UK trial no 3.

Overview of Trial 3.

As well as growing potatoes with the minimum amount of water, we will also be looking into the feasibility of growing other vegetable crops in water, retaining containers with the same aim in mind.

The original trial 3 unfortuntely had to be abandend due to unrelated circumstanse.

The trial was restarted on the 31st May with broadly the same object as the original trial.

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Object of trial 3.

The object of this trial is to compare crops grown in water retaining containers with crops grown directly in the soil. We will be looking at two main areas: -

2/ The quantity of the harvest.

We will be taking great care as to how the individual seeds are positioned in the container and ground. It is hoped that:-

1/ By carfully positioning the seeds, we will eliminate the need for thining out, thus saving wastage on seeds, and the water and fertilizer used to grow them.

2/ As the plants will be perfectly spaced, we hope to get optimam growth and quality.

3/ By mixing fast and slow growing crops, we hope to get an extra crop from the same container or area of land.    

Method of trial 3.

Two root crops will be grown:-

Radish.   (French breakfast 3)

Beetroot. (Detroit 2)

Some of the seeds from each packet will be planted in the ground in one-meter long rows, with the rest planted in plastic boxes.

The boxes will be prepared by having holes drilled in the bottom for drainage, about two inches of gravel put in the bottom, and topped up with soil.

One box will be planted with radish, one with beetroot, and the third with both radish and beetroot.

Box 1 radish.

This box was planted with 150 radish seeds in 10 rows of 15 seeds in each row. This gives a spacing of exactaly, 1 inch apart.

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Box 2 beetroot.

This box was planted with 70 beetroot seeds in 7 rows of 10 seeds in each row. This gives a spacing of exactaly, 1 1/2 inches.

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Box 3 mix radish and beetroot.

150 holes were made in the soil the same as the radish box ie, one inch spacings. The holes were planted with alternate radish and beetroot seeds. (75 beetroot and 75 radish) It is hoped that the radish will be large enough to harvest before they interfere with the development of the beetroot. If all goes to plan, from this box we will get about the same size beetroot crop as box 2 but in adition a 'free', crop of radish.                                      

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We have also sown three rows of seeds the same as as the boxes above ie, a row of radish one inch apart (36 seeds), a row of beetroot one  and a half inches apart (24 seeds) and a third row of alternate radish and beetroot at one inch spacings (18 each of radish and beetroot).  

When the crops are harvested the quantity and quality will be monitored.

By comparing the data at the end of the trial the results will be known.

First update.

All the seeds were sown on 31st May 2008. 

2nd update 6th June.

The radish in box one are now all through the soil.

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The radish in box three are now all through the soil. Some of the beetroot are through but still to small to photo. 

Some of the beetroot are through in box two but as box three, still to small to photo.

Some of the radish have come through in the ground.

Update 3. 15th June.

This trial is not going well at all. The beetroot are not growing well in the container or the ground, and the radish are growing badly in the ground.

I think that it has alot to do with the position I have placed the container and planted the seeds, as the same seeds have grown well in othe parts of the garden.

I will continue for a few more weeks but if things don't improve the trial will be abandond until next year. 

           Very few of the beetroot seeds have come up.

Update 4 29th June.

As reported last time the is trial going badly, but one positive observation has come out of it.  The radish that were planted 1 1/2 inches apart have grown well, where as the ones planted 1 inch apart have not grown nearly as well.

As a result of this, I have decided next year to compare barrels planted with different amounts of potatoes to try to establish the best number to put in a barrel, to get the heviest harvest.

This over planting can also be seen in this photo of tomato seeds I planted in a pot.  

The remaining plants in the brown pot have put on little growth presumably because of over crowding, where as the three in the green pot have grown very well. 

This could definatly be happening in the potato barrels, and as previously said will be investigated in more depth next year.  

This trial is now abandond until next year.