New member here, just joined July 3rd, have been reading on here about strawbale gardening, can someone teach me how to start this? Some say hay bale is better then straw? Can you plant these bales with blue lake string beans? How about sugar baby watermelons and cantelopes? How about potatoes( never grew them) ?
Looking forward to your responses.
thanks
Mike
General Discussions 2009 - Chapter 28
Hi,Mike , sounds like you are going to really get involved , good ! I hear all that stuff works , but others that have tried it will be along shortly to ans. your questions . Welcome , digger
Hi Mike; You will be good on what you mentioned, however keep in mind that potatoes don't need the nitrogen that it needs to break down ( cook ) the bales, before planting.
I have potatoes growing in what was left of last years bales. They were rotted pretty good already. it seems to be working very well.
I have good sturdy vines and they blooming profusely. I haven't dug into the straw yet to get any little new potatoes yet but I am sure they are there just getting bigger. LOL
I am sure you can get more pointers from Kent, on this issue.
But welcome aboard.
Just thought I would also mention that where I had two rows of of straw bales 2 years ago I tilled up and put to sweet corn. right where I had the bales is the tallest corn, over 6' most of the corn is around 4'.
Sorry to say I didn't get any bales for this year, so I have weeds to fight.
But just wanted to say that all the horse manure tea I gave the tomatoes in those bales has improved the soil where I had those rows.
Russ.
Hey Y'all, I am still here just got side tracked! Work has been a booger here lately but Im still "lurking" around
My pooor pooor garden has been suffering so badly from lack of rain that I pulled up the struggling squash and Zuchini plants! I watered every day and hoped for the best but all I got for my efforts were badly scorched leaves from the sun and no produce. I will have a few pictures and comments on my thread soon.
Oh no I havent given up!! My oh My No! I am now rethinking for the fall garden..... Hmmmm we will see what we will see! I now want to see if its possible to keep the , now collapsed bales bearing into the Fall with new veggies!!
Eufaula
Eufaula;
Right now we have the opposite setting. Rain Rain Rain. But I'm not complaining. The sweet potatoes are really growing. At least as fast as the weeds. Tomatoes are starting to show some fruit, but just green golf ball size yet. Won't be long now though. I only have a few potato plants but I'm sure that they should have some nice tasty morsels under them. Thinking of pulling one up today and have some.
They are the Yukon Gold. Never had them before so it will be a new flavor.
I have to get out in the mud and pull the big weeds but not paying much attention to the grass. I didn't have energy enough to really have a garden this year and didn't get my bales either. But we had the seed so with help a garden was planted but it is weedy.
Good luck on the Fall garden!
This spring it was really dry for around here. Now it is just the opposite.
Hey; - - - enjoyed hearing from you.
Russ
Both of you. I think it has been a real bummer of a year for all of us. It poured rain today after tons of lightning last night. I do have tomatoes but they are so green and it goes from in the 50s today to the 90s by the end of the week. Now how in the world can you grow produce like that?
It will be back down next week. I don't know but if it makes you all feel any better, we are all in the same boat. Literally.
Jeanette
My beautiful gardenia bit the dust in two days - went from full and green and growing one morning to dry and withered crisp the next afternoon. It happened so fast, I didn't even realize anything was wrong. The root ball was damp, but not sour - the roots weren't slimy at all, so I suspect that the 105º temperature was the culprit.
It didn't recover at all from the wilting, so just in case it was some kind of wet foot disease, I cut it back hard, washed off the root ball and put it back into new soil. When it quits dripping, I'll take it into the house and hope that it recovers.
I think the only thing that's keeping my vegetables and flowers growing is the mister system around the deck. I put it in for human comfort - 70-80º is much cooler than 100º. But it also seems to be making the plants happy. Almost all of the ones near or on the deck are flourishing and putting on fruit and flowers.
One zucchini plant has even recovered from my amateur surgery to remove borer worms - it's put out new roots at the wound, and is probably the largest, healthiest-looking zucchini I've ever seen.
The only things that haven't worked for me are Roma tomatoes that remained dwarfed and stunted, the three tomatoes planted in Topsy Turvy planters - Mountain Pride, Jet Star and a cherry tomato - and two Patio tomatoes in 12-gallon pots. I cut the healthiest shoots off of the Patio tomatoes and I'm trying to root them for fall.
I bought two mister systems from costco.com for $60.00 including shipping. Two sets allowed me to extend one system about 12' longer to get all the way around my deck. It only took one afternoon to put it up and it has been worth its weight in gold. I still have about 18' feet left on the second system and I'm going to set that one up on a bamboo pole over my pumpkins and melons.
If it weren't for the misters, my back yard would look just as fried as it did last year.
