2nd Year Bales -- YIPPEE!!!

I am early into my 2nd year of using straw bales for gardening.  I LOVE IT!!!

I am using my bales again (new last year) for this year's garden.  They are not as pretty/pristine/tight as they were last growing season, but that is fine...actually preferable in some ways:

• They don't need to be conditioned ("cooked") like new bales do.
• They are much easier to plant in...the straw separates easily to get plants deep in the straw.
• They tend to hold water better.

I still plan on watering very frequently and fertilizing some, but this year's gardening will be much less work...and I use "work" lightly here...gardening in a straw bale is so much easier than soil-based methods.

Since I quit blogging last year in early June -- I was so busy enjoying my harvests!!! -- I should make a few comments about what I learned from last year:

• I tried to cram too many veggies into my bales.  I read a lot and tried following guidelines as best as I could.  But I fudged a bit and thought I could squeeze an extra plant or two in here and there.  Don't.  These veggies grow so well...but they need the space and sun to thrive.  Putting in too many veggies blocks off sunlight to ones behind them.  My Mom always used to say, "Plant zaggered!"  That meant to zig-zag planting so one plant would not completely block out the plant behind it.  And I did that...but with too many thriving plants, zaggered doesn't help much. Spread things out like various reading sources suggest...and maybe give everything an inch or two more.  I was overly ambitious and optimistic.  I have no regrets.  It was a learning year and most things did extremely well.  And in my 4 "salsa bales" out front...it was no big deal.  My tomatoes were the "back" plants...peppers next...herbs in front.  Fabulous!


• Don't have high expectations if you don't get 6-8 hours or more of sun.  If you have shade trees, morning-only exposure, or buildings that block late morning or afternoon sun, be prepared for lack-luster growth. 
  
  My 4 bales that were in my back yard started off like gangbusters.  But that's while the trees were still relatively lightly leaved.  When they became heavily-leaved (particularly from the trees on the west side of my house), I lost a lot of light.  My strawberries did very well, but they were early-bearers.  My peas and beans did fine, too.  But my bell peppers, cucumbers, and assorted squash never did much.  We had such a hard winter that my strawberries froze out...regretably.  They were so good last year!  So I'm just going to plant 6 tomato plants out there.  They will do fine...and I will definitely use the extra tomatoes.
  
  My 2 bales on the far side of my garage were a waste.  Even though they were south facing, the lilac bush in front of them (plus mature oak and pine trees on west side) blocked too much south and afternoon (west) sun.  Also...because they were under the eaves of the garage roof, they didn't get as much rain as would have been optimal.  I still watered quite frequently...but the combination of low light and not as much rain water -- I think -- doomed them.
  
  My 2 bales in front next to the front porch did fine, even though they are also next to a wall and had a roof-line eaves over them.  BUT...they got full-day sun and seemed to get more rain water than the ones by the garage.  I had zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes there.  All thrived.
  
• Sticking clumping flowers in the sides of the bales is a nice aesthetic touch!  I used impatiens and begonias and they were so lovely.
  
• ALL my herbs did fantastically well.  That is the thing I'm most excited about again this year.  I was able to have fresh and home-grown dried herbs all year-round.  Still using on some from last year!

Overall, this is an endeavor WELL WORTH the effort.  I am so happy that I discovered this last spring and plan to do this each year in the foreseeable future.

Here are some pix from my 2014 (2nd year) bales.

Front Yard -- By Front Porch.  Zucchini and yellow squash...plus a
few random green onions that survived in a peat pot over the winter.

Front Yard -- West Side of Garage/Driveway.  Giving this spot another shot
even though I don't expect it to produce much...if anything.  Zucchini,
yellow squash, and eggplant.  It may be hard to tell, but these bales are
far less decomposed than all my other ones.

Front Yard -- Large Flower Bed.  My 4 "Salsa Bales"...4 roma tomatoes,
1 cherry tomato, 2 hot peppers, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, dill,
sage, oregano, stevia.

