gardening with straw bales

Especially good for those with dickey backs, straw bale gardening needs only someone to lug the jolly bales into place and with a minimum of effort you'll have a marvel of bounty and beauty indeed.
We can learn from others here. There are timely tips on straw bale gardening that will save you angst. Here's the hoedown:
The bale is the garden. Put it on your balcony or path if you want to.
Use one or umpteen bales as you need and in any pattern. Because straw bale gardening is raised, it's easy to work with, so make sure you allow for handy access.
Wheat or oat straw is best as it's the stalks left from harvesting grain with very few seed left. Hay bales are less popular as they are made of whole plants with mucho seeds and often other weeds in. Use what you can get locally — it may even be lucerne or pea straw bales.
Put the bales in the exact place, because it's too hard to even nudge these monsters once you've got your little straw bale garden factory in full swing.
You'll get one good season out of a bale and usually two, albeit with a bit of sag. It makes for great compost or mulch when finished with.

Lay them lengthwise to make planting easy by just parting the straw. Make sure the string is running around each bale and not on the side touching the ground in case it's degradable twine.
Keep the twine there to hold it all in place and if it does rot, bang some stakes in at both ends, or chock up the ends with something heavyish, like rocks, bricks, boxes or plant containers.
Starting off with slightly aged bales of about 6 months is best, but if they're new, thoroughly soak with water and leave for 5 or so days whilst the temperature rises and cooks the inside, then they will cool and be ready for planting. They won't be composting much inside yet, that takes months, but you don't want that initial hot cooking of your plants.
Some sneaky people speed up the process of producing microbes and rot by following a 10-day pre-treatment regime of water and ammonium nitrate on the top of each bale. But, hey, organic gardeners are a patient lot aren't we, so let's follow nature?
Keep watered. That's going to be your biggest task. Straw bale gardening uses more water than a normal garden, so set up a system now. It may be that swilling out the teapot on it each day is enough in your area, or you may need to keep the hose handy.

Straw bale gardening — plants to plant

Annuals of vegetables, herbs or flowers will love it. Remember your bales will be history in 1-2 years. Young plants can go straight in. Pull apart or use a trowel and depending on the state of the straw, put a handful of compost soil in too, then let the straw go back into place.
Seeds can be planted on top if you put a layer of compost soil there first.
Top heavies like corn and okra, are not so good, unless you grow dwarf varieties. With straw bale gardening it's hard to put solid stakes in so big tomato plants are out, although they will happily dangle over the edge.
Each bale should take up to half a dozen cucumbers, trailing down. Squash, zucchini, melons — maybe 3 plants, or a couple of tomato plants per bale with one or two herbs and leafy veggies in between. Four pepper plants will fit or 12-15 bean or pea plants.
There's no limit and why not poke in around the side a plant or two of some flowering annual for colour and companion if you like.
Once every 1-2 weeks water in a liquid organic feed, such as compost tea or fish emulsion. Tip some worms on top if you want to use your bales only one season.
It's simple to pull out any wayward grain seeds with straw bale gardening, but with hay bales you may need to occasionally give them a haircut rather than try and pull the tenacious new sprouts out.




Growing Your Garden

You can start your garden with seeds if you use some topsoil on top of the bales, but I transplanted all of my vegetables from flats and trays purchased from local nurseries.

I initially used 20 bales of wheat straw. The plants in the wheat straw were doing so well that I got 10 more bales of oat straw to see how that would do. (Pine straw won’t work.)

I recommend getting bales that have been tightly baled. The oat straw bales I bought were lighter and baled looser than the wheat straw, and I learned that they don’t hold as much water. I paid about $2.50 for each bale.

Use bales that have synthetic twine if you can find them. The twine won’t rot and it will hold the bales together longer. If the bales use regular twine, that’s no problem. You may have to put a stake at the end of the bales. The bales I used had regular twine, and they started to rot and break, but I arranged 10 in each row, so the bales tend to hold each other together.

I oriented my bales with the strings off the ground. You can do it either way, but I like the twine off the ground. The transplanting seemed easier with the bales oriented with the strings off the ground. You can decide which way to orient yours.

If you make more than one row of bales, put them wide enough apart so your lawnmower can get between them. And because you’ll be watering them, I recommend placing the bales where the water will drain away from your house or away from where you’ll be walking.

How many plants per bale? Try two tomato plants per bale, three peppers, two squash, two sets of cucumbers.

Be prepared to stake the tomatoes and peppers. I recommend 6-foot stakes for the tomatoes. I used tobacco sticks last year, but they are too short. My tomatoes grew way over the tobacco sticks.

I didn’t plant any okra last year, but they will probably do well. You’ll definitely have to stake them.
I don’t think corn will work too well. The plants will be too top-heavy.
I water the bales in the morning and after sunset. You can’t over-water because any excess will just run out of the bales. Soaker hoses will work. The main thing is not to let the bales get dried out between watering.

I started out using some Miracle Grow once a week for a couple of weeks. Then I sprinkled in some 10-10-10. You don’t want to over fertilize.

The bales will start to sprout wheat or oat straw, but that is no problem. If the grass gets too much for you, just whack it off with a knife. I give my bales a “haircut” every so often with a steak knife. It takes no time at all.

