I am thrilled to report that my straw bale garden yielded some extremely great vegetables! If you check out Part I of my short article, you know that I selected straw bale gardening so that the garden soil might be conditioned and changed this year. I am grateful that, after the disastrous very first year of gardening, development has been made!As with every
gardening approach, there are “benefits” and “disadvantages” (to use a play on plant life for pros and cons). Here are the important things I found out about the straw bale approach.The upsides of
straw bale gardening
Weeding is nearly removed in straw bale gardening. The bales I had were directly from our farm fields, so I didn’t have lawns and weeds that others have obviously discovered in commercially bought straw bales. This is a real time-saver when trying to balance various summer activities while maintaining a garden.The height of the
bale makes it similar to raised beds so it’s simple to plant and harvest. This is no little thing when age makes bending and kneeling a bit more challenging.Since straw keeps water, it’s simple to keep plants hydrated, specifically later on in the summer. Considering that water in straw bales tends to saturate the bottom of the bale, as the plant roots grow longer throughout the summer, you don’t always require to water daily in the hottest summer season weeks.The roots of the plants develop themselves rapidly and easily in the relative looseness and airiness of the bales, specifically in contrast to the heavy clay soil which is characteristic of the soil in my area. Essential, I delighted in lots of delicious meals from my garden and that is the very best” upside”of all! There aren’t enough excess veggies to bring me through
the winter season, as the leaders managed to do, but that will be next year’s goal. One step at a time!The disadvantages of straw bale gardening Over the course of the 12 days of conditioning the bales, mushrooms start sprouting from the bales. The mushrooms are a sign that the bales are composting, making nitrogen and other nutrients readily available for plants
. For numerous weeks after conditioning is complete and the vegetables have been planted, the mushrooms, called inkpot mushrooms, continue to appear. In “Straw Bale Gardens Complete,”author Joel Karsten says that the mushrooms, though not edible, are safe to the plants and to simply plant veggies amongst them. I discovered, however that the inkpots, aptly named for their wet, black underside, leave black, dark spots on the vegetable leaves.Leaves that brush against these inkpots began looking less green and more unhealthy. (Another reason for the name being apropos is the mushrooms leave dark black all over your hands and clothing need to you brush against it.) I weeded out the mushrooms– the one weeding task I did have for a couple of weeks. As the veggie plants became more established and taller, the inkpot mushrooms disappeared.The first week after planting vegetables, I noticed gnats increasing from the bales. This, too, according to Karsten is regular and not of concern. Nevertheless, the gnats delighted in the young, green foliage of the plants. I wasn’t about to surrender my fruit and vegetables to the flies! 2 applications of Neem Oil Max, two weeks apart, fixed this problem in my favor.When planting the veggies in the bales, I pounded holes and added gardening soil with a slow-release fertilizer in each hole before planting. While the plants developed themselves perfectly in this soil, I did find it essential to fertilize regularly to ensure a great, continuing balance of nutrients as the plants grew.Following instructions would have assisted One concern I
encountered could have been avoided had I followed the guidance of Joel Karsten in the book pointed out above. At the end of each row of 4 or five bales, Karsten encouraged pounding in fence posts and after that running wire throughout the bales in between the posts. The first wire ought to be 10″from the top of the bale and after that every 10″apart to the just below the top of the fence post. Throughout the summer season, my straw bales ultimately got”mushy” and sort of”compressed down.”The weight of the growing plant was in some cases too heavy to hold up against the sinking bale and the plant” drooped. “Had I strung the wire in between bales as instructed, this problem would have been avoided. Prepared garden compost As the growing season comes to an end, I have the bales that served as the planting bed for my garden ready to be integrated into the garden soil. They have the nutrients to enhance the soil and loosen the heavy clay. While I will plant some of my garden in the soil next year, I prepare to integrate it with straw bale gardening. There are specific veggies, such as eggplant, lettuce and green peppers, that grew well in the straw bales, so I prepare to continue exploring this approach.Meanwhile, I end the summertime sensation that possibly my thumb
is getting greener.Joyce Konieczny is a Master Gardener with the Ohio State University Extension Workplaces in Sandusky and Ottawa counties.