Cane Bale Gardening

Can't dig? Don't want to pay for a truckload of soil? 

I have a no dig policy in my garden.

1. I am a renter
2. I have septic, gray & black water systems
3. I have fibromyalgia and get very tired
4. My soil is crappy
5. I might also be a bit lazy but all the above reasons are legitimate so it does not matter 

I started with raised beds and pots along with making my own planter containers as well however they all needed soil, a very pricy commodity when you buy it by the 30Lt bags. In my researching of "raised garden beds the lazy way" I stumbled across "hay bale gardening" so after I decided I would benefit from a load of garden compost/mushroom/soil instead of buying bags every week I splurged and bought  5 sugar cane mulch bales as well.

               

I had to pick the location right as I did not want to block the new septic system however I needed a very sunny spot. I also desired to regrow my lawn after ex cyclone Oswald dumped evey weed seed from up north into my backyard. 

 This picture shows part of my problem, I could not plant anything over the large patch of crackerdust because that is where the septic flows but thankfully the old system was still in place but unused so in Summer the old crackerdust heats up and kills the grass so this was the perfect location. 

I laid down a good layer of news paper to stop weeds growing directly up into the bale. I can readily line trim or run the mower around the bales. I have only chosen a small lot of bales for my starter lot as I figured if it didn't work it would not be a huge loss. 

 

Gardening alone is great, it gives you time to yourself and can stop the negative thoughts from cycling through your brain. You can get so distracted in things like where to place your garden bed, where will the sun be shining during certain parts of the day, what plant will go where and how tall will it be because it might cast a shadow, will you need a trellis???   And these are only touching on the basics, you can really throw yourself into your garden as deeply as you need to!
But is saying that gardening on your own is great it is even better when you have your cat join you. Soxs is always there when I  garden, at times he will be in my face, on top of my work, or just stretched out enjoying the sunshine!

The most important part of making a productive vegetable garden from bales of cane, hay, or other products is conditioning the bales. It is important this is done with a high nitrogen fertilizer.  I chose urea as it was the most cost effective for me and the bag of granuals will last me for many cane bale gardens. 

You can research online for the most convenient products for you and for the best way to condition your bales. This was my method. 

• Decide how you will place your bales. People that have used straw bales like to put the bales so that the cut side is facing up in a vertical position so that water flows down the hollow stems. Sugar cane bales don't have these hollow stems so after some research I decided on placing my bales on the horizontal as I have read how it helped hold the seedings better when planting. Either way I dont think it matters greatly. 
• Wet bales morning and night for two days. I live in a subtropical area and the days are getting hot but no rain yet so they dry out very quick.
• For the next three day spread 1 cup of urea on each bale and water in well.
• Two days of just watering. 
• Three days of 1/2 cup per bale watered in well.
• Two days of watering again without urea. During these two days I actually used some seaweed solution.  
• At about this time I did a little happy dance because I found mushrooms sprouting. This indicates the decomposition had started. 
• The bales should by now be heating up however mine were not so I covered them in tarps to help to process. It did retain some extra heat however when I felt the inside of the bales they were still cool however more mushrooms of several varieties were covering the bales. 
• At about day 18 despite the lack of heat the decomposition had well and truly started so I decided to start planting out. You have to be very careful about the heating up during decomposition because it can get so hot it will burn the roots of your seedlings. 

Where To Start Is The Hardest Question

Not just a question for the garden!

The biggest part about planning where to go is to figure out where to start. You can take this question into any aspect of your life and for many it is just an easy question with answers that come without even thinking however for those of us with mental illness this question of where to start can often never be answered. We often dwell in a cycle of thought (or lack of it) where no answers seem forthcoming. Often the options are so overwhelming and the answers so complex and leading to more questions that our brains freeze and choose the option of no thinking with no options and no choices to complicate things. 

People with mental illness often find themselves in a house of disarray with dishes not done, clothes not washed, floors not cleared or mopped, and a butt groove on the couch with the remote control glued to their hand. Don't think they enjoy it because they don't.  Every decision they make now starts with "where do I start?" Because the tasks are now too big!

To be so overwhelmed by the basic every day jobs cannot be underestimated and when they get out of hand and those basic jobs turn into much more due to neglect from depression. Well meaning family and friends say just start with one item and put that one item away. Well before we can do that we need to  clear the bench, or sink, or do the washing, or fold the clothes already washed but hang on..... they need to be washed again because the cat or dog slept on them!

