Members Orval Posted April 23, 2017 Members Share Posted April 23, 2017 I am about two weeks behind this year. I should have had my straw bales out already and prepping them but will get them set tomorrow and provide some pictures. I was surprised by how much residual straw I had left over from last year a small pickup truck full. So I have decided I will use that all that good plant food for my flower and herbs beds on the south side of my house. It should drain well and if I do 10ft by 4ft bed I should be able to plant pretty much what I want for this year. I will set out between 10 and 16 bales this year and will attempt to plant pole beans and sweet corn together so the beans can climb the sweet corn and I should not have to stake them (hopefully). I will post some pictures. Alan and No Nicolaitans 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alan Posted April 23, 2017 Members Share Posted April 23, 2017 2 hours ago, Orval said: I will post some pictures. A picture speaks a thousand words. Jim_Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orval Posted April 24, 2017 Author Members Share Posted April 24, 2017 20 hours ago, Alan said: A picture speaks a thousand words. Here is three thousand words brother. lol The first pic is a quick herb garden I framed in, 12' by 35" with three partitions they are 6" deep and should do real well for herbs. The second pic is where the straw bales where I will plant tomatoes (Roma, Cherry, Beefsteak) , peppers, (Jalapeno, Serrano and Poblano) and squash (zucchini and spaghetti). The third pic is where I will plant egg plant, corn, and beans might even throw a cucumber in there as an experiment. It takes thirteen days for to prep the bales so I will should plant on Monday March 8th. Alan and No Nicolaitans 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ukulelemike Posted April 24, 2017 Moderators Share Posted April 24, 2017 What do you do to 'prep' the bales? Orval 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orval Posted April 25, 2017 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2017 1 hour ago, Ukulelemike said: What do you do to 'prep' the bales? Hi Mike, For the first three days’ water, each bale and keep wet. Days 4 through 9 add 1 oz. of plant food (liquid) to one gallon of water every 2 days. Keep bales damp. Day 10 sprinkle 1 cup of 10-10-10 garden fertilizer and water well. Keep bales damp till day 14 when you plant. Plant your plants deep I keep just 3 or 4 inches sticking above the bale. The more stem you into the bale the stronger the plant will grow. I will but my corn, green beans and lima beans about 4 inches deep and I will plant them together and hope the beans will naturally trellis the corn. (its an experiment if it fails I will know better next year) Once plants have rooted water every 2 to 3 days for an hour. The bales will retain both heat and water. The first 2-3 weeks a lot of wheat will grow out of the bales, the wheat pulls out easily so just pull the wheat for 10 or 15 minutes each day and within a few days the wheat will be gone and you will just need to weed periodically after that. Also, I would advise putting cardboard, or deck matting under the bales that will stop grass from growing into the bales. I use deck matting under everything water runs through it and grass cannot grow through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orval Posted May 9, 2017 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2017 The bale prepping is done and here are the initial pictures. Pic #1 tomatoes Pic #2 tomatoes and various peppers Pic #3 cabbage and egg plant Pic #4 experiment with corn, pinto beans and peas in the same hole. pic #5 is squash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orval Posted May 13, 2017 Author Members Share Posted May 13, 2017 Farmer Almanac had a short piece on straw bale gardening should anyone wish to read it. http://farmersalmanac.com/home-garden/2017/05/08/straw-bale-garden/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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