Straw Bale Gardening (Part 10)

"My brain is blanking.
Does anybody have a quick answer for any seeds other than lettuce that they might have direct-sown in the bales?"

I direct-sowed peas in mine, one variety/bale. Sugar snap, snow peas, shelling peas, etc. They are all doing fine.

MaryinLa: I use the word "sets" the same way I use "hills", i.e., 2 squash in a set or hill in 1 location in the bale.

Kent

congratulations on your new babies, Margo!

Thanks, Foggy :).
The little green heads were popping up all day long. I wasted a LOT of time checking on them, and hovering around like a nervous nellie. Even watered the beetlings so they didn't dry out. Now I know that if they had enough water/moisture to germinate they were probably fine, but they looked thirsty, and they're so little....
Margo

Well , they're just babies & they need extra attention! lol

i direct seeded some peppers and some melons yesterday...the bales were 80 degrees & I thought the melons would be happy with that. I still have the wire tents on & if it gets too hot for the young seedlings when they rise I'll put cheesecloth on that to shade 'em a little.

the tomatos are poking through the wire tent, but it helps to train them right now & i'll just cut it away if it interferes

Those who have sweet potatos...if you don't already know..deer LOVE them....they nipped mine off to the roots twice year before last & the darling things came back & gave me a great harvest, after i put wire tents to protect them..... I just took 6 ft pcs of fencing & made the round "tents" about 2 ft high.

Foggy

Foggy I found that rabbits are also very hard on sweet taders. But they don't like the ones with hot pepper sauce sprayed on them. I have some rabbit proof fence, but not enough to go around the garden. I may have to work on that. Maybe your idea of individual cages would do, untill the plant is established, and a bite or two will no longer be a problem. Ok now I better get busy.
Russ

Poking my head in from SW PA; I just ordered 30 oat bales today, they will be delivered tomorrow. I plan to grow tomatoes, mellons, zuccini and cukes in them. I had never heard of this before until I stumbled on to this thread three days ago. I was hooked right away. I love doing new and interesting things in the garden.

Thanks for the ideas guys!

Tim

Tim, a hearty WELCOME TO DG!

Hope you have fun with bale gardening! Thirty bales, eh? Take lots of pictures, please!

I'm only doing two bales here on the farm but DD is doing more at her school. This week I set out some peppers and tomatoes in my bales, they didn't even flinch from the transplanting and are standing as tall as soldiers still!

Happy Growing to all.

Shoe

Tim: 10-4 on what Shoe said, Welcome Aboard the Straw Bale Express! Yep, it's easy to get hooked on this method. You're going to have fun this year.

Be sure to put your marker on the map at www.frappr.com/strawbalegardeners so we can see where Trafford, PA is located.

Kent

I think we need to request a straw bale gardening forum, don't y'all?

I plan to plant my bales tomorrow, they are getting soft enough I can put my hands down in them now, and wheat is sprouting from them, lol.

MaryinLa: nice little set up you have; what's planned for where?

My daddy would love to have that tree behind the bales for some stove wood.

What's the difference between a thread and a forum?

Kent

Hey, Kent. Well a forum is like the "Vegetable Gardening" forum that these threads are located in. We could request that they make a seperate forum for Straw Bale Gardening, since we are so active. Don't know if they would honor it, but we could certainly request it.

That pic was taken just a day or two after the bales arrived, they are turning green from the wheat sprouting now, lol. The bales along the back row will be for tall stuff, since they are on the west side, tomatoes, okra. The other bales will have other stuff, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumber. We only plant a few of each since there is only two of us.

Those trees are a couple they pushed down when they did the final grade around our house, we are saving them to cut up for firewood. Just had so many trees taken down, that we haven't needed them yet.

This message was edited Apr 26, 2007 11:28 PM

Welcome, Tim! Hope you stick around DG for a good long time :~)

Lana

Here's a good shot of the typical mushroom I see from my bales. They'll sprout out quickly and disappear almost as rapidly, especially once the sun hits the bales and the temp starts to climb.

This is a good sign that your bales are providing a nice environment for your veggies.

Kent

Sorry, I uploaded the wrong pic. Here's the one I wanted to show. It was alot clearer.

Kent

I noticed mushrooms in my bales today, yippee! Going to plant today.

Kent, I have had four different kinds of mushrooms in my bales. A couple of types last for several days.

