Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
PLANTING SCHEDULES
In indoor hydroponics there is little affect of the seasons on your growing.
Schedule your cropping around the convenience of your needs for fresh
products. We want product most during the winter months when high-
quality vegetables are not available in our local supermarket.
In my experience I have found that it is best to grow lettuce and herbs in a
separate system from cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. This is discussed
in more detail in a later chapter on specific hydroponic units. The main
reason for growing the lettuce and herbs separately is that they are very low
in form and would not grow well under vine crops when your lights are situ-
ated near the ceiling as the vine crops mature. Lettuce also yields greater
under a very different nutrient formulation from the vine crops. Finally, the
lettuce is on a very short cropping cycle of 30 to 40 days after transplanting,
whereas the vine crops continue growing for up to 6 months or longer.
Lettuce can be sown every few days to provide about three transplant-
ings per week. This will give you lettuce every day to harvest. The number
of plants to grow depends upon your personal demand for fresh salads.
Herbs, with the exception of basil, grow fairly slowly initially. They
take about 3 to 4 months to get well established. Once they are growing
vigorously, you can harvest them every day. They will continue to grow for
a full year. Basil needs about 6 weeks to get well established. By keeping
the basil well pruned from the beginning the plants will last up to 3 to 4
months. As soon as the basil reaches 3 to 4 inches tall pinch the growing
tip or cut it with a scissors after the second to third node. This early first cut
will make the plants branch out more than if cut later and it will prevent the
plants from getting woody. Thereafter, keep cutting the tops of each shoot
back by 3 inches to the location of the next or lower set of small shoots
forking between the stem and leaves. Pruning in this fashion will give you
a plant that has many branches and will as a result have less woody growth
(Figure 4.16). That is the secret I have found with growing basil. In fact,
I have grown basil for up to 6 months or longer by consistently pruning
(harvesting) it. If it begins to flower, it is getting old or under stress. Pinch
all flower buds very early to keep it more juvenile.
Normally, sow about four plants per cube to make a bunch or cluster of
plants. These can be transplanted to 6 × 6 inch spacing in the growing bed.
Assuming you want tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers most during
the winter from November through March, plan the crop accordingly.
Tomatoes need to be started no later than mid-August to begin harvesting
fruit by mid- to late November. A 7-month cropping cycle takes them to
the end of March. Tomatoes require about 100 days from seeding to first
harvest. Begin a second crop by sowing seeds in early March for harvest-
ing to commence in June.
