Cotton 2008

We've got big plans for 2008. I have purchased another variety of cotton from www.southernexposure.com for this year.  It is called Red Foliated. It has red stems and foliage with white cotton. In addition I will be planting the same varieties I have planted before. I'm going to plant four of each variety outside this year, 16 in all. I'm also going to make a nice flower bed that I can easily mow around and get some really rich soil. The plants I grew some 50-plus years ago were much larger and fuller. Back then I used a secret formula fertilizer, something that is not readily available to me today, but I think I can come up with a good substitute.  I'm going for big plants this year!

Because I have had problems with the seeds not germinating other years, I am going to germinate the seed in a moist paper towel and then transfer them into the pots. This is the way our friend Tom, our MCGA member in Japan does it. (See the Japanese Connection).

The starting date for this year was February 15th.

February 18, 2008
I put the seeds into my germinator February 15th and turned the heat on to 75 degrees.
The seeds are from left to right, Red Foliated, Mississippi Brown, Arkansas Green and the empty row on the right was Pima. By using the germinator, I know which seeds are going to germinate long before I would if I planted them directly into the pots. The seeds are covered with more paper towel, the paper towel is moistened, and the tray is inserted into a small zip-lock bag to prevent the heat from evaporating out all of the water 

February 23, 2008
I planted the germinated seeds. Notice the Arkansas Green, the second row from the bottom of the picture were the slowest to germinate. The Pima I planted on February 18th, after only three days in the germinator. 

February 23, 2008
Here we are, lights lowered to get them close to the plants, and the watering bucket is filled with water, complete with siphon hose. The incubator tray can be seen on the front edge of the box.

April 19, 2008

April 19, 2008
Did it up nice this year. 2 feet X 32 feet. 16 plants. Easy to mow around. No trimming! Peanut cans, with the bottoms cut out and good soil that extends below the cans. 40# roofing paper under the Cedar mulch. If a weed gets through that we are all in deep dodo. Cans and holes were filled with Renewed Earth. The white you see is an empty plastic cup. It is the same as the cups the plants are planted in.  You take the cup out of the hole, then take the plant out of its cup and drop it into the hole.

May 5, 2008
High Tech Plant Cart. (Patent Pending)
Casters on one end to wheel them around in and out of the sun. The plants need to be hardened before the can go into the ground. Also there is the possibility of frost for the next couple of weeks.

May 7, 2008
And this is where they sleep at night.

May 24, 2008



August 29, 2008
As you can see, the cotton did better than the tomatoes.