Strawbale Gardening - no weeding, no hoeing, no tilling

When do you put the wooden frame around the bales? Right after putting the bales down or not until you get ready to plant?
Should the strings on the bales face the side?

Are there any particular varieties of tomatoes that you like to use?
Thanks in advance!

 

nozlnut: now, we're just waiting to fill those bales with some plants!

Annette: If you want to frame your bales, I recommend you build the frames and then add the bales.

I like the strings ON the ground. Water doesn't run through the bales as fast.

Tomatoes:

Better Boy - this was the only kind my Daddy planted!! - standard in every Southern garden, it seems

Celebrity

German Johnson - great sandwich tomato, but had disease issues the last 2 years

Roma - my bride really loves these - great in salads, etc

Golden Jubliee - 1st yellow one - LOVED IT - can't wait for more

Kellogg's Breakfast - another yellow tomato I heard rave reviews about

Goliath - new variety I grew last year and loved it. Very prolific

Sweet Olive - super cherry tomato

- - - - - - -

Check out the TOMATO files at www.davesgarden.com, the best gardening site on the web.

The Strawbale Forum is for paid members only, but the plant files are available to all.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/finder/index.php?sname=Tomatoes

 

Thanks Kent!
I'll be checking those varieties out,once they become available!
I grew my tomatoes from seeds last year but in soil with mixed results,can't wait to see how they will do in the bales!!

 

What in the world is your picture of?

 

You mean the avatar? It's a close up of one of my pottery pieces

 

How about this tomato called "Mortgage Lifter" :lol:
http://www.southernexposure.com/Mer...OD&Product_Code=49129&Category_Code=DISRESTOM

 

Mortgage Lifter: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55837

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortgage_Lifter

A popular heirloom tomato.

I grew it last year and will try to find it again.

Try it.

 

EXCELLENT gardening blog!

Check out Craig LeHoullier's blog:

http://nctomatoman.weebly.com/index.html

 

Hey everyone.

Kent, I have been talking to you through email.

I plan on doing some bales this year. I did the quick prep already. I prepped the two raised beds I used prior but now kinda wish I had just went with the straw instead.

I was wondering if anyone knows a good place to buy the miracle grow. It would seem it would get expensive. Kent, how much of the MG do you add at a time to each bale? Also, you say you add some potting mix to the hole when you add the plants. I already have some stuff called garden soil. Would that work too?

*Edit. Just picked up four more bales. I will do six this year too see what happens.

Here is my before pic. I may rearrange them if I don't like this way.

 

Rick: keep up the good work. Everything looks just fine.

I didn't use any potting mix when transplanting last year. I have in the past just to see if it made any difference. I didn't notice any. It was probably more psychological than anything.

I'm not adding any potting mix when I transplant this year, either.

My mama had a truck load of pig manure hauled in last year. I'll be adding some of that on top of my bales this year.

As for the MG, you won't need that much, especially for the size of your garden.

Just mix a tablespoon/gallon and pour some around the plants about once/week after they've been transplanted for couple weeks.

Start sooner if the plants start to looking a little sickly or turning yellow.

 

Thanks Kent. You add the manure at planting time correct? I assume just a thin layer.

 

I give the plants some time to get settled in the straw.

Thin layer it will be, especially at the beginning.

I can add more later if needed.

 

Thanks again Kent. I wonder if anyone has tried growing things like carrots or similar veggies this way.

 

We tried carrots and radishes on the end of one bale last year and they did quite well. I think they would have flourished if they had more room. A friend of mind had great luck with potatoes.

 

Good to hear. Planted from seeds? When you say room do you mean there were too many plants per bale? How did they plant the potatos?

 

We started with the seeds for the radishes and carrots...then thinned them as they came up. We had already planted green peppers in one bale. We had some free space at the front edge of the bale and thought we'd try the radish and carrots, but it turned out they were too close to the edge of the bale, and so, had we planted them in their own bale, I think we would have had a better yield.

I didn't go into great detail about the potatoes, however, I believe you just plant them the same way, and because they get bigger, I would think you would leave plenty of room for growth.

 

Join me on my Face Book Straw Bale Garden page

Thought I'd create a Face Book page for any fans of bale gardening.

Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Straw...g-no-hoeing-no-tilling/106143169423324?ref=nf

Share it with your other FB friends.

 

This is how they look so far.Does the frame look ok?
How soon will the bales be heating up due to the composting process? So far they still feel cool to the touch.
Thanks!

 

Annette, based on the amount of wheat grass that's sprouted, you've probably already gone through the "heat" process.

You've still got a few weeks, anyway, before it's time to plant unless it's a cold-weather plant.

The plywood looks like it's untreated, so it will probably be fine for this season, but will probably have to be replaced next year. No biggie.

 

Thanks Kent!