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

I am! Three Mr. Stripey tomato plants in a bale. :)

-Joe

Lot's of new folks this year!

Welcome, Joe, and the others I may have missed.

It's fun having the new guys tunin' in.

Jeanette

Kent and Jnette..I hope it's OK that I', not "baleing" because I'm very interested in this thread. I would like to consider the option of bales for future space and location constraints. I have lots of land, but some topographic, soil quality and arability issues. The discovery of this thread leaves me a day late and a few seeds short of trying your method, but I'm game for next year and would like to learn from all of the participants here. In the meantime...does anyone have any photos to post? I'd like to see the bales progress.

Thanks, Laurel

Here ya go, Laurel... I was going to post my tomatoes in another thread but since you asked...
These tomato seedlings were planted in the bales on May 19. On the other side of the cattle panels parallel with the tomatoes are potatoes I planted in the remnants of my bales from last year.

Okay Darius. That's inspiring. Now that the flat on the Kubota is fixed, I can go hay, fluff and bale. I might need to buy some accessories since I only have a loader and bush hog :>). Then I can plan, buy seed and project. By next Spring I should be able to have something going. I've been looking for new options for my heirloom 'mater collection. Just don't know when to say "no" to anything heirloom. Heirloom sounds so valuable :).

Laurel

Laurel, all but 4 of those tomato plants are heirloom.

Planted in straw bales on May 24th. Tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers and pickles all doing great! The onions need a little help.

Wow, that's a view! And the straw bale garden looks good, too!

Laurel,

The season is really just getting started so if you keep up with the thread you will see that more pictures get posted as plants grow.

Did you see the pictures of Lena's garden in New Zealand last season? Their season just ended a month or 2 ago. Lena went all out and it was really super.

And yes, it is good to plan.

Jeanette

WOW, Lulie- what a magnificent spot for a garden! I'm jealous. Post more pictures from time to time to show us your progress. (Are your bales straw or hay?)

Namaste- Suz

laurel, if you get some time to wander around, come by and look at my bales. i also have some supplies i know you can use.my 'puter has been broke. got my first squash today. beautiful! sally

Sally, show us the squash!!

Jeanette

Suz,

I love the view too, I can't take credit for it though, the lake belongs to the neighbor I was just fortunate enough to buy the property next door. :) I wanted to try straw bales for the first time since that is what Kent liked and it was reading his posts and looking at his pictures that got me hooked on this whole thing. The straw is doing very well for the plants. They all look very healthy. I was wrong we planted on 5/19. The tomatoes were very small then, but seem strong now.

jnette, i don't have a camera to take & post pic's , but believe me, if i had a picture, i would copy it and frame it . i've been saving my money to build a utility room on to our doublewide mh. when i designed it to be built, it was understood that an extra room would be added 1st thing but you know how other stuff gets in the way , then you don't make room for it in your time schedule. i get consumers report mag. and need to get on the stick. i have had good luck with their recommendations in the past and will trust them on a camera. my pantry will have to be first ,like i said, didn't put one in the original plans, but i can tell you, i cut and wrapped that little squash in foil with just salt and pepper so as not to compromise the full flavor of the little gem, buttered it and steamed that sucker on the grill last night . it was the first squash i've ever been able to grow to maturity, thanks to this forum and kent and all the encouragement from you sweethearts that i've been so fortunate to meet here .(time to take a bow, everyone) sally

Well, Sally, you didn't say how the squash turned out? Good I'll bet.

The pantry and camera will come in due time. First things first.

Jeanette

jnette, it had more flavor than any squash you can buy in the store . i picked that one little feller, washed it , and it went right on the coals. hey , aren't you up awful late ? you look about 12 hrs. off schedule , better get some rest , girl , sally

Sally, if I tried to figure out the times that are shown on our posts I would get dizzy. LOL

I am not a squash fan, but if it were my own grown I would probably really enjoy it.

Jeanette

just going by the times on my own posts, pretty much on the minute, so far.if yours are different, mine probably will be too,sometime in future. sally

Sally:

Are your squash yellow crookneck, zucchini, or what? I have some of both planted and they're doing well- blossoming now.