So where do I start in my quest to rejuvenate my garden? 

Several things need to be considered and they are the grey water, black water, and septic systems. I decided to start with herbs and flowers on a slightly built up bed that will sit over the black water system. Several herbs I can use in relaxing teas, catnip for Sox whom you will see in many of my photos and flowers to attract the bees to pollinate my fruit and vegetable plants.

The location for the herb garden

I am choosing to eradicate the weeds by hand or natural methods.

My seedlings were the best little things plants I could afford, the ground was rocky and hard but after a few bags of potting mix and some cheap bricks I managed to mark out my herb bed, build up the soil and water it with Seasol and planted my little darlings and have watched them grow.

Some flowers also in pots that can be moved to garden beds that need bees

A great view of the herb garden thriving in such a short time

A night time picture showing the great little solar bollard lights 

Free Falling into Oblivion

Where does it all start? 

My first blog is taken from notes kept in my diary, from looking back at Dr appointments and from my very vivid recollection of a strong positive feeling. Those with BiPolar will know those strong positive feelings of heading in the right direction are like lighthouses in the distant beckoning you forward to safety.  They are very hard to forget!

I thought 2016 was going to be an awesome year, new years eve 2015 I was rostered into a department I love. It was packing, I get to work in my own little corner for  most of the day, my work in packing benefits the health of the people I care for, and it sooths my desire for order and perfection. What a way to end 2015...... I was in my element and the day was blissfully passing and ending a year of struggle and uncertainty that had plagued my brain. I was so sure that 2016 was going to be my year of success and happiness,  I had worked with my psychologist, psychiatrist, and doctor to come to a place of acceptance of other people's imperfections and I had never felt better!

Four days later my positive mood was to be ripped out from underneath me with such ferocity it scared me, I thought I would lose my job, I felt isolated from my workmates and was paranoid beyond belief that I had done something so bad. Unfortunately I was left for nearly 10 days in limbo before this situation could be dealt with because the major player was back on holiday.

I am a perfectionist at my job, I take criticism extremely well and work to improve myself in  my position rather then dwell on the criticism.  Who am I to argue with the boss, you want me to improve in an area so that is what I will do! 

I woke shaking every day before that "FORMAL" meeting, I had my support person lined up as suggested by management, and analysed every aspect of that day to try to figure out what I did wrong to trigger such a meeting but for the life of me I couldn't.  

On the day of the meeting I discovered the reasons, via a complaint of a persons perceptions I was accused of five major breaches of our code of conduct, each accusation is a sackable offence yet I had no comeback because you can't argue about someones perceptions!  With the help of my amazing support person and the Nurses Association I managed a reply that hopefully proved my innocence however as I have not had an official reply from my workplace I do not know if these accusatory perceptions have been placed in my permanent file or not and this is a constant concern 10 months on. 

2016 was to be my year! 2016 was a year that all of my hard therapy was going to pay off, 2016 was going to be my year to be strong and take control on my thoughts however 2016 has actually turned out to be the most difficult year of my life. More difficult that post natal depression,  more difficult than the year my son was diagnosed with ASD, more difficult than when my eldest moved into the middle of nowhere, more difficult then when I had a virus that made me unable to work for three years, and more difficult than the year I was finally diagnosed with BiPolar that changed my life forever.

August and September became pivotal for my mental health, I developed symptoms that led to a lumbar puncture and although I was given the all clear my neurologist told me in no uncertain terms to reduce my stress. He won't say it is "all in my mind" however those that know stress understand it can end up being "all in your mind".

I had several stressors to pick from that I could reduce. My son that needs me more than the typical teen due to ASD, my study to become a scientist that triggers anxiety every exam or assessment item, or my job where ever since the accusations at the beginning of the year have triggered a downward spiral into a place that immobilised my ability to thrive and grow and flourish into a better and stronger person.

I chose the most obvious stressor to reduce; my job! I am taking leave, either three months or up to a year, but whatever length of time I need to plan ahead both financially and emotionally. I chose gardening to help me because if I can grow half of my food I save half of my money. I have also found it incredibly therapeutic to get outside and transform a weed infested lawn into a beautifully unique garden that can feed my mind and my spirit.

Weed infested after ex-cyclone Oswald

Lawn mowed right back to cut the weeds as low as possible! 

This is the septic corner that shows the weeds in full bloom!