How To Bale Hay

Easy Access Hay-bale gardening may be the perfect choice for elderly gardeners, folks with back or knee issues, or anyone interested in an easy-access growing medium. Here are my top four reasons for starting a hay-bale garden of your own.

Hay is simply the cut down grass and other plants in fields that are gathered together in bundles, either square or round. Similar measurements work for other animals. Water logging hay bales in strategic locations near the shorelines of lakes, rivers...

Depending on the number of helpers and the number of balers you run simultaneously, (probably just one if you're a hobby farmer), it could take hours to produce and stack a couple of hundred bales of hay.

You can get assistance determining these calculations from your county extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. If the calculations show a need for additional hay , go ahead and purchase some, Keene says.

You might plant only 2 summer squash, cucumbers or tomato plants in one bale, or 3 peppers, or fully cover an entire bale with lettuce or spinach. This works quite well for potatoes if you keep mounding up more old bale material around the potato plants...

For many farmers, growing your own hay to feed your livestock is one satisfying step closer to a self-sufficient farm. Improving Yield The amount of hay your fields can produce will depend in great part on the number of important nutrients available in...

Stack the second layer with the strings facing up, perpendicular to the first layer. Orient rows north and south so prevailing winds won't create snow drifts and so both sides of the row receive sunlight for drying.

Be sure to get hay of the best quality to limit the amount of seeds and get ready for a big yield of vegetables and flowers. Instead, it will start to compost, creating a rich layer of nutrients for your plants.

The seed potatoes can be cut large, but do not cut them smaller than into quarters.Place the potato pieces 2 feet apart, in a row. Hay can be used also, if straw is unavailable.Cut the seed potatoes, but be sure there are three to five eyes on each piece.

If the temperature is cooler than your body temperature, you're ready for starting a straw bale garden.Place plants as you would in the ground, being careful not to cut the twine that holds the bale together.Straw bale garden maintenance includes regular...

You can just set a round bale in the pasture and let the animals go after it, or you can cut the strings and unroll the bale, spreading out the forage. Feeding round bales requires the use of a tractor or a well-planned means of situating bales so you...

Heather Smith Thomas wrote a great article about choosing hay . One time Mom's sweet Pygmy goat fell down between big bales she was climbing on. You could, too! Try to buy big bales stored until you need them.

Once feed hits the ground, it's automatically dirty, and we won't eat it—yuck! Sometimes Mom picks it up and puts it back in the feeder, but we aren't fooled. Find or buy a piece of cattle panel with openings, then decide how big your feeder should...

Work the decomposing straw into your compost; then work the finished compost into your garden bed to improve soil tilth and fertility. If you have chickens , allow them to graze your compost for tasty bugs—they'll turn your pile and fertilize it in...

Florida's heat and humidity bothered them not in the least. A solid mass of bright yellow blossoms brightened the red brick planter and wall behind it. Year after year it reseeds in the flowerbed out by the street where it is subjected to the hot, afternoon...

CCA treated wood can kill beneficial soil bacteria,and young plants. It can also be harmful to people spreading this mulch and animals who dig in it.Besides the potential dangers of colored mulch and pets, people or young plants, dyed mulches are not...

Put down a sheet of sturdy plastic, weighted down with rocks, over any bare beds, and you'll be welcomed in the spring by soil that is un-eroded and decidedly warmer (thus, easier to plant in) than the surrounding soil.

It “locks” moisture into the soil, prevents weeds from sprouting up and enriches the soil as it decomposes.Tea tree mulch is an excellent product. It regulates the temperature of the soil, keeping your plant roots cool in summer and warm in winter.

However, choice of specific sizes and colors is usually limited. However, the total amount depends on the size of the glass. Some municipalities offer recycled glass mulch to the public free of charge.

, that is put atop soil in the garden or landscape to suppress weeds and conserve moisture. To combat this potential mulch problem in the garden, add a nitrogen source likeor high nitrogen fertilizer before spreading your mulch.

At this point, succulents can be weaned to one watering a week.After the third week, continue watering new plants 2-3 times a week for the rest of their first growing season. If it is hot and dry, water more.Container plants will need to be watered every...

Not only does it increase percolation but it creates a network of needles that help hold down erosion and protect unstable areas.Additionally, it breaks down slower than bark materials, which means its benefits last longer.

Some of us, purchase manures or even buy soil additives. Dried leaves as mulch break down more quickly and shred easily. The benefits of leaf litter mulch are abundant:Applying leaf mulch buffers soil temperatures to keep soil warmer in the winter and...

Spreading diseases to your crops, maybe you should be using reflective mulch. It also helps retard weeds and conserve moisture just as other forms offreestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1"); });Reflective mulch not...

If you have a source for ground corn cobs, however, the price tends to be quite reasonable.One of the main drawbacks of using this mulch is the appearance, which is light-colored and doesn't enhance the landscape like bark mulch, although ground corn...

If you're curious about soaker hoses stocked alongside regular hoses in the garden store, take a few minutes to investigate their many benefits. When the hose is in place, attach an end cap and bury the hose with bark or another type of organic mulch.

Another alternative if you are concerned is cedar mulch with a distinctive scent that dogs don't enjoy. But can you use hemlock mulch in a vegetable garden? Of course, you could still encounter some vomiting or diarrhea if your dog goes nuts and eats...