You can see in this last picture what a toll the severe winter took on my shrubs.  I need to have 4 shrubs taken out, plus one pine tree.

I will add a photo of my 4 backyard bales when I get tomatoes planted there.

Then & Now

Here are some "Then & Now" pix.  April 5th & June 5th

Front Yard -- By Porch & Sidewalk -- April 5th

 

Front Yard -- By Porch & Sidewalk -- June 5th

Front Yard -- By Porch & Sidewalk:  The veggies growing in these two bales are doing very well...good size and strong.  Bales have Brandywine tomatoes, zucchini, and summer squash (all are blossoming at this point).  Dianthus and begonias on sides of bales for color.  Three "extra" tomatoes are planted in the small flowerbed in front of the bales.  They also have lots of blossoms, and a couple of pea-sized tomatoes.  All of the tomatoes are inside cages, and I've tied them to the cages a couple of times for added support as they grow.

Front Yard -- By Garage -- April 5th

Front Yard -- By Garage -- June 5th

Front Yard -- By Garage:  I have no idea why, but the veggies in these two bales are not doing well.  They seem to get plenty of sunlight, but perhaps not as much as the ones by the front porch.  There is a big lilac bush a few feet in front of them, but that doesn't seem to block any morning sun...then by mid-late afternoon, the sun is past the lilac bush.  The bales get daily watering and bi-weekly fertilizer (like all the other bales).  I have had to replace squash and zucchini in these bales (froze out or just too fragile), and the Early Girl tomato plants are still small, compared to those planted in my other bales.  The only things thriving are the dianthus and begonias planted on the side.

Front Yard -- In Large Flowerbed -- April 5th

Front Yard -- In Large Flowerbed -- June 5th

Front Yard -- In Large Flowerbed.  My four Salsa Bales!  Thriving, hot, going crazy!  Ay-yi-yi!!!  All the tomatoes (romas, grape, and cherry) are tall and strong, blossoming and bearing small tomatoes.  I have staked all these tomatoes...I used the metal cages with the tomatoes next to the house, because these green stakes next to my light brick would really stand out, and I didn't want that.  The peppers (banana, jalapeno, and cayenne) are hardy, all putting out small peppers.  The herbs in front are delicious: basil, dill, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and stevia.  We have trimmed what we need for cooking frequently.  So good!  There are also two eggplants on the far edge of these bales...they've grown some, but are not starting to trail yet.  

Back Yard -- April 5th

Back Yard -- June 5th

Back Yard:  Veggies (and strawberries!!!) in these four bales are thriving.  We have enjoyed a few strawberries every day for over a week now (small but very sweet), peas have grown to the top of the netting and are blossoming, green beans have climbed about a foot (on ends, and the cucumber plants (started late from seed) are strong and about to climb.  Front-right bale has eight strawberry plants, and runners are starting to go to the other bales.  Next year, I will use all four of these bales for strawberries, and put 8-12 straw bales for veggies at the far back side of my yard (next to privacy fence) to get even more sun than this location.  Occupying the other bales (in addition to the peas, beans, and cucumbers) are red and green bell peppers, kale, leaf lettuce, eggplant, acorn squash, cilantro, oregano, and basil.  I'm not seeing much growth on the eggplant and acorn squash plants, but they're strong...so I'll just give them time.

Update on Gourds 

I have done a little gourd work since my last post.  I've been so busy at work (recital was last weekend and took most of Friday/Saturday/Sunday), so I haven't had much time.  But since I promised pictures, here are the first two I've finished...both are candle holders.

I engraved southwestern Indian petroglyphs on this gourd...a shaman and a deer.  It is rimmed with Colorado pine needles.  I didn't have the glass candle holder in the gourd for this photo.
 












This gourd doesn't have any engraving, but since it is also a candle holder (glass container and candle burning inside), I drilled holes around the gourd to let light from the candle come through.  A stone bear fetish is glued on the gourd.  It is rimmed with grapevine.  I turned the lights down for this shot.

