Romaine lettuce in well "matured" straw. Thanks to Pete Darker for pictures.
Don't sow too many at once you don't want a glut. Rather sow every few weeks. Lettuce perform very well in straw bales.
During Maturing.
Grass pushing through.
During your "maturing" process its normal to see grass coming up. This dies off when you plant and sow.
HOT HOT HOT.
This StrawBale is halfway through the "maturing" process. The surface will become much darker. Inside, the bale will heat up considerably, so its important to be patient and not plant or sow too early. You can use a soil thermometer, but a simple finger test should suffice.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. I'm going to be planting Pink Fur Apple potatoes. This is a main crop potato with a distinctive pink skin and creamy waxy flesh. It has a lovely nutty flavour and is perfect for boiling or chipping. Eat hot or cold. They are delicious boiled, and eaten cold in a salad. Below. This is my StrawBale AFTER the "maturing" process. It is important that you get this process right. I have adapted this stage of StrawBale gardening for our UK climate. If you do not get this stage right it will seriously affect your growing. A full day to day explanation of what to do over the 14 days maturing e.g. what to add and when is given in my Instructional DVD. Here's a great little tip. When you have completed the "maturing" process and are about to plant your seed potatoes. Cut off and remove the TOP bailing twine. see below.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. Make initial hole with a dibber. BELOW. Start pulling out straw.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. Pull out a good amount of straw. BELOW. Widen hole with dibber.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. You need a nice deep hole. BELOW. Some organic compost in hole.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. Put the seed potato chit end up, in hole which should be 5 to 8" deep. BELOW. Back fill with a mixture of straw and compost.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. That's almost it. BELOW. Just a little more composr.
Potatoes Love Strawbales.
ABOVE. Water in well. Below. Don't forget to label your StrawBale. Plant out March onwards. Harvest Sept/Oct. That's it, now we wait for a StrawBale packed full of quality potatoes. Don't over water during growing.
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Peas and the Carrot Gnome.
A good shot of peas growing, and the Carrot Gnome!! But I should have sown a few more in. Think space.
Maturing the StrawBale 11 Days in.
I am now some 11 days into the "maturing" process. The StrawBales are starting to heat up and compost ready for planting and sowing. This process must be completed for best results.
Potatoes Love StrawBaleVeg.
In our DVD you can see me opening a StrawBale full of potatoes. It was my first try with them. Pick an unusual verity such as Pink Fur Apple, which are delicious served cold with a salad. The bale MUST be fully "matured". Don't over water. Remember to still "chit" the potatoes before you plant.
StrawBaleVeg Gardening For All.
Due to the height of a StrawBale, it is ideal for people with mobility issues. Also because you can site your bales almost anywhere patio, lawn, drive etc its very wheelchair friendly. StrawBaleVeguk was proud to be mentioned in the March/April edition of enable magazine. In our DVD we show StrawBale systems that are easily acessable from all sides.
Workshops.
Cover Your Strawbales.
Its a cold and blustery day here in Lincolnshire. I have started the "maturing process" on my Strawbales. Remember to cover your bales if there is any chance of rain. For the full story on how to grow tasty vegetables in Strawbales, purchase our unique instructional DVD.
One Strawbale Is all You Need.
One Strawbale used carefully can yield a good amount of produce. Think space.
Runner beans in a single bale.
Strawbaleveg 2017
On Monday 17th April I started off one of my own Strawbaleveg gardens. It has eighteen bales.
Okay so, we will have along the back row of bales. two varieties of runner beans, two varieties of tomato, peas, carrots, two varieties of lettuce and a selection of radishes. Along the four rows, we will grow two varieties of beetroot, two varieties of potato, cabbage and the rest will be onions. But first I need to mature the bales.
