I should be able to build all the bench tops in just a few hours which will be a nice relief for me. Just seeing the structure go up will make a world of difference for putting my mind at ease. I am also going to be away for the last week of April, so need to get as much done before hand as possible.
Onward and Upward…
2 Comments
ruralrose · April 1, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hi Chris – glad to see you are getting it done! Have you had a chance to read my previous comments to your blog about the essential oils? Peace for all
cmthoreau · April 2, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Hi Rural Rose,
Thanks for the feedback. I did read your comments but am quite busy so have little time for replies these days. The oil ideas are interesting and I could run some trials with my production. My seeds germ at 95% and grow very well – as you would have seen on the blog. For rodents I will be relying on physical barriers for deterring them (you’ll see soon). I am not sure whether or not I will use Hydrogen Peroxide. It is quite expensive. I will start with a dilute bleach solution and may try grapefruit seed extract as well.
There are Canadian sources for sprouts – mostly from Manitoba – though i have ordered seeds from Minnesota. I have just come across a certified organic source and will forward you the link when I get a chance.
Thanks for ideas and feedback….
chris
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