They were both planted in March of 2011. They began to produce in the third season (2014). As I recall, they were about 12" tall whips, when planted. I bought the cheapies from Burgess: http://www.eburgess.com/detail.asp?pid=6273
They want to grow like a shrub, but with aggressive and regular pruning, they can be trained into a 12' tree. These are wild types, and require two, for cross-pollination.
Bob
Just got done roasting some butternut squash for some pumpkin pies. Oh ya where is the whipped cream.
My wife loves them with honey and butter.That's them! I'm getting together an order for fall planting. I'll add some Hazelnuts.
Last week we boiled some butternut squash with onion, then melted cheese on top. It went great with pork loin, cabbage, peas, and corn bread. This thread makes me hungry.
Glad you asked ,Bob. Its very simple . The straw bales are still string bound. Laid out and are positioned so the straw is vertical within the bale. For a period of 10 days the bales are fertilized with high nitrogen fertilizer and kept moist (watered) . The idea is that the bale will heat up with decomposition and in a sense become compost within itself. Once that is done . The bale is seasoned and ready to plant in. Basically its a raised "soil-less" garden . I made holes with a point trowel and seed potatoes/pieces (reds and yukon gold)are shoved into the bale with a little bit of soil pushed over to keep them covered. The potato roots/tubers are supposed to be able to penetrate the bale easier than soil that compacts. The harvest is said to be easy as cutting the strings and simply brushing the straw compost off the spuds.How are the potatoes planted using straw bales?
Bob
For a period of 10 days the bales are fertilized with high nitrogen fertilizer and kept moist (watered) . The idea is that the bale will heat up with decomposition and in a sense become compost within itself.
something high in nitrogen to start the decomposition process. Ever toss an old potato in your compost pile and at the end of summer you find it grew? Same principal .So, the hay bales are serving mostly to hold nutrients that you add to it, and to physically support growth of tubers. I suppose that initially hosing the bales with Miracle-Gro would do the trick. Interesting.
How many seed potatoes do you put into each bale, and how deeply do you insert them?
Bob
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