Straw Bale Gardening Conditioning Chart
Days 1 3 and 5.
Straw bale gardening conditioning chart. By planning and preparing in advance conditioning the bales and choosing the right plants you can build a solid basis to start growing and harvesting your own fruits and vegetables from straw bales this season. Watering Straw Bale Gardens. Straw bale gardening conditioning chart.
More suited to cooler climates where the straw bales will take longer to start breaking down. Considering this done you have to pull out a pot-sized area of straw. To build a straw bale garden you will need space in your yard that receives bright full sun.
Position the bale so the side with the cut ends of the straw is facing up for easier conditioning. The following is an at-a-glance chart of the conditioning. Water the new bales thoroughly and keep them wet for 3 days.
Photo by Scott Sherrill-Mix. Apply 12 cup of nitrogen 34-0-0 or ammonium nitrate 46-0-0 and water thoroughly. 104362 likes 106 talking about this.
Reducing the amount of fertilizer per bale by half sprinkle top of bale with ¼ cup of urea 46-0-0 each day. This year was our first year for growing things in straw bales. No more lime is required.
Read my list of Straw Bale Gardening pros and cons before you grow your vegetables and fruit. The video above does a good job of demonstrating the basic steps of conditioning a straw bale. This is done to start the inside of the straw bales composting so theyll support plant growth.
Check soil temperature it should be only slightly warm. How to plant in a straw bale. Keeping the bales moist is very important.
12 3 water bales thoroughly. Learn to Grow a Straw Bale Garden Roseville Minnesota. At the end of the season your straw bales will be filled with water fertilizer soil.
On day one spread fertilizer over the top of the bale. Full sun is defined as six or more hours a day of bright direct sunlight. If you like to get your hands dirty right away continue to chapter 2 for the complete.
It can be set. I really didnt know what to expect so I was very pleased when I saw how well things grow in. Dont miss watching this informative video.
Make sure you use straw. To sign up for a Straw Bale Gardening class or to order a Guide to Straw Bale Gardening please visit. I repurposed a large spice container.
Before you plant vegetables or flowers in a straw bale you first of all have to condition the bale a process more fully described in this article This is basically preparing the bale by feeding it with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer lawn fertilizer is best for about 3-4 weeks prior to planting. The straw bale ready for conditioning. Water the straw bales as needed or put a soaker hose around the plants on the bales.
Its inexpensive usually well under 10. Straw bales get nasty. Water each bale thoroughly after application of fertilizer to hasten decomposition.
Per bale sprinkle top evenly with ½ cup of urea 46-0-0 each day. Once the bales have been watered they will be very heavy so be sure they are situated where you want them As the inside of the bales begins to decompose they will start to warm up. I wanted to make the maintenance of the bales as easy as possible so I set up an automatic watering system.
Although some vegetables such as lettuce and green beans can grow in partial shade most vegetables need full sunlight in order to thrive. This is part of the conditioning process. Straw bale gardening is easier on your back because you dont have to bend over to garden but if you have a bad back find someone with a strong back to help you move your straw bales into position otherwise you may further injure yourself.
Days 1 3 and 5. Now Straw Bale Gardening is super low maintenance except for the conditioning period. Use a ½ cup of a complete garden fertilizer or three cups of an organic fertilizer like Milorganite.
Plants Tomatoes Peppers Cucumber Squash How Many per Bale 2-3 4 4-6 2-4 Plants Zucchini Lettuce Strawberries Beans How Many per Bale 2-3 Per package directions 3-4 Per package directions. 789 ¼ cup urea per bale and water-in thoroughly. Although the interviewer does mistakenly say hay.
Days 2 4 and 6. 456 ½ cup urea per bale and water-in thoroughly. In order to jump start the decomposition process you have to treat your straw bales with some form organic or non-organic of high nitrogen fertilizer.
When the bales are in place you are ready to start the conditioning process. Water the bales without feeding keeping them damp. Sprinkle 3 cups of organic nitrogen-rich fertilizer on each bale and water them well ensuring the fertilizer disappears inside the bale.
Day One to Six. The book explains and illustrates the how-tos of this innovative method of growing vegetables herbs and flowers. Then completely moisten the bale.
As soon as moisture hits the bale it will start to decompose and the inside will heat right up definitely not a good thing for. Last month I reviewed Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten. When it comes to thrifty versatile ways to garden its hard to beat gardening using a bale of straw.
