# covering strawberries



## 066blaster (Nov 26, 2014)

Just finishing covering today. We had most of them done, but then we got a lot of rain and then snow. We had to wait until the ground was froze enough that it wasn't muddy. We use about 800 bales.


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## farmer steve (Nov 26, 2014)

you don't use a chopper/blower?


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## 066blaster (Nov 26, 2014)

That is a chopper on the back. You just feed the bales in it. I know they make bigger ones that blow it over the whole field. But they take more straw. You only need it over the row of plants. 1 bale goes about 35 feet. We still do the rows with the irrigation pipes by hand. We grow are own winter rye for the straw. We cut it just as it it heading out so the seed doesn't mature, otherwise we get a lot of volunteer coming up in spring. Wheat straw is the worst for that. Plus the winter rye gets about 6-7 foot tall and produces alot of straw. I have to bale in low gear and the bales come out 1 right after another.


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## 066blaster (Nov 26, 2014)

This what it looked like last spring after the snow melted


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## farmer steve (Nov 27, 2014)

guess my eyes are getting bad with old age.


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