Sounds good Kent. I'm glad somebody can start. Barb & I both have come down with a flu that the shots didn't cover. She had an appointment today to see if the antibiotic was working. With dark sunglasses I drove to town. When he prescribed a stronger antibiotic I let him know that after we had gone back home, from the first visit, That Barb shared it with me. So he just doubled the prescription. All I have to say is that at $10. per pill I sure hope they work.
I haven't been out to pick up my bales yet. When I was going to get them there was a big snow drift blocking the way to the barn. Now this darn flu. Oh well the ground is still frozen. My yard is covered with ice. Right now the ice is all wet, makes it super slick. That's ok I don't plan on going anywhere else today. In about 5 minutes I'm going back to the easy chair an watch TV through closed eye lids.
Russ
Strawbale Gardening 2008 - (Part 19) - General Discussion
Russ: sorry to hear about the flu bug; I had a 12 hr bug the other week, but no real flu so far this season. I take the free shot the County gives to its employees each year. We've only had 1 or 2 light snows this year. My daughter has almost forgotten what it's like to slide down a hill. She's gone to a school friend's house for the weekend. It's just me and the missus for the next 2 days! ;-)
Hope ya'll feel better and get this bug behind you.
I've done this before, but here's some links to sunny Hawaii! Forget about all that snow!
Hey, I know! Let's have a bale garden convention in Hawaii! :-)
http://www.honolulu.gov/multimed/wme.asp
http://www.honolulu.gov/multimed/waikiki.asp - Wakikii
Kent
Been there. But wife hasn't. Somebody come up with the money, I'd like to take her there. At this point in life that would just be a pipe dream. Lest I could be assured of a lottery win. Then I would have to invite a few others to go along. LOL
Right now that darn bug has me shaking like a leaf.
Russ
Gosh Russ, you guys stay in and keep warm. That flu is nothing to mess with. Your ice etc. sounds just like what we have. The ice in front of the car is higher than the hood and that is a Jeep with big tires. It will be June or July before it is all gone.
Good price Kent. Lucky you. Wonder if I could start potatoes on the snow if I covered them with last years straw????
Jeanette
Jeanette: starting today is the time many gardeners in my area plant their potatoes.
Kent
Saint patrick's day in central Missouri, Up here it is considered to be good Friday. It has always worked for me, even if the tops get nipped off from a late frost.
Jeanette I will have to say I'm thankful that our ice didn't build up that high.
We called on a friend to bring our mail in from the box out by the road. Was a little concerned that she would slip on the ice, but that didn't happen so all was well.
With this flu I can feel pretty good one minute and the next have a fever.
Ive been alternating between the easy chair and the bed. Barb is starting to feel better, but is still coughing. Hope I don't have to wait for 70 degree weather to get rid of it. LOL
We got a letter today with some seeds. Thank you I will have to send pictures when it grows. We have received most all of the seeds we ordered. Now we just have to wait on the plants and trees till warmer weather. Our RU is the first weekend in May. I asked Steels to wait untill the second week to send the sweet potatoes. I have some of the Centennials sprouting already But they are nowhere near ready to separate from the potato yet. All the little tomatoes are still holding up and about ready to put in bigger pots, that will have to wait till I feel better.
Russ
I didn't mean the ice was actually that high from just what came from the sky (at least in that place and that form). Tht is where the guy with the blade on his pickup put it when it was snow. Now it is ice and joined with the mess that came off of the roof. My point was that it will be here until June or July.
I have my shelving and lights set up for my seeds. Now if I can just get to planting them.
There is a lot of flu around here too and feel like I might be getting something. I actually went down and had blood tests taken last week 'cause I wasn't sure what was wrong, but the nurse called and said it all came out good. So, that wasn't it.
Jeanette
I kind of thought that may have been the case with the pile of ice.
Well that good test eliminated one source then. Guess we just have to be on guard all the time.
Russ
I finished packing my suitcase to leave at 3:45 am in the morning to pick up my friend in Tonasket on our way to Wenatchee to get on the bus for our more or less annual Reno trip. I have been going most years with our leader for more than 20 years. Have a good time with friends I only see on the trip. So because of seniority we get to sit on front seat, so good view of scenery we travel. The bus stops at 10 casinos on the complete 6 -day trip. We go to Reno one way and return a different route.so I won't be on the computer for a week. I have most of tender seeds planted in the greenhouse. The tomatoes are coming up, the earlier ones , only a few, have been transplanted into 4' pots, hope it doesn't get too hot in there and dry things out too much.
Donna
Kent, Where did you get your straw at that price? Still looking. Deanna
Deanna: got my straw from a landscaping buddy who buys in bulk and had some left over.
