Growing on a river island ????? Ideas....

[ozman]

Hey all long time no post.Been a bad few years for me.But anyways I have moved yet again and am thinking of spring coming around the corner,and after reading the IC MAG #5 I started drooling and thinking.
SO anyways my question is about growing on an island in a river,Im aware of the usual risks associated with it.And yes I have googled it to no avail to be of any use.
I was just wondering if anybody here has any tips or advice on what to look out for,what traps to avoid,and also just general principles.
It certainly wouldnt be my first outdoor grow,but I have never grown on an island in the middle of a river.I know there would be plenty of access to water,and the soil is kind of sandy.I am just looking to see if it would beneficial to grow on an island,my thinking is that they are pretty secure and not much traffic at least what traffic there is they are more worried about what fish they are catching then looking for a few weed plants grown somewhere on the interior of the island.
SO I would appreciate any help I can get.Im not afraid to try and fail,after all thats how one learns.
But if I can lessen the chance of failure then I would be helping myself.
Thanks in Advance to all.

 

[Keif]

We really dont know how many people are going to have access to it, if there is foot traffic in the area, etc.. You would have to be the one to decide.

To get past the sand soil though, I would either grow in buckets or dig a hole and fill with your own soil mix.

Things I looked out for when growing outdoors-
Foot traffic around the location, you dont want ANY.
Direct sunlight for most of the day.
Easy access to water.
Some cover by other low growing plants in the area (we had a lot of choppers come over at harvest time)
MAKE SURE IT ISNT SOMEBODY ELSES TERRITORY. The guys around here booby trap their gardens and around them. You dont want to step in a bear trap or fall in a hole.

Hope this helped a little.

 

[Brother Bear]

It's all fun and games until the next flood and only the trees are visable

 

[Jhhnn]

My first wife, back in the 70's was from St Charles Mo. Her country cousins grew on an island in the missouri river. It was a pretty big island, a place where the river deposited silt, like the Nile, as the high waters of spring receded. The soil was soft & loaded w/ organic matter. You could punch your fist into the dirt up to your elbow, & the water table was only a couple of feet below the surface. Consequently, they grew enormous trees, so freaking big that I didn't realize what they were, at first. At least 12' big by the end of September, with stalks the size of my skinny forearm. After a really big flood season one year, their island was just... gone, like it had never been there. This particular island flooded over every year, not real deep, so there were no deer there & the local hunters knew it, avoided the place.

Guerrilla growing is highly dependent on local conditions- rippers, po-po, hungry critters.
I'd think that an island might be more secure than a lot of other possibilities.

 

[ozman]

Yea they flood here in the spring,but after that not so much,not even after a big rain from the north.As far as foot traffic or animals not to worried about that either.The only way to the islands is by boat mainly,unless the landowner wants to hack their way through the brush to get to the rivers edge.Its all farmland where I have spotted a few islands,no houses no traffic,just fisherman fishing,come to think of it I will be fishing to,fishing for a great yeild this fall.
I guess Im worried more by the water table being so close that it would rot the roots.Like Jhhnn said the water table is only a couple feet down.I guess the only thing left to do is figure out which ones I want to grow with,using google maps and give it a try.
I have some Thai/Supper skunk seeds and some mazaar sharif seeds I want to try.I dont plan going into the ground until at least mid may maybe late may.Looks like I will be popping some seeds this weekend.
This will be a learning experience all the way.I have grown outdoors before so its not totally new,but never on an island.Also In 40 some years my buddy (since Ive known from the 4th grade)has never heard or seen of anybody doing this in this area.I guess when I get started and they get growing I will post some pics as we go along in this season.
Thanks everybody for your answers.Happy Harvest

 

[mojave green]

i planted a seed on a river bank once. went back and it was under water, lol.
haul in some chunky pearlite (light) and worm castings (not light but don't need much). mix the pearlite, local sand/soil and amend with ewc. i'd camp out on the island for at least 3 days during its high point. dig some holes in various places, take lotsa photos. with careful observation and technique you might have a nice natural ebb and flow before you know it.

was born and raised on the river. love em!

 

[stoned-trout]

add compost to local soil...sandy soil is easy to work and ammend