# Full Stack Gardener

> Full Stack Gardener is an engineering-grade field monograph by Cyril and Soly Johns documenting 18+ years of high-density organic kitchen gardening across 2,000 sq ft (185 sq m) in South-East Wisconsin (42°N 88°W, USDA Hardiness Zone 5B). It covers year-round harvest systems from a 4-month outdoor growing window (June–September), inverted-L galvanized steel cattle-panel trellises, 1,200-hole oak-dowel seeding templates at 2-inch spacing, untreated lumber raised beds, rabbit-proof grooved cedar fencing, indoor mold-free winter microgreens in glass/ceramic dishes, and heirloom crop trials.

## Key Agronomic & Architectural Specifications

- **Location & Climate**: South-East Wisconsin, USA (`42°N 88°W`), USDA Hardiness Zone 5B; ~120 frost-free outdoor growing days (June through September).
- **Cultivated Area**: 2,000 sq ft (185 sq m) divided into 3 fenced vegetable gardens and 2 open plantings.
- **High-Density Seeding System**: Root vegetables and compact greens planted 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a strict grid using a handmade full-bed wooden stamp with 1,200 oak-dowel pegs.
- **Vertical Trellis Architecture**: 50 in × 16 ft galvanized steel cattle panels cut into 8-foot sections and bent into an inverted 'L' (6 ft vertical + 2 ft overhead) mounted to the inside of 6-foot steel T-posts.
- **Organic Soil & Pest Management**: Untreated 2×12 construction-lumber raised beds (~10-year lifespan in Wisconsin), comfrey leaf mulch and foliar tea, fish emulsion, seaweed, worm castings, composted manure, wood ash (for potassium in root beds), and organic neem oil / insecticidal soap.
- **Winter Indoor System**: Soilless organic seed-starting mix kept dry underneath misted seeds in glass and ceramic dishes over heating mats to produce mold-free microgreens and blender-extracted wheatgrass juice from November through April.
- **Authors & Provenance**: Written and photographed by Cyril and Soly Johns. Baseline 2018 field study originally published December 30, 2018; revised and maintained 2026 monograph edition.

## Core Overview & Garden Architecture

- [Full Stack Gardener Home](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/): Overview of the 4-phase annual Zone 5B harvest rhythm, 4 core engineering systems, and curated monograph chapters.
- [The Garden Journal — All 18 Field Dispatches](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/journal): Complete interactive index of all 18 original crop, engineering, and indoor farming articles.
- [Chapter 01 — What We Grow (Crops & Varieties)](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/growing): Curated hub for our 8 annual heirloom vegetable and grain crop monographs.
- [Chapter 02 — Garden Projects (Beds, Trellises & Tools)](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/projects): Curated hub for our 4 DIY garden engineering, fencing, raised bed, and seeding tool builds.
- [Chapter 03 — Growing Indoors (Winter Microgreens & Wheatgrass)](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/indoors): Curated hub for our plastic-free, mold-free indoor winter farming systems.
- [Chapter 04 — Season, Orchard & Cellar Overview](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/overview): Curated hub for our master 2018 season summary, fall-planted alliums, backyard orchard fruits, and multi-crop notes.
- [About the Garden (Cyril & Soly Johns)](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/pages/about): The 18-year story of how a few patio pots grew into a 2,000-square-foot year-round kitchen garden in Wisconsin.
- [92-Plate Archival Photograph Gallery](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/gallery): Full-resolution field photography of every raised bed, trellis, seeding stamp, and harvest.
- [Full Monograph Corpus (llms-full.txt)](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/llms-full.txt): Complete plain-text Markdown compilation of all 18 field dispatches and garden documentation in a single file.

## Engineering & DIY Garden Builds

- [How We Use Trellises In Gardening](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/how-we-use-trellises-in-gardening): Engineering vertical and inverted-L overhead trellises from 50-inch by 16-foot galvanized steel cattle panels cut in half and tied inside 6-foot T-posts (driven with a post driver and extracted with a farm jack) for gourds, cucumbers, pole beans, and indeterminate tomatoes.
- [Seeding Templates And Stamps](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/seeding-templates-and-stamps): Custom high-density seeding tools built for 2-inch (5 cm), 3-inch, and 4-inch grid planting: a full-bed wooden stamp with oak-dowel pegs making 1,200 holes per bed, drilled pegboard templates, a graduated shovel handle, and a tangle-free fishing-reel planting line.
- [Growing In Raised Beds](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/growing-in-raised-beds): Constructing untreated construction-lumber raised beds (10-year lifespan in termite-free Wisconsin) to isolate soil moisture and low-nitrogen/high-potassium fertility for root crops (Badger Flame beets, rainbow carrots, radishes) and compact greens planted 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- [Our Garden Fences And Grape Trellis](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/our-garden-fences-and-grape-trellis): Designing permanent yet removable Eastern Cottontail rabbit-proof fences using table-saw grooved cedar boards and galvanized hardware cloth anchored to T-posts, alongside a heavy-duty steel cattle-panel arbor supporting prolific Concord grapevines.

