1st time bale gardeners - Who's trying it this year?

heavenscape & Suz & Gourdbeader: looking and sounding good! Let the gardens begin to grow!

Jeanette: just think WARM thoughts and hopefully your temps will warm up, too! I know it's hard waiting while all this activity is going on.

Kent

Yep, thats what we need. Sunshine and warm temps. Everything looks so small just now and I have fed everything with a good plant and vegie food so I hope that they will grow, groW, GROW!!! :-}
Jan

Jan, at least you have yours planted. What do you think about putting some kind of caps on them like maybe cut the bottoms out of gallon milk jugs and put on them? Be sure to take the cap off for air.

Jeanette

I can't believe this freak weather! After the horrible tornados in VA yesterday, we're said to be expecting a FREEZE tonight! It's been in the 60s and 70s (and a couple of days hit the 80s!) for weeks!! Ay-yi-yi! Say a little prayer for my sweet little plants in the bales- glad I didn't get more set in this week.

xox Suz

P.S. Here's a picture of flowers in bloom here! This is CRAZY!

Suzan those lilacs are gorgeous. So sad that it is going to freeze. They probably won't look like that tomorrow.

Jeanette

Thats a good idea but it would take me along time to get that many milk jugs. I am the only one that drinks milk here except Wallace when i give it to him. My four legged sweetie. It seemed to be okay when we had the freeze to cover them with straw. That I have plenty of.

This message was edited Apr 29, 2008 10:35 PM

Oooh I dread to see morning...cold out there, feel like 30's not 40's. Covered my babies, hope they'll be okay.
What's up with the weather...thought it's safe to play/plant outside?
Lovely lilacs there Suzan.

i put 2 gal buckets over mine, only supposed to get to 34 , but that will have frost .i'll keep my fingers crossed for everybody

heavenscape: April is a funny month, for sure in NC! I was even a week earlier than what my uncle used to preach: "Keep your seed in the sack until May 1st!" But we only got down into the low 40's last night, so I'll be OK. Plants just kind of sit there until the warmer weather comes back this week.

Kent

Well Kent, you are right! Plants are okay!!
Back in Louisiana, folks say if the pecan trees start showing signs of life, you know there'll be no more frost. I was in doubt yesterday and was about to hack down that lone pecan tree!!

April is a funny month here too! Not exactly sure where the April Fools thing originated, but its to do with the erratic weather isnt it. Today it went from sunhine to heavy HEAVY rain within 10sec. I was picking rocket and spinach for lunch when it just started bucketing out of nowhere, I couldnt even get inside on time. Its been like that all week really. Typical Autumn weather. Im pleased we are finally getting some rain though!

Lena

We were 31 last night. Guess that is why I am so slow even getting any bales. I repotted tomatoes into gallon pots yesterday 'cause they were getting so leggy. Not the pots., lol

Jeanette

Kent,
I will have 1 bale of straw left after I mulch the garden. I have not read the details of strawbale gardening yet, but am getting ready to. This will be my first time planting in a straw bale, and I will have a few extra mater plants, so I thought I'd give it a shot. From what I've seen so far...it looks pretty promising, but I can not give up the dirt yet.

Well, since I am so late, I am going to use as many of my last years bales as I can and then try planting in the ground and also a raised bed with the rest. We'll see how that works.

Jeanette

MaterMan2: watch out, now, this bale gardening stuff is addictive! :-)

Jeanette: a triple threat!

Kent

This message was edited May 2, 2008 8:30 AM

Lost my little plants . . . glad I only set out 12. Ih well. it's all a learning experience. Next time I'll invest in a copy of the Farmer's Almanac. (The lilacs are fine, though)

Suz

So far all my plants look like they are going to be okay. Not much growth yet but they are all still green and alive. I guess thats saying something.

You must not be getting the freezing weather we have Jan. 27 last night and suppose to be again tonight. Don't think we are going to have any growing season at all.

Jeanette

No way, I didn't hear anything about that. Dang it, I didn't even cover my plants. I am outta luck then cause I'm not going out there now. I'm in my pj's and can hardly keep my eyes open to write this. I sure hope it doesn't freeze here. What is going on with this crazy weather.

