I’m fascinated by how things grow out of straw bales! You were the first one I saw doing this and I was skeptical, but boy, did you shutter my skepticism 😅
Thanks Sasha! I won't have as many this year. I planned to have a couple more, but the virus changed a bunch of my plans. And it's still changing them. But we will get through it :)
Yes Sir you got it going on over there! I am on day 3 for my conditioning. Thanks for the info on how you do your bales. Hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks CB! I'm sure yours will be really growing by the time I get ours planted. I'm hoping for some decent spring weather this year. You have a great weekend too!
Nice ! I did watermelon and black eyed Susan in a straw bale last year . Lots of fun getting it cooking then I just used a little soil and did fabulous and had the straw to put on garden in the fall . I wrapped it in a green plastic fencing to hold it together through its breakdown faze .
Interesting. I hadn't thought of either of those, but I guess you could probably grow just about anything in straw bales if you want to. I'm thinking of trying sweet potatoes in a bale or two this year.
I did some straw bales last year and they did great,unfortunately I have been busy and won't be doing any this year. I will be looking forward to your videos on yours though. The birds in the background were awesome as well as the video. Have a great weekend Jim. 👍🏻
Well, there is always next year. I still need to get another bale or two. I'm running a little behind as usual. Yep, it's nice to go outside this time of year and hear the birds singing. You have a great weekend too David!
Time to start getting those bales ready. Really cool seeing gardeners go through this process each year. Between you, Sapper and of course CB alone I have never tried one but am confident in the amount of info on who, what, where, when and why to throw one together very quickly. Several aspects of it interest me into a brainstorm. The way they warm being prepped during the weather still being cold. The mulch/soil they make when broken down. Or possible bigger pest resistance. We decided with all planned(and unplanned) that we were not going to try one in our yard this year but as soon as we land a new place or start into getting a house. Till then watching this process never seems to get old and really appreciate vids covering it again. Of course I would have planned for 10 plants in that one bale though. LOL Thanks for the share!
Yep, if you even get the extra space, it might be worth a try some day. I think we are going to try sweet potatoes in one or two this year. I like that it makes harvesting much easier for my old knees :) I hope the weather is treating you guys right.
@@MidwestGardener Our weather is that crazy up and own nonsense but definitely seems to be earlier happening than last. The 'snow hill' system we use is completely melted and looking at pics from last 3 years and it was bigger than Kiddo. Still ready for the sucker punch though. LOL Been fooled before. :)
This is a very clever way to grow. Thank you for a new experience/experiment!😀 I'm ready to get outside tomorrow. Hope you're doing well, Sir. Stay safe and healthy.
Good morning Jim. So I haven't tried straw bales. Around here the only bales I see are the big round ones. I guess I can find the square ones if I ever really get interested. Have a great weekend and stay safe. Best wishes Bob.
Good morning Bob. This is wheat country, so we have lots of straw here. We are trying to stay safe. Lots of crazy people up here fighting over toilet paper though.
Yes, we got the essentials before the rush hit. Some people must have enough toilet paper to last a year or two, lol. I think some of them are just now figuring out that they might need food too :)
At the end of the season, is there still enough intact straw to, say, cover your strawberries? Or does the whole thing decompose and end up chucked into the compost heap? (I decided to change my youtube name, BTW. Somehow, 14 total strangers are following me now, so I decided to pick a name). Hey, I planted the whole spring garden on Wednesday! So, so excited. 2000+ seeds and about 120 starts, most of them in the onion family. 10-day forecast has only 2 nights of 31 degrees, so I think it'll be fine. If not, I have old sheets and plastic to cover it all. I also have 160 cut potato pieces ready to go in when the forecast looks right. I'm going to have so much extra to give away. : ) I hope your season is getting going and your starts are all bushy-tailed and bright-eyed! Happy growing, Jim.
Yes, there is some left over that could be used to cover strawberries or other plants. And what is left is well on the way to becoming usable compost. The bales do break down over the course of the summer though. Now you have 14 total strangers and me :) Sounds like you've been pretty busy. I don't know about bushy-tailed, but most of my starts are bright-eyed :) If I ever get caught up with life, I'll get over to your channel and check out some of your videos.
@@MidwestGardener Thanks, but oh, don't bother viewing my awful vids! I have no idea what I'm doing yet. lol. I'm messing with a video editor this morning and wondering how people ever climb the learning curve. :D
Editing is one of my least favorite things about being a gardener on TH-cam. It's just so time consuming. I had to switch editors recently, so I'm learning again :)
Hi Jim, I have a row of huge ornamental grass clumps (Miscanthus senensis) that I have to cut to the ground every spring. Do you think there would be some way to use all that coarse dried grass for growing vegetables in the same way that you are using strawbales? It doesn't compost very well so I'd like to find some other way to use it. I guess I'd have to somehow tie the dried grass into a bundle or something.
That's an interesting thought, Steve. It might be worth a try on a small scale, just to see what happens. Like you mentioned, it would have to be bundled or bound in some way. Another option would be some sort of frame that could hold it together....like a raised bed. Good luck if you give it a try.