## Crop Monographs, Orchard & Season Overview

- [A Summary Of Our Kitchen Gardening in 2018](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/a-summary-of-our-kitchen-gardening-in-2018): Master overview of our 2,000 sq ft (185 sq m) organic kitchen garden in South-East Wisconsin (USDA Zone 5B): 3 fenced sections, 2 open plots, 35+ heirloom crops, comfrey tea & worm-casting fertility, organic neem/soap pest control, and winter preservation.
- [Tomatoes](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/tomatoes): Trialing 16 heirloom and hybrid tomato varieties (30 plants including Amish Paste, San Marzano, Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Sungold, and Black Krim) trained on cattle-panel trellises without heavy pruning, plus tested pressure-canning and freezing workflows.
- [Asian Gourds](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/asian-gourds): Cultivating tropical Asian cucurbits in short-season Zone 5B Wisconsin by starting seeds indoors two months early and training vines over inverted-L cattle panels: snake gourd, Satsuma Onaga & Indian bitter melon, edible angled luffa (ridge gourd), and winter ash gourd.
- [Pole Beans](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/pole-beans): High-yield vertical pole bean cultivation on cattle-panel trellises comparing purple Blauhilde, Seychelles, Kentucky Wonder, and asparagus yardlong beans, plus snapping, steam-blanching, and tray-freezing techniques for year-round stir-fries.
- [Bush Beans](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/bush-beans): Growing determinate and multi-pick bush beans in high-density rows—Borlotto (Tongue of Fire) shell beans, Royal Burgundy, Provider, and prolific Henderson bush baby lima beans—harvested both tender and dried for winter soups.
- [Brussels Sprouts](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/brussels-sprouts): Full-season organic Brussels sprouts cultivation in Wisconsin: early transplanting, organic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) caterpillar protection, autumn frost-sweetening in the garden, freezer preservation, and 330°F air-fryer preparation.
- [Large Leafy Greens](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/large-leafy-greens): Multi-harvest cut-and-come-again greens grown in open garden beds: Rainbow Swiss chard, pungent Japanese Red Giant mustard, Lacinato & curly kale, overwintering leeks, celery, edible nasturtium leaves/flowers, and potted drumstick (moringa) trees.
- [Peppers](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/peppers): Growing 40+ hot and sweet pepper plants in Wisconsin (Long Slim Cayenne, Early Jalapeño, Hungarian Wax, sweet bell, and heirloom Leutschauer Paprika), including steam-blanching red peppers before dehydrating to lock in vibrant red pigment for homemade paprika and chili flakes.
- [Garlic, Onions and Shallots](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/garlic-onions-and-shallots): Allium cultivation and storage in Zone 5B: fall-planting German Giant hardneck garlic 6 inches deep under shredded leaf mulch for mid-June scapes and July 4th bulbs, plus Zebrune shallots and hundreds of red onions cured or pickled in apple cider vinegar.
- [Fruits and Berries](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/fruits-and-berries): Perennial backyard orchard and berry findings in Zone 5B: low-maintenance Flemish Beauty and Luscious pear trees, Japanese beetle challenges on stone fruits, frost lessons with hardy kiwi, and reliable harvests from Concord grapes, red currants, blackberries, and raspberries.
- [Kulli Corn](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/kulli-corn): Growing ancient Andean Kulli black/purple corn (Maíz Morado) from Baker Creek in a small garden plot: managing 10-foot stalks, hand-assisted pollination, drying anthocyanin-rich cobs, and simmering traditional Peruvian Chicha Morada with pineapple, apple, cinnamon, and cloves.
- [A Few Other Favorites](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/a-few-other-favorites): Field notes on essential companion crops across our 2,000 sq ft garden: 30 heat-loving okra plants, rust-resistant Poona Kheera and Beit Alpha trellised cucumbers, no-trench hilled Yukon Gold & red potatoes, Barq zucchini squash, broccoli, and semicircular harvests of Asian eggplants.

## Indoor Winter Farming

- [How We Grow Microgreens](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/how-we-grow-microgreens): Plastic-free indoor winter microgreen production using glass and ceramic dishes, dry soilless seed-starting mix, a wooden float tamper, pressurized misting, and 75°F heating mats to grow mold-free fenugreek, chia, mustard, amaranth, arugula, and cilantro in 14–21 days.
- [How We Grow Wheatgrass](https://www.fullstackgardener.com/articles/how-we-grow-wheatgrass): Soaking hard red winter wheat seed for 8 hours, sowing densely over dry starter mix on a warming mat, misting 3–4 times daily for a 10-day indoor harvest, and extracting antioxidant-rich wheatgrass juice in seconds using a personal blender and fine mesh strainer instead of a slow masticating juicer.