I'm giving up on the "natural" method of time and water. I see no meaningful change in my straw bale after 4 months. I'm off to buy the ammonium sulphate. Do you think I should also remove the top cord? My bale is so very, very tight! What about adding earthworms and/or manure after the AS?
Pic of the top of the bale. After 4 months of daily watering.
2ndChance: have you kept your bales damp the entire time? Describe a little more when you watered your bales and how much you put on them. Also, did you leave your bales with the strings off the ground like in the picture?
Also, what has the temp been?
Finally, is this a wheat straw bale?
This message was edited Dec 9, 2008 11:17 PM
yes, plastic "strings" are off the ground, and 30 minutes of water daily.
This message was edited Dec 10, 2008 9:20 AM
Have you tried sticking a trowel or something similar down into the bales? I know mine this past year didn't "look" like they were doing anything either but when I stuck a trowel down in them they were very decomposed on the inside. Since you are in an arid climate have you done the watering at dusk so the sun doesn't evaporate the water during the day? Just wondering...
Doug
Jamming my trowel in as hard as I could, I'd say it went down maybe 3/4 inch. Thanks for the idea - but I'm switching to ammonium sulphate next month. I plant in February here.
2ndChance: maybe wrapping your bales in something would help retain the moisture or go with Doug's method of enclosing them in with some lumber.
Moisture is the key.
The sulphate/nitrate won't be much help unless you keep those bales moist.
Your AZ climate is something I've never experienced.
I'm no bomb maker, but putting a huge plastic bag over a bale soaked with AS in the sun sounds kind of dangerous, no?
I think to make a "Bale Bomb" you'd have to add diesel fuel also to the AS!
Doug
You don't have to use the A.S.- as kinky as it sounds, if you want your bales to compost, try peeing on them for a week or so- it's basically the same thing as buying UREA and is a lot more fun. It's high nitrogen content you're looking for, and that'll give it to you!
I'll pass.
Just reporting that one cup of AS per week is starting to work. I'll step it up as my planting time apperoaches.
That is the problem I had with the one straw bale I tried. I went to hay bales and never looked back. The straw bale was about 6 months old when I got it. It had been used by a neighbor in her fall decorations. It had sat in her yard until early spring when she gave it to me. Nothing I tried to grow in it would grow. When I took it apart after the end of the season, it still had not decomposed.
I know- isn't it amazing when you plant in hay?? Last summer (my first bale garden), I planted equally in straw and in hay; there was NO comparison. The hay side was a JUNGLE! The only thing I need to figure out is what to do to make the hay bales last for the whole season. It's wild to watch it being "consumed" by the plants. Seems like 1 bale on top of 1/2 of a bale might do it, but I also wonder is it might help to wrap the bales somehow- any ideas?
Bale gardening was a huge gift for me. I've been unable to manage a garden for over 10 years, due to health issues (back and skin, predominantly). This gave me such a wonder feeling of accomplishment and peace. Looking forward to this year's garden!
Namaste- Suzan
Mine easily lasted the whole season. It may be because I use the bales with the nylon strings.
Your veggies look really healthy. I can't wait until Spring.
Susan: You might try putting a fence or bed around it. My hay in the bed was still solid after the Great Cucumber Invasion of 2008. When I took out the strings to break it up, I did have to pitchfork it apart.
This year, I'm putting beds around all the bunches of hay that I have put in, since it worked so nicely for the last one. Not to mention that a 2' lattice work fence around the hay makes it very pretty. The HOA can't complain if I'm making pretty things.
I thought we weren't supposed to use hay because of the seeds.
They were not a problem for me.
I don't know of anyone saying not to use it because of seeds. I know everyone, or almost everyone, has questioned that issue, but nobody seemed to have a problem with them.
