Jeffrey Hickey Writes Blogs

I’m usually up by 4:00 a.m., year round. Part of that is a function of my age, and part of it is how farming has changed the way I live.

I’ve referenced my love of mornings in many blogs, but today I focus on the value of doing most, if not all of my daily gardening tasks before nine a.m.

If you are a farmer, or serious gardener, you already know this, so this one is for the newcomers. 

I’m 68 years old, so my routine is absolutely essential for me. These are some of the things I try to do every day in the early morning:

I try to get my 10,000 steps in, or at least, most of them, before 8:00. When I hike in the silence and soft light of pre-dawn, I like to treat those hikes as cardio opportunities. Again, it is critical for a man my age to stay as fit as I can be.

I do lots of hikes, but this one is my favorite for still early mornings. This is part of the Chimney Rock trail in my part of the world.

I do a pre-dawn foliar spray five days a week. I do it pre-dawn, because one of the sprays, Regalia, will burn the plant if done in sunlight. The others I spray don’t have that same restriction, but I think it’s a good idea to do most foliar sprays before the sun rises. Gives the plant the entire day to absorb and put the sprays to work. An exception to this rule is if you have to spray BT, for worms. The best time for that is in the early afternoon, when the white moths, and others, typically arrive in force to lay eggs relentlessly for the remainder of the day. By the way, Neem oil will burn your plants if you spray in sunlight.

Pre-dawn is when I water and it’s also when I apply compost teas. Because I make aerated compost teas, they need a full 48 hours to be made completely active. Because I pour before dawn, that means the teas have to be made and started before dawn. This year, I will probably be doing two different sets of teas per week. One will be ten gallons for the cannabis and the other will be ten gallons for the vegetables, fruits and flowers.

It is best to pour both the water and the tea before the sun hits the growing mediums, so that plants will have the full day to drink, absorb, and photosynthesize in their most efficient manner. 

All of the planting and most of the weeding are done before 9:00 a.m. And yes, weeding is necessary. One of our favorite areas to weed and remove dead plant matter is in the lavender. Ours is just starting to turn. If you want your lavender as healthy and vibrant as possible, weed all around the bushes and make certain you’ve removed all the dead growth from the plant.

Of course, full disclosure, I also do this work after significant stretching, and at the time of day that works best for a 68 year old man, and I often get help from Bee. My hard working hours are between four in the morning, and noon. After that, it’s writing time.

Mornings are when I start and pour my compost teas. The first compost tea of the season for the cannabis plants and vegetables is brewing in the cottage right now. It’s a very basic tea, but with a couple of extremely cool items added.

In the brewing bag this week, I have kiwi sprouts and lots of horsetail.

The kiwi comes through the fence from the neighbor’s yard. There’s an understanding that if it comes through on my side, it’s mine to use as I see fit. I think kiwi sprouts are my all time favorite plant as a veg growing additive. It is bursting with all the essential growing micronutrients. 

Next, I have my own personal stash of horsetail directly across the road from where I live. This is not the only area of horsetail in our valley. It’s all over the place.

Horsetail is full of silica, which is not only good for untangling any root issues you might have, but it is also a significant plant stimulant for growth. Horsetail goes into every tea I make the entire season.

There’s no extra fertilizer needed in this tea, just some select micronutrients to keep the plants growing as fast as possible. Next week, and each subsequent week until halfway through flowering, I’ll add raw mycorrhizae to the teas, which will allow the plants to uptake more nutrients. We did this last year with spectacular results. We’re anxious to do it again, but with at least a few larger than normal cultivars.

So the tea is brewing in the cottage, with the fans and air conditioner and dehumidifier on. It’s loud. The plants are starting to look anxious to be outside.  In fact, I planted a feminized Royal Kush in bed 11 this morning. She’s about to turn five weeks old, and experience has taught me to plant feminized starts at five weeks. They are less likely to flower early if you don’t stress them out too much by waiting until six weeks. Feminized don’t have to be sexed, so there is no practical reason to keep them inside. However, I waited to put this Royal Kush into a bed because the next couple of days are going to be sunny and warm. It’s the perfect opportunity to transition her from inside to outside.

Speaking of inside, I had my first light burn out in the cottage. These are the first lights I purchased for growing. They are ten years old and one of them finally burnt out. They’ve lasted this long, because I don’t use them for growing, only for the first six weeks of starting plants. Once they’ve been transplanted, the lights go off until the next growing season. I’ve actually only put about 14 months of time on these lights in ten years, because they’ve only been on 42 days per year. That’s almost 420 days in ten years. 

The remaining light is fine for the rest of this grow. One side still works and it should finish the job. Just because I have a couple of extras, I turned on one of the outside lights to fill in the room. Nothing will be in there for much longer. They’ll be new lights next year. Any suggestions?

Mornings are also when male plants are taken to the compost bin. 

After ten days of sexing, there have been five males, all of them from the West Marin Mystery. I still have two more remaining, and one of them, the largest, looks suspiciously female. I’m just waiting for the hair to show, and then I’m planting her outside.

There hasn’t been another male from any of the other cultivars. It certainly looks like there’s going to be some guys, but they are dramatically holding out until the final week. I’ve had this happen before and there’s usually one heartbreak plant. We’ll know very soon.

He could have been a contender. Foiled again.

So make your mornings count on your farms. I also like getting all my daily work done early, so I have more time to write, be with my honey, and enjoy my plants.

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Or contact me directly with your idea (good seeds are always welcome–and if I grow them, I will get the flowers tested and share with you the results.
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