One thing I’ve noticed—and this could be just a fluke—is I have not had to spray my plants with any pesticides such as Liquid Sevin. I haven’t had any worms, bugs or other pest bother my straw bale garden. Maybe it has something to do with the plants being off the ground.

Be prepared to use new bales each year. I don’t think they will be suitable for two years in a row. You can burn them, use them for mulch or bust them up and set new bales on them next year.

Kent Rogers is a member of Wake Electric, a Touchstone Energy cooperative. You can contact him by mail at 13028 Powell Rd, Wake Forest, NC 27587, and by e-mail at kent.rogers@earthlink.net Your Bales

It takes 10 days to prepare your bales.

* Days 1–3: Water the bales thoroughly and keep them wet.
* Days 4–6: Sprinkle the bales with 1/2 cup of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0) per bale per day, and water it well into the bales. I didn’t have any trouble finding ammonium nitrate from my local ag-supply store. They sold it in 40-pound bags. I have heard, however, that some people have had difficulty finding it in more urban settings. Ask around.
* Days 7–9: Cut back to 1/4 cup of ammonium nitrate per bale per day and continue to water it in well.
* Day 10: No more ammonium nitrate, but do add 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer per bale and water it in well.
* Day 11: Transplant your plants into the bales. I used a spatula to make a crack in the bale for each plant. Place the plant down to its first leaf and close the crack back together as best you can.
You can start your garden with
seeds if you use some topsoil on
top of the bales, but I transplanted all
of my vegetables from flats and trays
purchased from local nurseries.
I initially used 20 bales of wheat
straw. The plants in the wheat straw
were doing so well that I got 10 more
bales of oat straw to see how that
would do. (Pine straw won’t work.)
I recommend getting bales that have
been tightly baled. The oat straw bales
I bought were lighter and baled looser
than the wheat straw, and I learned
that they don’t hold as much water. I
paid about $2.50 for each bale.
Use bales that have synthetic twine
if you can find them. The twine won’t
rot and it will hold the bales together
longer. If the bales use regular twine,
that’s no problem. You may have to
put a stake at the end of the bales. The
bales I used had regular twine, and
they started to rot and break, but I
arranged 10 in each row, so the bales
tend to hold each other together.
I oriented my bales with the strings
off the ground. You can do it either
way, but I like the twine off the
ground. The transplanting seemed easier
with the bales oriented with the
strings off the ground. You can decide
which way to orient yours.
If you make more than one row of
bales, put them wide enough apart so
your lawnmower can get between
them. And because you’ll be watering
them, I recommend placing the bales
where the water will drain away from
your house or away from where you’ll
be walking.
How many plants per bale? Try two
tomato plants per bale, three peppers,
two squash, two sets of cucumbers.
Be prepared to stake the tomatoes and
peppers. I recommend 6-foot stakes for
the tomatoes. I used tobacco sticks last
year, but they are too short.My tomatoes
grew way over the tobacco sticks.
I didn’t plant any okra last year, but
they will probably do well. You’ll definitely
have to stake them.
I don’t think corn will work too well.
The plants will be too top-heavy.
I water the bales in the morning and
after sunset. You can’t over-water
because any excess will just run out of
the bales. Soaker hoses will work. The
main thing is not to let the bales get
dried out between watering.
I started out using some Miracle
Grow once a week for a couple of
weeks. Then I sprinkled in some 10-
10-10. You don’t want to over fertilize.
The bales will start to sprout wheat
or oat straw, but that is no problem. If
the grass gets too much for you, just
whack it off with a knife. I give my
bales a “haircut” every so often with a
steak knife. It takes no time at all.
One thing I’ve noticed—and this
could be just a fluke—is I have not had
to spray my plants with any pesticides
such as Liquid Sevin. I haven’t had any
worms, bugs or other pest bother my
straw bale garden.Maybe it has something
to do with the plants being off
the ground.c
Kent Rogers is a member of Wake Electric, a
Touchstone Energy cooperative. You can
contact him by mail at 13028 Powell Rd,
Wake Forest, NC 27587, and by e-mail at
kent.rogers@earthlink.net
Kent Rogers of Wake Forest has successfully cultivated a vegetable garden in bales
of straw. Carolina Country’s report on his idea last year drew attention from gardeners
and others across the state. Kent points out that the method produces
good-looking, healthy plants without weeds, and is especially convenient for people
who don’t have a large plot of ground to till, or who are physically unable to
do a lot of kneeling, bending, raking and hoeing. Here is some of his advice for
people interested in straw bale gardening.
It takes 10 days to prepare your bales.
Days 1–3:Water the bales thoroughly
and keep them wet.
Days 4–6: Sprinkle the bales with 1⁄2
cup of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0)
per bale per day, and water it well
into the bales. I didn’t have any
trouble finding ammonium nitrate
from my local ag-supply store. They
sold it in 40-pound bags. I have
heard, however, that some people
have had difficulty finding it in
more urban settings. Ask around.
Days 7–9: Cut back to 1⁄4 cup of
ammonium nitrate per bale per day
and continue to water it in well.
Day 10: No more ammonium
nitrate, but do add 1 cup of 10-10-10
fertilizer per bale and water it in well.
Day 11: Transplant your plants into
the bales. I used a spatula to make a
crack in the bale for each plant.
Place the plant down to its first leaf
and close the crack back together as
best you can.