Just Waiting...and Fertilizing

We're now at a point where we're just waiting for our veggies and herbs to grow.  I still have about two dozen seedlings of good size...mostly peppers, cucumbers, and summer squash.  I planted more squash seeds because some of the others I planted in the straw bales haven't made it.  Maybe it was the Mother's Day night cold snap, or maybe they're just fragile. Even though I only planted four in my front yard bales, I want to keep several seedlings around in case I have to replace more.

Several of our strawberries have ripened, but some culprit has made off with most of them. So I bought some netting to put over them...hope that keeps them safe.

Eau de Fish Emulsion

On Tuesday, May 28th, Dad and I fertilized again with fish emulsion.  That stuff sure is disgustingly potent!  We mix about 2 Tbs. with a jug of water...one jug for each bale...and put it on every two weeks.  I can't stand the smell, but we want to stay organic as best we can.  It is a very gentle "no-burn" fertilizer (5-1-1), and is recommended highly.  I dread every other Tuesday -- our fertilizing day.

All the veggies are looking great, but I am particularly excited about my herbs.  I bought a book to see if I can determine when I can start using them.  They looked ready to use when I bought them -- and they're growing well -- so I don't know if I should let them continue to grow or start using/drying/freezing.

When I checked the seedlings that were still in one of my greenhouse trays, the squash were getting pretty big, so I went ahead and put three in bales by the garage (replaced one and added two more) and two in the bales by the front porch.  I was only going to have two summer squash, two zucchini, and two tomato plants on each set of bales.  That's what was recommended as far as spacing...but I am going to be guilty of over-planting.  Live and learn.

My next post will have some "now/then" comparison collages of each of the straw bale locations, along with drawings on graph paper of each bale's veggies.  Even though I showed a proposed layout plan on my April 22nd post, these will be more legible and detailed.  The early plan was pretty-much spot-on...there were a few adjustments...and, perhaps, some over-planting here and there.

Because we are done with everything now except watering and fertilizing, I've decided to reclaim a long-lost hobby -- gourd crafting.  OK, don't laugh.  About 18 years ago, when a friend asked if I would go with her to the "World's Largest Gourd Show," an annual event held in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, I laughed...a lot!  But I went.  And I fell in love with gourds that were made into bowls and vases and were stained to show the gourds' natural burled richness. Envision burled walnut...that's what a wood-stained gourd looks like.

The burled look comes from mold.  As gourds dry after harvesting, the outer "skin" molds as moisture is leaving the shell and inside the gourd.  The gourd continues to dry and harden over the winter, and the first step of crafting them is to wash off the dried skin in warm water. 

Some of the gourds I liked at the "World's Largest Gourd Show" had southwestern Indian petroglyphs (primitive cave drawings) or other natural decoration.  Nothing garish.  Oh, there was plenty of garish stuff there -- painted gourds made into penguins and ducks, table lamps, snowmen and jack-o-lanterns and other weirdness...but that's not what grabbed me.

Southwestern Gourd Art
(not my work...I'll post some pix of mine soon.)

I bought a couple dozen dried gourds and -- like any other number of activities that capture my attention -- I dove deeply into the craft.  I made bowls (some with lids, some open) and birdhouses.  The bowls often were functional -- holding potpourrie or glass-held candles. 

Sometimes I engraved petroglyphs into the gourd, but most often, I just stained them and let them show their natural beauty.  If I didn't use the top of the gourd, I always finished off the rim of the bowl with a wrap of long pine needles, grape vine, raffia, or jute.  

The gourd bowl shown above is just something I found online -- it's not my work -- but of the ones I saw, probably most resembles the simple work I do.  Some of the "southwestern look" gourds are very elaborate -- with colored stains and/or paint, intricate carving, and other accents (such as feathers, stones, and Indian animal fetishes).