I now have tomatoes, green beans, leaf lettuce, watermelons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers in my 19 bales. They are growing great. Even though I never did get the "heat" in them the rest of you did, my bales still cooked up fine. In my enthusiasm for seed starting, I over shot how much would go where so ended up putting the peppers and okra into a raised bed I had put in for flowers. Flowers will have to wait a while as I didn't have enough time to do more bales with a trellis behind them.

I have not grown vegetables before. Should I take the first blooms off until the plants gets fairly large? I have some tomato blossoms already, but the plants are only about 12-14" high.

I am also trying to start more leaf lettuce by putting potting mix on top of a couple of the bales and then seeding that. I'll let you know how that goes.

My next-door neighbor, who puts his garden in with his big tractor, thinks I am nuts -- but that's okay. I'm used to that, too poor to be eccentric. ; - )

Karen

Well Kent; I broke down today and planted some potatoes. We had some that got soft and were sprouting. I could have thrown them out but laid some straw out, and threw them in there and covered them.. If they grow thats good. if they don't they will add to the compost. That is another area that won't have weeds growing, so that is also good.. I planted seven bales of maters, and put up some nylon or whatever screen around the top of the bales to keep the wind from tearing up the plants. Cross my fingers, on that. I'm trying to get some plants ready to take to the IARU. Dug up some naked lady bulbs that needed thined out. Divided some water lilies. and need to dig some hostas yet, but don't want to dig them too early
as it isn't untill next week end. My back felt like it was giving out. Gotta learn how to go slow. Hope I can skip mowing the Church yard this week. I really get stove up with just mowing. Add this other to it an my back will be in knots. - - - -But hey it's all fun, right????
Russ

Russ: speaking of potatoes, here's the latest pic of mine. They have really done well this past week. I'm watching closely for any potato bugs or other pests. We'll see if the straw has any effect.

By the way, I've come along way from going out dancing at the disco on Friday nights to sitting at home in front of a computer screen "talking" about potatoes!

When you spoke of getting "stove up" I nearly busted out laughing. I thought my family was the last ones to use that term! :-)

My daddy will use phrases like that alot, such as "put that stick down youngun before you job your eye out" with "job" being used for "jab".

Kent

This message was edited Apr 27, 2007 9:14 PM

There lookin purty good. Had another older feller, tell me tonight, that they may not do too well as this isn't really in the dark of the moon. Well he has a point . Just joking though. I told Him I wasn't about to plant them on the moon. Figured it would be easier to plant them in the ground Ha ha. Ordinarely I would have planted them on Good Friday, or any good day near that. Well Time for this old feller to hit the hay. Let you know if they come up.
Russ

randbponder, strawbaleman - my grandmother always used the term "stove in" rather than "stove up". She was born and raised in Van Buren County IA but lived most of her adult life in the Missouri Ozarks. Possibly "stove in" is an Ozark term she picked up there. A number of years ago, I saw a documentary on Appalachia and the colliquilisms used there. I was amazed to discover that my grandma used many of those same phrases. So, there was a big Applachian influence there obviously.

She also would use the term "packing" to mean carrying if it was something heavy -- as in, I'm packing this down to the barn or I'm packing my grip (suitcase). The Union Pacific RR train crews still "pack" their "grips." But if it was something small, she would "carry" it -- such as, she would "carry" her pocketbook (never purse).

When I lived in Oregon, I learned what a jockey box is. Have you heard this one? If not, you'll not be able to guess. I love the language from different areas.

Karen

Kent, good looking tater plants!

Russ, every year I buy the calendar Gardening by the Moon. I use it for general guidance but should really get my moon book out as it contains much greater detail.

When I first read that book, I read the chapters about things like haircuts, fishing and getting a tooth pulled. I needed an extraction but wouldn't make an appt. until I consulted the book. I usually bleed a lot but this time I barely saturated one gauze square. Amazing. My neighbor will only wean calves when the moon sign is below the knees and then the calves barely bawl.

Very interesting all the the above,

Russ liked your comment about planting by or on the moon. Ha ,Ha. If I think about I somewhat pay attention to moon phases.

Yes Kent very good looking healthy potatoes.

