Curse this thread!..... Now I need to go and get some lumber.
Looks good Kent. Thanks for all the test work postman.
Mike
Strawbale test plot
C
Your first mistake is in thinking this is easy. It's a lot of work. Mostly in getting it all ready to go, and then it's a lot of work fertilizing and watering. Those bales do not hold water like soil.
6
Then in TX it is not a good idea. Watering vegetables is a constant battle here for me and if the bales are worse I will only try it once. As for easy, no but easier than double digging a new bed or several! Watering, fertilizing and working in the garden is a given, I just wanted to try something new and try something that would not involve digging in hard clay soil. As usual I will compare my results and see if this gets better results than what I have been doing. I am fascinated by the idea of putting the bales in place, getting them going and then planting...that is pretty instant to me!
C
Hi newtonsthirdlaw,
If you want to avoid digging into your hard soil I suggest another method. I have found the Mittleider gardening method to be all inclusive when it comes to gardening.
I still use the straw bales as a great way to plant tomatoes, peppers, all kinds of squash and other small veggies.
The one thing I have found is that I don't get too many other crawling varmints on my straw bales. I believe this is for 3 reasons: 1. I use fresh bales every year, so the varmints don't have the chance to get established. 2. They don't like to live in the sticky straw bale environment. 3. The extreme heat generated when getting the bales ready to plant generally cooks the buggers in the egg or larva stage.
Here is a link to the Mittleider site: http://www.foodforeveryone.org/gardening_course/
Paul.
Lookin' good Kent! You'll really appreciate being able to keep using those rotted bales. I think they do better than the new ones. I've been wanting to enclose my 2nd and 3rd rows but since I'm on the local garden tour this June, most of my time this spring will be tied up in my ornamental beds and woodland garden so I guess I'll just stick with open rows of NEW STRAW. I tried using year old bales of hay last year and they just fell apart and wouldn't hold water. Wasn't too impressed with the results.
Newton's 3rd, I think if you use soaker hoses, even in your TX heat you'l be pleased. It really is an instantaneous garden with little work involved, plus when you remove the bales in a year or two the soil underneath will be much darker and richer, much easier to double dig, till or whatever you're inclined to do. Good luck.
Doug
What do you think about wrapping the sides and maybe the bottom of the bales with white weed block (porous type)? Thinking it might hold in more moisture and keep the bales together longer.
I think soaker hoses would work well on the bales and will probably buy some more.
Now I just need to find a source for the bales.
Thanks for the info. and advice
C
I would leave the bottom uncovered. Those tomato vines can grow really deep if given the chance, plus it would allow the worms to come up into the bales and help decompose them. It would probably help slow the evaporation rate somewhat. I used shrink wrap around my open row bales last year but it was a pain to install and the bales fell apart anyway so as far as I was concerned it was a waste of time.
Doug
I had not thought about the roots of the veggies going deeper than the depth of the bales. Wonder if that will entice the gophers. Has anyone of your experienced folk had an issue with gophers before trying the bales? And if so, how did that work out as far as gophers getting into the bales, or not? Seems like it would be terribly pokey for critters to dig through.
Lynda
The most rodents visiting my garden. Moles, voles, mice, squirrels and WABBITS. No gophers. I have a Ferrel cat that has claimed my yard as home an she had a litter of 4. I don't think the WABBITS will be a problem this year. I hadn't had any problems with any of those burrowing into any bales. just what root crops I had in dirt. That is with the exception of the tree rats ( squirrels ) coming in to taste the tomatoes. With those it made no difference weather the toms were in bales or dirt.
I will only add that we need to get the temp up, so I can even think garden.
We haven't had the temp get up to 40 for 90 days straight days now. They are hoping that this Saturday could change that. The snow drifts from each of the blizzards is still piled high on my garden. Although somehow some of the drifts have been shrinking. Probably from weight. LOL
I think for my root crops this year I will have to lay some black plastic over the drifts to do the warming, so the soil temp gets warmed up enough to germinate the seed. Somehow it will all work out and I will still get some fresh veggies. LOL
It will Russ. Our temps were 55 today. Wonderful. However, the ground is still frozen about 4 inches down. It was super cold this winter. Don't know if I will lose any plants or not. So far not even my helebores are up. They usually come up thru the snow.
