Hello!, this will be my first time growing and i was wondering if i could just plant the seeds directly into the ground in my backyard after germinating them. i'm on a really tight budget so i can't really afford too much stuff. i was also thinking of getting the soil in one section of my backyard that is used to grow lettuce and putting it into 5 gallon pots and using that to grow the weed' edit - i just found a couple of unopened bags of ""Earthgro Steer Manure Blend" if it would help any i live in southern california and will be growing in my backyard btw
^I used to sell that stuff for a dollar a bag at home depot. OH! I just remembered. You can get "cull" bags on a pallete for really cheap. I think like 7 random bags(some expensive soils) for five bucks...at least at the one I worked at. but, ya. you should probably add a bit more to your soil. I believe I've heard people refer to straight compost as "noob mix" in this section before.
What is in your garden is an unknown quantity. Sure you can put your sprouts directly in it, but if it contains little nutrition you won´t get much back. Best to mix some fert, horseshit or wormcasts, into the soil. Give your plants a chance.
Haha! Yeah that was me Wenahaone, referring to my mix last year. I hate calling people noobs on a side note as we were all noobs at one point. Here's a quick summary on soil mix, like Cantharis said you need man,ures, meals (cheap) and good potting soil: I think I need to put this in a link or something. Sorry for those who keep on seeing this stuff! Start them in solo cups at home -yard- or indoors or outdoors (add slug repellant and copper rings to repel slugs). I placed a crate on an elevated bush with small pots inside the crate. 1 seed per pot. In the solo cups: 50 % store bought good potting soil (no ferts though), 20 worm castings, 30 native soil (dirt) and/or (builder's) sand (river sand is heavier but works ok too). For a 2x2x2 hole: -1,5 cups blood meal (N) -1 cup bone meal (P) or alfalfa meal - 1/2 shovel composted manure (I have a kind with horse, poulty manures and seaweed/kelp mixed in for K). - some rock dust + [FONT="]-20-30 native soil (the top soil, top 7-8 inches of soil from holes you dig or elsewhere if your soil is all clay for example. -The 5 things above you mix and put at bottom hole. Cover with mulch, leave for 1-2 months. The worms and micro organisms will come and eat the mix and be excellent to protect and aid your plant. - What to add after 2 months: it depends on your region and type of land you use (a swampy area in a hot region will still be very wet of course). - for dry regions on a dry spot (like me): add 20 worm castings, 30 compost, 20-30 vemiculite/peat. - for wet region: add same first 2 but 20/30 perlite (or builder's sand)/peat. The remaining 20-30 are the top soil and manures/meals/kelp that are at the bottom. Also add 1/4 cup dolomitic lime powder. Water with light teas after 1 month in soil. 2 or 3 shots of w.c tea or nettles (N), fish emulsion (N)(or enzyme emulsion-better-: see Lumperdawgs). Or compost tea (N) etc... Ratio: 1/20. Go 1/30 very light at first so they get a taste of it first you know. When the buds appear,for ex., use high P liquid bat guano. Feed them K in veg and flowering. And a little of N in flowering. A little of P in veg. So in veg: N + K (with a bit of P) In flow: P + K (with a bit of N) Twice in season epsom salts (1tsp per gallon) Last 3 weeks, give them just molasses(1-2 TBS per gallon). N.B: You can kill them with too much organic nutes too. A little goes a long way. Dig a hole with a mound if it rains a lot. And use more grit/sand/perlite. Dig a hole without a mound if it's dry. Line bottom and/or sides with brown paper bags (decompose with time), use more peat/vermi. If it's veeery hard to access, use water crystals (synthetic though). Some say taste not affected but it's not organic anymore. Good luck. The main thing is to be discrete and plan eveything to only visit at night. Of course tell no one and go as rarely as possible. Don't choose a spot with too much sun (means a lot of watering), , minimum 5. 8 is perfect. Use a nearby water source or bring a lot of water at a time in car you hide over there or use a watering machine if you're good at DIY. I'm not. Choose your spot well by scouting very well. Don't rush into digging. But do a lot of scouting to have the perfect spot(s). See my sticky (page 1-3 has links about choosing your spots). Just grow 10-12 females if this is your first. They'll give you a LOT if you beat nature and rippers. It's better that just 3-4 big ones make it to the finish line than 3-6 skimpy ones. You need to provide your plants with everything and they WILL go crazy and give you pounds. 1 plant = 150-200 grams. 4 skinny ones = less. Ok? Be safe![/FONT]