Did you start the onions directly in the bales, or start them in soil first and then transplant?
Also, those of you who used blood meal to get the bales ready, how much blood meal did it take? I am using that since we are staying organic at our new house.
Straw Bale Gardening (Part 8)
Mary: Big_Red wrote on 2/13/07 in Part 6 about his use of BLOOD MEAL: "I used a cup per bale every three days (twice) and then cut down to 1/2 cup every other day until the bales got good and hot."
Jeanette: Those 3 gallon buckets full of soil or whatever you had in it does alot better job at holding that corn than a bale would. Corn may grow well in bales, but I don't think corn will have a chance standing up without being staked or tied some way. The wet bales may weigh more but they just don't provide the stability/anchor that soil and a flat-bottom bucket does, especially as they decompose through the season. I had to stake my peppers or they started looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Same for the okra.
Of course, I'm talking straw. Cajun with his hay, may have seen better anchor-holding-ability.
Kent
Kent, did you have to stake your peppers and okra, or the bales? btw, were you able to use, re-use any of your 2nd year bales for tomatoes? I think maybe the 2nd year bales could be used for smaller things like the spinaches, lettuce, etc. Maybe even cabbages since they get a long tap root don't they? They might even anchor a 2nd year bale.
My problem is that I want to have my bales in a different place so don't think they will be able to be moved except to the compost pile. They were just structurally unsound. However, I was surprised that the inside of my bales were not decomposed as much as I thought they would be. Do you know why that would be?
Jeanette: if you keep the grass/wheat cut back on the bales and they haven't caved in too much, yes, I believe alot of them will go 2 years. All of mine were rooted by alot of tiny roots and moving them will be problematic unless you're very careful.
I tried to see how easy it would be to move a few and I really had to pull to get them de-anchored (if that's a word) and put them in my wheel barrow all in 1 useable clump.
If I really wanted to go for 2 years, then I probably should have covered them with something. And it would certainly be cost-effective to get 2 years out of them.
I had to stake every plant that didn't run.
Kent
I wonder if the wheat roots are what are holding yours together? On these particular bales that I am looking at, the only things I had grow besides my plants were mushrooms. Only snow in the winter. LOL Wonder why that is Kent. Why would I have nothing else grow on them? That was 4 bales that I got from one place, and they had the tomatoes on them, which were the best I have ever grown. I got 2 from another and had oats. Do you think maybe a different harvesting method got more of the seed from the grain out?
If you are going to use very many then, with the way the price is going up, it might be worth it to try to salvage them.
Jeanette
Well, don't forget they're worth their weight in mulch too.
You are right Kid, and I only get a few, but there are a lot of people on here that are getting MANY bales. LOL
Um, I got 100.
I also use them to build a compost bin every fall, so those ones (2 high) are automatically ready to go for crops first thing in the spring, and the squash then cover the compost pile while it cooks.
Kent:
Have you grown squash or melons in the bales? How did they do?
BB
Jeanette: my guess on not having alot of growth on your bales is the wheat or oats were cut pretty clean and little was left in the bale to sprout. My daddy's bales were like that; virtually sprout free.
BB: Squash does great; I'm on a laptop so I don't have a photo, but go to my diary and you can see them there. I haven't done melons but they should do well, too, if you can accomodate the runners.
Kent
Some of my bales are just overrun with mushrooms now. I'm watering twice a day to keep the bales moist, but the mushrooms have just taken over. Does this mushroom explosion die down as the weather gets hotter? My herb bale is bubbling over with mushroom caps. This must be confining the roots. Does anyone have a home remedy or a fungicide recommendation? I appreciate any info.
The mushrooms won't hurt anything. Any attempts to eradicate them will just hurt your plants.
Just knock them off. It might be hard to do if they are coming up in the middle of your herbs? What are the herbs? Will they get bigger than the mushrooms? If so, I would wait if it will hurt your plants to do it now, and then when they are bigger, like maybe parsley? Then knock them off and it won't hurt the plant.