When I make a birdhouse, I generally don't do anything to them, other than drill a hole for the birds to get in and small drainage holes on the bottom, and add a perch.  Birds really like gourd birdhouses.  I have quite a few wooden birdhouses in my back yard, but birds really seem to go for the gourds first.
 
I made the birdhouse shown here a few days ago and hung it in the back yard.

Big boxes with my gourds and plastic storage tubs with my crafting supplies were in the garage and basement.  It's been fun pulling everything out and seeing all the gourds I still have, plus the drills, stains, rim wraps, and other decorative accents.  

I used to sell my gourds.  I had a website way back in the early days of the world-wide-web -- White River GourdWorks -- and four stores sold my gourds, one in downtown Indianapolis, one in Castleton, one in Muncie, and one in Florida.  As I mentioned above, that all started 18 years ago.  I don't sell gourds now...but I will gladly make them as gifts for friends and family.
 

Final Touches...and DONE!

Mother's Day was chilly outside, but sunny.  Even though I couldn't plant flowers for fear of overnight frost, I just couldn't stay inside all day, so I weeded and mulched the flowerbed on the west side of the driveway where I have two straw bales next to the garage.  My lilac bush in the flowerbed dominates everything there, but it is lovely...at least for a few weeks of the spring.

A Lilac Bouquet

Monday, I did some work outside:  planted 15 geraniums next to the front yard sidewalk, then raked and weeded next to the east side of the house.  I have low shrubs, hostas, and other shade-loving perennials there...and I put in three kale seedlings.  There are several more, but they need to grow a little more before transplanting. That area will get 4-6 hours of sun, but not the afternoon heat that (I read) would make kale (a "winter crop") bitter.  I want lots of kale, so I'm happy to make that east planting area productive, instead of just pretty.

Tuesday was fertilizer day.  We hadn't applied any fertilizer since the end of the bale cooking/conditioning process...that was April 20th.  But now that all the veggies and herbs are planted, it's time to give them a nutrient boost.  Because I'm trying to keep everything organic, I'm using fish emulsion -- 2 Tb.+/- with each gallon of water.  If I thought there was an "ick" factor using Dad's pee as our high-nitrogen, organic fertilizer when we were first cooking the straw bales, that was NOTHING compared to the sludge that is fish emulsion...charcoal grey goo that smells AWFUL!!!  I gave up measuring it.  I just shook up the container, poured some goo into our pee jug, and Dad filled it with water from the hose.  I used at least a jug on each bale.  It even smelled worse when it was diffused with the water.  We'll fertilize with it every two weeks...if I can stand it. 

Dinner Plate Hibiscus
(last summer)

Wednesday was another flower-planting day.  I put the remaining geraniums I had, plus some dianthus and celosia, in front of my lilac bush.  I have three dinner plate hibiscus -- one on each side of the lilac bush and one in front of it -- that will start sending up bushy stalks in a few weeks, so I planted in front of them.  The huge hibiscus blooms won't pop, though, until mid-late July/August.  There are lilies, coneflowers, yarrow, and other perennials throughout the flowerbed -- plus the newly-planted annuals -- that will be providing color long before the hibiscus. 

Thursday morning, I cut holes in the front side of the straw bale by our front porch and put the same dianthus/begonia rows there.  

And you know what?  WE'RE DONE!!!

West-Side Front Flowerbed and Straw Bales -- DONE!
Woody hibiscus stalks from last year poking through.

Dianthus and Begonias Decorate Front of Straw Bales 
They're a little droopy right now, but should perk up in a day or two.

Front (next to porch) Flowerbed and Straw Bales  -- DONE! 
Memory stone in front of bird bath was given to me after Mom died in August, 2011.
I have three "extra" tomato plants in front of the birdbath,
and moved the "extra" summer squash to the west-side bale
(one over there didn't make it...frost maybe?)
Stonecrop and lilies of the valley line the sidewalk behind the flowerbed.

