I chat with the fertilizer experts at the co-op a lot, and we use a good amount of urea (carbamide) on our pastures so I have a good deal of experience with it. It's very cheap and almost any co-op will fill 5 gal pails of fertilizer for you. If you do use urea, keep it sealed as it will soak up a lot of moisture from the air, and when using it water it in immediately as it looses potency quick as the ammonia evaporates. Also, urea is not immediately available to plants as it needs to react with bacteria to transform it into a stable ammonium nitrate, which is very usable by plants. Urea is also a soil acidifier so it works very well in our area (SW Wisconsin) where we have a high PH, but may add too much acid in some places. The only drawback would be location. Most co-ops are well out into the countryside so I would call ahead to see if they either bag or fill buckets as some may only sell by the ton. I'm going to have to garden vicariously through your bales this year BCG, but definitely will be giving it a shot next year! Can't wait to see the plants growing!
You're exactly right. I have to travel a good bit to find urea. However, I will make that a goal for next year just because it's so much more cost effective. I travel down to corn country a couple times a month so I will have to stop into a feed store or co-op to load up. I like to recommend the ferts that I'm using now as well since the average person is more likely to find it at their local walmart or home improvement store. No worries. There's always next year. It looks like you have your hands full as it is right now. Once you get all your native beds established it will be worth all the effort! Just incredible.....
@@gardeningchris2901 I will try to get some for next year. If I can get a bulk bag or bucket full I imagine it would last a couple of years stored properly. Much more cost effective as well.
Looking ever so good buddy! Love the details ya gave everyone! Looking forward to seeing all those bales kick some butt this year! Git-R-Done! I use 34-0-0 fertilizer. Happy Easter!
We have a farmers Co-Op in town that carries it. I can also get it at Southern States Farm Supply but that is 30 min drive. If you happen to have one of those in your area they have a better price and they also carry straw bales.
Any all purpose fertilizer with somewhat even ratios of N-P-K will be just fine. I add a hand full of the high nitrogen ferts to the bed just to feed the hungry bacteria that are breaking down the organic matter. I will add a small amount of sulfur to my potato bed as well just to lower the PH a point or two. It's not necessary but spuds like it a tad bit more acidic. Honestly, you could get away without adding anything but the compost.
Thank you for subscribing and becoming the 300th member of the Brew Crew! I really appreciate it and super excited to have you here and for hitting the 300 mark! Cheers and happy gardening!
I have a bag of all purpose 16-16-16 that i need to use.. just wondering if that can be used for conditioning bales as well? Cant find any info on whether the other 2 numbers would make any difference to the process
I would not. During the conditioning process, bacteria will be eating mostly the nitrogen and straw to form large colonies thus breaking down the bales into a useful growing medium. If you were to add loads of phosphorus and potassium you will essentially be over fertilizing the bales. This will likely change the PH and cause nutrient lock-out. That will make the bales unsuitable for growing much of anything. Stick with the high nitrogen for the conditioning process. You can use the all purpose fertilizer at the end of the condition process and to fertilize every few weeks throughout the growing season. As long as you keep it sealed and in a dry location, the all purpose fertilizer should last a few years at least. Good luck and happy gardening!
Good question; That's because it's dependent on where you live and what you plan to grow. The first thing you want to determine is what your local climate is like. If you are in the United States you can look up the USDA growing zones to determine what your first and last frost dates are. If you plan to grow cold hardy spring crops then you want to start conditioning about 5 weeks before your last frost of the year. If you are only growing warm weather crops, you can start conditioning about 2 weeks before your last frost. Again, this is going to be very dependent on where you are and what you plan to grow.
Very interesting I’m looking forward to the next one! I was guessing it would be a high nitrogen lawn fertilizer! I never dethatch my lawn before fertilizing in the spring as I feel the nitrogen will activate the microbes and compost down the thatch adding organic matter to my lawn. Klaus
I think it would be a perfect fit for your situation! Just as long as you have access to bales. You just might end up with the best garden you've ever grown. Give a try.
It sounds gross, but if you have multiple healthy household members, you can use urine. Because you are watering in the nitrogen, even family members who may consume additional salt are not a problem. Of course, for the number of bales you are using, this wouldn't be feasible.
@@_Lightning_Dog_ It's fine to use an organic source of nitrogen to condition the bales. I have far fewer bales than Brew City does, and I used blood meal. You could also use manure tea. At the end, when you want to use the balanced fertilizer, you can use organic there as well.
Thank you for going into details. I'm learning a lot!
I chat with the fertilizer experts at the co-op a lot, and we use a good amount of urea (carbamide) on our pastures so I have a good deal of experience with it. It's very cheap and almost any co-op will fill 5 gal pails of fertilizer for you. If you do use urea, keep it sealed as it will soak up a lot of moisture from the air, and when using it water it in immediately as it looses potency quick as the ammonia evaporates. Also, urea is not immediately available to plants as it needs to react with bacteria to transform it into a stable ammonium nitrate, which is very usable by plants. Urea is also a soil acidifier so it works very well in our area (SW Wisconsin) where we have a high PH, but may add too much acid in some places. The only drawback would be location. Most co-ops are well out into the countryside so I would call ahead to see if they either bag or fill buckets as some may only sell by the ton.
