Bananas N Egg Shells N Garden

 Bananas N Egg Shells N Garden

*Clean dry egg shells
*DRY banana skins
* 2 TBSP baking soda
*1/3 cup USED coffee grounds
Grind together in food processor.

Use as:
- mulch
-top soil
- a large batch and put in empty #10 can
-1 teaspoon full of dry mix into water can for garden 

-seal and use all season long
-mix into compost
-sprinkle on garden after first snow, let it soak in during winter!

Dry banana peels between two window screens laying out in sun.
Vent them by placing them on cinder blocks.
Bring them in at night to avoid moisture.
Tear to thin strips - dry quicker.
Place on black garbage cans - for quicker drying. 




You need approximately 5 pounds of dried banana peels for every 100 square feet of soil to see benefits in plants.

 

Tea Bag In Garden

Tea Bags In Garden






~ Used tea bags ? Garden loves them.
*Bury them in the soil
*Tear them opened and sprinkle the tea all over the soil
*Put them in compost pile
*Many use them in their worm boxes too, I'm just starting worm box - so I'll let you know how that goes.

Coffee And Grounds In Garden

Coffee And Grounds In Garden

 
  photo from Folgers site. THANKS Folgers......my plants LOVE YOU.
*I don't drink coffee . I buy it at lowest price . NO flavored coffee, NO decaf.
*Plants love coffee.
*I make coffee (outside it gives my spouse asthma attacks).
*1 cup coffee - cool
*4 cups water
*Dump all around garden, never on the roots. If you are going to put on the roots use 5 cups water.

~~Coffee Grounds -
*I take them to my corn mostly ~ but I do bury some in each area of garden.
*1/3 cup coffee grounds mixed in 4 NEW cups of soil sprinkled on top of soil.

COMPOST
* I use coffee grounds from friends too ~ they go to my compost.

Crushed Egg Shells In Your Garden

Crushed Egg Shells ALL Over Your Garden...




*Crush your egg shells.
*Put them in your soil.
*When you crack an egg to fry / scramble rinse them.
*If you hard boil eggs KEEP the water - cool and use water in garden..
*I tuck them away in my soil, everywhere - all over my garden, in my garden containers -from March - the first snow (October).
*Remember DO rinse them out. The bugs love them if you don't and you DO NOT want bag bugs moving into your garden spaces.
*Keep your eggs from winter, rinse, dry & keep in a zip plastic bag.

Water Your Plants When Not At Home Cheaper

Water Your Plants When Not At Home Cheaper





























 A little improvement - tread the exposed string into straws to lower evaporation into the air.

Maybe elevate the water source higher than the plant, moist seeks lower level due to gravity.
(HomeMadeIsEasyblogger)

 http://snapguide.com/guides/water-your-plants-when-youre-away/
 

Cooking and Getting Straw Bales Ready for Garden

Cooking and Getting Straw Bales Ready for Garden



Aged Straw
Try to find aged or seasoned straw bales if possible, as this greatly shortens the "cooking" time of the bale and lets you start planting sooner.

Cooking Straw Bales
Place the bales in a sunny area with the twine running around the sides, not the bottom, because fabric twine decays quickly, causing the straw to separate. I use metal wire, or fence wire cut to the same height of the bale height to keep the bale from not falling apart. Water the bales thoroughly and let them rest for at least a week to give them time to heat up and start decomposing. Heating will kill any weeds in bale. COOKING must be at least 10 days in warm weather to get decomposition process going. TO TEST if bales are ready - insert your hand 3 to 5 inches deep, between cut ends, and feel for slightly warmth and wetness.


Straw vs. Hay Bales
Buy straw bales, not hay bales, because straw is simply the stem of the grass while hay is the entire blade, with the seed head still attached. Arrange the bales in a configuration that is attractive and provides easy access for planting, watering, plant growth and harvesting

Hay Bales as Option
If straw isn't available, you can use hay bales if you don't mind dealing with the weeds that will sprout from the seed heads.

Depth Using Trowel
Use the trowel to dig a "hole" in the straw by separating some blades to the same depth as the vegetables would be planted in soil. Space starter plants the same distance apart as you would if you were planting them in soil. Drop in a handful of compost or manure and set the plant's root system and the soil around it carefully in the hole. Bring the straw back gently around the base of the plant.


Depth Using Scissors
Use scissors or shears to trim a channel down the center of the top of the bale and place a mound of soil into the channel, the length of the bale. Alternatively, transplant directly into the bale. Spread open the cut ends of the straw and put the root ball into the bale.

3 Inches Into Straw Bale

To grow plants from seed in your straw bale garden, you first need to put down at least 3 inches of some type of soil, such as a blend of potting soil and compost or manure. Plant the seeds at the depth they'd be sown in a traditional garden and at the recommended spacing. Water lightly and as often as necessary during hot, dry weather.

Compost - Manure  Depth in Straw Bales
Spread compost (organic), manure (organic) or a high-nitrogen fertilizer (this is NOT organic) over the straw bales to a depth of about 2 inches to hasten the decomposition process; water this in well. Check the bale's heat output several times after the first week by digging into it with your fingers to a depth of about 4 inches. Begin planting when the straw feels just slightly warm over a period of several days, because overly hot straw can burn a seedling's delicate roots and lower stems.

Fertilizing Bales
Sprinkle the bales with fertilizer for the next two days. This is not required, especially if you are an organic gardener, but it helps turn the bales into an excellent fertilizer medium. Use half a cup of fertilizer per bale per day. Water the into the bale. Add 1 cup of fertilizer to each bale on the 10th day. Water the fertilizer into the bales. If you are an organic gardener, you can use just a little manure or cover the bales with compost after you place your plants.

Wait until they cool again before planting.
Watering in Straw Bales
Water each plant separately after placing it in the straw, and water the straw bales daily in hot weather, twice a day if necessary, as water moves through them much more quickly than it does through soil. Clip off any visible seed heads to minimize sprouting of unwanted plants.

Soaker Hose
Transplant herbs, vegetables, fruits or flowers. Water up to twice a day if necessary. The No-Dig Vegetable Garden website says a straw bale garden uses more water than a regular garden, and recommends a soaker hose system. BUT you don't have to worry about weeds, bending over or sitting on the ground. 

http://www.ehow.com/video_8213272_grow-vegetables-straw.html
Read more: How to Prepare Straw Bales for Planting | eHow.com http:

Straw Bale Garden WINNER Directions

Straw Bale Gardening - Photo blog

I notice that this time of year folks start thinking about the garden... I notice the hits on the previous straw bale gardening articles goes way up and also noticed that they are a little short on photographs of the process. In this blog I will document in words and photos the garden from 2010 where I planted in bales of straw.

I went up to the feed store and picked out 20 straw bales. I arranged them in the pattern you see below. Knowing now what I didn't know then... I'd lay them down on their side instead of standing them up like I did. They become a bit top heavy with plants growing up and holding fruits.

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012

Next, I began the composting process. The recipe I found online called for one cup of 30-0-0 Ammonium Phosphate per bale on day one and 1/4 cup of the same fertilizer each day for 9 more days, followed by a good soaking with the hose. I could NOT find Ammonium Phosphate at any garden store so I settled for Sodium Phosphate (21-0-0) and it did the job just fine. Notice how much darker the sides of the bales are after 10 days of cooking. The insides of the bales have broken down a bit and are soggy and warm.

I took a few of the bales and cut out V grooves in there or dirt and plants... this was completely unnecessary and just bound up my chainsaw... Using a claw gardening tool made a big enough hole for the plant and some added growing material (compost). Again, the pulling out of straw below isn't needed, just a coffee can size hole where your plant will live or sprinkle seeds on top of the bale and cover with dirt and straw works fine too.


Below is where I added soil to the V shapes I cut out. After I planted in the bale, I covered with some of the loose straw and soaked well..



Now it's finally taking form!!! See the happy pepper plants spreading out their roots in their new home!

As you'll see in the photos below it was a very successful adventure. As I said above, if I do this again, I'd turn the bales on the side for added stability. You can see below that some of the bales aren't doing so well with top heavy plants. The cucumbers were alone the fence in the back for climbing. Peas and green beans didn't do well in this growing medium... they are nitrogen fixers and in an already nitrogen rich environment, I didn't enjoy very many peas. Lettuce, cucumber, tomitillo, cilantro, carrots, tomatoes, peppers all did very well.


I hope you find this helpful in your decision on growing in straw bales. It does save the back... but I will admit to growing in the ground the following year... I had to do something with all that composted straw so I pulled all of the twine and tilled it right into the Arizona clay...

Happy Homesteading!!!!

