Creating an Organic Straw Bale Garden - The conditioning process.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ค. 2017
- Day by day detail of the process of conditioning straw bales for growing - the organic way.
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I built a Baler [a Commercial Bale here in Israel costs about $25 AUS !! ] and am chasing Blood and Bone to start the curing process.
Thanks for your tips.
Thanks for your videos, really enjoying the various ones that you've put out - all great info and advice. I love that you use what you have on hand, but give other ideas and options. We're in New Zealand, with similar growing conditions, so it's been fantastic to learn from you. Thanks again! :)
Marble Mountain Media new fb group for kiwis as well facebook.com/groups/1931959460178350/
Thank you for the awesome video. I am going to grab some bales this week as they are finally on sale here and try to set up a garden for summer tomatoes.
This is an excellent video. Very well done!
After my very large inherited vegetable garden was burnt by the recent bushfires in NSW, I looking at establishing a new system and love what you are kindly showing us. I live 5 hours south of Sydney and 8 hours north of Melbourne, on a cattle property so have access to plenty of cow manure. A hot house is certainly on my wish list and one like yours would work as we do get frosts. I will work my way through all your TH-cam videos and have subscribed. I am truly grateful to you for your care and dedication and thank you from the bottom of my heart. My garden is a large part of my life and not only did I lose all my vegetables, but much of my ornamental garden although 7 rose bushes and the hardy agapanthus have come back nicely. The large amount of sugar cane mulch I had spread during the early summer was the culprit as it simply ignited so word of warning there for the future.
Very sad to hear for your garden loss in the fires...thankfully gardens can be replanted and I'm sure the new one will be better than before! Welcome to the channel, hope you find some useful info and inspiration!
Australia huh? Hello from Florida USA. Great video. Thank you for sharing. There aren't many straw bale gardeners that share the "conditioning" process and it IS definitely the most important detail NOT to forget if you want a good result. I haven't tried this yet, but I have seen the results of it and it's amazing how much better it is than ground gardening. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, they do tend to be a bit secretive about the conditioning process ;-) Thank you.
it is not better. it is just different. also you have to be careful where you get your straw if you are growing organically. a lot of stray is wheat straw and farmers do not usually grow wheat without spraying chemicals on it to keep down the weeds and pests. a better option may be hay that is grown without chemicals. that is what i am using in my garden as mulch and it has worked out well so far.
I like TH-cam
@@paulk5311 hay isnt grown without chemicals
@@homesteading the bales just straw or is lucerne bales better.thnx
Thanks! I knew I had to condition but had no idea what to use and how long to let them sit. Also, that temperature rise is really interesting and something to take in to account. ie. I'll need to allow cooling time before planting.
Great video. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your process
Really great video! Thanks.
Enjoy the variety of your videos
Never thought about conditioning the bales. Thanks
You can use urine straight up to make them brake down faster
Thank you! From Baudette Minnesota USA ❤
Brilliant. very good idea for 'instant' raised garden bed!
thanx for detailed process. regards south africa.
Adding actual compost to the upper layer of straw will expedite the process further, as well as some nitrogen either organic or non organic, depending on your preference.
you could also use used coffee grounds as well to add an additional source of nitrogen, I don't think it has enough nitrogen to be a stand alone source though.
Great info from Down under ehh....tku
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge
Thanks Great info
Chooks are awesome!
Many thanks for your informative video. Would this be the same process for growing strawberries in hay bales? Thanks.
Just started my first bale garden. I was close to your prep process. Thanks for sharing!
Just pee on the bales, it's free and readily available.
Great video thanks
Great info
First time I've found how to Condition the bales, I was thinking I needed to do something! Surprised how much B & B was used, and I guess liquid Kelpomix would be great as well - then it would be OK next growing season to just add more bales?? Or would you dress with some soil? And would this work outdoors... or would you suggest tarping them? Sorry, always so many Qs!! But you have so much great advice & info! Thank you.
Great video. I'm thinking all that blood and bone meal could get very spendy though. I'm thinking you need a vermicomposter to provide that nitrogen you need brother. Always good to have working animals contributing to the garden!
The cost of the blood and bone isn't too bad - considering the result over the next year. But I may store up some manure from the fowls and try that next time - should work, and of course is free!
this looks like the real deal...
Hi
This is great - but wouldn't you saturate before adding the liquid tea?
Just a quick tip, soak the bales first before adding initial blood n bone,
Greetings from Bulgaria
Have you tried using urine to both soak and supply N?
Thanks for sharing this! Have you noticed if the composting process helps heat your greenhouse?
Can't say it has as the volume is small in comparison. Also they don't produce this heat for many days. But this heat stage is good for germinating seeds in cool weather!
