General Discussions 2009 - Chapter 27

Kent are you going to be the first DG member to try this
http://www.strawbale.com/

I have read about building with bales and it seems to be a great alternative.

You never know.

A straw bale building may appear on my land one day! :-)

Kent; I put my cattle panels up about 3 feet above the bales. That gave me the additional height. This year bad boy me, I didn't get my bales. so I lowered the panels a little, so I still have the 3' above ground level.
There is also a panel made for hogs. only about half the height. If a person used longer posts they could be put above the other panels.
Good luck.
Maybe I won't be laid up next year when I need to be getting bales ready.

Russ: good to know about the hog panels.

Hope you're progressing ahead of schedule.

Well I still can't get my new glasses, too much swelling on my right eye socket bones yet. I still can't focus at close up, seeing double there. so wear a patch when I want to read. If I over do even a little bit, I suffer with a bad headache, most of the night. so have to be real careful. I am sure that the double vision thing don't help the head aches any either.
The getting better is a slow thing. but it is the vision thing that bothers me the most. I can take a lot of breaks and not work very hard. To keep from getting the headaches. but then I can't sleep very well. so there is kind of a fine line there. Just have to be patient, until the swelling goes down and I can get my new glasses. I was lucky in that I had an old pair that were still close to the right prescription. They told me that it would take up to 6 months for the fractures in my forehead to heal good. so September or October, I'm hoping it don't take that long to get rid of those headaches.
But I can't set idle that long. so light weight things. no hard pulling on wrenches. or long hours. but am doing the garden. and Supposedly Gary plans on taking care of the weeds. I will bet they will get ahead of him. I will have to mulch some of it, as I know he won't get up here as often as he would need to. Oh well next year should be better.
Take care and hope to see you after the garden stuff is harvested.

Hi Russ,

I know it is really hard to sit around all the time, but you have got to let it heal. One season isn't going to be that bad. (Of course it will, I know)

How are Barb and the rest of the family doing? Did Connie go back to stay with Sandi? Hope they are all doing ok.

Hope Barb is holding up.

It is good to hear from you. Take it easy. The faster it heals the faster you will be up and around. The drs. know.

Jeanette

Yes to everything jnette said . Take it easy , there is tomorrow . keep us informed . sally

Every body is holding up, Barb is doing great, as far as the stroke concern. but she has a hip that is bothering her. Makes it hard for her to walk, very much. Connie is still hanging in there. She is Officially staying here but spends many nights with her youngest daughter. Comes here to get away. lol.
Sandi and Ken. Haven't found a house, as of yet. They have rented a small A Frame out at the end of a gravel road, that is furnished. So their furniture and every thing, they couldn't get in a couple loads, is still in Alabama, in storage.

Well this week end is the Iowa RU. I'm gonna have a ball. All that good food- - - Can't let that go to waste ya know. We have DG people coming from WI, IL, MN, NE, MO and TX. I'm not sure if there is another state represented or not. We are definitely going to have fun.
Russ

Wish we all could be there with you and Barb . sally

Good for you Russ, hope the weather is good and you all have a ball. Take pics and give us a full rundown.

Jeanette

I see sprouts on my potatos ! yeah . The straw is looking good too
hope everyone's weather is good
we got some rain but we needed it
sue

The bales were still too hot to plant so only lost one . the other three rotted at the air line and just cut them off and replanted . will replace them (add to ) tomorrow . then I'll have two instead of one in the holes . digger

Sue: we got some rain today, too, so I didn't have to water when I got home tonight from my night shift.

Russ: enjoy your weekend. Let us know how it goes.

digger: yep, sometimes we just have to replace a few things, even in bale gardens. I know I did.

I have twenty bales for my first attempt. Everything looks good with exception of the Bell Peppers and Banana peppers....but funny thing...the pepper plants look beat but still putting on flowers. We had winds yesterday above 60 mph. I didn't lose one plant..had to prune a few back but all plants survived. Running a Florida weave down the roll of tomato's using 8' poles to support string. Having problems with pictures tonight. I will try to send tomorrow.

TO ALL: I just want to say that I'm tickled to death at how the bale gardening forum is developing.

All of you are doing a great job, veterans and new folks, alike.

I'm even starting to see more discussions on other websites and blogs about bale gardening which they just have to be getting from us here at good old DG, right!!? :-)

Prior to my initial post on 3/6/06, you couldn't hardly find a thing on bale gardening.

So, I think bale gardening is here to stay, gang, thanks to all of you.

Keep up the good work, and as my former Navy commanding officer used to say, Bravo Zulu!

