What do you do to prepare your outdoor grow site?

I live around Chicago, and I had 1 year that I think went really well, and one year that was a total flop. I am already looking to this coming spring. I have been watching move vids, and reading as much as I can. To help me improve the what I thought was good soil that turned out to be crappy soil. I know its still about 4 months till us in the midwest can plant outdoors, but I would like to hear what people have to say!
thanks for any comments

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If I were growing outside, I would consider fabric pots that you can move around. Itā€™s almost inevitable that you will need to deal with a plant and having them potted will allow you tremendous flexibility.

If you must go in the ground, let me tag a couple of outdoor growers. One is in Maine so knows about cold climates. @Ragnar, @Willd.

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Thanks! hope to hear from them. I do plan this year on doing in a few pots, but mostly in the ground.

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@Myfriendis410

God I feel so left out boohoo lmao

@Larry815

How ya Larry, take it that thatā€™s your name/
Any I have grown outside for some time before going inside.
So with that being said I would be more than happy to tell you how I did it. And you can decide for your self ok ?
Let me know and iā€™ll gather my notes

Will joint

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I live in San Diego and grow outside only, in 5 gal. buckets. I have found if I mix several types of soil together and most importantly I add a generous amt of gypsum (strong! thick stems, increases nut absorbsion and allows water to penetrate into the soil and root system, a surfactant. I raise buckets off the ground so bugs arenā€™t tempted and very importantly in my area Monterrey BT spray to keep looper worms away, used religiously wkly from birth to harvest:):sun_with_face: Out of 8 seeds I had 6 females and my harvest was a tad over a pound

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PS I am in a w/c as well. Iā€™ll post pics when I figure out how.

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While you amend and build up your soil, you can just dig a 5 or 10 gallon hole and fill it with good potting soil. FWIW, Iā€™d suggest very wide spacing for your outdoor plants. Last year I used 4ā€™ and they grew all into each other. This year Iā€™m going with 10ā€™ feet or so.

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High PhantomFarmer Actually I had 2 plants per ā€˜benchā€™ 2x4ā€™s x 3 on top of cinder blocks. Now I must say I do not pinch/top so they grow as they grow. One grew to 7ā€™ tall and I never saw the top of it until harvest, was I surprised! I am in a w/c and cannot dig any hole, much less tend to the lower plant parts. My buckets are at my eye level so I can tend to them without problems, and if I need to ever move them they are at lap level. I do not walk and I stand very little. I had one 23" cola and several 15-18 in colas. I never had to tie them up or prop them in anyway, they held their own, never drooping when in full bud and withstood any wind that came their way including a Santa Ana. Iā€™ve been ā€˜gardeningā€™ for over 50+ years and I wouldnā€™t ever skip the calcium. I put it in everything. San Diego is mostly DG and can act like cement.

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@Larry815
@Myfriendis410
I grow outside in bothā€¦large pots ( 50 gal and up) or straith in the groundā€¦
There is no much winter here now, no snow, so I be going pretty soon start dropping buckets of rabbit manure to each hole so it has time to age ā€¦
I have quite clay soil so, I use a few shovel fulls of gypsum to help break it apartā€¦it takes time ( months) to start workingā€¦
Also a lot of forest raket humus and earthworm castings ( awesome stuff)ā€¦
For flower I mix in Indonesian bat guano 0-7-0ā€¦
I make compost tea and use it every other wateringā€¦
@garrigan62
has some super recepiesā€¦
I be adding 2cf bag of Happy Frog to each hole or pot this year to make my substrate little lighter and airyā€¦
If you can find ā€œproject bananasā€ grow journal you be able to read all I did last yearā€¦I was pretty happy, but this year I want to be happier :wink::wink::wink::wink::wink::wink::wink:

Happy growing !

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@Ragnar

This it

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Someone here is finally from the neighborhood, if I had to guess probably fairly close (context clues :wink:) welcome to the group @Larry815!

I am indoor guy, but I know a few people in the area who do some outdoor stuff. They like to do stuff with like 9 week flowering period or less. Since our fall season can be a little unpredictable. Iā€™m pretty sure that they prep their compost for the next seasons grow prior to harvesting, but I donā€™t know a lot about it.

Something else they do, is start their plants indoors about 6 weeks or so prior to the frost free date. I think they top them some prior to moving outside, in order to get them a little more round than talll. Whether or not thatā€™s good for you, Iā€™m not sure.

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North San Diego County: Last summer I grew in 7 gallon pots of Miracle Grow Potting Soil with no amendments. (I didnā€™t know any better.) No nutrients added until they started to flower and then Scottā€™s Bloom fertilizer. Worked fine but I really could not flush them at the end. I am not concerned with police as much as thieves, since I am legal. So I grow outdoors in a chain link cage with a padlock to keep it legal. Plants and a shed keep it invisible unless people walk right up to it on our fenced and posted property.

This year I am starting inside and plan to set five SCROGged Blue Dream plants out in about June in 5 gallon cloth pots of pure coco coir. As soon as they go outside itā€™s Monterry Insect Garden Spray spinosad every week.

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I start mine outdoor grow in greenhouse at the end of February, they go out in Mayā€¦

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Are you in the area too? I would think February in Chicagoland would be a little tough on them even in greenhouse. Never tried though, so couldnā€™t be sure one way or the other.

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NorCal and I still heat my greenhouse :wink::wink:

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Ahh, I see. You think that would feasible in potentially below zero temps? Iā€™ve never done anything in greenhouse, so I havenā€™t the slightest clue. We get snow into April sometimes.

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NorCal here as well. Last year, I started indoors in early April, and in May I planted in the ground. Well, in raised bed planters in my garden. I did nothing to prep, it was my first grow, and I was very fortunate with the results. I didnā€™t even add nutes until very late in the grow.

The main concern here is pocket gophers. This year Iā€™m also doing my grow in those beds, but I plan to cage the plantsā€™ roots this time to keep them safe. Iā€™ll probably amend the soil as well.

Iā€™m planning four plants this year out there. I have irrigation in place so itā€™s pretty easy.

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@dbrn32
I dont know brother, I think below zero is kind of pushing it a bit :wink:
I would wait to start yours in aprilā€¦
Happy growing season !!!

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@nostril
Very well, I am dealing with moles and gophers too, I had this Croatian garlic my friend from Czech gave me last time he visited, I planted two beds in october, by spring , all I could find were tunnelsā€¦no garlicā€‹:sob::sob::sob::sob::sob:, caging the rootball is very smart moveā€¦
And yes, amend the soil a bit, earthworm castings, bone meal, blood meal, bat guano, forest humus, garden compost , aged manuresā€¦
All this will work very well for youā€¦
When they start flower, avoid nitrogen completely, there will be enough left in soil to finish themā€¦just add some phosphorus and potassium , when that time comes I will tell you what I be adding ( dont know yet) :wink::wink::wink::wink:
Happy growing !

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I just posted some pics so you can see how sturdy they are, the tall one in the pic was 7+ft. I never saw the top until harvest

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