I'm going to have to garden vicariously through your bales this year BCG, but definitely will be giving it a shot next year! Can't wait to see the plants growing!
You're exactly right. I have to travel a good bit to find urea. However, I will make that a goal for next year just because it's so much more cost effective. I travel down to corn country a couple times a month so I will have to stop into a feed store or co-op to load up. I like to recommend the ferts that I'm using now as well since the average person is more likely to find it at their local walmart or home improvement store.
No worries. There's always next year. It looks like you have your hands full as it is right now. Once you get all your native beds established it will be worth all the effort! Just incredible.....
@@gardeningchris2901 I will try to get some for next year. If I can get a bulk bag or bucket full I imagine it would last a couple of years stored properly. Much more cost effective as well.
@@BrewCityGardener Youbetcha. You just need to keep it well sealed and dry until you use it, then water it in right away.
Looking forward to the conditioning process!
Great information you're putting out there. Can't wait to see the conditioning process. 👍
Thank you. I will be putting out the vids all week. It's going to be a busy one for me! I love it, though. Take care and Happy Easter.
Got it. Thanks ❤️
Looking ever so good buddy! Love the details ya gave everyone! Looking forward to seeing all those bales kick some butt this year! Git-R-Done! I use 34-0-0 fertilizer. Happy Easter!
That's what I thought. Where you do find yours?
We have a farmers Co-Op in town that carries it. I can also get it at Southern States Farm Supply but that is 30 min drive. If you happen to have one of those in your area they have a better price and they also carry straw bales.
The fertilzer I bought was a 32.0.0 I couldnt find other brands.
Perfect :-)
Great video! Very informative. Keep up the good work.
Thank you! I really appreciate that. Thanks for watching!
What would you use for the potatoes?
Any all purpose fertilizer with somewhat even ratios of N-P-K will be just fine. I add a hand full of the high nitrogen ferts to the bed just to feed the hungry bacteria that are breaking down the organic matter. I will add a small amount of sulfur to my potato bed as well just to lower the PH a point or two. It's not necessary but spuds like it a tad bit more acidic. Honestly, you could get away without adding anything but the compost.
@@gardeningchris2901 For the potatoes I just planted in my last years straw...
Yay I. Subscriber #300 Lol. Love the straw bale gardening tips
Thank you for subscribing and becoming the 300th member of the Brew Crew! I really appreciate it and super excited to have you here and for hitting the 300 mark!
Cheers and happy gardening!
I have a bag of all purpose 16-16-16 that i need to use.. just wondering if that can be used for conditioning bales as well? Cant find any info on whether the other 2 numbers would make any difference to the process
I would not. During the conditioning process, bacteria will be eating mostly the nitrogen and straw to form large colonies thus breaking down the bales into a useful growing medium. If you were to add loads of phosphorus and potassium you will essentially be over fertilizing the bales. This will likely change the PH and cause nutrient lock-out. That will make the bales unsuitable for growing much of anything. Stick with the high nitrogen for the conditioning process. You can use the all purpose fertilizer at the end of the condition process and to fertilize every few weeks throughout the growing season. As long as you keep it sealed and in a dry location, the all purpose fertilizer should last a few years at least. Good luck and happy gardening!
What weather conditions do you wait for to start conditioning? I’ve done so much research and no one actually talks about WHEN to condition, just how.
Good question;
That's because it's dependent on where you live and what you plan to grow. The first thing you want to determine is what your local climate is like. If you are in the United States you can look up the USDA growing zones to determine what your first and last frost dates are. If you plan to grow cold hardy spring crops then you want to start conditioning about 5 weeks before your last frost of the year. If you are only growing warm weather crops, you can start conditioning about 2 weeks before your last frost. Again, this is going to be very dependent on where you are and what you plan to grow.
Very interesting I’m looking forward to the next one! I was guessing it would be a high nitrogen lawn fertilizer! I never dethatch my lawn before fertilizing in the spring as I feel the nitrogen will activate the microbes and compost down the thatch adding organic matter to my lawn.
Klaus
Exactly!
Thanks for watching!
Would this fertilizer work if you are using hay bails instead of straw bails?
Yes. It will work just the same.
Thank you
I didn't get to see this part last Year! Do you think this would work well in Florida since the soil is so dandy down there?
I think it would be a perfect fit for your situation! Just as long as you have access to bales. You just might end up with the best garden you've ever grown. Give a try.
It sounds gross, but if you have multiple healthy household members, you can use urine. Because you are watering in the nitrogen, even family members who may consume additional salt are not a problem. Of course, for the number of bales you are using, this wouldn't be feasible.
You're absolutely right. That is an option. Just don't tell the neighbors when you invite them over for dinner with fresh garden salad. Hahahaha......
@@_Lightning_Dog_ It's fine to use an organic source of nitrogen to condition the bales. I have far fewer bales than Brew City does, and I used blood meal. You could also use manure tea. At the end, when you want to use the balanced fertilizer, you can use organic there as well.
Strait Urea; 46-0-0 Cheap, fast, easy - good to go.