Grober Green

Archive for the ‘straw bale gardening’ Category

Green beans, lettuce, leeks, peas, radishes, tomatoes.

• The soil has settled down an inch below box surface, so thinking of adding a bit more of soil mix.
• As the boxes are above ground, they seem to need more watering.

A 2 X2 square foot  of  Green beans.

On May 31st 20101 added  some tomato plants costing 25 cents each into the straw bales that had not been treated with any fertilizer at all. However, they had bee regularly watered over a period of 2 weeks, so some decomposition should have taken place.

This was done to see if there was any difference between the growth and viability plants growing in  the bales pre-soaked in “digestate” from the biodigester and those with nothing added at all.

Hoping to add some more straw bales this week that have been pre-soaked in “digestate”.

Below is a photo of some peppers planted on May 31st in the straw bales without “digestate”.

photo above of  green bean sprouting in straw bale.

Just a light coating of soil on the top.

27th May;  straw bales soaked with digestate

Germination

• Beans and Tomatoes have germinated.
• No sign of peppers but looks like peas may come through tomorrow.

5 green beans sprouting in the top of straw bale

27th May : Square foot Garden

Composition 1/3 sheep 1/3 peat moss 1/3 vermiculite

Germination

• Everything has germinated helped by day temperatures of 30 -32 degrees Celsius ( 90 degrees F)
• Also have been able to keep the mixture moist just with night watering — holds it well

• top left – Green Beans
• bottom right – Radishes
• diagonals – Beets

More Planting

21st May : Square foot Garden

Composition 1/3 sheep 1/3 peat moss 1/3 vermiculite

Planted:

• Yellow Beans, 2 x 1 x 2 foot square, 9 per square = 36 seeds
• Tomatoes, 2 foot square , 1 per square = 4 seeds
• Lettuce, 2 foot square, 2 per square = 16 seeds
• Spinach, 2 X 2 foot square, 9 per square = 36 seeds

Germination

Radishes germinated in 5 days

6 straws bales soaked with digestate.

As these were planted from soil mix on top of straw bale
Do not need this if planting from seedlings.

Watering but no germination as yet

Have grass growing vigorously though out of straw.

Setting up Straw Bale and Square foot garden at Mini Lakes Community near Aberfoyle, Guelph.

18th May : Square foot Garden

Composition 1/3 sheep 1/3 peat moss 1/3 vermiculite

Planted:

• Green Beans,  2 foot square, 8 per square = 32 seeds
• Beets, 2 x 2 foot square, 16 per  square = 64 seeds
• Radishes, 2 foot square, 16 per square = 64 seeds
• Tomatoes, 2 foot square , 1 per square = 4 seeds
• Cucumbers, 2 foot square,  2 per square  = 8 seeds
• Spinach, 2 X 2 foot square, 9 per square = 36 seeds

18th May: Straw Bale Garden

6 straws bales soaked with digestate.

As these were planted from soil mix on top of straw bale
Do not need this if planting from seedlings.

planted:

• green beans, 2 bales, row of 6 seeds
• yellow beans, 2 bales, row of  6 seeds
• tomatoes, 1 bale,  row of  5  seeds
• peppers, 1bale, row of 5 seeds

3 straw bales soaked with water

These are being used as a control to assess growth of bales soaked with digestate and those with nothing except water
not planted yet: