Straw Bale Garden Update, and Some Garden Cuteness
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Lovesuniqueon Jul 27, 2018Those "crows" are the only crows I would want in my garden! Super cute idea.
Debbie Harrison Jul 28, 2018Thanks. They are fun.
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Garfieon Mar 17, 2019I, also, do hay bale gardening. Since starting this type of growing, I have had much more success than with dirt gardening. Last harvest, I got 100 lbs. sweet potatoes from the small amount of heirlooms I planted. Add to that the fact that much of the previous year's crop remained unharvested. I assumed the growth left behind would freeze off, die off, and contribute to the composting process. Boy, was I wrong. Besides getting a lot of potatoes, their size came into play. On average, a single sweet potato weighed between 4.25 # to 8.0#. One tater made a casserole for 6 people. I also grew some "circus" sweet potatoes. You know, the freak show variety. One potato was a triple tuber on a single neck/stem which was about 1" in diameter. The triple tater's total weight was 28.6 pounds. Several smaller taters weighed in at 6 - 8.4 pounds a piece. Needless to say, I was proud of those potatoes. Contributing to the success of last season's garden was I only plant heirloom varieties and I only use composed hay. One month before planting season, I clean rake the hay and place it for planting. I fertilize it with a broadcast of 10-10-10. (Why? That's what the pecan trees must have to produce larger nuts.) I won't ever go back to dirt gardening. I no longer get dirty, I don't have to crawl around on the ground, and when the potatoes are ready, I don't have to dig them. I simply get hold of one vine and pull. Up, out of the hay pops orangish, clean potatoes with flavor you can taste the moment they're out of the ground. I am elderly and hay bale gardening has made it possible for me to continue gardening. I love the projects I find online at HomeTalk and Pinterest. WHENEVER I FIGURE OUT HOW TO POST PICTURES FROM MY CELL PHONE TO HOMETAKE, I HAVE POTATOES PICTURES TO SHARE.
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Michelleon Aug 25, 2019What does it mean to ‘clean rake’ the hay? How do you do that if it is in bales? This is so interesting ... would love to see your set up when you master the picture thing. Great story! —Michelle
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Super great idea. Are these really weaker hoses you put on the straw bales? Or do they spray - would that be enought water for the plants? I just love this idea.
They are called soaker hoses. You can get them anywhere and the water just sweats out of them into the soil. It was really interesting and a lot of fun.
Yes I typed in soaker hoses. Darn spell check. What I was asking was they appear to be on the straw bales not the ground. Is that enough water for the plants? Super great idea and I LOVE your markers. Putting that on my honey do list.
If your garden area is in a lot of shade, consider what to plant. There are some things that do well in the shade, or with less sun. I planted sweet potatoes at the end of my driveway in an area that was about 6 feet square and it didn't get much sun during the day, maybe about 3 hours. I had enough sweet potatoes to feed an army out of that area and I'd never attempted to grow them before. So trial and error. Can't hurt to try! I wish I had a flat area to garden but my property is all on a hill.
I am a bit confused - you say your planting in bails of straw or hay but I also see lots of bags of potting soil and garden soil. What are they for? Also where is your blog?
You plant specifically in bales of straw. You put soil on top of the bales. Then you either plant your seeds or your plants in that soil. The straw holds the water for longer periods of time and keeps your plants from ever drowning, while storing water for the use of the plant as needed. It was a very successful garden project.