@@MidwestGardener I like that idea of packing the miscanthus stems into a raised bed frame. Perhaps I should even consider doing that right now so that maybe the grass will soften and settle somewhat. Usually I leave it standing all winter because it's still interesting but then it's still very stiff and woody by spring because it dries quickly and doesn't really deteriorated at all while standing over winter. Our winters are actually pretty dry here in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia.
Thanks Teresa! It might be a little late if you are very far south, but in my limited experience, they condition a lot faster once the temperature warms up outside. We are in zone 6b. I've started conditioning ours, but they are not finished yet. The bale that I was preparing to plant in this video was from last year. If you are just going to plant a few bales to see how it goes, I would say go for it. Stay safe!
I've been thinking about straw bale gardening this season, and I'm glad I came across this video... I'm going to give it a try!
I hope you enjoy the experience as much as we have, Jenna!
Very informative,I also love the bird sounds in the background!
Thanks Al! Yep, it's a great time of year for bird lovers.
Obviously good planting method that works. The fruits and harvest are amazing.
Thank you! It's been fun for us to try something different too.
Great work! Have a wonderful weekend Mr Jim!
Thanks Catalin! You have a wonderful weekend too!
Very interesting
Thanks for showing us how to plant in straw bales
Thanks......and you're welcome!
I’m fascinated by how things grow out of straw bales! You were the first one I saw doing this and I was skeptical, but boy, did you shutter my skepticism 😅
Thanks Sasha! I won't have as many this year. I planned to have a couple more, but the virus changed a bunch of my plans. And it's still changing them. But we will get through it :)
This is the calm, peaceful moment I needed today, thank you!
You're welcome Rose! Have a great weekend.
Never grown in straw bales but it seems to work very well friend 😊
It's been a fun experience so far. I hope this year works as well.
Great video, this is a very productive technique
Thanks! Yes, I agree. It seems to work very well.
Wonderful technique. Thank you for sharing!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Yes Sir you got it going on over there! I am on day 3 for my conditioning. Thanks for the info on how you do your bales. Hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks CB! I'm sure yours will be really growing by the time I get ours planted. I'm hoping for some decent spring weather this year. You have a great weekend too!
Nice ! I did watermelon and black eyed Susan in a straw bale last year . Lots of fun getting it cooking then I just used a little soil and did fabulous and had the straw to put on garden in the fall . I wrapped it in a green plastic fencing to hold it together through its breakdown faze .
Interesting. I hadn't thought of either of those, but I guess you could probably grow just about anything in straw bales if you want to. I'm thinking of trying sweet potatoes in a bale or two this year.
@@MidwestGardener sweet potatoes would cover that bail and be beautiful !
I'm thinking so too. Can't wait :)
I did some straw bales last year and they did great,unfortunately I have been busy and won't be doing any this year. I will be looking forward to your videos on yours though. The birds in the background were awesome as well as the video. Have a great weekend Jim. 👍🏻
Well, there is always next year. I still need to get another bale or two. I'm running a little behind as usual. Yep, it's nice to go outside this time of year and hear the birds singing. You have a great weekend too David!
Thanks for you input!!
You're welcome! My pleasure!
Time to start getting those bales ready. Really cool seeing gardeners go through this process each year. Between you, Sapper and of course CB alone I have never tried one but am confident in the amount of info on who, what, where, when and why to throw one together very quickly. Several aspects of it interest me into a brainstorm. The way they warm being prepped during the weather still being cold. The mulch/soil they make when broken down. Or possible bigger pest resistance. We decided with all planned(and unplanned) that we were not going to try one in our yard this year but as soon as we land a new place or start into getting a house. Till then watching this process never seems to get old and really appreciate vids covering it again. Of course I would have planned for 10 plants in that one bale though. LOL Thanks for the share!
Yep, if you even get the extra space, it might be worth a try some day. I think we are going to try sweet potatoes in one or two this year. I like that it makes harvesting much easier for my old knees :) I hope the weather is treating you guys right.
@@MidwestGardener Our weather is that crazy up and own nonsense but definitely seems to be earlier happening than last. The 'snow hill' system we use is completely melted and looking at pics from last 3 years and it was bigger than Kiddo. Still ready for the sucker punch though. LOL Been fooled before. :)
Lol, yes, the dreaded sucker punch. It seems like there is always at least one.
I’ve had success with straw bale gardening
Thanks for sharing your experience with it, Jamie!
@@MidwestGardener check out my Instagram @magicgardenfun
I had an amazing first year using the bales.
This is a very clever way to grow. Thank you for a new experience/experiment!😀 I'm ready to get outside tomorrow. Hope you're doing well, Sir. Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you very much Emily! We are trying our best to stay healthy. I hope you and your family stay well also 😀
Interesting way to grow! 😃
Thanks! It's been an interesting experience so far.
Good morning Jim. So I haven't tried straw bales. Around here the only bales I see are the big round ones. I guess I can find the square ones if I ever really get interested. Have a great weekend and stay safe. Best wishes Bob.
