Tools to prepare for your grow (maps, dates, charts oh my!)

Howdy folks,

New poster here, old overgrow member before it died R.I.P. Thought I'd add a few links as we start thinking about 2011 for dates and things to keep in mind.You'll notice much of it is from the farmers almanac website, great resource.;)


-First is the USDA hardiness maps which shows the average minimum temp of the united states, simply click the area of the map for your region:

National Arboretum - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

-Frost freeze chart for major areas, shows first and last frost estimates and length of the growing seasono in days (useful for picking your strain):

frost freeze freezing chart

-Moon planting dates, I usually go by the pepper category since its a cooler climate here and I start indoors but you may adjust to your area simply enter your zip code or type the city/state. Planting by the moon isn't necessary, its just one of my quirky things:

2011 Best Planting Dates for Seeds

-Duration of daylight chart for a whole year so you can estimate how much light your plants are getting (you'll have to figure in your gardens light obstacles i.e. if its on a slope etc to get a better estimate)

Duration of Daylight/Darkness Table for One Year: U.S. Cities and Towns

-Sunrise and sunset chart to calculate when your plants will be receiving their light (useful for when to water or visit your site). You can also set the long/lat if you want to be extremely specific through a link on the page. Something also to note with this link and the last is that they dont account for daylight savings.

Sun or Moon Rise/Set Table for One Year: U.S. Cities and Towns



A few tips for predicting a frost
Consider these factors when the radio and TV reports say "frost tonight."

How warm was it during the day? If the temperature reached 75 degrees F (in the East or North) or 80 degrees F (in the desert Southwest), the chance of the mercury falling below 32 degrees is slim.

Is it windy? A still night allows cold air to pool near the ground; a breeze keeps things stirred up.

Is it cloudy? If the Sun sets through a layer of thickening clouds, the clouds will slow radiational cooling and help stave off a frost.

What is the dew point? As a rule of thumb, don't worry about a frost if the dew point (the temperature at which water vapor condenses) is above 45 degrees on the evening weather report.

How is your garden sited? Gardens on slopes or high ground often survive when the coldest air puddles down in the valleys and hollows.


Hope this helps everyone get off to a great season I'll be looking forward to some fantastic grow journals. I'll be adding more of my fave links as i go through them this year.:thumbsup:

~Neon

:hippy:

indeed! Unfortunately I missed the majority of it as i was working the night away :(

Sorry, that's the jackass in me coming out! :o


Welcome to the site, Thanks for the links, I bookmarked a couple! ;)

excellent, I know it's still a little early for most to start planning, I'm just getting anxious :P

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Originally Posted by neonzr

excellent, I know it's still a little early for most to start planning, I'm just getting anxious :P

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It's never too early!!!! :hippy:



I've got my outdoor MMJ grow already mapped out,.... only hitch is "Organic" nutes :wtf:


I'm seriously looking forward to the vegetable garden next year,... I now have 18 strains of peppers! :D Time for some green chili and salsa! :rasta:

lol I spose you are right!

I used to love growing peppers when I lived in cali!!! Especially the extremely hot varieties! In fact peppers were kinda the gateway plant for me to get interested in MJ!

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Originally Posted by neonzr

lol I spose you are right!

I used to love growing peppers when I lived in cali!!! Especially the extremely hot varieties! In fact peppers were kinda the gateway plant for me to get interested in MJ!

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Other way around for me!

I LOVE hot stuff, and quit smokin in 2000. :( ( I grow MJ as a hobby and to keep the wife out of the dispensary's *she's a registered patient*)


I've been looking forward to having the ability to grow anything for a while! The apartment I used to have had crappy NE exposure, and NOTHING would grow there.

Now that I have a house and am not renting I'm STOKED!!!!!!! :D


I've got about a 12x20' area off in a "Corner" of the back Yard set and ready to plant with peppers/tomatoes/ whatever the hell else I want to grow! ;) :hippy:

thats awesome, I'm a tad jealous! Hopefully we'll see some pics of those peppers down the road!

LoL!

I'm not likely gonna track any of my vege grows here! ;) (Unless I get my hands on some Jolokia(sp?) seeds! :D )

I'll have to make due with my Hab's, Hawaiian, and Bolivian Rainbow peppers for now! :rastasmoke:

Hey there Neonzr! Welcome! I still haven't decided if I will do an outdoors run this coming year or not, but thanks for all the helpful links! Indoors has been keeping me plenty busy all by itself lately...:smokin:

Ive already been in the woods and scoped out new areas to plant. Ive been planning since I harvested in october and november:thumbsup:


only thing that im having trouble with is what seeds I want to order. So many varieties how do i chose?

I used to have a hard time choosing until I accidentally spilled a couple packets, now i let the gods decide because they are all mixed together :P

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Originally Posted by neonzr

I used to have a hard time choosing until I accidentally spilled a couple packets, now i let the gods decide because they are all mixed together :P

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Welcome bro and great info:thumbsup:

If you look at the top of this page/thread there is a strain to region guide that people have good results with for the outdoor grower. Maybe we can add to this list for the noobs that will be coming in about planting time.



See Ya round bro:rasta:

As promised here's a little info on companion planting. Please keep in mind that companion planting doesn't necessarily always goes with guerilla type grows and that you must be selective in what you plant. For example crysanthemums are great natural insecticide creating plants but you dont really want something with big huge flowers right next to your grow to draw attention. You also would not want to choose a plant that is going to harm the natural environment you are using by throwing it out of balance. I've always been a fan of yarrow.

Links:


http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html- A list of some of the common companion plants with their functions.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting- A bit of an explanation with some descriptions of companion planting.