Gardening

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts) Sun May 25, 2014, 10:43 PM May 2014

One of my gardening projects this year - investigating straw bale gardening

I've got 17 bales going - trying out tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cukes and melons....going to compare to container and traditional (in the ground) growing - effort, cost, disease incidence, yield, flavor.....using some controls.

What fun! As if I need another gardening project...

16 replies

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One of my gardening projects this year - investigating straw bale gardening (Original Post) NRaleighLiberal May 2014 OP

Straw bales like THIS? elleng May 2014 #1

Yes! You treat them for 12-18 days - adding a Nitrogen source and thoroughly watering... NRaleighLiberal May 2014 #4

Sounds interesting, elleng May 2014 #6

As I do it, I am assembling some lists - NRaleighLiberal May 2014 #8

What are those bags that the tomatoes in front ar growing in? femmocrat Jun 2014 #12

Hi there - they are grow bags, and we use them to develop the Dwarf growing tomatoes... NRaleighLiberal Jun 2014 #13

Thank you! femmocrat Jun 2014 #14

How does this work? Do you use soil in them, fertilizer, compost, ???? uppityperson May 2014 #2

I am checking out several ways... NRaleighLiberal May 2014 #7

I tried this with spuds one year but it didn't work, need to try again. uppityperson May 2014 #9

I'm trying out hydroponics for some of the same reasons Major Nikon May 2014 #3

great! NRaleighLiberal May 2014 #5

It looks interesting Curmudgeoness May 2014 #10

So far, so good - two weeks in and things are growing well in them! NRaleighLiberal May 2014 #11

What a great idea laundry_queen Jun 2014 #15

OK, it's nearly official - I've been asked by Storey to write a book on straw bale gardening... NRaleighLiberal Jun 2014 #16

elleng

(136,055 posts)

1. Straw bales like THIS?

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:49 PM

May 2014

at WV Capitol party, lots of people, and some of us sitting on these!

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

4. Yes! You treat them for 12-18 days - adding a Nitrogen source and thoroughly watering...

Reply to elleng (Reply #1)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:56 PM

May 2014

they start to break down internally - you open up a seam and seat the plant into it - essentially a form of raised bed gardening.

so far, so good!

elleng

(136,055 posts)

6. Sounds interesting,

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #4)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:57 PM

May 2014

looks great, and no messing with all that DIRT!!!

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

8. As I do it, I am assembling some lists -

Reply to elleng (Reply #6)

Sun May 25, 2014, 11:00 PM

May 2014

advantages/disadvantages/benefits/issues with the various options (bales/containers/dirt gardening).

Then there is hydroponics (as noted elsewhere in this thread)...but I will leave that to others (for the moment, anyway)....

femmocrat

(28,394 posts)

12. What are those bags that the tomatoes in front ar growing in?

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #4)

Sun Jun 1, 2014, 12:52 PM

Jun 2014

Do you leave them in there or transplant them?

Thanks!

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

13. Hi there - they are grow bags, and we use them to develop the Dwarf growing tomatoes...

Reply to femmocrat (Reply #12)

Sun Jun 1, 2014, 03:23 PM

Jun 2014

5 gallon, reusable - I get them from here

http://www.groworganic.com/plastic-nursery-grow-bags-5-gal.html

they are out of the white ones with handles, but the black plastic ones are fine - last for years....even given annual bleaching and detergent cleaning. Perfect for eggplant and peppers as well!

femmocrat

(28,394 posts)

14. Thank you!

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #13)

Sun Jun 1, 2014, 04:15 PM

Jun 2014

I quickly run out of space... those are great!

uppityperson

(115,870 posts)

2. How does this work? Do you use soil in them, fertilizer, compost, ????

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:50 PM

May 2014

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

7. I am checking out several ways...

Reply to uppityperson (Reply #2)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:58 PM

May 2014

and will let you know! (treating some using non-organic materials, organic materials, and some just using water - what fun - lots of data to process once all is said and done!)

uppityperson

(115,870 posts)

9. I tried this with spuds one year but it didn't work, need to try again.

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #7)

Sun May 25, 2014, 11:10 PM

May 2014

Good luck and it will be fun to see how it develops

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)

3. I'm trying out hydroponics for some of the same reasons

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:53 PM

May 2014

I'm not checking yields or trying to compare it with regular soil gardening. Rather I'm just doing it as a learning experience. Ultimately I'd like to have a climate controlled greenhouse and have production going year round.

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

5. great!

Reply to Major Nikon (Reply #3)

Sun May 25, 2014, 10:57 PM

May 2014

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)

10. It looks interesting

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Mon May 26, 2014, 08:17 PM

May 2014

and I love that you are going at this with a scientific approach. I know you will let us know what happens. I will be waiting to hear the results.

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

11. So far, so good - two weeks in and things are growing well in them!

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Sat May 31, 2014, 11:25 PM

May 2014

seeds planted in soilless mix added on the top have germinated

Sweet pepper in a bale

Indeterminate tomatoes in a bale in the driveway - these are Livingston's Favorite and Livingston's Golden Queen, both from the 1880s

Happy eggplant

Dwarf tomatoes in bales

laundry_queen

(8,646 posts)

15. What a great idea

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Wed Jun 4, 2014, 12:08 AM

Jun 2014

I've heard of using straw for container potatoes, but I suppose you could use it for anything. And then you don't need containers! lol (I hate buying/cleaning/storing containers).

NRaleighLiberal

(60,500 posts)

16. OK, it's nearly official - I've been asked by Storey to write a book on straw bale gardening...

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Original post)

Sun Jun 22, 2014, 08:55 PM

Jun 2014

hence my dive into trying it out!

So far so good!

I should be signing the contract within a few weeks....text due in December, book probably out next year.

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