Alright y'all!!! Exciting news! This is my introduction to the 2021 outdoor growing season. What better way than to make it part of my Official @420 & @Weed Seeds Express GSC Comparative Grow?!?

A sincere and grateful heart to all the other sponsors for this part of the grow too! @GeoFlora Nutrients , @DYNOMYCO , #earthalive #soilactivator , and @Sierra Natural Science

***This may be a long post. Nay...this IS a long post. I wanted to include a bunch of pics and explanations. You have been warned. ***

I wanted to dedicate some prime outdoor California real estate for the the Girl Scout Cookies by @Weed Seeds Express. I decided that I wanted to direct sow two seeds in my raised garden beds. No containers and no restrictions to their root depth. My garden beds are organic and compose of multiple years of amending with a variety of inputs. This will be the 4th year of growing in them but the first attempt to grow cannabis in them. The beds were amended with compost, used potting soil, composted chicken manure, and alfalfa pellets. The beds have been cooking the manure for over 4 weeks. The alfalfa meal has been cooking for just over 2 weeks. I will be approaching these plants similarly to how I grow my typical veggies and fruits. Obviously with a little more care and attention to these plant's growing habits though.

GSC O1 (Outdoor 1) will be grown using @GeoFlora Nutrients . I went with a light initial feeding to start charging the soil a little extra and give it a head start. I will be top dressing the rest of the way as they recommend based on a 20 gallon container size or just under 4 cubic feet of soil. That may change later but I'm guessing that should suffice.

Here is a look at the top of my garden soil. It looks dry and a little dull right?! Actually, I think it is beautiful. It is loaded with a lot of different inputs. Wait until you see what lies beneath!

Here it is only an inch or less below the surface! I haven't watered this section of the bed for over two weeks. Last watering was a little bit of rain a week ago. This soil is rich, fertile, and ready to grow anything!

I first mounded up a few inches of soil to give me some extra root height. I did this to roughly a 18" diameter section.

I added some @GeoFlora Nutrients "VEG" to the mound. Again, I went with a light initial feeding as suggested on there bag. 1oz per gallon of soil. So I spread 20oz (liquid oz measurement) . There is already plenty of nutrients in my soil for the seedling that will be bioavailable whenever it is ready and needs it. As it grows and requires more, the microbes will have already broken down the VEG granules and she can gorge herself on whatever nutes she needs.



Then some @DYNOMYCO was added to supercharge the soil even more than it is!



I sowed a single GSC seed and I feel confident that it will germinate. I just have faith!

I sowed some Crimsom Clover cover crop. This is an excellent nitrogen fixer. I'm not actually planning on mulching this plant with any of the clover. I will be using the cut clover in other areas instead. I want to see what the GeoFlora can do without the "green" nitrogen rich mulch. The clover roots will still bring in some nitrogen into the root zone anyway but gar less than what is found in the foliage of the clover.

I also sowed one of my go to companion plants, marigolds! These marigold seeds are a hybrid that I accidentally produced last year. These plants will suck up nutrients but not enough for me to be concerned. They are a very shallow rooted plant.

After that, I water the seeds in. I prefer to water in slowly instead of a large initial flooding. Meaning, I let my first watering soak in for a few minutes before coming back and doing it again. I go over them 2 or 3 times at each stage of the process.

I then cover my soil with straw mulch (~½ inch or so) and water that in again 2 or 3 times. I then put my humidity dome on.


After that, I finish it off with some coco chunk mulch. This will keep the top soil cooler and protected from the sun, preventing excessive evaporation.

I then did my final watering with the Earth Alive Soil Activator. This is my first time using this product. Thanks again @GeoFlora Nutrients for sending my some to sample and try in my garden. I used 5oz (liquid measuring glass) in 3 gallons of water. I used all the extra to inoculate various fruit tree containers. A little goes a long way!


I installed a tall tomato cage to support the initial growth and training. The larger supports will be done later.

