Strawbale Gardening - no weeding, no hoeing, no tilling

Thank you!

My husband said the posts were only six feet! I knew they had to be taller!
I have tomatoes ready to go! Some are in pots some are just seedlings for fall crop....I have been looking for the perfect tomato staking contraption for years....yours looks perfect! and with no tiller, the straw bales are perfect too! Dirt is getting expensive for pots, buckets, barrels, raised beds, etc....

I have four bales started now, and have bloodmeal...cannot find ammonium nitrate so far but I keep looking! I take it the high nitrogen is meant to heat up the bale?

My husband is so excited he is trying to figure how many more bales to get for this year and next!:cheers:

Thanks so much for all the information!

Kelley

 

Kelley: just remember my motto: "No weeding, no hoeing, no tilling!"

The Blood Meal is the nitrogen source to help with the decomposition process.

You can buy ammonium nitrate at most Southern States stores. Ammonium sulphate seems to work just as well.

Welcome aboard!

 

More Questions

when I first started thinking of doing this, I bought the four bales for some watermelons I have seeded. Have you done watermelons? I was going to buy a length of hogwire and arch it between the bales-two on each side, and let the melons climb the hogwire panel kind of like the picture here with the wire tomato arch!

The tomatoes I am growing this year are so far behind because I planted a first batch of heirlooms I got from someone on line and someone else washed dishes over them! So I waited to start again until we moved. My heirlooms are not quite ready for in ground but will be soon and I was really agonizing over how much dirt this was going to cost! I have a second set of heirlooms I am researching that just popped thier heads up the last three days so they have a ways to go before worrying about them! The bales are going to be heavensent because now I wont have to purchase grow bags and dirt! I may do some in grow bags but I wont have to do all of them in grow bags!

Then I have some other heirloom plants a friend gave me his extras when he finished planting. All in all I have about 30 varieties of tomatoes growing! I think these plants will come out of large pots and go into the first bales when they are ready!

I am going to have to find a source for Tobacco Sticks as well!

Kelley

 

Yippee

I found ammonium nitrate! Lowes had it! Now if Lowes would just cary other things I want that people in other states get at Lowes, I would be good to go!

thought it was going to rain but since it is so windy I guess I need to water the bales!

Kelley

 

No experience with watermelons, but no reason they shouldn't do well. Keep in mind how they will run off the bales.

If you use an arch you'll definitely need to support it, but nothing like the lumber I used in my photo. It was the only thing handy at the time.

What will you use the tobacco sticks for?

They'll be no good for the tomatoes.

 

Kelley, are you sure it is ammonium NITRATE and not SULPHATE?

I'd be surprised to see Lowes carry the nitrate with all the record-keeping required now for the nitrate.

By the way, don't forget to put your marker on the map:

www.frappr.com/strawbalegardeners

(Just a few of the folks who I've gotten started. Check out New Zealand.)

 

On the map!

I added myself to the map! On another one for tomatoes too so the map knew who I was!

Tobacco sticks would be great for indeterminate tomatoes that do not get as large as the determinates! My h usband recalled them from childhood, they had a real farm and actually grew tobacco so he knew what I was talking about...said they are harder than anything he can think of, and I think he might a got whacked with them a couple of times

Crud...I just ran out in the rain to check the bag- it is sulphate....but it is 34% nitrogen...will it work? That was closest thing, disappointed I read the label wrong...but the bloodmeal was going to cost so much in those little tiny bags!

Is the rate different for the suphate over the nitrate? My bales are getting so soaked in this rain! Hate the lightening and the scary beeping on TV for the weather warnings but the rain is heaven!

kelley

 

You are right, the tobacco sticks should work OK, but it's the determinate ones that grow lower. The indeterminate tomatoes will run and need staking/trelllising on something taller than a tobacco stick.

(Here's a link for those who want more info on the difference: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000082337022708.html

The sulphate should do fine. Use the same recipe as for the nitrate.

 

Here's a few shots of my garden as of today

Cukes - I need to get the ground cloth ready to go around the bales so the cukes can drape over the side and not have any grass grow up in the vines.




Yellow Squash - I love fried squash battered in House of Autry mix.




Zucchini - my bride makes good zucchini bread.




German Johnson tomatoes - A great sandwich tomato.




Peppers - Getting a few cayenne and hot banana peppers. Got some friends waiting for some habaneros which are too hot for me. I grow them to just give away.

 

I have got to post some pictures of my garden, everything is growing so nicely!

I have one teeny tiny tomato on my Beefmaster vine now! I wasn't able to find German Johnsons, so I did 2 German Queens instead, along with a Beefmaster and a Better Boy. Can't wait to see which vines do best.

 

Roger that ready. Had GJ's last year but there were none to be found this year. Going strictly with t4t's little fellas that are all holding their own and growing strong!

 

Someone who is growing German Johnson's needs to save seed this year and share!

 

Finally, some of my garden pics...

Watermelons (planted a good two weeks after everything else)


Cantaloupes


Cucumbers


Yellow squash


Two of my tomato plants & my teeny tiny baby tomato


One of my okra plants

 

ready2cmyKing: very nice photos of your bale garden.

I can see them now. Not sure what happened yesterday. Might have been the lap top I was using.

It looks like you're gonna have a tomato sandwich before me!

 

Kent, I sent you a PM. Do you make presentations on strawbale gardening? I am looking for a speaker for a July meeting.
Bucky

 

Bucky, I have spoken to groups in the past, but I've really gotten away from that. It's just as easy for someone to take a laptop and pull up this thread on a projection screen and narrate the photos and captions and refer folks to any links, especially the Bale Garden forum at www.davesgarden.com - the gold standard for gardening web sites.

Appreciate the invite, though.

I would be kind of like the guy in the Wausau commercial, I'd just stand up there and say "No weeding, no hoeing, no tilling" and walk off the stage to collect my honorarium.

 

How do I know the bales are ready?

Do I just assume these bales are ready or do I need to check them somehow? Today is day nine!

Then how small of a plant can I put in here? I have some tomatos that are large that have not flowered yet, maybe foot tall, and I have some 4 week old seedlings...

Starting to get a little paranoid and panicky here )

Thanks!
Kelley

 

You're gonna be fine.

This is a good week to transplant. It won't be too hot after today.

Get something good to help you make a good crack in that bale and put your older tomato plants down to the first leaf. Lots of new roots will spring out of the stem and give those tomatoes a nice root system.

Use some potting mix to chink the crack and then push the straw back together.

Water the transplants with some Miracle Gro solution right away and then again in a few days.

Let the young plants get about 4 - 5 inches high and then transplant those.

 

Thanks`

Thanks Kent!
Now to decide which of the ready to plant tomatos get to go in the bales! My husband keeps saying don't be putting your best plants in there cause you will be sorry when they die LOL He just does not beleive this will work. I on the other hand have seen it does and have no doubt!

So it can be the heirlooms from my friend that have not yet flowered. Pineapple, or black brandywine, Wisconsin 55 or Rainbow Heirloom mix....the latter I can see the plants are different but not what they are. Maybe two of each!

Lets see on fertilizer will have to be my compost tea...swore off miracle grow several years ago. I am brewing up a nice batch of compost, alfalfa, and mollasses. Should be ready on planting day!

Thanks again!
Kelley

 

Kelley: sounds like a plan. Feed'em whatever you like. Just watch the plants and keep them nice and green.

And keep those bales moist, but don't water so much you flush out the nutrients you're putting in. Once a day should be fine, and if you're making a nice compost tea, you'll be feeding and watering at the same time.