My exercise nowadays is mostly what i accomplish by gardening, and at my long age that isn't a whole lot. About a month ago I bought a set of 6 pottery pots, ranging in size from 30" across, 36" deep, they are various matching shades of purple, and vase shaped, or v shape, don't know how best to describe, that is the largest , the smallest of that set is about 18" tall and 10 " across. And for buying the large set, she gave me for $30.00 more another set , different shape, different color, another set of 4, so I have lots of pots to plant. Have only planted 3. Am going to spring plant show 90 miles away today.

Donna

Glendalekid; No I hadn't heard that one, but just guessing I'de have to say a radio.
But then I could be way way off.
I have a couple 20 year boxes. Any guesses? LOL
Stove in , wouldn't be too far out of line either. Considering the fact that after working that hard" Your all in!" hehhehheh
Yeah I was born a little closer to Missouri, than where we are now. It was in Shelby Co. Born at home, I don't know exactly where. The only part I remember for sure is that there had been a blizzard the roads were all blocked. All the neighbors knew how close mom was; so they all got together and cleared the road to town. That is the day. The Dr. got there, a little late, but made it. The next day the roads were all blown shut again. I've heard that so many times, there is no way I could forget.
darius; yup Ive read that same info. Funny it does seem to work most times. even the one about weeding and when to hoe the garden. But there again, if the weeds are there I'm not waiting for the moon to be right. I might have something more important to do then. Fishing at the top of the list. LOL
Donna That sounds like a very good deal on the pots. Can get quit a bit of things to grow in them. And I do like to stay fairly close to the moon signs. You would just have to know the guy that I was talking about.
I helped a friend put in a pond. the yard had a slight slope. so when checking for level, I used a clear plastic tube. Filled it with water, had the friend hold one end up and I the other. Noted where the water was in each end and built the low side up to that. This other guy was absolutely sure that water would not seek its own level. and that the one side was too high. Well after we had filled the pond we laid a pole across from one side to the other. Measured from the pole to the water and it was only 1/4" difference. He still didn't want to admit he was wrong. He thought we were off by 2 feet. So we kind of have that little joke, but we don't rub it in. ((*-*))

Russ

Red letter day at my house. Got all the planting done yesterday. Nowhere near as much as many of you have, but more then I've ever attempted before. Nine bales and 2 raised beds of 6' x6' and 9' x 3'. Six kinds of tomatoes, 3 kinds of cukes, 2 kinds of cantalope and 1 melon. Also some lettuce, carrots and snow pea pods. I used the bales for maters, cukes, melons and cantaloupe. I tried direct sow in a bale, for the Cold Set tomatoes; we'll see if that works. I grew my own plants for all the other tomatoes, most of the cukes, cantaloupe and the melon. I was so whipped last night I couldn't even muster the energy to write! Late 66 is a little late to start gardening. But then I'm doing so much less then my partner who has taken on landscaping this acre of land! Last year my efforts included about 6 tomato plants and an attempt (failed) to grow cukes. My partner got me interested in strawbale gardening by turning me on to this thread. What a joy! Thanks Kent, for starting this. Oh, and your potato plants look like they took off like a rocket!

This is the bale set up.

Sandie: looking good! It's a great time to get the bales planted. This will be your year for getting some great cucumbers, for sure. Keep us posted.

Donna: let us know how your plant show went

Kent

(Edited to add a note to Donna)

This message was edited Apr 28, 2007 4:06 PM

randbponder: Good guess -- better than I would have done - it's the glove box in a car.

darius and randbponder: My grandma always planted by the phases of the moon, except potatoes. Those she always planted on Good Friday. We know the moon controls the tides. This is a fact. So why not other things, too? Seems reasonable to me.

Glendalekid

A jockey box is the glove compartment in a vehicle, right.

The spring plant sale was a bust. I did not buy anything except a cinnamon roll!!!!! I have better tomato plants here at home that I grew from seed.

But I did drive another 15 or so miles to a nursery called Flowers To The Brim and found several things there that i seemed to need. So came home with more than $100.00 worth of plants for my pots. Now to get them planted, Most are annuals and I know are not hardened in so for right now they are sitting in the open, but I can bring them inside for protection if frost is predicted.

