Well hellaciousness! I repositioned the bales string side on the ground. I think the advice about holding water better won out over faster decomposition. Regardless, mine have not started cooking yet. Rain tonight but its getting cold. Hopefully by next weekend if I keep them moist and add some more nitrogen.
C ):
My bale won't break down!
doc the water runs thru the straws like pipes. Don't know how it could stop to decompose. If you get enough water in the middle of these bales along with the nitrogen, then they are going to decompose faster.
I used Myco last year on my bales. I used, according to the farmer I bought it from, 40% alfalafa. I had the worst year of growing tomatoes since I nave been growing them using the strawbales.
Therefore, I am not blaming it on any particular thing. Could have been the weather. Not too many people near me had good crops of tomatoes. However, I had expected much better results from both the Myco and the alfalfa. When I told you all in the coop what I was going to do, I do believe your statement was that if I used the Myco on the strawbales that I was going to have more tomatoes than I could use.
Not your exact words. Sorry.
40% alfalfa hay is not alfalfa hay. It may well be Weed Hay with less than half alfalfa content. Stay away from the folks selling that wonderful stuff. LOL
I learned the hard way doc, but you would think the 40% would at least give some nitrogen. I did not buy it as alfalfa hay tho. I do have to say that. He did not lie to me. I just didn't know better.
However, the alfalfa wasn't what we were thinking was going to be so great.
I live in alfalfa country. While we have other hay being made for our high horse feed demand alfalfa is still very much available. I never used any other kind of hay with the exception of a year a whole barn full got spoiled. We bought that dukes mixture for fifty cents a bale. It took the gardeners around here about a week to empty that barn. My buddy and I each took a hundred bales to use as mulch for our giant pumpkins. That was the year I grew my largest one just under 800 lbs, Then I grew to old and sickly to mess with that hobby. I now only use about eight or ten bales a year along the edge of my patio. The left overs go into compost and I start anew each year about this time. I get nice results using a good cutting of alfalfa which will always be best if it is the first cutting of the year.
Tell you all for what it is worth I see big tomato troubles ahead for a good number of years. That fungi cycles. Last year was our third and first total wipe out year in many gardens. Almost all gardens and truck farms were wiped out here. The cycle can remain active for six to ten years then mysteriously it fades into the sunset and is not to be seen for a good number of years. So don't be pointing your fingers a the bales you grew in. LOL
Is it carried on the wind? I had not heard of it out here. Where is it going to be this year? Or, does it just spread out to bigger and bigger circles?
Mine did not have any disease last year, they just did not produce good. Some, but not good. I did not hear of anyone else's in the area having disease. In that case, I think it is probably the weather. No bugs, no diseases, just plain not many tomatoes. I don't know as I was blaming the bales so much as the weather.
If there was a problem with the bales, I don't think it was the alfalafa. I think it was the grass OR, maybe the farmer had sprayed it with an herbicide for weeds???? I will never get grass again. Including Timothy, Blue, or any other grass. When it decomposes it turns to slime.
How do I know when the Bales are ready to plant mine have some mold on the sides but they still look blond color and the inside seems cooled and kinda britle I am curious if they are ready. Can I use a soil testing kit in some of the straw from the inside to see what they need. First year newbie and wanting to do it right.
Where is it going to be this year? General answer..... is airborn North and East of where it was last year in mainland USA. On shoes, boots and clothing of those who walked where it is. On animals who forage where it is. In the animals poopers who have eaten where it is. From seeds men who may not know their crop was attacked. From seeds men who purchase rather than grow their own seed crops. From hobby growers like us on this site who swap seed that could be infected.
The marketplace is entirely to quiet. No explanations, no advise, no claims of resistant seed and such. The problem is that science has never had a cure for fungi that was non poisonous and sustainable. Biology has only healthy soil and healthy plant which includes Mycorrhizae to stay ahead of this or any other fungi. Biologists are saying, "this too shall come and pass" within a time frame of five to seven years or longer. That is pretty much in line with the understanding of all serious fungi problems.
Rucky, how long have you been working your bales? Don't try to shortcut it. Did the bales ever heat up inside? For a first year newbie my advice is do not rush them. Even another week is not going to hurt to put some more urea or something on and soak it down in good.
How did you prepare your bales? Need to know this first.
So doc, what is the disease? a wilt? a fungi that is not poisonous and sustainable you say. But if nobody is talking about it, what is it, they don't want to admit it? Just hoping to get thru last year and that it won't be around this year?
It sounds like those critters that come out of the soil and eat everything in site every so many years. No explanation for them.
Locus Jnette... the hoard of locus... let's hope that won't happen on top of the rotten tomato year we all seemed to have had last year. I'm hoping that by growing them in bales that I will have less of a problem with the fungus. Have finally gotten the bales out (a little over a week ago). Have only been putting the blood meal down for about 3 days. Some of the bales seem to be heating up, others not so much. Fortunately I am in no hurry since I normally don't put out the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants until about mid April. The bales are really wet here, but I think that is mostly my luck of 3 days of slow and steady rain. I only started putting out the blood meal about 4 days after I got them all out. Interestingly enough though, something must be going right as grass is starting to sprout on the surface of most of the bales. It is supposed to rain tonight and most of tomorrow so they should stay pretty wet and save me a bit of watering time. I have put out 12 bales this year and it should be an interesting experiment. I have 7 out in one area (similar layout to many others) but the rest I am using not only to plant in but for a bit of erosion control in my garden area. I only started gardening this area about 1 1/2 years ago and after this past wet winter have found I have an interesting erosion problem in certain areas as I have a bit of a slope in part of the garden. So, not only am I hopefully going to have a better year on tomatoes, but am doing a little erosion control on the side... who knew.