Kent
Hi, Just joined. We tried the straw bale gardening last year for the first time. A head injury made it impossible for my husband to get our usual garden ready. Oh, my, goodness! What a garden! We had so many vegetables that even with my canning and drying, there was still plenty left to share with everyone. What a blessing!
Just watching things grow from the kitchen window was a true blessing for my husband. By the end of the summer he was able to get out there and really visit his babies. My heartfelt thanks to Kent and the article he wrote in our local electric co-op magazine. It was truly a blessing, that was much needed at a difficult time.
Kent, you mentioned deer. Up in these hills they are everywhere. I love them and don't allow hunting on our land. But yes, they can cause problems. We tried several things but with no luck. Then we took old cds and strung them around the perimeter of the garden. Doesn't take much to make them twirl in the breeze. They catch the light and act like prisms. At night it looks like multicolored fireflies, and it works!! No more deer problem. Now, can someone else help with groundhogs? I leaned some cds on the sides of the bales but they could care less. Even three cats wondering around didn't help.
We've only tried this last year, as the first time. But if I had any advice , I'd say, plenty of support!! Wish I had read of your tobacco sticks earlier, I tried them this year, and didn't have any luck. The most work I had in the garden was repairing my supports... This year it will be a better superstructure! Wow, do these things grow! Kathy
Kathy: Welcome Aboard the Bale Garden Express!!!
Thanks for the tip about the CD's as a deer repellent. What did you string them on? How many did you use?
I'm just about ready to purchase some 7 ft. deer fencing but would love to NOT have to resort to that.
Kent
Hi Kathy,
Not sure about the groundhogs. Do they dig, burrow, are they like moles, voles, gophers, or?? If so, you might try Caster Oil. I tried "Moles Away" or something like that from Gardens Alive. It is kind of like rabbit pellets so you just scatter it. When I got it I read the ingredients. Something like 1 or 10% Caster Oil, and the rest inert ingredients. I threw that stuff out in my perennial bed and never had another tunnel. HOWEVER, the other side of the house where I did not throw it looked like a mine field the next morning, which was ok by me because it was just weeds anyway.
So then I was posting it on Daves and someone wrote and said "why don't you plant a couple of Caster Oil Beans out in the garden. I did last year, but they didn't come up. However, I still don't have the moles back. And hardly any in the "mine field." But, my dog goes after them there. She knew better than to get in the flower bed.
Jeanette
Jeanette. I think you as I do, will have to plant the castor bean seeds inside and transplant. They don't germinate easily if cold.
Donna
Jeanette :
The ground hogs. do live in burrows, But rarely burrow in the garden. They like old buildings, or brush piles to burrow under. So damage to your garden is basically like that of a rabbit. But since they are bigger than the rabbits they also will bend some plants over and break the stem in bending the plant to get at the upper most leaves.
Smaller rodents are also a part of the food source of a ground hog.
Now unless you live in town or a residential area. a 22 works wonders.
But the deer and rabbit repellent that is sprayed on the leaves will deter them but you have to treat the leaves several times during the spring and summer.
I also plant several castor beans. I think they do work somewhat on the voles and moles. I loose far less sweet potatoes and white potatoes to the voles than by not having any deterrent.
Hello everyone !! Well this forum has been so interesting to read !! Looks like everyone has had wonderful sucess.. I struggle with creeping jenny so bad in my beds that I was thinking of not even having a veggie garden this year. But thank's to all of you I am going to give it a try... My plan is to lay down black plastic and then put the bales on top of that, hopefully that will stop the creeping jenny from "creeping" into everything I try to grow !!
My garden is about 20x40. I think that is way to much ground to cover with black plastic so I am just going to down size my garden.
Do you all think that might work ? I just hate to give up and not have any fresh veggies..
signed***
hopefull Poly ;o)
Poly;
That should work just fine. with the exception of your root crops. Although I'm thinking of trying a couple carrots this year. but who knows??? You may have to fight some of the creeping jenny. But the root crop stuff I lay down several layers of news paper. and put mulch on top of that , in between the rows. That will cut down some of the work on the weeding.
Rand...
So let me see if I got this straight. For my root crops, plant the seed's. Then lay down news paper and mulch on top of that? What do you use for you mulch?
Thanks for the suggestion Donna. I thought you were on your Reno trip. Guess you didn't lose your bus ticket home.
I think your idea of putting the black plastic down and then the bales sounds like it should work real good Poly, and since I notice you are in zone 4 the black plastic will draw the heat and that will help too.
Wny not try one or 2 raised beds surrounded by the plastic for your root crops? Or, even in muck buckets? etc.