Dianthus and Begonias Decorate Front and Sides of Straw Bales

Straw Bales Behind Shrubs in Largest Front Flowerbed -- DONE!
I think of all my straw bales, I'm most excited about these.
Maybe it's because they're my "secret straw bales" (hidden from view from the street)
or because I love what's planted there -- with the exception of two eggplants,
it's all tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.  SALSA just waiting to be canned!  YUM!!!

Back Yard Straw Bales -- DONE!
Six acorn sqaush planted in sides of bales. 
As we've been doing "spring clean-up" raking, we've piled leaves
around the straw bales to cushion the eggplant and squash vines.

 Now it's time to watch everything grow! 

 

Countdown to Mother's Day

This past Wednesday, I went to Arbor Farms Nursery and Do It Best Hardware to look for herbs.  I found everything I wanted except catnip.  I will check at other stores when I can.  I sure don't want to start it from seed!  All I know is that with our feline family members, catnip is a MUST!

Arbor Farms was really busy, as expected.  The weather here has just been beautiful, and a lot of folks are planting early. The nursery was just getting its annuals and veggies in this week, and I was pleased with the herb selection.  I got basil, cilantro, oregano, dill, rosemary, and stevia.  Yes...STEVIA!!!  I was so thrilled to see that.  I am very eager to try it in tea, my protein shakes, and lots more!  I also couldn't resist getting a beautiful hanging basket with pink verbena, white snowflake bacopa, and pink snowbell petunias...oh, also got a Boston fern.

At Do It Best, I bought begonias, alyssum, and dianthus (Sweet William) to put in the south-facing sides of the straw bales that are by the front porch and garage.  I checked through the inventory of veggies again -- I would like to get starts of acorn squash -- but didn't find any (there or Arbor Farms), so I picked up a 4-pack of butternut squash.  Also bought one cayenne pepper.  We are going to have SO MANY peppers!  I love it!!!   I bought a bag of hardwood mulch for the area in front of the birdbath where I planted the "extra" tomatoes and yellow squash.  I'll need more bags of mulch for the flowerbed on the west side of the garage (where I have two more straw bales), but that's all I could load on this trip.

Wednesday's Haul
Herbs, annuals for the sides of the front yard straw bales,
butternut squash, hanging basket, Boston fern, and mulch.

My Combo Beauty
Pink verbena, white snowflake bacoba, and pink snowbell petunias
make a gorgeous hanging basket for out front.

I got all the herbs -- plus the butternut squash and cayenne pepper -- planted on Thursday.  When I got home with everything on Wednesday, I read about growing butternut squash.  I was relieved to learn it vines up to 15 ft. instead of growing in a "hill" clump like zucchini or summer squash.  I don't know where I would have been able to put it if it didn't vine like the eggplants will.  As of now...I am OUT OF SPACE on my straw bales...except for the flowers on the sides of them. 

Front Yard:  Bales in Flowerbed Behind Shrubs -- DONE!
Herbs in front two rows.
Eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes fill the rest of the bales.

On Friday morning, I picked up my friend, Staci, and we did some "errand" shopping and lunch.  Our first stop was Menards.  Staci went one direction, and I headed all the way to the other end of the store -- to the lawn and garden section.  Still no catnip! 

The Watering Hole
This time, Mama Lucy is ponied up to the bar.
Just another reason I need heavy-duty catnip!

But I did find acorn squash -- HOORAY!!!  The young plants were big and sturdy, and they came in a 6-pack...which was fine, of course, but 2-3 healthy seedlings were in each section.  Since I was able to put most of my herbs on top of the front yard bales, I cut six holes in the front sides of the back yard bales and planted most of the seedlings there (2 seedlings/hole) and the rest on the ends of the bales.  These will also trail like the eggplant and butternut squash.  My original plan was to put one or two acorn squash plants in the side of one of the back bales -- so, obviously, I was a bit overwhelmed to come home with 16 seedlings! 

