I finally was able to get the bales in place and plant some cukes in them. I had started the cukes in peat pots and when the bales were ready, dug some holes and added a little soil, opened the peat pots and put them in. Houston: we can plant very late, and combined with a fast growing variety of cuke, this should be a nice October harvest.
The very next day, there was an improvement on the cuke plants. That shocked me to no end. Now, I can see more and more growth every day. Heck, my husband can see more and more growth, too and is occasionally sending me recipies for sweet pickles (I believe this is a hint on his part).
I think that the bit of dirt is helping hold the roots together nicely while the plants grow and feed off the hay. It's way cool!
Thank you, Kent, for starting us on this.
Finally Started the Bales
Hastur: good job! Keep us posted on your progress.
It's been about five days since putting the cukes in the bales and I'm wondering about them. They're HUGE. Like gone from about 2 leaves to about 6-8 per plant with nice big leaves that are spreading like wildfire. I think that they like the bales - a lot!
I hope they hold off a little bit until I can get the trellis laid in. Ye cats!