My pole beans are really taking off now. The wind was blowing and I couldn't make them be still for their picture. : )
~Lucy
Straw Bale Gardening (Part 11)
Lucy, they look wonderful. Did you plant the beans directly in the bale or plants??? If you planted the seed did you soak them first? I was going to plant mine tomorrow but don't know whether to seed direct or start plants. Jeanette
Hi all.
Lonejack here.
I have seen the liter pop bottles used in hydroponic systems. A suggestion, why not use epoxy to glue your bottles in caps that will screw into your system? Once the epoxy sets up the bottles would have a reinforced top.
I drip my garden with timers. I set the timer to run right after midnight. That way I am using off peak water. I use a 4 gal/hr end dripper and stick 1/4" soaker hose over the end. One dripper will cover a hole bale. I even have a fertilizer injector for those planters that need food more often. I will drip my bales every other day and the rest of my planters everyday.
Here it is the 7th and I have just set out my bales to age. When they get planted I will send along a picture of my garden. I have the whole thing above ground on black plastic.
Right now my garden is about 8' X 12'. My grandsons want to get planting. They love so set out plants. Their hands are smaller than mine so they can set the plants into the bales better. I think I will get a bale garden growing for them at home. It will be great training to look after a small garden.
Another suggestion, why not plant extra beans and such for the local rescue mission. They are grateful for fresh food. It takes only a few minutes to pick and deliver.
I have a story about a family here in the Portland area that made a greenhouse out of bales with a plastic roof. They put a circle of plastic piping it the bottom and compost on top for hot water.
Thanks for the great thread. I am having fun just reading.
By the way I just have set the schedule for my next trip to Haiti, 9 August to 7 September,
the hottest season. Also hurricane season, we only had one last year.
the soda bottle adapters are called Aqua Spikes and are about a buck each - fyi
Jeanette wrote;
"Did you plant the beans directly in the bale or plants??? If you planted the seed did you soak them first? "
I hedged my bets (S). I put a row of compost about an inch and a half deep into the bales, and planted in that. I didn't soak, but did water frequently. They came up in about 4-5 days. They seem to be doing well, even after a LOT of rain on Saturday. Now I have to figure our how to feed all my plants, so I'll be getting out all my fancy new organic fertilizers to read the directions. After that, I'll be back to scream for help figuring it out, I'm sure!
Margo
Jnette,
I just put some of my potting soil on top of the bale and directly sowed. I didn't soak.
catmad is right that you have to make sure you keep the soil moist. It will dry out fast.
Once they get some roots down, and a few leaves, they won't have to be watched as carefully. : )
Have a great day.
~Lucy
Another great benifit to our bales: frost protection. The warmth of the two week old bales kept my plants toasty even as the temps plunged to 33 last night. Everything was warm and happy, fueled by compost. I will try this even earlier next year under some of my hex-tunnels (four foot high, covered with plastic wrap).
I was wondering about that. I stuck my hand into a bale today, and it was much cooler than the outside, but in this case it's probably an asset when the temps rise.
I had company over the weekend, and my SO's mother was very interested in the bale gardening concept. Hay was delivered Friday, and 9 more bales fell off by my garden, on their way to the cows. 2 more jumped in the back of their truck, and are now in Ohio, along with bloodmeal and some tomato plants:). I'll be waiting for updates.
Margo, spreading the word, one (at least) bale at a time......
I forgot, I need potato advice. There are leaves poking up out of the hay where the potatoes are (hopefully) growing. I guess they're potato leaves, anyway :). I need to know what to do now. How much should they be "out" before I put more hay on them? Do I cover them all the way? Leave a little green showing? I don't want to kill them, but I do want as many potatoes as possible. While they aren't strictly "in" bales, they are surrounded by them., and covered with the same hay:)
Thanks for any tips,
Margo
Margo,
Keep adding hay as they grow. Leave about 3" of leaves uncovered.
Red
Are they going to actually grow potatoes inside the bales? Or on top in soil? The bales I have would not give way to potatoes. They do not compost that much at this point.
BTW Summerkid, I did as you suggested and tightened the string on 2 bales from last year. Well, I have been taking the temperature of my bales and the new ones from this year are running anywhere from 110 to past 120 (I didn't start them all at the same time) and the old ones are only 80!!! Now what? They aren't getting enough nitrogen??
Kent to you have a suggestion?
Jeanette
"Are they going to actually grow potatoes inside the bales? "
They are on the ground, covered with hay, but they are surrounded by bales. The bales form a corral (2 bales on a side) that I hope will help keep them cooler during the summer.
Maybe the bales from last year are already partially decomposed?
Margo
REALLY decomposed Margo. But, I don't know enough about chemistry to know what is going on.
Jeanette
Jeanette: the old bales don't need to be prepped again; once they do their initial "cooking" that's it. At least as far as I have seen in 3 years.
Kent
Even tho they are only 80 degrees Kent? Jeanette
Jeanette: you've lost me on "even tho they are only 80 degrees."
They're going to be whatever the outside temp, sun, water, and wind drive them to, just like the soil. It'll depend on all those factors, but I don't see any more heat being generated by decomposition like they do when first started.
Kent
I'm sorry. I thought I said that I was taking the temperature of my bales yesterday and the new bales this year are running either 110 or 120 degrees, while the ones from last year are 80.