Jeanette
Hay has a lot of nitrogen for everything you want to happen. Soil bacteria may be lacking in your bale due to low humidity. Dig down to healthy soil and place a 1/2 inch of active culture soil (good dirt) to start the bale with bacterial breakdown. Arizona may have pretty sterile soil in areas that are devoid of plant material (humus). Straw is a carbon source and no nitrogen until you get bacteria. But I guess everyone knows that here.
I didn't know that. I only knew the straw was a poor second to the hay. Now I know why. That's just one of the things I love about DG. Thanks.
Hmmm. I doubt the DH will go for a second bale now, but maybe next year. Unless I could stack it. Any chance that would be stable?
2ndChance, There is a thread some where on this forum that provides instructions for preparing a straw bale for planting. It is an 11 day process that requires Ammonium Nitrate or Ammonium Sulfate and water.
Hopefully someone here will link to that thread as I can't seem to find it at the moment and I will need it to get my bales started cooking soon.
Jerry
http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgardens/thismonth/march06guide/straw.html
Instructions for bale gardening.
Also, if you start at the beginning of the forum, there is a LOT of discussion about the technique, and most of it is from Kent, the resident expert.
I've done the 11 day thing. It is just too dry here, other here have failed as well. Hay will be softer.
I have 5 straw bales to extend my garden into an area where I can't plant --up against the barn where there's lots of gravel. Right now I've got visiting chickens roosting on them, but in a month or so I'll be back trying to get the straw to decompose. Hoping after reading all of this that the chickens will amend the straw enough to get it to work. Our critters are eating through too much hay to try and use that...And I'm dying to try this and see if I can get some of my trouble crops to thrive...(squash and eggplant)
Wonderful place for the chix to roost. Good fertilizer. I would water them too. (not the chix) Get that Chick fert. working.
Jeanette
I put the straw bale on its side and stacked a hay bale on top. Watering to commence today.
That will certainly eliminate any bending over! LOL
I cannot believe how much better the hay bale is already! It really holds moisture and is easier to cut.
Hmmmm, Two Bales High!!!! Now that sounds do-able! With my "old lady back", Ill have to get me a Purple gardening Shirt and a Red Hat, but I want have to bend over in the Garden! Yaaaay! Thanks 2nd Chance!
2nd chance, I see you have your hay bale turned with the strings to the side. Doesn't that act like straws almost like the straw? I know hay is different, but it seems to me that you will still have some of the draining and lose water.
Wouldn't it be better to turn the bale with the strings up?
Jeanette
I'll think about it. Now that its soaked, its pretty heavy!
Yes, it would be. I didn't realize you had already soaked them.
Jeanette
Well now, I have just gotten two bales and am trying to get them well soaked in time to plant something in them. I have tried to discourage my dog from marking them but perhaps he's really helping, huh? That is funny. Somebody in one of these threads said they had just bought 37 bales for $1? anybody remember where that was? I only have the two and paid $10 each for them, for my new experiment.
MaggieA That was me..I got them in SD..My cousin ranches there..He found them for me..I got them cheap enough..But regular price might have been $2 to $2.50..He is going to replace them for the man .So I got a very good deal..He has 500 acres of winter wheat..Guess where I'll be getting them for next year LOL
Wish you were closer........
Tubby
Well, I guess i can't use your source, tubbytee. If these two work out I'll be looking around for more. Right now, between having six earth boxes accumulated over several years, the two 4x4 lasagna gardens, a big raised bed I made for the asparagus that has never gotten here, and my half barrels, I'll be busy! Oh, and the two topsy turvy tomato thingies and hanging strawberry baskets! I'll add pictures as soon as I figure out how!
I slid the hay bale off this morning so it is lying next to the straw bale. Both are quite damp and easy to spread with a trowel. I set in my squash sterts but melons will need to wait because we had a freak cold spell and are back down in the 70's. I am looking forward to my straw vs. hay experiment.
And I am definitely looking forward to hearing your results!
Yes, we've had these before. Funny if you come up with different results.
Jeanette