More Early Planting

With Dad helping and watering, I have done a lot of planting over the past week.  It has been, perhaps, a little warmer than is typically the case for late-April, early-May, making it 99.99% safe to plant before Mother's Day...and both of us have been eager to get things in and get things growing!  You saw in my last post that we got some strawberries planted, as well as "climbing" pole beans and peas.
I have enjoyed starting many of our vegetables from seeds inside.  However, I have not been happy with the herbs and green onions -- they are so frail when started from seed, making it difficult and (I imagine) time-consuming to thin and transplant to bigger containers.  Other snafus --  I mentioned earlier that my summer squash plants had shoots that snapped easily or were too frail to withstand the early "hardening" nights out.  And my first round of zucchini seeds did not germinate, so I'm trying again with a new package of seeds.  It's been a week -- still nothing popping through.  

But a remedy to my frustration came unexpectedly.  One day last week, I had to stop by the hardware store to pick up a sliding lock for our back-yard fence gate, and their young veggie plants had just been delivered that morning.  I think I was the first person in to check them out -- and I bought summer squash, zucchini, Romaine lettuce, five types of tomatoes (Brandywine, Early Girl, Roma, grape, and Sweet 100 cherry), red and green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, salsa peppers, eggplant, and thyme.  I didn't see some of the other herbs I wanted, but I will be stopping by Arbor Farms Nursery later this week.  My advice:  take a pass on starting herbs from seed.  My disappointment from wasting time and money on starting herb seeds is trumped by how healthy and strong the store-bought, young herbs look and how much farther along they are compared to my unidentifiable, thread-like herb seedlings.

As of today, April 7th, we are about done with planting.  I still need to get my banana peppers and four more kale plants in -- they are currently in the seedling bed, getting a little bigger before moving them to the straw.  And, of course, I'll plant more herbs as soon as I buy them.

Backyard Straw Bales DONE!!! 
Finished planting on April 6th (except for herbs on sides of bales).
Pole beans, peas, and cucumbers along back row (with trellis for vines).
Back bales (in front of beans/peas/cucumbers):  Green and red peppers,
eggplants, and Romaine lettuce: 
Front-left bale:  Kale (too small to see) and Romaine lettuce.
Front-right bale:  Strawberries.

Having read a couple of days ago that kale doesn't like a high-heat environment, I am changing plans on where to put the other four seedlings.  Instead of putting them on the south-most "front row" of the four bales behind my front flower bed shrubs (where the seedling pen is currently), I'm going to plant them on the east side of the house.  I have border shrubs and perennials there.  That side of the house gets good morning sun -- enough that the kale should do well there -- and be out of the hot, afternoon sun and heat.

So that kale will be ground-based, as will one extra yellow-squash plant and two Grape tomato plants -- extras that I separated when planting the others from their "4-pack" containers.  Today I emptied potting soil in front of the bird bath from several old hanging basket containers.  I planted the squash and tomatoes there.  I am curious to see which plants do better -- the ones in the straw bales or the ones in the ground!

Here are some pictures of the other straw bales on the front-side of the house to show you what things look like at this point:  

Front Yard:  Bales Behind Flowerbed Shrubs
Still keeping remaining seedlings there until bigger.
Back row:  Roma tomatoes
Next row:  One eggplant at edge (for trailing on ground), grape tomato,
Sweet 100 cherry tomato, jalapeno pepper, salsa pepper.
Front: Another eggplant at edge; thyme.
Since remaining kale will go on east side of house,
I'm putting other herbs on front edge with thyme.
Banana pepper seedlings will go behind herbs.

Front Yard:  Bales Beside Garage
Back Row:  Early Girl tomatoes and yellow squash..
Front Row:  Zucchini and yellow squash.
Herbs and flowers to be planted on sides.

Front Yard:  Bales Beside Front Porch
Back Row:  Brandywine tomatoes and yellow squash..
Front Row:  Zucchini and yellow squash.
Herbs and flowers to be planted on sides.

Front Yard:  Bales Beside Front Porch
Extra grape tomatoes and yellow squash planted in front of birdbath.
I also split off some young hostas and moved there too.
Only thing left to add is mulch later this week or next.