Thank you for a very informative video! I want to use straw bales for planting my veggies next spring. I'm thinking of buying and conditioning them in December, leave them out all winter and use them in spring. What do you think, does that plan have any merit or I will ruin the whole process by leaving them out all winter uncovered? I'm also thinking of using on them rabbit manure, leave the pellets on and forget about them kind of way.
Provided they are in the location you plan to use them there is no harm in leaving them in the weather - don't plan to move them once wet, they are too heavy! Maybe cover some of the time once 'wet through' to allow them to heat a little. Also you may need to add extra nitrogen...I'm not sure rabbit manure has enough. Conditioning will be slow in cold weather. Experiment and learn!
+Homesteading DownUnder: I will definitely follow your advice, thank you!
Thank you so much for such great information. I love the channel. I do have a question. I have some straw bales that I have been using as a wind block for a pen for my pigs. The bales are starting to turn dark and I thought I'd be able to use them in a couple of months to start my bale garden - the length of time they've been sitting would surely have started the composting process. So would you suggest still spreading the blood and bone onto the bales prior to planting?
I would suggest that you still add some because the plants will need some available nitrogen, but you should not need as much.
2 questions. 1. I keep seeing people use urine. Would that be the only thing needed (if that's all you had, plus water)? 2. Do you guys plant everything in straw bales or are there some veggies you wouldn't put in this?
Could sugar cane bales work the same? I'm in QLD and sugar cane bales are easier to get.
Provided they will stay together as a tight bale, they should work fine.
😍😍😍
What do you do about wheat or oat seeds that may volunteer back?
Just pull them out...but the best bales are those that have little seed in them.
I used blood meal and made compost tea to use. After the tomatoes started to produce I noticed Blossom End Rot. I then had to add calcium to the bales by way of Bone Meal. I planted tomatoes and cucumbers and 30 days later I was harvesting cucumbers! .
Interesting - the product I use is whole animal, so has the bone meal in it. The other option would be to use a little dolomite and rock phosphate. Well done on the cucumbers!
I watch your videos regularly and as a beginner I already have an idea about gardening straw bales. I would like to ask you if I can start bales with alfalfa pellets as a substitute for blood meal and nitrogen fertilizer? After completing the process of preparing the bales, can composted sheep manure be applied from above as a planting base without mixing with the soil? Will it harm the crops? Your advice will be very helpful, thank you.
Haven't tried it, but I doubt alfalfa has enough nitrogen to start straw bales. Yes you could add the composted sheep manure on top as planting base.
Yikes, I don’t think I left my bales long enough after adding nitrogen before planting. My veggies are looking very sad, not sure what the prob is.. thinking either weather is just too hot and they’re stressed after being planted out or the bales are too hot inside still. I don’t think I conditioned them for long enough too, I used worm wee and compost and did loads of watering for about 4/5 days then planted on day 6/7.
Any advice would be great - thanks
He said after he did the conditioning process, 9:35 another 7 days before they are cool enough to plant but he was waiting another 3-4 weeks before he planted.
Great vid. I only have lucerne bales available. There're not high quality and have some ryegrass. Would they be ok? I guess I wouldn't need to add so much nitrogen? From Linda
The should work fine.
Thank you so much for this interesting and valuable video! I am considering straw bale gardening but I am afraid that straw bales may be saturated with pesticides in farming, has this been an issue for you? I wonder where I can source organic bales for my organic garden.
To insure you have absolute pesticide free bales you would need to locate an organic wheat farmer. However, depending on where you live this could be difficult. Some people claim that straw bales are full of HERBICIDE residue - this has certainly not been my experience, as my bales have grown a fair amount of weeds along with my plants! But I can't speak for every source.
Hey from the SW of Western Australia -- 'just up the road' really ;-P -- quick question on your process, have I got this essentially correct: Days 1, 2 - B&B & tea, Day 3 - water only, Day 4 same as 1&2, >>> Days 5,6? >>>> Day 7 B&B only (plus water) ... then let it sit another week ... (watering daily??)
Pretty much correct. It doesn't have to be precise. Add Blood & Bone plus saturate with water for at least 3 days out of the first 7 . Then wait 7 days, but I don't usually water much on these days unless the sun is drying them out.
Will follow your method this time I condition do you think straw bale gardening is worthwhile?
Excellent question - I may answer it in detail in video soon - but in short: Yes, I think it is worthwhile in the right situation. But I wouldn't use it for all my garden as it can be fairly costly in dollar terms.
I’m lucky I’m in a wheat, rice growing area bales $4
I’ve 40 bales going all looking really good
Does growing from the bales change the flavor of the vegetable being grown?
No.