I guess you are right Russ, about the groundhogs. I wasn't thinking about how big they are. Probably they wouldn't care about the Caster beans. I have more trouble with squirrels eating my tomatoes. I had to put bird netting around my bales last year.
Jeanette
Polly;
I use almost any thing that will hold the paper in place. I like grass clippings the best. which I put on around 2" of grass clippings on top of the paper. This year I have several loads of Saw dust Actually from grinding out stumps, so it is pretty coarse. and should stay in place fairly well. last year I put an 1" of fill sand on top of some. Only had a couple weeds come through that . and that was where the papers didn't lap over very well.
Be sure to mark your rows well so you don't cover your seeds with the mulch. If you do get hold of saw dust for your mulch be sure to add some nitrogen in the fall when you till it under. as saw dust will have the tendency to deplete nitrogen from the soil. Some use pine needles for mulch. I don't have an excess of those. so I rummage around and any body that baggs their grass clippings, I find out if they throw them away. If so I ask for permission to take them for my garden.
Creeping jenny is pretty hard to kill off. but I would think that a couple years of mulching over paper will do pretty well. Another thing that works is to put plastic over an area a few weeks before you are ready to plant. the plastic will have the tendency to cook the seeds and kill them. It is a little extra work. but could save some weeding time.
Oh I try to lay three layers of news paper down. four or five wouldn't hurt.
And when the veggies come up I add paper and mulch inbetween the plants. You can tell I don't like weeding. and this method has worked the best for me. as I don't have to pick it back up in the fall just till it under.
For the same reason you will love using straw bales for as many of your other crops that you can you will have to have something to tie your tomatoes and beans unless you are using a bush bean. Melons or squash you can do either tie them up and support the fruits or let them trail over the bale and ove the ground there I would reccomend to put down plastic covered with sand or straw bedding. Keeps the weeds from growing in the vines.
Jeanett; I had some trouble with the squirrels, last year too. Not so much in the bale garden as that was more out in the open. The garden closest to the walnut trees was their favorite. and deer and rabbit repellent didn't help on them. But those tomatoes were the extras that Gary wanted me to plant as he didn't have room. and I didn't have enough bales for them so they were in the ground.
This year I think that spot will be some squash and peppers. And some castor beans as well. Do you suppose that will confuse them enough????LOL
Russ
Boy this strawbale gardening needs a whole site unto itself. I am going to talk to someone tomorrow about getting either some wheat or oat strawbales. I am so excited about this. I hope it works for me. I've got lots of reading to do. It looks as though we might have to start strawbale gardening Part 20
We have alot of big nasty ole crows or black birds not sure which is which and I'm afraid I may have to deal with them alot. Any suggestions. They are afraid of my dog but he is a spoiled inside kid and only spends a short time at a time outside. He thinks he' being punished if I make him stay out too long.
Here is my great protector William Wallace. We call him Wally Gator or Fuzzy Butt .
Gourdbeader your great protector looks more like a pussy cat.
As for the crows, I'm not sure how to get rid of them, but whatever you do, don't harm any of them.
They were getting in the neighbor's cornfield so he shot one dead. They all showed up (hoards of them) and circled, and circled, and circled . They would not leave. They are a very social bird. They held the funeral and would not go away. I have no idea how long they stayed. They were still there a long time later.
Jeanette
Yea, I'm afraid that I am going to be stuck with them because I have been feeding them. Maybe if I continue to feed them they will leave my garden alone. Hum?
You will probably get more and more of them until you have every crow on the West Coast. Hey!! That's ok by me. Altho, they really are great scavengers. They along with the eagles vultures, and coyotes keep our roads clean of road kill.
Hi, For the cds... I had a structure of sticks and the bales in rows. I just strung some twine between the sticks at the beginning of the rows. Had to duck under some of them. Circled the garden with line. Then just put twine through the hole and tied it to the line. Cds were strung on long twine hanging from the cross line. Make sense? As for how many, I just happened to have a bunch. I hung them about a foot apart and at varying lengths. When the wind tangled them, I just moved them a little farther apart. No real thought in this, anywhere, ha ha . I just put them so that a deer would have to hit one to go in, if he worked up enough nerve to come close to them. They really did work.
The groundhog, was just a minor pest. He enjoyed the tomatoes that were low, but pushed plants over to get to things. Also pushed over some of the bales. I'll keep trying.
Has anyone tried peas, as in crowder, blackeye, etc. Would you just treat them like the beans? I really miss fresh shelled southern peas.
