BYC gardening thread!!

[roseyred]

Anybody else trying straw bale gardening? We have planted five. Tomatoes, zukes, cukes, peppers and various herbs, so far.

Explain? Could you use hay?

 

[whoop whoop]

Plant very definitely INDIGO poisonous to mammals

 

[Arielle]

Arielle, How far above the top of your seedlings is your grow light? I use standard flourescent bulbs, and aim to keep the bulbs about 1/2" above the plants. Sometimes, the plants are touching the bulbs before I get around to raising the bulbs again. Temp also plays a role. But, with the close bulb setting, my plants (when I use my grow light set up) are nice and stocky. I also hit them with epsom salts several times in the seedling stage.

The light starts at 6-8 inches above. The tomatos grew up to the light then started growing past the light, which I thought was weird, as they were trying to go to the side of the light and then heading up-over the metal sheild. Instead of growing to hit the bulb. Odd really.

How much epsoms do you feed??? And what dilution. DO you continue once in the ground??

 

[TheMallons]

Explain? Could you use hay?

Hi, Rosey.
Yes, some people use hay bales, tho they contain more seeds and generally result in more weeding, which the use of straw pretty much eliminates.
You set the bales on their edge, cut sides up, and water them for ten days or so. Most people condition them by watering in blood meal or composted manure. Then, plant your plants directly into the straw. I used a fertilized soil to give the roots a good start.
Lay a soaker hose across the top of the bales, and your garden pretty much takes care of itself.

 

[CherMoz]

If the chickens had not torn apart my straw bales, I was going to do some planting in them.

 

[KentuckyMom]

@Arielle
Here is a helpful article about the Epsom salts- http://www.harvesttotable.com/2012/08/epsom-salt-tomato-and-pepper-growing/

 

[roseyred]

Hi, Rosey.
Yes, some people use hay bales, tho they contain more seeds and generally result in more weeding, which the use of straw pretty much eliminates.
You set the bales on their edge, cut sides up, and water them for ten days or so. Most people condition them by watering in blood meal or composted manure. Then, plant your plants directly into the straw. I used a fertilized soil to give the roots a good start.
Lay a soaker hose across the top of the bales, and your garden pretty much takes care of itself.

Hell yeah! That sounds easy enough. I wonder how it'd work with potatoes. Would make harvesting easier

 

[dan26552]

Hell yeah! That sounds easy enough. I wonder how it'd work with potatoes. Would make harvesting easier

I grow potatoes in pine straw, it'd probably work pretty well

 

[TheMallons]

Hell yeah! That sounds easy enough. I wonder how it'd work with potatoes. Would make harvesting easier

I have heard mixed things about root crops, and I would research that further if I were you. But I have back pain when I have to do constant bending, so having my garden at knee height is much better!

 

[lazy gardener]

The light starts at 6-8 inches above. The tomatos grew up to the light then started growing past the light, which I thought was weird, as they were trying to go to the side of the light and then heading up-over the metal sheild. Instead of growing to hit the bulb. Odd really.

How much epsoms do you feed??? And what dilution. DO you continue once in the ground??

Next time, try setting your flats so the light is almost touching the soil. then, as the plants grow, increase the distance, only as needed, so the light is about 1/2 to 1 inch away from the top leaves. I use shop lights, 2 sets of 2 bulbs to cover trays placed so narrow end is facing out. There is light over all the plants that way. Maybe your bulbs are getting old. KM's article on epsom salt is excellent. I don't have any specific amount I use, but her article is a good resource.

Hell yeah! That sounds easy enough. I wonder how it'd work with potatoes. Would make harvesting easier

The easiest way to grow potatoes is to set them in or on the ground, and then hill them with flakes of hay. Remember that they will set tubers a fair distance from the plant, depending on variety. The goal would be to have the flakes end up at least 6" deep by the time potatoes are flowering. More is better. If any light reaches the tubers, it will ruin them. I use hay bales for hay bale gardening, but prefer to plant in the soil, and mulch with hay. If it's deep enough, it doesn't matter much about the seeds, as they won't sprout on the top, and the top keeps the light away from the lower regions where they would sprout. IMO, too much watering required for traditional hay bale gardening. But, for the small application, or for the person who has a hard time getting to ground level, it's an excellent option. Remember to condition your bales well before planting. Inoculate them with a good fertilizer, and particularly a good source of nitrogen (there are several cheap or free liquid options available). The bale will heat up to around 130*, then the temp will drop. When it gets down below 100, it's ready to top off with soil and plant.