I am going to start planting petunia and tomato seeds next weekend.
Hi Jnette,
Today it was 55 to 58 degrees. I planted beets in a tire garden, and peas in two of last years straw bales that I didn't get planted. The bales didn't need to be moved, except I yanked them together end-wise.
I mixed some dirt, some of my horse poo wood chips, and some lime, with worm poo, to put on top of the bales to give the peas something to feed on while they sprout. This is the first time I have tried peas in bales. We will see.
Tomorrow, it's chard, onions, broccoli and other cold weather seeds in tire gardens.
I have these neat clear plastic umbrellas that just fit over the tires; mini-green houses.
Boy does it feel good to get my hands back into the soil after a year and 1/2.
Paul.
I envy you a lot lonejack. I have one of those umbrellas too. I know you are a lot warmer than I am.and have a lot longer growing season. That sounds like a scrumptious pile of stuff you are planting them in. I know they will do good.
Envy does not describe my feelings for your weather lonejack.. Whatever happened to temperate southeastern Virginia? This is what I woke up to this morning... and now 30mph winds have kicked up.... The plants are still waiting to go into the raised beds, I am still waiting to run my bales over to the garden without leaving deep ruts all through the yard....How does it go, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb..... I hope those folks are right, moderate weather can not get here soon enough for me....
Just broke off from paperwork to see why the old basset hound was barking in the backyard.... Snow, mud, moles and an old Basset Hound..... Not a pretty mix. For all the effort and impending hole, I hope he gets him!
Love the pic of the Basset Hound doing his duty!!!
Cute picture.
Jeanette
Here's my set up for the year.
All I have left to do, construction wise, is put up 2 more posts for another 16 ft cattle panel that I'm going to use for a tomato trellis.
I busted up several bales and used the straw to chink the gaps between the bales and the frames so I could get a nice snug fit.
Kent; looking good. anxious to see maters coming up there. My snow banks have shrunk some, it's down to 2 ft. deep across the garden now and the path I cut through there to get down to the goats is now mud. But we still haven't got up to 40 degrees yet. Dec. 1st. was the last 40 degree day. I wouldn't doubt that we won't have a mild spring. It will probably go from winter straight to summer and will have another flood.
It won't involve my place. Unless there could be a once in a thousand year flood. I doubt that though.
I'm tired of snow pictures, so I won't post a pic of my garden yet. lol
Gosh Russ, I thought those dark red ripe tomatoes of yours would stand out real good against the white snow!!
Russ: I'm sick of cold weather; I know you guys are. Saw in the paper today about probable flooding from Red River, Mississippi, & Missouri because of all the snow, etc.
Snow Maters, Just Snow Balls He he
Yeah Kent there is a lot of snow built up and when it warms up, it's going to fill all the rivers for quit a while. Of course the flooding will depend on how fast it warms up, and if the temp stays above freezing at night, it will melt all the faster.
Oh the difference a week makes... Last week at this time I was lamenting the 4 inches of snow on the ground and my inability to do anything in my garden. Seven days, several of them with no freezing temperatures and presto! into the garden I went. I was able to put out plant sets in my raised beds yesterday, planted peas, Swiss chard, carrots and beets today and finally got to put out my straw bales today. I have not watered them yet (ran our to time before work) but there are 3 days of rain forecast so I think they will get wet! Once they get wet I plan to use the Blood meal for my nitrogen... Will be starting that this weekend. I guess I need to once again say welcome to Virginia... if you don't like the weather, blink and it will be different.. Today we almost hit 70 degrees.... Who knew! :)
Wow you have been busy. As much as I would love that 70 degrees, Iowa isn't ready for that yet. That would create a flood of all floods. As it is where we don't have snow we have mud to sink into, especially in the garden. My 5' high drift has shrunk to about 1'. A couple more weeks yet before I can think about getting the garden ready for root crops.
