Straw Bale Gardening

[joe8915]

Having a hard time for them to get the bales to cook. I am using 21 0 0 nitrogen. Any thoughts

 

[CrazyConure]

Are you hydrating it when it gets dry?

 

[Beth_B]

I've done straw bales for years.
Yes, you need to keep them damp. Anything high on nitrogen will do the trick. Peeing on them works we (so I've read...I have not personally done this.)

How long have you been conditioning them? And how have you been checking internal temp? They can look and feel normal but after a week or three they should be warm under the surface, and if you get crops of mushrooms that's an excellent sign.

 

[MaryMary]

Last year, when spring came, I got really excited, and dug out most of the leaves I mulch the flower bed with, because...it's not going to get cold again... in Ohio... and it did!

I had to run out and get a straw bale to re-cover my flowers. Pulled chunks of straw out of the baling twine, and didn't use much of the bale at all. Now what?!

Since I had been curious about straw bale gardening, I decided to see if I could get it to cook with things I had around the house.

First thing I did was drench it with 2 gallons of water, because I had heard how much water a bale will hold. After that, (I'll admit...) I peed in an empty coffee can and poured that on it. I put used coffee grounds on top of it, partly for added nitrogen, but mostly to combat any smells that might occur.

With 2 liters of urine and the used grounds from a pot of coffee, every day; that bale was cooking nicely within a week!! (Sometimes, the used grounds from two pots of coffee!)

 

[CrazyConure]

@MaryMary are you actually serious?? Why am I not surprised????

 

[MaryMary]

@MaryMary are you actually serious?? Why am I not surprised????

Serious about what?! And if you are not surprised, why so many question marks????

 

[DeborahJane]

Maybe the 2 litres of urine has CrazyConure??????ing, MaryMary. And maybe it's contagious????

 

[MaryMary]

Maybe the 2 litres of urine has CrazyConure??????ing, MaryMary. And maybe it's contagious????

Possibly that's it???? Since he's a young'un, I was thinking maybe it's me peeing in a coffee can????

Contagious???? Are you ????ing the 2 liters of urine, as well????
Let me tell you... I usually only drink coffee until it's acceptable to switch to beer!!!!

@CrazyConure, ????

 

[DeborahJane]

I'm a tea drinker until wine time which can vary. After all, it's 6 o'clock some where in the world, isn't it????. See, it i IS contagious!!!!!! Oh oh! The contagen has gone off on a tangent.!!???!!,

 

[CrazyConure]

It was the urine part

 

[Beth_B]

Lol. Women pee, and believe me we can pee with the best.

Straw bale urinals. It's a thing!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...apr/26/uritonnoir-straw-bale-urinal-festivals

 

[MaryMary]

It was the urine part

Urine is absolutely one of the best fertilizers you can put in your garden!! It works nicely as a compost accelerator as well. You'll notice I said: "I decided to see if I could get it to cook with things I had around the house." It just so happens, I manufacture nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.

We flush too much clean water away, just to flush away a couple ounces at a time of sterile urine. Why not use it in my garden or compost??

@CrazyConure - take a minute and read this: http://www.theecologist.org/green_g...42/urine_the_ultimate_organic_fertiliser.html
http://www.theecologist.org/green_g...42/urine_the_ultimate_organic_fertiliser.html

From the article: "Given that the population of the UK is an estimated 62 million, we may be contaminating and then flushing away somewhere in the region of 2,500 million litres of clean drinking water every day."

How many gallons of clean water do you think Americans flush daily????

 

[vette-kid]

Wonder what my neighbors would do of the saw me outside peeing on my garden probably wouldn't take any bananas I offer them

 

[MaryMary]

Wonder what my neighbors would do of the saw me outside peeing on my garden probably wouldn't take any bananas I offer them

Whatsamatta, ya don't drink coffee??


It might be better if you didn't give your banana to the neighbor.

 

[vette-kid]

Whatsamatta, ya don't drink coffee??


It might be better if you didn't give your banana to the neighbor.

Actually, I drink a lot of it. My pee is probably has caffeine in it