Maybe take your gloved hand and do it unless of course, again, if it will damage your herbs, wait.
Jeanette
Kent, back to the type of bales. In a much earlier thread (first link), when you were talking about types of bales you had mentioned plain straw as one possibility but then you also said, "As long as the host bale is some sort of organic matter, then it should work." So would that mean that plain straw wouldn't work as it didn't have an organic host?
Remember, I am the one who has posted above about not having a whole lot of choices as to which types of bales.
I'm running out of time to condition my bales - please help.
Gwen
Gwendalou:
Hi: I think you are getting too cought up in the "type" of bale - Go to the horsie set and ask if they have any "damaged", "dusty" or otherwise bales of hay unsuitable for horse feed, and buy a few.....Use what you have available in your area, do not dwell on the specific kind of bale: The bale is the means to an end, the nitrogen treatment accelerates the decomposition process and provides nutrients to the plant - the fertilizer you add provides balanced nutrients to the process and the water, well that should be self-explanatory: Just go for it! perry
Gwen: I don't remember the "plain" straw remark, but Perry's right on target, use what's common in your area whether it's hay, wheat straw, oat straw, grass, or what not, just don't use Pine Straw. Totally different animal.
You'll do fine. Start a diary here at DG. I bet we'll be hearing all sorts of good reports about how well your garden is doing.
Perry: and a good morning to you my retired friend. Thanks for that concise reply.
Kent
All: Part of a recent email I received: "Hi! I enjoyed your article in Carolina Country, and I'd like to try straw bale gardening myself, since I am a cancer patient and am not able to get out and dig in the dirt."
Warms your heart to hear from these folks!
I also received this one: "Thanks so much! As it turned out, my husband went somewhere and they were perfectly happy to sell him ammonium nitrate--except they'd run out because SO MANY people had come in to buy it for their straw bale gardens :D Good job on the article, eh?"
I knew I should have bought some stock with the folks who make ammonium nitrate! :-)
Kent
I think the StrawBale Phenomenon is going great guns. Yesterday My SO was talking to our Waste Management man, and saw him looking at the bales on the hill. Joe was starting to tell him all about it, when he said, "No, I know what you're doing, my DIL grew tomatoes in them last year. Best tomatoes I've had". I'm hoping I have the same results. Do the bales stay hot as they decompose? I guess what I'm asking, is, if they've been hot, and cool off, are they ready to plant? Not that I'm impatient or anything, but it's been so warm here in SC, it seems that the little plants are trying to crawl out into the sun.......
Margo
Thought I'd post some pics of my bales
BB
I planted so many seedlings, my raised beds weren't going to be enough.
That frame is the remnants of my pitiful attempt at making a greenhouse this year.
I'll have some pros help me when the season is over.
Margo: if you're pre-treating the bales then they will heat up and then cool back down and stay cooled.
For anyone who's interested, here's a pretty good article on the basics of decomposition. I posted one previously but it was really a little too technical. This one was alot easier for me to understand.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/compost/chapter1.html
BB: looking forward to seeing everything that's going to jump out of those bales
Kent
BB, did that barn-shaped shed just land or has it been there for awhile?
LOL summerkid, I was gonna ask the same thing. : )
Summerkid:
LOL
You know. It was here when we brought the property. We've been here almost 3 years.
Me and my wife are really laughing as we look at the picture. Never really saw it from this perspective before. It's really uneven isn't it?
My next door neighbor is an old-timer in the area. He told me the story of that shed about 2 weeks ago. Seems the previous owner helped out some old couple and they gave him the shed. The way he told it, it was an absolute mess and this guy cleaned it out and the couple gave it to him.
I always wonder how long the cinder block foundation will hold up.
BB
Someone wise once warned me never to just "put it here for now" when moving into a new house because it will be in that same spot forever & a day. In that particular instance it was a papier-mache parrot we hung from a tree on the way in with boxes. I said no, no, I'll bring it in soon.
Danged if it didn't rot in that tree.
Can't wait to see how your bales look in a few months. I have 110 myself but am a little intimidated about putting them out because of some of my neighbors' attitudes. They already call me "the Psycho."