I just checked our forcast and it only shows 44 degrees for the low. So I think I am okay. I they are right. Whoever they are. hehe
Nighty Nite nite
Me

Jan, I don't think you have as cold as we do. At the same time that is. You are closer to the ocean I think. That keeps it warmer. We have mountains between us and the water.

Jeanette

I'm new to straw bale gardening this year. I read a thread by strawbaleman through a link from another gardening forum and it really sparked my interest. I planted 9 bales about a month ago and decided to join Dave's because I had a question to ask and wanted to hear how others were doing with their bales.

I read (or at least think I read on the other forum) where strawbaleman said that if you couldn't treat your bales, you could just let them sit for awhile. I was puny for several months after buying my bales and couldn't get outside. So, they just sat through a large part of the winter (such as it is in S. GA). Last month I planted tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans and they looked great for several weeks. However, now they are not looking quite as good (not as green) as some I've planted in containers or dirt. I am fertilizing with fish fertilizer (on everything) because I grow organically to the best of my ability. What else should I be using on them? Would it help to sprinkle bloom meal around each plant? I don't know how fast bloom meal works. Any help is greatfully appreciated.

oh kent, for the first time since moving to georgia, do i have hopes of truly having real tomatoes to eat,freeze. my plants are full,healthy.will get my lines,(wire) streched this next weekend .now,if they don't start dying from the bottom,like they have always done,i'm going to be in hog heaven. they look so far, like blue ribbon winners

dirtfledgling: sounds like you need some a nitrogen boost. Since you're sticking with organic sources, maybe a few doses of manure tea, but better hear from some others. I'd just water for several days in a row with a Miracle Gro solution.

digger: glad to hear the good report

Kent

I thought the same thing Kent, but I am not that much of an organic farmer so don't know. Good idea to go with the manure tea tho.

Jeanette

Blood meal is one of the quicker organic sources of nitrogen.
My personal favorite for an all around organic feed is alfalfa tea, you can use alfalfa meal or pellets which ever is easiest for you to find.
It won't burn and you can use it weekly for a bumper crop.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/2294/

Dove

PS
When it come to the instruction (on the linked page) "On the third day add Epsom salts and fish emulsion."
1. I never use Epsom salts in my garden (my personal opinion) there are so many other things that are as good or better that do not involve the risk of salt build-up in your soil.
2. There is no reason to brew fish emulsion... ack! It does not improve with brewing and it really sticks up the joint.

This message was edited May 6, 2008 9:11 AM

Dovey, what do you mean it "really sticks up the joint?"

Jeanette

lol ........stink.....I am typo prone too.

*LOL*
Who about it "Stinks" up the joint
Sorry... that must have sounded very strange.

maybe it is a bandit and "sticks up the joint" gun emulsion....

LOL, I must have been tired. Normally I would automatically correct it in my mind.

Jeanette

you would have to if you were reading my posts. I type fast and sloppy.

Okay, back to the business at hand. When should out strawberries start getting larger. I planted them about two weeks ago and I haven't seen any real growth. They are still alive but they are just kinda sitting there. I am feed them and watering them and they are just sitting there smiling at me. Whats up doctor Kent?
Nothing seems to be getting any bigger.
Jan

Jan: no strawberry experience from me. What are you feeding and when?

Kent

Don't strawberries take at least two years to produce? I had already thought of that but wondered if the bales would last long enough to support the growth of them. My wife would LOVE it if I used them darn bales for berries!!! Kent, sounds like another test plot next year! You go first...

Doug

Doug: I'm sticking with my 'maters, peppers, cukes, and squash.

Now I'm on the look out for some very old sawdust.

Kent

Kent how do the peppers do? I'm gonna try some too, but mostly banana peppers for pickling.

Doug, peppers do great in bales. 4/bale is kind of crowded but not out of the question. 3/bale worked a little better. You'll have to stake each plant.

I'm debating putting a 4x4 post at each end of my pepper row and running a small cable wire over the peppers and just tie off each one to the cable instead of having all those stakes (tobacco sticks) sticking out.

Kent

Jan, how warm is your outside temp and how warm is it in the bales? No, I don't believe it takes 2 years to get strawberries. It may be too cold. Also, did you check the type of berries you got? Do a little research on them Jan. i.e. plantfiles or google.

Jeanette

woohoo here are my first planted bale pics. I have two bales and four tomato plants. This bale was sprouting a nice crop of mushrooms.