On to the next one...GSC Plant O2!
To keep things interesting and comparative, I decided that I will not feed this plant any GeoFlora Nutrients. I will instead approach it like I normally would if I was growing a hungry veggie or fruit. Let's use an indeterminate tomato for example. They require a lot of nutrients in order to provide good and abundant fruit throughout the season. For me, I can harvest tomatoes as late as December. That means adding lots of extra stuff to the soil (bone meal, kelp meal, azomite, alfalfa meal, feather meal, etc.). This does mean buying a lot more stuff and a lot more thinking about how much to include of each ingredient. The simple GF VEG measurement and application for O1 took me less than a minute. My process...let's just agree that it took a LOT longer. And a lot more stuff to lug into the garden and back out again. There is something to paying for convenience folks!

I included @DYNOMYCO again for O2 though because I always use a myco product with my plants to just give them an innoculent boost.

For this one, I planted some cover crop again but utilized the 12" of space around the plant to sow some microgreens. I will be able to harvest microgreens salads throughout the season. I covered up all the seeds I sowed with worm castings, watered in, mulched, and labeled. No tomato tower for this one. I don't know why...I'll probably end up doing it. I was thinking of making a tall square tower using hog panels instead. We'll see.


This little volunteer will be getting a lot of yummy nutrients. This is growing about 6 inches away from the GSC O2. If it becomes unruly or in the way, it will have a meeting with my worms.

That's it for now. If you made it this far and didn't cheat, please give yourself a pat on the back and a gold star. I appreciate you tagging along on my growing journey.

Blessings!
Fantastic update, BA. Its good to see the great outdoors again. I really wish I could grow properly outdoors as it looks like so much fun.
 
Looking good, Baked. Good news about your wife's response to the antibiotics. I hope she comes home tomorrow as anticipated.
Hey HG :( I don't know how I missed this reply until today. I feel horrible. I appreciate the concern and good vibes always. Please know i did not mean to ignore it. She is still trying to get better. She is home but still tired and doesn't have the best appetite. She's developing a cough and chest pain since yesterday. That has me concerned. Her being a stubborn ass and strong independent woman (which I LOVE), needs to make the decision to get that checked otherwise I'm a nag. Pffft...

Again...my apologies for not seeing your comment. It was actually good to see it this morning. I'm worried but trying to keep my spirits up. You helped bring a smile to me so thank you for that. Peace & Blessings!
Fantastic update, BA. Its good to see the great outdoors again. I really wish I could grow properly outdoors as it looks like so much fun.
Thanks PF! I'm really excited to see how these ladies will turn out. I will have the keep them in check on their height. My goal is to have 4ft W x 2ft D x 6ft H canopy for each plant. In my heart I believe I can accomplish it with proper training and pruning. I have to protect my garden and unfortunately I cannot let them grow unbridled. I do think that it will be great to showcase the GSC genetics with training and yield. I will be incorporating some topping, LST, and supercropping.

Working in my garden outside is keeping my spirit alive, brings me joy, and helps me keep things in perspective. I hope you can someday soon grow outdoors as it is a joy. My last two outdoor seasons were brutal for me though. Went through a lot of frustration and discouragement but learned so much! Biggest lessons for me had to do with my level of commitment and attention as a gardener. I was simply not consistent enough. I WILL change that this year.

Nice one, BA
Let’s hope they pop up ok in a few days time.
Hell yeah! I'm crossing my fingers and toes! I've got faith though. They are going to thrive!

The soil will warm up nicely with the domes! With all the mulch, the soil will stay consistently moist like a paper towel in a bag.
 
Day 2 Update.

@Sierra Natural Science coming in big with these beast gallon! :love: :ganjamon:I'm excited to get started with this. Thanks y'all.

A couple questions about using the #SNS209 at this stage. Can I do light foliar sprays instead of drenches since there isn't much root growth yet. What would be the best way to proceed? If anyone else reading this, that question if for SNS and for the community in general.




*preachy moment warning*
If you know the answers, please feel encouraged to answer. Helps out the sponsors in my opinion and keeps the overall flow of the forum going in a positive direction.
*preachy moment reached maximum threshold limit*

#1 is looking just fine and holding up her own weight even with the potential death blow I gave her. Urgh...





In case anyone was wondering, I am growing #5 with a different approach completely. It is a bit of a surprise on what I have planned for this one. I'm really liking the natural curve to the stalk right now. If only I could keep it going like that. This beauty is destined for a special spot outside. That is all you need to know right now.