I almost feel like a one armed paper hanger. Was tuning up the pickup. Potting up plants to trade. Making sure there all labeled and such. Then made a pumpkin cake. Now I have an apple crisp, in the oven. Still need to get some beans doctored up
with some bacon, a little tomato sauce, onion and sweetening. Then in the morning, stick in a couple fishing poles. Of course being Friday, we can't miss out on biscuits and gravy. Just can't do that. Then pick up our mail. Toss in some extra clothes an head out. lol
Got to download the camera, so we have room for more pictures. Cant forget that can we?

Kent I hear you loud and clear. Being a retired Navy Vet of 21 years i clearly understand Bravo Zulu....

Russ, you guys have a good trip. How can you go wrong with fishing poles. Now, that is my kind of trip. Have fun. Let us hear from you when you get back.

Drive careful. Jeanette

WAaaaAAAAaaaaaaa!..... I wanna go fishin...waa!

Eufaula you have a garden to tend. LOL Jeanette

Kent, How are the potatoes doing?

Jerry

Jerry: no potatoes this year, just 'maters, cukes, zukes, yellow squash, egg plants, and peppers.

Found some black russians toms today . Just gonna let them cross pollinate and plant them with my others .Will be my first heritage toms .digger

Finished adding some composted cow manure on top of my bales this morning. That way they can get a little dose of nutrients each time I water. First time I've done this with my bales.

In the words of Col. Kilgore, or close enough, "I love the smell of cow manure in the morning! It smells like....gardening!" :-)

Love it Kent ! BTW everyone , I posted heritage above instead of heirloom , but have confidence that all of us are smart enough to read my mind and know what I really meant duh ,and lol .All but me , that is . digger

That's OK digger! I have found that I have to proof read a lot more now too LOL Russ

Russ: you're so right!

I was working at the power company years ago and a customer called in to say that a WIRE was hanging out of his meter and a red light was on.

I sent a message to the service man telling him that the man's WIFE was hanging out the meter and the red light was on!!!!

Service man called back cracking up, wanting a clarification.

Was the customer also cracking up Kent??? LOL, Jeanette

Kent, and you didn't rush over there???

Doug

Wife , wire , ? Including me , this is the goofiest bunch .
Gave one of my Black Russians to a neighbor to try and he brought me two Beefsteaks . They are proudly planted in my almost depleted compost pile ,and will grow on an arbor resurrected from the back forty . Pictures later . digger

Jnette , maybe the wife was cracklin up . digger

LOL, don't think you meant for all this feedback Kent. Jeanette

Jeanette: I got a lot more feedback at the power company, believe me! :-)

ALL: thought I share this link from our local TV station today:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5163798/

I encourage all of you to talk to your local papers, magazines, and TV stations about your bale gardens. It's a great way to get the word out about bale gardening, especially in the current economic times where many folks are getting into gardening.

I have talked to the college extension here and they are interested in the strawbale garden. Here in Oklahoma we are know for our cattle not our gardens. But i want to change that. I have three different type of gardens going now. The ground boring bugs love my squash and cukes. My hanging plants are doing alright but the winds are so strong here they take a beating. But my prize is the strawbale it is really looking good. Now the bad is the wheat that is growing in the bales, but i trim it every three days or so. Getting flower buds on peppers and matoes.

It is nice gardening again after 21 years touring the world aboard many of the most powerful ship in the world.

Billy: I only did 1 tour of duty as a young sailor, and all of that was on land: Orlando, Denver, SAC HQ/Omaha, Pearl Harbor, & Pentagon.

Took a short detour to AOCS at Pensacola, but hay fever issue deep sixed that.

Biggest ship I ever went on was a short sight-seeing trip on the Eisenhower CVN that docked at Pearl once.

I was an IS/spook. Loved my job.

Appreciate your service to the US of A.

This message was edited May 18, 2009 8:32 PM

I second that Kent! I did six months on the USS Midway while in the Corps. Something I'll never forget.

Jarhead Doug

WE ALL appreciate the sacrifice that our MEN have given to their homeland . Active in combat or in the mess halls , or behind a desk , it doesn't matter , ALL were there when needed .
Not enough is said of the wives , and children who lost loved ones . Mothers and fathers , some losing the only child to war , and it is a war , we all thank you and we remember ," FREEDOM is NOT FREE ". thank you , I'll sign this , from" Everyone"

Traded one of my heirloom for two beefsteak . Didn't have room in the back yard , so planted them in my depleted compost pile in drink cartons . will grow on an arbor recycled for tomato frame . digger

Hey 18 months on an off the USS Lake Champlain on the East Coast.
Was with a sea air rescue helicopter squadron .
2 years on the USS Ticonderoga, Way way west coast. like Gulf of Tonkin Ships company. They figured that aircraft support equipment was as close to ADR they could get me with recips on the way out.
I don't miss it a bit. LOL

Russ

Always take two pic's , so here's another . In straw and hay Kent . digger