OK, quilter_gal; I'm thankful we have all this rain. At least nothing has shriveled up and died from the lack thereof. And we are only in 70s and 90s and have a rather high humidity. All good for the garden; and weeds. lol
Russ
Evening, gang.
I'm down to just tomatoes, peppers, and 4 eggplants. Cukes and squash have all been pulled up. They were about shot anyway with the heat we've had. Still, I got some good production out of them. The missus made a lot of pickles.
Here's tonight's tomato crop.
Lena: here's my 1st EVER yellow tomatoes, your Golden Jubilees!!!!
Whoo Hoo!!!
Can't wait to get them and some bacon in a sandwich tomorrow night!
Wow, isn't it early to lose all of your plants? It must really have been hot there. I could not believe the last couple of days here it is in the 50s. Russ, the same here. yesterday, Monday, we could have had a flood it rained so hard.
I finally have a cherry tomato getting ripe. I don't have a lot of tomatoes on but what are there look good. But, this is still only the middle of July. I am going to put the cover over the hoophouse along about the end of August and see if I can't get more tomatoes.
We don't normally get a ripe tomato until the end of August so I guess I sure can't go by what you all are doing.
Very interesting. Jeanette
Edited to tell you that I have had the heat on for 2 days. In my house.
This message was edited Jul 14, 2009 11:08 PM
They look great Kent!
Sorry to hear you are having a poor season. Our winter is colder than usual, the ski fields all opened early this year. And my sister who is in Germany right now tells me its unusually cold there too. Lets hope the next summer will be hot enough to make up for it!
I have been busy outside, despite the cold wet weather. I am building some retaining walls/ raised beds along the fencelines to stop the lawn climbing into the mounded beds, and for better drainage. Its taken almost a week and Im only half done. Its slow work, alone in the rain with only a small collection of poor quality hand tools. The lawn is suffering from all the tramping on it while its wet so Im trying to be careful, putting down planks etc. My last uni semester started on monday which has slowed it down even further.
I picked up 8 barley straw bales with a friend and his handy trailer! I need some for mulching, but I should have at least 5 left to plant in. Only $6 each from the farmer, when they are $11 in the shop!
My seed catalogue (yes, just one, which is a big improvement from none) arrived today, so instead of diving back into my muddy building site, I spent the afternoon choosing this summers crops. I would like to try melons and eggplant again, in the hope that it will be warm enough for them. And corn, Maori potatoes, and okra are new crops too. Im learning about them in books. Plenty of tomatoes again of course, and peppers and cucumber etc.
I started the first early tomatoes last week! They havent even hatched yet, but it wont be long. I ended up purchasing a cloche frame system online, 1x1x4 metres, so I can get some started extra early. Ill take some pictures when it all set up.
Lena
Global warming. In addition to the extremes in the weather-we've seen several lake beds go dry in Southern Oregon. Kind of scarey to see that it is really here.
GG, I think they just misnamed it. I don't know what I would have done better, but everyone expects it to be warmer where they are. All the time, it sounds like. While the icebergs are melting.
Oh well, maybe it will level out.
Jeanette
Lena: the Golden Jubilees were OUTSTANDING!!!!!
Can't wait for the others to turn.
Guaranteed to have ALOT more next year!!!!
Thats excellent, Im glad your enjoying them. Will you start from seed next year? If so, remember to save a few to plant. My offer still stands to send you seeds of a few other great yellow varieties. Persimmon, Yellow Brandywine, Amana Orange, Kellogs Breakfast, and Mortgage Lifter Bi-Colour spring to mind, all are as good as, if not better than GJ.
Will you plant a fall crop? It seems very early for your garden to have packed up for the year.
I second that Kent. What do you do if you have no garden, produce, after the middle of July????
Mine are just coming on.
Jeanette
Kent, You can plant a fall garden couldn't you? I realize there are a limited number of short term veggies to plant, but maybe some greens, beets, carrots, peas, etc.
Bev
Lena, et al: My garden's doing fine. Tomatoes and peppers. I even have some tomato cuttings rooting to experiment with a late crop.
Cukes and squash did their normal thing, so all is well.
Lena: appreciate the offer on seeds. I'm now about 99.9% sure I'll take you up on your seed offer. I'll catch you on DMail.
Well after the fourth straight week of 100 degree temps it has been hard on the strawbales. My bales started blowing apart and plants were actually laying on the ground the next morning. I still have 16 bales of the 20 that our still producing tomato's but they are small. This is the hottest summer that i remember in 15 years here. I have picked zuc, and nice big yellow squash but only picking smaller motes currently. The weather has tuned down into the 90's so lets see what happens this week. I am still happy but want to see much more out of my strawbale this year! Still very happy i planted in straw this year. This has been a blast!