Well,we have gotten about a half inch of snow sticking on the ground this afternoon and it is still snowing. 34 degrees out there.
Jnette... seems like we have traded places weather wise this past week.... I am hoping that we have seen the end of our snow, but the weather here can change in an instant. When I first moved into my present home (oohhh about 1979) we had two 15 inch snows that spring March 1st and March 15th. Three years ago we had a 3 inch snow storm on April 1.... Guess I will keep those tomato plants tucked up in a warm place until the weather settles about mid April. By then my bales should have gone through a good heat and be ready to plant... and my last drift only melted away this past Sunday... I hope for a slow and steady melt for those of you worrying about flooding from the snow pack melting too fast... good luck
All I can say nini is that you cannot count on the weather to be one way or the other. You are very wise to wait and not rush them. Believe me, they will catch up faster in warm weather and probably surpass what they would have been had you planted them early in cold weather.
Well the little river that is only about 1/2 mi. from here isn't bank full yet, so no flooding yet. It is overcast today and only 37. That might give the river a chance to drain down some before we get another sunny day. Can always hope, right???? I'm not worried about planting for a while yet but then it wouldn't do much good anyway. We'll get decent when we get it.
I only ordered 50 sweet potatoes this year. I don't think I can make it to the RU this year. so I won't need any for trading.
I need to get busy though and finish getting more seeds started, so I'm ready.
Ok Russ, come on. I was just saying how I am too tired to work in a greenhouse if I had one. But, I am planting tomato and pepper seeds today. I might be tired now, but I would be sick if come summer I didn't have any tomato plants. I still don't have any bales lined up. Gotta do that next.
Well, I have my labels made and the trays filled and ready, so better get in there and get those seeds in 'cause I discovered one year that they don't do much in the envelopes. That was a startling revelation. LOL
Jeanette; I thought I was the only one that had many many packets that didn't get planted, then only to find them a year or two later, or in mid winter.
Russ, why do you think you are so special??? LOL
Hmmmm I don't think I am qualified to answer that. It must be above my pay grade. LOL
LOL, must be an Iowa thing.
Russ, do you still have those OSPs I sent you? Did you get them to multiply?
I never heard any more from Smockette. Wonder if she ever made any bread. Maybe she has a factory going with it. LOL Maybe the bread expanded and filled her house.
well
they are still trying to grow however I have had to treat them with that concoction several times. Those little monsters must have survived that drenching you give them and then I may not be covering them good enough when I spray them. I shot them again last night. This time I sprayed the soil too. That may be my problem. Maybe should have sprayed the soil the first time. We shall see. I am determined to get rid of those mites, before I set the plants out.
I hadn't heard from Smockette either. I may have to send her a D mail.
See if her kitchen filled up with bread dough lol.
Have you had time to try making a couple loaves yet? I tried getting a little closer to the recommended consistency and it still came out fine. I think putting that little pan of water in with it while baking must be the big difference.
Anyway it is a lot easier to divide the batter when it is just in between
sticky and where you can handle it without immediately have it stuck to all your fingers.
I made a couple loaves late evening, and without letting them cool completely, put the loaves in the bags. Not the best idea! The heat and the moisture in the bread had made moisture collect on the outside of the loaf. Easy rescue in morning though, I turned on the oven light and set the loaves in for a while and great save, bread still good.
Note to self, bake bread during day. lol
Russ, have you tried that bread that you get a fresh loaf every day by taking a handful of dough off the mass in the refrigerator and bake a loaf a day until it is gone? I haven't tried it. Was wondering how it turns out.
No Hadn't tried that one yet. Sounds kind of interesting though.
That could be made into logs, then use a knife to cut a length just pan size, maybe.
But then, except for the mixing time, doing two loaves at a time isn't too bad.
I don't recall seeing the recipe for it either.
Have to check it out. Do you have the recipe for it, or would any one work?
I've seen it a couple of times, but don't remember where. Will search and let you know.
OK Russ, google this "fresh bread every day recipe". Without the quotes.
Russ this one sounds good: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/
Kent, Are you using straw or hay this year?Did your daughter's break heal okay? deanna