I think you need to check for ruby slippers under that shed, lol.
Hey Summerkid, just get a few of those stick ponies and put them around the bales. Go out in the morning and let out a loud whistle to call them in as you feed and water the bales.Lets give the neighbors something to talk about!
Weedlady, you have a terrific sense of humor. LOL Good idea.
I can't believe all the activity we are getting. It is wonderful. Love the pictures BB. Can't wait to see what you get out of those bales. And, I sure could put that shed to good use. Even if it is a little cockeyed.
Jeanette
"a little intimidated about putting them out because of some of my neighbors' attitudes. They already call me "the Psycho.""
Hey Summerkid,
Use it to your advantage. At least no-one will be trying to steal your Veggies, at least not for a while. I love the stick pony idea, I'd play it for all it's worth. Wear odd outfits and hats (the wilder the better). Move the ponies around, or lead them to the "feed", and be sure that the appropriate noises can be heard....
On a more serious and on topic level, has anyone direct seeded into "finished" bales? I'm debating on the cukes and squashie types, whether to start in pots, or just stick them in the bales. I think I'll try both, I have enough seeds, and it will keep me busy :).
Margo (AKA Crazy CatLady)
I directed-seeded peas last week. I'll know in a few days how whether or not it worked, and will post my results.
Weedlady and Catmad, you two have some really cool ideas for Summerkid. That is hillarious!!!
Catmad, yes there have been some I am sure that seeded direct into the bales last year. Hopefully they will tell you. Altho, there are a lot of last year's people that haven't been on here yet this year.
Why don't you go ahead and try it, you still have time to replant if it doesn't work, but do be sure and let us know how it goes.
Jeanette
catmad...
I recently planted seeds in my last years bales. Just put alittle soil on top and sow the seeds. Make sure you keep that soil moist, because the sun can dry it out fast.
Here are a couple of pictures.
~Lucy
First picture was Old Homestead(Kentucky Wonder) Beans, and this one is Mesclun Sweet Salad mix.
This is an eggplant that was planted at the end of summer last year. I think it likes me. LOL
It went through a couple of frosts, and keeps on ticking. : )
Lucy, your plants look really good. I was sure it could be done. Maybe if you put milk jugs with the bottoms cut out over them to get them started the soil wouldn't dry out so fast.
Jeanette
Well I hope mine are ready as I am going to put out a few maters,squash,peppers and eggplant this weekend.
Summerkid,get a soundtrack of Green Acres as you feed your ponies. That should top it off.
editing to ask: Just why are you the Psycho in the neighborhood. We all have our reasons and I just wanted to know yours. LOL
This message was edited Mar 29, 2007 9:53 PM
Jeanette, putting milk jugs on them might work, but the way the wind has been blowing,.....it blows right through the bales. I was watering twice a day until they got a toe hold. Now, only once. : )
Oh, I called the cops when the drunk across the street set off some sort of dynamite, and I wander around in the morning with my coffee & bathrobe, plus I collect old Airstreams & have lots & lots of things like mulch & strawbales lying around & don't keep my dog in a cage.
Need I go on?
"plus I collect old Airstreams & have lots & lots of things like mulch & strawbales lying around & don't keep my dog in a cage."
Hah~! If I wasn't a happily married man I'd fall in love with ya, summerkid! Love it! (Plus I need an old Airstream for a "guest room"!!
My bales (only two of them this year, for research!) have been at it for nearly 3 weeks now. Using blood meal I have measured the temps so far as ranging from 82 to 94, depending on depth. Dare I plant in them soon? I don't know but think I'll wait till I see the temps drop a bit.
(♫ Greeeen acres is the place to be... ♫ Farm living is the life for me... ♫ etc) *grin
Shoe
So I'm off to a good start. Three plain straw bales got soaked through today with blood meal added. I hope to have them cooked enough to plant around 4/15, which is our last frost date, but may have to wait a few days since I got a late start.
Can't wait to see how these do in my climate!
Gwen