This message was edited Jul 20, 2009 12:55 AM
Billy, it seems this has not been the best year to try the bales? How are you to know?
It sounds like you are not the only one that has had a lot of hot weather and lower production. That is too bad.
Do you think you will try it again next year?
Hello Jeanette, oh yes i will continue to have many different types of gardens. I am going to try a different straw this next time. It took along time to break this straw down. Not to get me wrong still picking veggies from the strawgarden. But just not like i expected! This year i wanted to see what tomato plant produced better than the other. The Arkansas Traveler and the Lemon Boy seemed to produce the best so far! So i am still planting here and will do so for sometime. Hope to have a garden until Late October or early November. Blessings and thanks for asking.
Man, look what I found, my old mug shot. Incarcerated 1982, inmate #BR549.
Kent, do you know how long ago that was???? 1982 doesn't sound that long ago, but if you do the math it is.
Jeanette
It's not long in "dog" years! :-)
Dang , Kent how old are you anyway ? That picture makes you look about 30-35 . I thought you was a kid . (to me anything under 50 is a kid ) lol . You did look tough , was that your ID pic when you joined the force ? Or the military ? D
Digger: I'm actually 24 in that pic. I know it looks like a felony mug shot. LOL (Just turned 51 back on 7/25)
Thought I'd have a little fun with an old USN ID card pic. I had been a Petty Officer for 2 years when I got accepted into the Naval Flight Officer program - an "Officer & Gentleman".
Had to get a buzz cut all over again for my new ID card.
Hay fever issue deep-sixed that plan and I reverted back to my old enlisted rank and finished out my tour.
Here's a pic BEFORE I went in.
I was senior at NC State.
Fast forward to not long ago.
(Well, that didn't work. Must have already posted this somewhere. Anyway, enough of me goofing off. Back to gardening.)
This message was edited Aug 6, 2009 9:30 AM
That's a pretty wild shirt Kent. LOL, Jeanette
Gooood looking youngun, Kent , you're
my sons age . 51 is just out of a kids age . lol And red hair too !
Dh just brought in more maters . No end in sight ,have'nt even started picking the Beefsteak , some of them (3)have crowded off the stem .I'll load my heirlooms and post them . I've put up ripe and green mixed sweet millions into salsa , and mixed up Sm, Whoppers , and Better boys into tomato,pineapple,onion ,brown sugar and ginger into 10 pints relish for pork and chicken .
Fixing to start freezing and dehydrating peaches . I'm a glutton for punishment ,went to the orchard today and bought 1/2 bushel of reg and bushel and half of blemished to keep me busy and out of trouble . digger
Here's the heirloom toms, Black Russian, I think they were called . digger
Sally, your chicken relish sounds delish. How about a recipe?
Jeanette
Funny thing is Sally that my Brandywine heirlooms are shped so bad you have to cut a lot off of them. Looks like the Black Russian is a close second.
Jeanette
That color isnt right. Try another .
Color is better on the last pic . It's a dusky purplish instead of green . These are soft ripe at this color . D
Jnette , no recipe , I just know I used about a gal and half processed tom ,two onions,minced fine, about a cup of br sugar, coupla larg cans crushed pineapple ,coupla teaspoons grated , fresh ginger. cooked on low all day with lid on . I adjusted to taste several times , adding more sugar , I also added a teaspoon of salt to smooth the taste and take the fresh taste away .I used one packet liquid Sure Jell to give it more body . It wasn't enough to really jell .Packed in jars and processed with water bath about 30 min . It's always trial and adjust to taste . When it pleases you , it's through . digger
Jnette , I bought a ceramic paring knife and cut the stem core out , then go around those bumps . I don't waste nuthing .I always used little knives I got with Cheer clothes washing powder 50 yrs ago . Still have them , still sharp . I guard them with my life , and always used them b4 the ceramic knife . digger
lol, Sally, I got a little knife, like about a 3 inch blade at an estate sale, that the old guy that died had sharpened until it was that small I think. That is what I have been using too. However it is getting dull. I think if I sharpen like he did there won't be anything left of it. Maybe just use a sharpening tool. Anyway, yes, that is what I use too. So, I get the most out of them.
Jeanette
I love my knifes , take them with me when I go to Tex .Can't cook without them . D
I have a favorite knife too. It was Mom's. She had it for as far back as I can remember. These newer knives just don't work like it does.
Don't know about the ceramic ones though. This one I use for the tough jobs and for chopping veggies for stew. It don't bend and flex all around under a bit of pressure when the going gets tough. lol
R
I'll post a pic of my favorites a little later today . And some of the others too . Let's see yours . D