Oh, another big mistake I made was to plant gourds near my greenbeans. They take over and kill the beans. Got lots of luffa gourds but would much rather have the greenbeans! Kathy
Kathy, as long as you have something for the peas to climb on I don't know why you couldn't put them on the bales. I guess you don't even need anything for them to climb on if you don't mind scrounging through the vines.
Glad you figured out how to stop the deer. Good for you.
Jeanette
Hmmmmm. I wonder if the cd's would deter rabbits. Maybe I still need to use the repellent.?
Russ
LOL, dream on Russ!!
Jeanette
:>) As long as I was dreaming - - -I might as well dream B I G!!! LOL
Russ
Okay, rather then going back through all the previous stuff which I am doing gradually, when I get ready to plant in the strawbales, do I add a little soil when I put the plants in. I plan on doing strawberries first and some tomatoes. Just a little info would be great. I know I have to age them abit and keep them watered. We are in Oregon so keeping them watered isn't a problem just now. Is it absolutley necessary to add the amonium sulfate and the other stuff. I don't remember just this moment what it was, I will have to go back a see. Can I just add soil to the bales before I plant?
Gourd: NO soil; too risky of adding disease/bacteria to your plants/bales. Use a potting mix unless you're going to sterilize your soil.
I think a little potting mix to add when you transplant is helpful. The first year I didn't add anything. The last 2 years I added some potting mix.
The ammonium nitrate (your case sulphate) is added to speed up the "cooking" process. Otherwise, nature will do the same at a slower rate if you just keep the bales damp until you're ready to transplant. I'd give it a few weeks. If the straw inside the bale feels soft and seems to be decomposing, you should be OK.
Kent
Gourdbeader;
Yes I think a little Potting soil In with the plant, will help to protect the new plants, roots.
Although it is not absolutely a necessity if you can close the gap around the plant. I felt it was the thing to do, when I couldn't always keep the loose straw closed against the plant.
The ammonium nitrate. was recommended to introduce nitrogen to the straw to aid in curing the bale. Or in other words to start the rotting process, and to heat up the bale in advance to planting. so it would not heat up and cook the roots after planting.
If you have a problem finding Ammonium Nitrate. Blood meal will also work, and you won't get those looks of Oh Oh do we have a terrorist on our hands here. Just put enough on that will water in easy without washing it all straight through the bale. do this a couple times a week untill the bales heat up. then just some watering to keep the bales moist untill they cool back down. Then water in some fertilizer like 10- 10- 10- Or some miracle-gro and plant. The bale should be easy to shove your hand into the bale. and make a planting hole or depression in which to plant your tomatoes. Remember your regular garden soil is probably full of weed seed, which a good potting soil should have when it was composted, heated up enough to kill the weed seed.
I am sure that either Jenette or Kent the straw bale man. will give a hollar as well and you should have a good coverage on what and when how to..
Russ
Hi Kent. I was sure you would be there to offer help
Russ
Russ: good evening, big guy! You put together a great reply, yourself.
I'm nursing a chest cold. Just took a dose of Tussinex which is a miracle drug to me! Stops that incessant tickle in my upper bronchial tubes that make you want to cough and keeps me awake. Not with the big T! I sleep like a baby.
Kent
Kent, I feel for you! It has been two weeks that Barb & I have been fighting that upper bronchial bug. We both took a high powered antibiotic for five days. at $10.00 per pill. I do feel like I may survive. But still get a coughing jag that doesnt want to quit. At least it doesn't hurt the chest muscles as much as before. Nor do I notice any wheezing or rattling in my lungs any more. Seems like I need to gain a little stamina yet.
Was out in the garden area for a while. putting down some cardboard, along the fence and covered it it with some of that good ol stump grinding saw dust.
Doing that to try control some of the weeds coming from next door.
I didn't get it all done, I wore out too soon. Oh well it's still early. The frost is still in the ground. It has been in the forties and fifties the last couple days, so it it rather greasy on top. I think we most probably have at least one more major snow storm before spring ushers in, with all it's wonderful sunshine and mild rains. and every thing springs back to life.
Got an idea for you though to make you feel better, Give your feet a treat. Soak them in some nice warm water and Epsom salts. for a half hour if you can. Just got done doing it myself, it helped relieve a headache ???? That's right it helps relieve headaches.
Thank you all sooo..... much. The folks at the feed store are all excited and can't wait to see what kind of results I have. They said to take plenty of photos. They said that they were going to have a board up to show the progress of my strawbale garden. I think I am getting a little nervous. I am sure going to be on the forum you all this summer.
Thanks again.
Jan
I am a lurker who finally took the plunge! I have my straw bales and am looking forward to experimenting with them! Thanks for the great info for a newbie!