I was wondering why I couldn't get the last years up to speed. Or is that the speed I can expect from them?
Actually, I have them in my hoophouse and the temperature in there fluctuates depending on whether the sun is directly on it or not.
Jeanette
jeanette: look at the bale as tho it is a fuel source - the last years bale are spent - the organic matter in them having "burned" up in the process a year ago - this years bales are still burning, hence the "heat" - The burning turns the organics into a food source for the veggies: Does this help? perry
So, what you are saying is that I should not be using the last year's bales. OK. Fortunately I only left 2 in there.
Jeanette
No - what I said was that last years prep - turned the straw into usable material for the plants, this years straw has to "heat up" and cool down to make the straw usable for plant nutrition - Yes, you depleted some of the usable material in last years bale - but there is still plenty remaining, and if you can use them, go for it - the daily fertilizing provides the majority of the nutrients the plants need: Perhaps if you looked at the "heat up/Cool down process as turning the interior of the bale into 'dirt" that would help better than my previous analogy.
Jeanette, I think it just means that your old bales are already prepped. They have gone thru the process, and it doesn't have to happen again. I have some bales that were around my dog's outside houses over the winter, and I won't be doing anything else to them, "if" I can get them to hold together long enough to move them.
Fertilizing is my next question. Is there any info gathered about the frequency of feeding? I don't want to over-do, but some things seem very hungry, especially the eggplants. Any advice welcome...
Margo
You people who are throwing anything and everything on your compost piles, don't you have a problem with rats? If we put any kitchen waste on our open bin compost piles, the rats come and eat it. We put the kitchen stuff in one of those plastic bins. The rats even go in there, but not as bad.
Gwen
Rats? The only time I've ever seen real live ones were in the Philly City Hall and in Chicago's Wrigley Plaza.
Coons & possums, maybe, but they just further compost the ingredients & leave coon & possum "castings" in the bins.
Gosh, you know when we first moved here we had a lot of rats but I have a dog that is part wolf and she has pretty much cleaned that problem up. Summerkid is right about the raccoons and possums tho, because I do keep her in the house at night. However, I don't think they have been in the compost. She did tree some a couple of times so they aren't around much either.
Thanks Perry and Catmad. I guess I will go ahead and use them then. They are about half the size they were new.
Perry I am going to get my fert to put in my mix today. I called and all she had in 50 pound bags was 16-16-16. Guess that'll do.
Maybe they're just a west coast problem. Lucky you!
Gwen
The bermuda grass hay is working just fine down in Mississippi. Completely organic up till now. Hope to keep it that way if the bugs play nice.
Never thought I'd see a cantaloupe growing out of a hay bale.
dbarbrady: That's agreat looking crop & so early! How'd you get them along so fast?
hope my tomatos & melons look as good as yours soon...never have gotten wheat grass or more than 2 teeny tiny mushrooms, but everything is doing well...squash came up in 4 days! direct sown peppers are up...waiting tensely for the tomatos & eggplant.
Foggy
I planted way early and got ridiculously lucky that I didn't kill them all. Al Gore has weather so messed up down here winter seems to end in late January now. The only real scare came with the Easter cold snap. I had so many mushrooms I was in a panic. They were beating up on my seedlings for weeks. I have yet to have a grass problem...just a sprig here and there. Here's a shot of the mushroom onslaught.
dbar, those mushrooms are a good sign that your bales are working good. I have a few but nothing like that.
Jeanette
dbarbrady: those 2 photos of yours were beautiful! Outstanding job.
And not a sprig of grass in the bales. I had to give my bales a haircut today.
Kent
dbarbrady: here's a shot of my tomatoes. Nothing compared to those monsters you have! What are you feeding those puppies? :-)
Kent
Potatoes still doing well and so far not a single potato bug on them or any pests bothering my other plants.
An interesting thing, I don't have any grass to speak of growing on this side of the potato row, but quite a bit on the other side. The sun goes from right to left almost diagonally across the photo so it must have something to do with that.
Cukes in the top background starting to run a little.
Squash and zucchini in the far left.
Kent
This message was edited May 11, 2007 9:56 PM
Everyones gardens are looking great. : )
Kent ..you are gonna have to get you a couple of haybales, and see if you like them better.
No haircuts. : )
~Lucy
I would like to see a side by side comparison of hay vs. straw for scientific purposes. I can't find straw down here, so I'll have to leave that up to a more resourceful gardener. I have to say from the photos there is a distinct difference in the density of a bale of grass hay vs. straw. Here's one last photo of a small brandywine I found...I have high hopes for some big pink brandywines this year.
dbar, did you keep a journal? When did you plant yours? Lookin' good!!
Russ, we haven't heard anything from you lately. How is your garden doing?
Jeanette
dbar, i can't imagine how that data would be formulated, given regional differences & all the variants that can be created with differing amounts & types of fertilizer, water, quality & tightness of bales, etc.
Yeah, I think the biggest difference would be the nitrogen in the hay. Like Summerkid said, you would almost have to have the same grower, baler, etc.
Jeanette
The 25-mph winds of this week have torn through my porous skull & sandblasted my cortex & I feel like yelling.
IT'S JUST PLANTING IN BALES, PEEPS
LIKE FINGER-PAINTING
NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
IT'S ALL GOOD
LIKE FINGER-PAINTING
There's hope for me, then!! I was always good at that. At least "I" thought I was.....
Margo