Is this method less susceptible to mole invasion? That's the problem.I've had for the past couple of years in my in ground garden
We don't have that problem in our part of the world. But you could easily put a metal screen beneath the bales which may work.
Do you have any problems with your dog trying to get into the blood and bone
Not with the strawbale - have had this problem when using it on fruit trees. Generally ensuring a sprinkling of dolomite goes over the top solves the problem - see th-cam.com/video/2fOF_YumvXU/w-d-xo.html
Does using the blood meal create a bacterial or fungal decomposition of the bales?
I would say it is both - as is most compost - it produces significant heat and does also produce evidence of fungi. But I'm not a scientist and haven't tested it for bacteria, etc.
Help Please...I just started a straw bale garden in my greenhouse...watered them, did 3 days of Blood Meal and I'm getting this awful smell & strong ammonia smell.
Can anyone help me?
What is compost tea? Do you have a video on how to make compost tea? Please forgive my noob question.
Watch th-cam.com/video/OS57m1RvDMw/w-d-xo.html&t Also it can be made by soaking compost in water.
Hello, what is compost tea?
Watch th-cam.com/video/OS57m1RvDMw/w-d-xo.html
What is the compost tea made from
Compost - watch th-cam.com/video/OS57m1RvDMw/w-d-xo.html&t
Its quit noticable the bales are little low which mean the started to break
Do u have to worry about mile or moles getting into the straw?
Haven't had a problem with rats or mice - we don't have moles.
@@homesteading Thanks for the response. If I got straw, conditioned it, then put in into multiple pots, do you think it would be okay. What about ants? Did have a problem with those getting into the bales?
Can i use a dynamic lifter solution, i soak the pellets in the foot section of old pantyhose in a bucket of water, in about 2 weeks i have a strong tea, can it replace the seaweed solution, great video, easy to understand
Yes, you could that - I still like the concept of seaweed because of it's trace elements. It has been suggested that soaking blood and bone would be an easier way to get it into the bale - I haven't tried this yet, but should work. So dynamic lifter should work the same way (fresh fowl manure would be even better). No real need to use the pantyhouse for the strawbales - the solids will wash in and help too! Check the temperature to see if it's working.
Do you worry about the bales self combusting?
No.
Thank you so much for sharing all this knowledge with us! I just discovered your videos today and already subscribed, of course.
Please, what do you mean by "compost tea"?
Compost tea can be made in a number of ways - one is by soaking compost in water. But I collect the excess liquid from my compost heap see y2u.be/OS57m1RvDMw
Thank you for your kind reply =)
Many blessings to you and your beautiful family!
you are from where? australia?
Yes...to be more specific - Tasmania.
met some ''aussies'' in Vietnam. good guys, funny hats :)
Could urine be used as well?
Yes.
Bonjour. Et merci .est ce que quelqu'un qui peut nous réduire en français ? merci...
Wot no worms??????????????????????????
Homesteading DownUnder
+
Nitrogen = Lucerne - Alfalfa Bales, Urine, and add coffee grounds.
Я так и не разобрал, чем он посыпает? Подскажите кто понял, пожалуйста.
Порошок из костей и плоти живых существ,животных. В сухом виде,простите за сломанный русский.
@@aldilamahaswarienkhaputri8911 спасибо = thnx
Did you start with organic straw bales?
I assume you mean pesticide/herbicide free? No, I can't claim that the wheat which the straw was made from was grown without pesticides/herbicide use (simply not available were I live)... however judging from the amount of grass that germinates from some of these bales I don't think they saw much in the way of herbicide! Neither can I claim the animals that the meat meal was made from were raised organically! It's very hard to get 'pure organics' in our imperfect world.
Then you can't say "organic" if they are not. Also, is this GMO straw?
actually, he can use the term organic, as the materials are indeed organic in nature... you're pedantic complaint has to do with the legal definition of "organic" in a particular country, which itself is subject to change when laws change. in the US for instance: www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/organic-productionorganic-food-information-access-tools
and by GMO, do you include hand selection and sorting of genetics, as that's genetic modification by humans too.
Can't you use urine?
That would work, but the smell might be unpleasant.
Dilute urine about 10 to 1 with water, no smell, works great to add nitrogen.
If you are interested in this topic please check out my TEDx talk just posted at @t
Why not mix the blood and bone in water and water it in?
Should work just fine, especially if left to soak for a few day...an easier way to get the nitrogen deep in the bale.
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Only organic if those bales weren't sprayed. Hay bales tend to have been sprayed less.
If you want to speed up your process pour a bottle of warm beer over it the difference is night and day.
An interesting idea...I guess the added yeasts help.
I wish I hadn’t watched that
Why?
To much proceses to much water. But thanks for sharing
It should be too not to.
As a vegetarian "the whole animal turned into a powder" sounds horrible