If you have yellow summer squash, try halving and slicing it, saute it in a little butter and salt & pepper, and at the last minute sprinkle it with a little bread crumbs and a little brown sugar. Let it mellow for a minute or two before you take it off the stove. It's YUMMY!

xox Suz

suz,they are crookneck , my neighbor is an avid gardner, he plants only the whiter, straight squash. he brings me veggies from his garden, also. sometimes he lets them get a little big and i had some of his here, but didn't mix them in with mine for that meal. the way you described to cook them is one of my dh's favorite dishes.i only had one the other nite so we made a celebration of it. three little bites each. btw, how is your water holding up ? aren't you on a well? we are, but i'm just off the river and we are drilled about 100'foot below the level of the river, and have never gotten low. i water a lot, sometimes hours with no problem. kent has me hooked,i'll have a larger garden next year, my problem is,we're in the woods and don't have sun but about five hrs in any one spot each day.i could clear a spot down away from the house, but if i can't get to the garden out my door, without walking 500" down a hill, and no real level place, then it becomes work ,not pleasure.i have deer and coons ,'possoms also. your bud,sally

Okay gang, this is what I have so far. I will show you a few pics

More

More, sugar snap pea

And finnally my favorite garden gnome

i envy your flat, open,yard. i love your garden gnome. if his hair wasn't long, he'd look like my wild dog that has lived at my house for 8 years .

Gourd: keep up the good work.

Gourdbearer: What a great pup- what's his lineage? Nice set-up . . . smart, setting the bales long sides together; helps keep them moist. Nice looking peas!

Namaste- Suzan

Jan, your plants are growing super. Very nice. Bet that wide open sunny yard helps a lot. Also that gnome barking at them keeps them moving too.

Also, as Sally said, that nice flat ground, I would give my not very good leg for. I need the other one.

Very good growing.

Jeanette

I haven't had a garden for 25 years, so I want to thank you all for sharing your stories and pictures. It's 7am Sunday morning, the birds are singing, a nutty neighbor is shooting his gun, life doesn't get much better!

Healthy plants with tiny tomatoes!

Looks wonderful, Lulie!

Wow Lulie, those look great!! Hope you can duck fast with that guy shooting.

Jeanette

Thanks everyone. SusanSkylark, Wallace is a chow mix. He is the most loveable creature ever. He trys to keep the birds from eating my strawberries but the one berry I have been waiting for got munched on before I could get it. So dissappointed but hopefully I will have lots more.
Yes, the flat area is great and there is also a run off from the hill side to the right of the yard. During the rainy season it is usually very damp in that low area. Great for plants and strawbales.

Lulie: Good pics. Welcome back to gardening!

Gourdbearer (or maybe you have a shorter name (grin)?):

I have the same issue here, with runoff from the hotel/restaurant and their parking lots next door, and it's been a real problem until I discovered bale gardening- now, if anything, it's an asset! Cool, huh?

Namaste- Suz

She's Jan. I pick up on that real fast. Some are pretty long. Digger is Sally. LOL

And I'm Jeanette

suz. from your other pictures ,all that open area,sure looked like you lived out in the sticks, like me. my house is southeast to northwest,with a line of trees about 35' from the house, tall trees! my bales are end to end 4' from the house, down the side of house. sun on bales from 11:30 am to3:30 pm,then filtered shade.i'm in the woods, big time ,but thought you was in the country. how 'bout you jnette? country or town ? jan? how 'bout you? spent 2 weeks with my sis ,a little east of welches ,or. spent time down rogue river, or. and i can tell you, i love the northwest better than any place i've ever been.i've been to every state except three.you can grow anything in oregon.i'm going to experiment today and see if i can get some spinach for salad this late in year. going to plant seeds in shade of tomatoes. wish me luck. sally

Sally-

I've saved some bales to grow spinach, chard & arugula, too. I've been told I should plant them in late August- can anyone verify that for me?

I'm in a small village, on 6 acres, butted up to a quarry. A lot of my property (or my Landlord's property, to be more clear) is in shade, but the lower portion (couple of acres) is in full sun AND pretty moist (from run off from the hotel/restaurant/bar and their parking lots, adjacent to my property. Makes it IDEAL for bale gardening!!!


Have a good day in your gardens!! Suz

August would probably be right for you Suz. Early to mid Sept. for us. The plants do best in 60's days and 40's night. I know the seed germinates at low temps, but don't know if you need cool temps to get better germination.

Chard can be started at the same time as spinach but arugula can be started at any time. Plant the arugula in its own bale or spot and it will continually reseed (like crazy). Mine has survived light snow. It is one of the first plants to emerge in the spring, if you lose it, and the last to go. Just learn to identify the seedlings or you'll be weeding it out by accident. Looks like radish or turnip seedlings. We have a designated patch that is continually self sowing. BTW, it grows in very poor soil, so don't be surprised if you find it all around your bales.
Laurel