First Planting

For the past week, I kept all the transplants outside in the sun during the day, but brought them up on the front porch and covered them with large boxes overnight.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, this "hardening" exercise -- acclimating them to coolness of the evening -- is important for seeds started indoors. 

One (or more) of my cats has decided that tender veggie leaves are great to munch on.  Having found several of my transplants inside with their tops chewed off one morning, I started moving them outside later that day.  I put as many pots as I could fit in flat, plastic storage containers and put them on some of the front straw bales.  In an attempt to protect them, I put a low, wire, garden fence around them to "pen" them in -- I guess what I should say is to keep the cat(s) out!

Seedling Pen

Another issue I had was with the summer squash.  They seemed fine inside, but outside, the shoots have collapsed on most of them.  I would have considered the squash the fastest growing and sturdiest of all the veggies I had moved outside, but they didn't like something -- got too cold overnight, wind might have been too stiff -- I just don't know.  Dad and I talked about it today, and he thought maybe they needed to stay inside a little longer.  I only had one that I was able to plant today, so I put eight more seeds in peat pellets to germinate.  I actually had four, but I snapped those shoots when I was getting them out of the fiber pots to plant in the straw bales.  I was trying to be so careful, but I guess they're just very fragile.  My plan calls for four summer squash plants, so I hope by planting eight more seeds, I have enough that make it to a straw bale.

Most reading I did on straw bale gardening suggests that you should use a trowel to open up a spot on the straw bale to plant each seedling.  You can, but I found that it just produces more of a slit in the straw bale and not a nice hole in which to plant.  When you've conditioned the bales only a couple of weeks earlier, they are still pretty stiff, and -- at least for me -- a trowel just literally didn't cut it.  Instead, I used a heavy (sturdy), serated steak knife to dig into the straw bale and hack at the straw enough that I could pull some out to create a nice deep hole. 

We put in four strawberry plants today.
I'm going to buy four of another variety later this week.

I really think this is important because a slit is not going to let you get very deep, and the deeper you can plant the seedlings, the sturdier they will be as they grow.  Also, if you just have a slit, you'll have to press the transplant's roots into that small space, and that's probably going to damage them.    

After digging into the straw bale, the color is much darker.

One thing I noticed when I was pulling straw out of the bale to create the planting hole was how warm the inside of the bale is.  That's the heat from the decomposing straw, and a key reason that straw bale gardens produce faster than cold dirt.  As suggested by other straw bale gardening writers, I pulled the peat pots off the strawberries today.  It made it easier to press them into the planting holes, and I tore up the peat pots and put the small pieces around the top of the soil (to hold moisture).  Then I put the bits of straw I had cut out/pulled out of the bale on top of the pea to further support and protect the strawberries.

Happy pole bean (left) and pea seedlings.

I planted twelve pea seedlings and four pole bean seedlings along the back of the back two bales. Several of my other bean seedlings had been munched on outside -- even though they were inside the wire pen -- so I will be planting at least eight more pole bean seedlings soon.  Last week, I bought some trellis netting, and after measuring off the length we needed, I stretched it tightly between the two steel stakes I put at the end of each back bale and secured it on each stake.  The beans, peas, and cucumbers that I will plant need this support.  The pea seedlings have already started putting out tendrils to attach to the netting.  As I did with the strawberries, I put the cut out/pulled out bits of straw around those veggies.

April 11th -- First day of conditioning the new straw bales.

 

April 29th -- After just 18 days, decomposition (darkening) is clearly visible.
Looks like the grass is a lot greener, too!

These bales will have pole beans, peas, and cucumbers along the back of these bales, to take advantage of the trellis netting,  In front of them (on the back two bales) will be green peppers, green onions and eggplant.  I'll put four kale seedlings on the front/left bale (plus acorn squash and basil on the front side), and the strawberry plants will have the front/right bale.  I'll also have other herbs planted in the front and west sides of the bales.