Wifey is up and doing dishes instead of resting...let me go get my lashings and I'll come back later to get caught up with the 420 Familia.

Have a blessed day!
 
Day 2 Update.

@Sierra Natural Science coming in big with these beast gallon! :love: :ganjamon:I'm excited to get started with this. Thanks y'all.

A couple questions about using the #SNS209 at this stage. Can I do light foliar sprays instead of drenches since there isn't much root growth yet. What would be the best way to proceed? If anyone else reading this, that question if for SNS and for the community in general.




*preachy moment warning*
If you know the answers, please feel encouraged to answer. Helps out the sponsors in my opinion and keeps the overall flow of the forum going in a positive direction.
*preachy moment reached maximum threshold limit*

#1 is looking just fine and holding up her own weight even with the potential death blow I gave her. Urgh...





In case anyone was wondering, I am growing #5 with a different approach completely. It is a bit of a surprise on what I have planned for this one. I'm really liking the natural curve to the stalk right now. If only I could keep it going like that. This beauty is destined for a special spot outside. That is all you need to know right now.

Wifey is up and doing dishes instead of resting...let me go get my lashings and I'll come back later to get caught up with the 420 Familia.

Have a blessed day!
My wifey recovering from hernia surgery. Same problem. She won't listen to Docs
 
All the babies look happy, Baked! I'm interested to hear what answers you get with your SNS question.

I was thinking of using it when I moisten the soil for plants first being up-potted from solo cups. I have extreme mite paranoia!
 
All the babies look happy, Baked! I'm interested to hear what answers you get with your SNS question.

I was thinking of using it when I moisten the soil for plants first being up-potted from solo cups. I have extreme mite paranoia!
Already saw a damn gnat flying around this morning when I opened the tent. Sticky trap put up. I think in the future, I'm going to just water with 1/4 strength solution when I am setting up the soil and when I first water them in. At least until I hear otherwise that is.
 
Ok...knowing they are a sponsor and my fave local grow store started to carry it...I decided to pick some up. Anyone else use this? How does this affect a LOS grow? I am inclined to include this on one pot so that I can compare the GSC harvest. How does this play with the @GeoFlora Nutrients ?

I’ve use it great stuff right there !
 
I’ve use it great stuff right there !
Thanks. At what point do you start using it? Seedlings are too young right? I'm thinking of trying it on a couple of them and not on the others. I guess to compare the results. Last year's harvest had little to no pungent terpenes. Even after the cure, just never got a nice smell from them. It was a bummer. I'm hoping to get much better results this year.
 
Hey there BA! Sorry I have been here in a while to check things out. Just got all caught up and looks like you are well under way.

Love the outdoor garden, sure looks like you put a lot of pride into that. I think I will cover my garden base as well this year to hold moisture, we tilled in some straw and broken down manure this year, it gets really dry here.

Keep up the good work, I'll try to pop in more often from now on.
 
Hey there BA! Sorry I have been here in a while to check things out. Just got all caught up and looks like you are well under way.

Love the outdoor garden, sure looks like you put a lot of pride into that. I think I will cover my garden base as well this year to hold moisture, we tilled in some straw and broken down manure this year, it gets really dry here.

Keep up the good work, I'll try to pop in more often from now on.
Ah dude, seriously no worries! No judgement here. Just happy to have you joining me. Come once or many times, always welcome here whenever you can swing by. Honestly...it's all good!

I appreciate the comment about my garden. I do love being outside and working in the garden. This has been a hectic year and believe it or not, those GSC seeds are the first of any crop seeds into the beds this year. It's a shame because I could be harvesting food already! It all works out for a reason though. I am transplanting a bunch of seedling starts this weekend thoug! Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, herbs, and some sugar baby watermelons!!! I have some volunteer herbs and veggies from last season too. I let those stay if they come back.
 
Very nice, sounds like you will have a bountiful garden. I will need to get a few things started for our outdoor garden as well. We do mostly the main veggies like potatoes, carrots, beans and peas, and then throw in the odd different thing to try like cauliflower, melons and peppers. I want to get the hang of peppers this year and would also like to do some tomatoes and try to make my own salsa or spaghetti sauce.
 
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