Planning the first crop cycle
The first season is a commissioning exercise as much as a harvest.
Start smaller than the house
Plant part of the area first. A full house of a crop you have not grown in this climate hides problems until they are expensive.
Write the plan with dates
Sowing, transplant, pruning, harvest and clean-down, with the labour attached to each. A crop plan without labour hours is a wish.
Track four numbers
Climate hours inside the target band, water and nutrient use per kilo, labour hours per kilo, and pack-out rate. Those four explain most of the margin difference between two growers.
Decide the second cycle before the first ends
Crop rotation, substrate replacement and maintenance window are planned while the data is fresh.
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