Every year we try something new... sometimes it works and sometimes we earn our name (follies)!
This year we are re-purposing those old rotting straw bales that often just get burnt by farmers. They are felt to have little value as bedding and have begun to compost and rot.
We relieved a local farmer of thirty of these bales and created three holes in each bale which we filled with composted manure and soil. After making sure that the bales were saturated with water we planted our squash crop.
We use inverted pop bottles filled with compost tea (yes, it is pretty much what it sounds like!) to fertilize the plants while we water.
Time will tell how history will report on our little experiment. After this weekend's rain the bales are surrounded by water making us look quite genius! The plants are out of the sitting water and the bales act like sponges in the water. We will keep you all updated on how things go through out the year!
What are you experimenting with this year?