Well nini it sounds like you are getting into full swing here. That's great. As far as some heating and others not so much, they are not all going to work at the same rate. Don't worry about that. Just stick your hand down once in a while and see how they feel. But, I wouldn't do that until after the 12th day or whatever in Kent's schedule. Follow that, it works.
3 or 4 days is pretty early to expect much. Mainly see that they are wet. Try to get it down into the middle of the bale.
That is great that you can hopefully kill two birds with one stone. Your erosion problem, tomatoes and the bales. Good.
Now, 2 things. I hope they are in the sun. And 2, when you get going we want pictures.
Have fun, Jeanette
BTW, let's home the fungi problem is gone. Don't think about it until you know you have a problem.
The fungi that is being ignored in many quarters is the same specific fungi that ended Ireland's potato growing and caused world wide famine depending on an areas dependence on Irish potatoes. Eastern news media covered this difficult fungi outbreak last July and August. I assumed incorrectly that there would be follow up and advisements for growers early this spring.
Maybe they are hoping that if you don't talk about it it won't show up. Did they have anything they were trying to treat it with doc? Maybe it is early yet? Don't know.
Ok..........I will discontinue this discussion. We are now being ask questions I clearly presented in earlier posts with the best answers known at this time. Sure hope you all don't have to find out what it is all about.
Ok so I went back and read over again your first post. Let me ask you. When we buy the bags of sterilized manures, chicken and steer, I am not sure where they come from, will have to look, will the sterilization kill any of that if its in there?
So, it sounds from your post that you seem to think that was our problem clear out here on the West coast too. Even tho there was no sign of any disease etc. on the plants.
Jnette... will be glad to add pictures when I finally get rolling. Spent the day cleaning up and prepping things from the winter. The bales get about 6 or 7 hours of sun, so I think they will be OK. Will be interesting to see how the bales feel after this rain.
Jnette I have had my bales for about 6 weeks and I started out with a cow manure tea with fish emulsion and medina fertilizer for about two weeks I dumped some on twice a week then I went to a high Nitrogen fertilizer and soaked them every other day with soaker hoses for the rest of the time. They did heat up for a while then cooled. I think they are ready I am going to water for a few more days because I have another project to finish then I am going to start planting. My Strawberries are finally staring to take off so wish me luck folks I am off on a strawbale adventure. I still want to build some boxes around them . I'll see if I can do that first then that will be a few more days to make sure they are ready............RON
Well rucky if they heated up and then cooled, have you put your hand down in them to see what the consistency of the material in there is? Has it decomposed? You say you have watered a lot, so it sounds like they may be ready. Good luck.
Well, I'm off and running here too. Here is a picture of the first seven of my 12 bales. Most are going through a heat and one is getting rather soft on top. Grass is growing on some and others, not so much. I won't be planting the tomatoes for at least another 2 or 3 weeks, so the bales should be good and ready. You can tell by the ground it has been rather wet here so I think that has helped my watering.
Just thought I'd let you see how the tomatoes are doing. I've forgotten who was concerned about using paper pots, but these tomatoes are in their second paper pot. These pots are about 3 inches or so in diameter. The trick is not to mess with them once you put them in the tray. The next time I move these fellows it will be into the bales!
nini that really looks great. You are going to have a beautiful garden this year. Don't remember, did you say what you were going to plant? If so I forgot???
We cross posted. Those really look great. Good work!!
Jnette, I have raised beds that I am augmenting with the straw bales. The tomatoes, peppers and eggplants take up so much room in the beds I am going to put them in the bales. If my memory serves me well I am planting (tomatoes) Black from Tula, Kellogg's Breakfast, Sun Sugar, Matt's Wild Cherry, Black Pearl, Red Pear Piriform, and Aunt Ruby's German Green. The peppers are a Chocolate Beauty, Astor, Yum Yum, and Big Daddy (a 12 inch roaster). The eggplants are Fairy Tale, Purple Rain, Ravena (sp) a long green skinny one and a long skinny purple one (who's name escapes me at the moment) I have never had room for this kind of variety before and am really excited about being able to grow such variety with the bales. Will keep everyone posted on how it goes.
nini: looks good. I want to plant some Kellogg's Breakfast, too!!
What is that Kellogg's Breakfast? Funny, I planted Campbell's. a tomato hybridized for Campbells Soup, and Heinz one developed for Heinz Catsup. I like them both.
So nini, I am assuming that when you plant them in larger paper pots that you just leave them in the original paper pot? Don't you have to keep them pretty moist so the papers never dry out?
Kellogg's Breakfast is a really nice and big beefsteak type tomato with a lot of flavor (or so catalogue says... my first year with this one) They can be a little hit or miss on their production, but supposedly worth the effort.. Will be making that judgement call this summer when they ripen. And yes, when I potted them up, I just put the first paper pot inside the new one and added more potting soil. The roots were already starting to come through the first pots and newspaper easily rots so I don't think it will be a problem. Once I put them in the sturdy tray they are in, I don't move them until I plant them out as the containers will be a bit fragile until the tomato puts out more roots..... I do have to keep them well watered and they do absorb a lot of water... I don't let the newspaper dry out. When it starts to look as though it is drying, thats when I water... I have a lot of the coir in the soil mix, so I think this helps to keep them from being waterlogged. This year has been an experiment in doing things a bit differently and so far so good.
Jeanette: Kellogg's Breakfast: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/566/
Recommended highly by Dr. Carolyn Male, who I follow very closely at DG, for anything about tomatoes.
KR