Spring prep
26 Feb 2017 13:11![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
karmicdragonflySpring has arrived! I always look forward to the plum trees in the neighborhood blooming --
Spring Jonquils --
And such warm temperatures in February mean storms...yesterday, we got a pretty bad hailstorm!
Today, I bought the hay bales that I use for planters. I tried this technique for the first time last year.
As it turns out I found out that I used straw bales last year, even though I wanted hay. I know this because when I asked about hay bales at the nursery, they said they only have straw...meaning last year I used straw. Anyways, I went to a local farm that sells hay bales as feed and bought them there.
The only reason I wanted hay is because that was what the instructions I used said...very specifically to use hay instead of straw. Hay is harvested as live plants before it is baled -- it's used as feed. Straw is harvested after the fact, from the dead plants parts left after harvest. It is used more for keeping animals warm. I think the hay will compost faster and be more nutritious -- meaning, it will be a better 'planting medium'.
In any event, hay is not as 'good' as soil, and has to be fertilized more. But last year, I found that the rabbits didn't eat what I planted -- maybe because it is higher than they are, and they don't realize it's there??? It was nice to have some tomatoes!
Spring Jonquils --
And such warm temperatures in February mean storms...yesterday, we got a pretty bad hailstorm!
Today, I bought the hay bales that I use for planters. I tried this technique for the first time last year.
As it turns out I found out that I used straw bales last year, even though I wanted hay. I know this because when I asked about hay bales at the nursery, they said they only have straw...meaning last year I used straw. Anyways, I went to a local farm that sells hay bales as feed and bought them there.
The only reason I wanted hay is because that was what the instructions I used said...very specifically to use hay instead of straw. Hay is harvested as live plants before it is baled -- it's used as feed. Straw is harvested after the fact, from the dead plants parts left after harvest. It is used more for keeping animals warm. I think the hay will compost faster and be more nutritious -- meaning, it will be a better 'planting medium'.
In any event, hay is not as 'good' as soil, and has to be fertilized more. But last year, I found that the rabbits didn't eat what I planted -- maybe because it is higher than they are, and they don't realize it's there??? It was nice to have some tomatoes!