Good morning Bob. This is wheat country, so we have lots of straw here. We are trying to stay safe. Lots of crazy people up here fighting over toilet paper though.
We saw this coming and stocked up early. Staying home now and not allowing any visitors.
Yes, we got the essentials before the rush hit. Some people must have enough toilet paper to last a year or two, lol. I think some of them are just now figuring out that they might need food too :)
I'm sure some have over stocked on some things to sell for big bucks. Shame on them. I heard locally one lady bought 40 bottles of hand sanitizer.
Yep, I hope those people get stuck with that stuff. People like that just piss me off......excuse my French :)
Interesting. I have never tried this because of the water requirements. Looks like a neat technique though. Happy gardening.
I can understand that. Once the roots go down through the bale, it takes less than you would think. I hope you have a great growing season!
@@MidwestGardener you too
Ready for the year is see! Let's hope it's a good one:))
I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us. I know it will be a year to remember for sure. I hope for a few good reasons too!
@@MidwestGardener No truer words have been spoken:)
😀
At the end of the season, is there still enough intact straw to, say, cover your strawberries? Or does the whole thing decompose and end up chucked into the compost heap?
(I decided to change my youtube name, BTW. Somehow, 14 total strangers are following me now, so I decided to pick a name). Hey, I planted the whole spring garden on Wednesday! So, so excited. 2000+ seeds and about 120 starts, most of them in the onion family. 10-day forecast has only 2 nights of 31 degrees, so I think it'll be fine. If not, I have old sheets and plastic to cover it all. I also have 160 cut potato pieces ready to go in when the forecast looks right. I'm going to have so much extra to give away. : ) I hope your season is getting going and your starts are all bushy-tailed and bright-eyed! Happy growing, Jim.
Yes, there is some left over that could be used to cover strawberries or other plants. And what is left is well on the way to becoming usable compost. The bales do break down over the course of the summer though. Now you have 14 total strangers and me :) Sounds like you've been pretty busy. I don't know about bushy-tailed, but most of my starts are bright-eyed :) If I ever get caught up with life, I'll get over to your channel and check out some of your videos.
@@MidwestGardener Thanks, but oh, don't bother viewing my awful vids! I have no idea what I'm doing yet. lol. I'm messing with a video editor this morning and wondering how people ever climb the learning curve. :D
Editing is one of my least favorite things about being a gardener on TH-cam. It's just so time consuming. I had to switch editors recently, so I'm learning again :)
Hi Jim, I have a row of huge ornamental grass clumps (Miscanthus senensis) that I have to cut to the ground every spring. Do you think there would be some way to use all that coarse dried grass for growing vegetables in the same way that you are using strawbales? It doesn't compost very well so I'd like to find some other way to use it. I guess I'd have to somehow tie the dried grass into a bundle or something.
That's an interesting thought, Steve. It might be worth a try on a small scale, just to see what happens. Like you mentioned, it would have to be bundled or bound in some way. Another option would be some sort of frame that could hold it together....like a raised bed. Good luck if you give it a try.
@@MidwestGardener I like that idea of packing the miscanthus stems into a raised bed frame. Perhaps I should even consider doing that right now so that maybe the grass will soften and settle somewhat. Usually I leave it standing all winter because it's still interesting but then it's still very stiff and woody by spring because it dries quickly and doesn't really deteriorated at all while standing over winter. Our winters are actually pretty dry here in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia.
That's a pretty cool idea! I'm hoping to try that in my garden this year. How often do you have to water the plants in the bales?
Thanks! Once hot weather sets in, I water daily. Sometimes it gets over 37.7 degrees C here though.
@@MidwestGardenerYes watering daily would be a good idea. It isn't rare to get over 35 celcius around here with lots of humidity!!
@@canadianoutdoorsandgardeni2973 Yes, that is pretty warm when there is also high humidity.
first time trying this but I have not conditioned the bales, is it to late to start? just came across your videos, very good information, thank you
Thanks Teresa! It might be a little late if you are very far south, but in my limited experience, they condition a lot faster once the temperature warms up outside. We are in zone 6b. I've started conditioning ours, but they are not finished yet. The bale that I was preparing to plant in this video was from last year. If you are just going to plant a few bales to see how it goes, I would say go for it. Stay safe!
@@MidwestGardener thank you, I will start after Easter. stay safe
@@teresarose9964 Good luck!
How many times do you add nitrogen fertilizer to the bales?
I did a video that shows the whole recipe step by step, and day by day. Here is it is if you want to see it: th-cam.com/video/tredysH3-ck/w-d-xo.html
Just potting soil!
Here is the video on how I rejuvenated the used soil, and all of the stuff that went into it. th-cam.com/video/u0AZDHSTt8M/w-d-xo.html
Were do i get a straw bale!! 99 Percenet no NOT have access to a strawbale. Try LA, New Any city in US, BS.😁
Yes, in some areas, the cost would be prohibitive if you can get them at all.