Well, we got 12 inches of snow yesterday. So I guess it's winter! I'm going to finally type up a little garden journal here, with pictures and notes on what we did, what worked, what didn't. As best as I can remember.
* This is a long post. Sorry, but when I sit down to blog it's a rare thing and I'd sure better get it all out in one post. I fully realize it would have been smarter to go with my original plan and post throughout the year on garden topics, but hey - now it's all in one easy-to-find spot, right?
We of course started from scratch this year, it being our first growing season living in our little Projects. I first heard about Straw Bale Gardening at the home and garden show downtown (a quirky date perhaps but occasionly such an expo is just the thing in late winter for John and I). I was instantly intrigued, and one late night when I couldn't sleep, I started researching on my iPod while snuggled in bed in the dark.
The idea is to skip digging and tilling, and just plant directly into the bales. They need a few weeks in the elements before planting, so that the centers of the bales can start cooking and breaking down (so your seedling roots don't get fried, I guess). You can speed up the process with chemicals, but I chose to just give it a few weeks, keeping them moist by watering often. For good measure, I sprinkled with a little blood meal before planting, and added some bags of manure. I also added peat moss to the areas I wanted to sow seeds (green beans).
We've been using the Square Foot Gardening method for years now - pretty much since we got married and had our first garden together. I love that I was easily able to incorporate both methods so easily. They're kind of made for each other:
(Pictures taken July 4th)
Notes:
- It took about 30 bales to make six beds, roughly 4'x4' each (a little bigger but I figured they could be scrunched smaller later, if need be, after the straw had broken down more).
- The supports we used were temporary and will be upgraded next year. We tried to get by spending as little as possible this year, since we spent almost $100 just on the bales.
- We don't intend to buy new bales every year. It was just something new to try, and to avoid tilling. It would be too expensive, and also it was a little hard to find that many bales in the spring. I guess it's not a crop that many grow any more, thanks to soy and corn.
- I was concerned about the amount of sun this patch of yard gets, even though it's the sunniest spot. Ideal is at least 6 hours of full sun, but I'd say it gets more like 5, tops. We have a lot of big tall trees in the neighborhood, our yard included. However - the garden went
GANGBUSTERS
Seriously.
Early on I doubted, as growth seemed slow. That may have been due to wet weather and not enough sun? I can't remember for sure. I went to buy fertilizer for extra measure but the little hardware store I was at only had organic stuff in a HUGE bag that expired before I could possibly use it all. So, I bought Miracle Grow. [shudders] Boy that stuff WORKS though!
So, I don't know if it was the straw bales, the weather, that one or two applications of Miracle Grow, or what, but we sure had a successful year in the garden!
- Rabbits. Garden killers. Which makes us rabbit killers. Sorry, but there you have it. See that shed up in the top picture? Behind it is a nice patch of ground, perfect spot for peas and greens, as the amount of sun it gets decreases over the spring and summer. Also, rhubarb grows there. But UNDER the shed, well. Rabbit domain. As well as the neighbor's shed right behind it. Our area is rather known for being overrun. Needless to say, we lost a few beans, all but one cucumber, most of the annual flower seedlings I planted, and every last seedling behind the shed. While the war rages, we will have to come up with a better plan back there, or skip planting it with such delicacies all together.
- I started all my plants from seed this year. It's been 4 years or so since I've had the space to do that, and it's so fun!
Here's the list of what we planted, along with notes below it (copied from my Jung's order)
| 02531A | Parris Island Romaine Lettuce | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 05543A | Sonata Mix Cosmos | 1 @ $2.75 | $2.75 |
| 02815A | Dark Green Italian Parsley | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 08105A | Peppermint Stick Zinnias | 1 @ $2.45 | $2.45 |
| 03058A | Mariachi Hybrid Pepper | 1 @ $3.45 | $3.45 |
| 03588A | Superpik Hybrid Squash | 1 @ $2.65 | $2.65 |
| 00747A | Sweet Million Hyrid Tomato | 1 @ $2.55 | $2.55 |
| 06136A | Moonwalker Sunflower | 1 @ $2.45 | $2.45 |
| 08736a | Candy Mountain Mix Foxglove | 1 @ $2.75 | $2.75 |
| 00842A | Yellow Pear Tomato | 1 @ $2.35 | $2.35 |
| 02371A | Italian Large Leaf Basil | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 02015A | County Fair Hybrid Cucumber | 1 @ $2.15 | $2.15 |
| 07017A | Giant Climbing Mix Nasturtiums | 1 @ $2.25 | $2.25 |
| 02515A | Buttercrunch Lettuce | 1 @ $1.85 | $1.85 |
| 02590A | Salad Bowl Looseleaf Lettuce | 1 @ $1.85 | $1.85 |
| 00029A | Amish Paste Tomato | 1 @ $2.35 | $2.35 |
| 02887A | Sugar Daddy Pea | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 00112A | Brandywine Tomato | 1 @ $2.35 | $2.35 |
| 02400A | Chives | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 06572A | Heavenly Blue Morning Glory | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 02411A | Calypso Cilantro | 1 @ $1.95 | $1.95 |
| 53239X | Special Dome /Tray /Prefill Offer | 1 @ $23.95 | $23.95 |
| 03425A | Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach | 1 @ $1.75 | $1.75 |
| 00806A | Wayahead Tomato | 1 @ $2.35 | $2.35 |
* If you want a lovely, prolific, somewhat spicey (hot but not too hot) pepper, Mariachi is for you! You can pick it yellow, orange, or red. I'm not sure but I felt like the riper, redder ones were spicier. I would say the heat is a lot like a jalapeno, only maybe a bit less spicey. And possibly more prolific - definitely prettier! I don't think I'll grow more next year, since I have enough in my freezer to last a while (I mostly like them for making salsa). Next year I'll do something much milder like banana peppers.
* I discovered we're not as big of fans of yellow summer squash, as we are of good old fashioned zucchini. And probably one plant is enough.
* The 'Sweet Million' hybrid cherry tomatoes were prolific enough but not particularly sweet enough for me.
* Yellow Pear tomatoes were vastly prolific, but we found them a bit mealy as the season went on, and the flavor was pretty...meh. If you want to try for yourself, I'll send you the rest of my seeds! Who knows, maybe it was the particular growing conditions or something.
* Are all paste/roma type tomatoes kind of bland? These were HUGE but nothing special. (I'm kind of noticing a theme with the tomatoes here so maybe it was NOT just the variety, but we did have a couple winners)
* Wayahead Tomato lived up to it's name as an early producer, and the small fruits were quite good.
* Brandywine - well, you know. Delicious. But everybody knows that.
* One cucumber plant was definitely enough. Unless I wanted to make baby pickles. But I'm good.
That's about all I have to say, since I already mentioned none of the greens or flowers made it past seedlings.
Early September produce
These pictures were taken September 20th. You can see the bed ShermyPup chose to trample. But you will also notice how completely flattened the bales could get by now!
The tomatoes grew taller than our supports - taller than me. At one point I thought I'd try keeping them pruned, but they would have none of it.
After we'd cleaned everything up in the fall, John framed the beds to make the raised for next year (when we'll add some compost on top of the old straw).
That's all I can think of for now. Next year will be an adventure as we attempt to landscape the front yard, and hopefully add more to the back as well.
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