I bought a shrub at our local Bakers Acres, small nursery a couple of days ago. They had bought quite a few shrubs bare root, and had just potted them up. I bought what was labeled Sand Cherry, and nothing else. That really aggravates me to have just a sort of common name. I t is Prunus bessevi, Western Sand Cherry. It is about 36" for the tallest branch, of which there are several. I thinned down to 5 , shall I call them trunks or branches. I plan to leave it in its pot which is a two gal. size, should be good for the season. If I like it after it leafs out okay, If I don't care for it in the pot then I can plant in the garden.

Donna

Yep. A Pacific NW term apparently, haven't run onto it anywhere else.

Too bad the plant sale was a bust - with the cost of gas today, what a bummer!

Karen

Where was the sale and where all did you go Donna? I haven't been over that way in years. Sounds like it has kind of built up.

Jeanette

Wrote a message, forgot to send, so will try again.

The spring sale was in Manson, WA. It is a yearly local arts & crafts and plants sale. I have gone to it several times, I felt like maybe most of the people had somewhat lost interest. So there was not as many things displayed either inside or outside. I have better tomatoes here at home that I grew from seed ( and hope to get planted under plastic hot kaps) today. So after I ate my cinnamon roll- other years they have had good pies for sale. I drove on toward Wenatchee about 15 or 20 miles from Manson. There are two nurseries about a mile from each other down along the Columbia river. They each have 3 or 4 large hoop house ghs. And their plant material is similar.

Flowers to the Brim where I stopped has two of their large hoop houses filled with lovely hanging baskets with annuals under them. I bought one hanging basket and 2 flats of mixed annuals for my large pots. They I am sure have not been hardened in, just came straight from the coast, so they are out in the open here at home so if a frost is predicted I can bring them under cover.

Here is a photo of my hanging basket, it is hanging from rafter in my 14 foot passage way to the garage from the house.

Donna sounds like you had a wonderful day. Wish I were closer to go with you and the baskeet is beautiful. I planted basket petunia seeds this year for the first time and I have tons of them coming out my ears. (Now how would you like me to just stand in your yard like a scarecrow?) I have given a lot away.

Sorry if we got a bit off track of the strawbales guys, It was fun hearing about Donna's day tho because we don't have too many areas near by that we can do that.

And back to them, strawbales, this straw is different from what I had last year. Don't know why. But, the 4th day, which was the first day for adding the nitrogen, the next morning the bales were warm. Just to put my hand on them. Now, I never had that all thru the season last year. Wonder why. Without knowing what kind of plant they all came from I know you probably can't tell me either.

I do have them in the hoop house, but I did last year also. The only difference is that I have the ends covered this year. Hard to imagine that would make that much difference.

Jeanette

jnette; if all we had to chew on were straw bales, it would be like a steady diet of just fiber. LOL
Gotta know what were going to have to play with too.
My tomatoes are still trying to adjust to the outside and are looking kind of the worse for wear.
I used to have 2 dozen plastic buckets with a hole cut in the bottom, for covers. Some how they managed to dissapear. so I need to make some new ones. They were my hot caps, and done a very good job at that.
Went out a while but decided to wait till a little later in the day. I know, I'm a wimp, and just get lazy when it gets hot. lol

Russ

We had a nice day also Russ. Nice and warm for a change. What were you using? The only things I can think of, and I wouldn't call them buckets, is gallon milk jugs cut off to cover the tomatoes.

I don't know if you read the part where I planted corn in 3 gallon buckets last year. Believe it or not I got 3 or 4 ears per plant in them. 3 plants to a bucket. Have you guys in Iowa thought of doing that for Ethanol? LOL

OK Perry, In a week or so I am going to be ready to plant my tomatoes and other things in the bales. I got the nutrients you suggested, I also got bloodmeal. Now which do you suggest that I use when I start using fertilizer? I also have many other fertilzers so what do you think?

Jeanette

I don't like the heat either, Russ!

Lana

We get hot weather too Lana. Just not a lot. We have a very short season. 3 or 4 months. So, if you want a good flavored tomato you better move to an area with no trees so you get at least that much. I guess we are never happy with what we have. Or is it the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?

Jeanette

I loved the year I lived in Tacoma. No humidity, no allergies, didn't even have A/C in our apt just used fans and was very comfortable. Even my houseplants I hung out on the covered walkway grew bigger leaves than I'd ever seen. I think I would like gardening in WA but of course that was in western WA with warmer winter weather and perhaps more rain? I know a lot of eastern WA can get really dry.

Lana

Finally got around to taking some pics of my bales

Some happy pepper plants