Nance  http://homesteaderssupply.blogspot.com/2012/04/straw-bale-gardening-photo-blog.html

Straw Bale Garden

In a previous post I mentioned our straw bale garden here at Farmington Gardens  --  I want to spend a little more time explaining just what it is and how to do it.  I learned about this unusual version of a raised bed when I assisted Rose Marie Nichols McGee** (from Nichols Garden Nursery) in creating an edible garden display at one of the garden shows a few years ago.

• Bales:  Wheat straw bales have the fewest seeds, and have no perennial seeds.  Set bales in place, with straws vertical, not horizontal.   Soak the bales thoroughly (they will get very heavy, so be sure they are where you want them).  They will heat up inside, but will cool down in about 5-7 days.  Then they are ready to plant.
• Preparation of bales:  Rough up the top surface with a hand fork.  Place a 3" layer of compost along the top - this is the bed you will use for planting.   Try to work a little compost down inside.
• Planting:  According to Dr. N.L. Mansour, from Oregon State University, all of these will do well:  tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and greens.  Rose Marie has had success with: peas, salad greens, squash, and Swiss chard.  Root crops should probably be avoided, because there will not be adequate room inside the bale for large roots.   Small transplants or seeds will work best - use a trowel to pull back the compost, and create a small pocket inside the bale.  Add a bit more compost into the hole if you think it needs it.  Water well after planting.
• Watering:  Rose Marie recommends a drip system.  It will be important to maintain regular watering during the summer months.
• Fertilizing:  Here Rose Marie recommends supplementing with natural fertilizers for healthy plant development - liquid seaweed, fish emulsion, and/or compost tea.

Those are the basics.  Come out and visit our straw bale garden to see how its going here.  I must admit, it is a bit of an experiment, but that is one of the fun aspects of gardening, the trying of new things.  One problem:  I am finding that a bit of the compost is washing off the bale whenever we water;  in the picture you will see a sprinkling of compost on the ground below the bale.  I'm trying to problem-solve that; we need sides on the bale to hold the compost in place. Today I harvested all the remaining Oregon sugar pod peas - about 1/2 pound - and pulled up the vines.  In their place I put down some fresh compost, and planted some black-seeded Simpson lettuces and some Spargo spinach starts.  Spargo is a new variety to me, but it is supposed to be a high-yielding, slow-bolting variety - sounds perfect for summer!  We have a few traypacks remaining on our tables, so give it a try. ** A side note:  Rose Marie, co-author of The Bountiful Container, will be here August 2nd for a class on eating seasonally from the garden.  August is the perfect time to start transitioning to your fall garden, so that you can eat from your own garden through the winter.  Rose Marie will have lots of helpful ideas as well as plenty of recipe suggestions, I would imagine.  So save a bit of space in your garden where you can tuck in some fall crops!  http://www.farmingtongardens.com/blog/straw-bale-gardening

Water Bottle Upcycled to Sprinkler

PHOTO CREDIT unknown

Straw Bale Gardening

Photo credit:Prepper Nana

Water is important with celery

Growing in bales is different than growing in soil.
The excess water will run through the bale - the bales are actually quite airy.


Photo Credit: Prepper Nana


Preparing Your Bales (cooking the bales) by: Prepper Nana

It takes at least 10 days to prepare your bales.
 
Days 1–3: Water the bales thoroughly and keep them wet.

Days 4–6: Sprinkle the bales with 1/2 cup of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0) per bale per day, and water it well into the bales. It can be found at the ag-supply store in I think 40-pound bags.

Days 7–9: Cut back to 1/4 cup of ammonium nitrate per bale per day and continue to water it in well.

Day 10: No more ammonium nitrate, but do add 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer per bale and water it in well.

Day 11:We placed a bit of dirt on top of the bales around the bales, and in the hole where the plant goes. A lot of those who do this use only enough to actually surround the plant- a sort of way of using the bale only as an 'organic planter box'. Transplant your plants into the bales. I used the next of a wine bottle, twirl it from side to side and in a circle motion to make an opening in the bale for each plant.

We get our bales in January/Feb and let the snow and rain have their way. After bales start to cook, ugly 'mushrooms' will emerge. This is a good sign, as that means the bales are starting to breakdown. Any green grass that sprouts and mushrooms are cooked - brown - dead. You can stick your hand into the bale and feel warmth and the straw turning to 'mush' from decomposing. Our son uses about 40 bales in his garden. Treatment is key. We place bales with the string going around the sides and not on top.