Straw Bale Gardening

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@Orval I saw the photos of Orval's straw bale plantings and am very interested in them.  I have heard that you can purchase straw bales for only a few dollars each and that it may be a much cheaper way to get gardens started as opposed to purchasing soil to fill raised beds &c.

Orval, could you share a bit more of your bale gardening experience? 

[Orval]

Brother Stafford,

 

My experience is not much as last year was my first year and it was an experimental year.  My wife and I did not have any expectations and we planted several types of plants and seeds.  Everything we planted turned out well except for seeds.  Seeds may work but I think overall the bales are two wet and the seeds would have to be planted much deeper than ¼ to ½ inch.  We will probably go back to planting onions, carrots and radishes in the flower garden as they do well there. 

 

Our first-year experience taught us that almost all stalked plants did well.  We set the plants about six inches deep in the bales (read my other post for which side of the bale you plant in) which seemed to work fine.  I did not stake them last year but used a cattle panel and tied the plants loosely to the wire.  I think we may stake the peppers and eggplant this year. 

 

Tomatoes need to be pruned often as the fruit will not ripen like it should because of the sucker branches that start almost immediately.  Also, last year I watered the tomatoes every other day 1 ½ hours and heat wise it was a mild summer so we will try watering every two days this years and watch the heat.  Here in Oklahoma we get a lot of 100 degree plus days. 

 

My biggest surprise last year was our loan zucchini squash plant (planted two lost one) it produced in crazy numbers there is just my wife and I plus we gave a lot away but that one plant easily produced 40 squash and would have done better if I had known how to prune it. 

 

We used ten bales and planted 3 Pablano plants, 4 California wonder peppers, 3 Jalapeno and two Serrano, one egg plant, 1 squash, 3 Romano tomato, 3 beef steak tomato, 3 cherry tomato, one yellow pepper.  One avocado (did not germinate).

 

The first month you need to spend a few minutes each day pulling the wheat sprouts from the bales.  At first you will be overwhelmed how much wheat is growing but if you stay at it you will win the battle pretty easily.  I would suggest you put cardboard, thick newspaper or I used the cloth mesh you use under decks to prevent grass from growing into your bales.  I also laid mine out where I could use my riding mower to mow around them, at some point your tomatoes and squash may spread out and you will probably make some mowing changes.

 

Our late harvest really surprised me as well, especially the Pablano peppers October and early November really produced a ton of peppers even the California wonders did well.

 

I researched online for a couple of years, talked to one person who had done the straw bales, ordered a book and then tried it.  We will do it again.  As I have gotten older getting down on my hands and knees has caused some dizziness so it was going to be straw bales or raised gardens and I felt paying the money each year for the bales was expensive in the long run but not as expensive as an initial cash outlay for building the boxes I would need, plus sand and soil.  Also, the straw left at the end of the growing season makes great compost for starting your plants for the next year.

 

Not sure if this is what you were wanting brother if not let me know and I will try to help.

 

        

[No Nicolaitans]

The locals (in my area) sell their bales for as little as $3 a bale. Unfortunately, more are now starting to make those huge circular rolls of hay. I'm not sure how much they cost, and I wonder if they would even work as well in gardening.

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2 hours ago, Orval said:

Not sure if this is what you were wanting brother if not let me know and I will try to help.

What great information!  it is encouraging to hear first hand accounts of techniques like this.  My back is also not what it used to be and I am thinking of the same things of which you spoke, regarding cost and efficiency.  Thank you.

[Orval]

5 hours ago, No Nicolaitans said:

The locals (in my area) sell their bales for as little as $3 a bale. Unfortunately, more are now starting to make those huge circular rolls of hay. I'm not sure how much they cost, and I wonder if they would even work as well in gardening.

NN. I suppose hay would work but I wonder about the nitrogen content since it is similar to grass I suspect you might get beautiful looking plants but very little fruit.  You might read up on the difference between hay and straw.  Hay is very expensive here in Oklahoma and like your area it is round or very large square bales.   

[No Nicolaitans]

1 hour ago, Orval said:

NN. I suppose hay would work but I wonder about the nitrogen content since it is similar to grass I suspect you might get beautiful looking plants but very little fruit.  You might read up on the difference between hay and straw.  Hay is very expensive here in Oklahoma and like your area it is round or very large square bales.   

Well, well, well...all of this time I was assuming a straw bale was just another name for a hay bale. Thank you for the clarification. 

[Invicta]

1 hour ago, No Nicolaitans said:

Well, well, well...all of this time I was assuming a straw bale was just another name for a hay bale. Thank you for the clarification. 

Well I am not an expert but I believe that hay is from dried grasses and used for fodder anf straw is from grains such as wheat, barley, rye etc and is used for bedding.  

Edited March 12, 2017 by Invicta

[Orval]

4 hours ago, Invicta said:

Well I am not an expert but I believe that hay is from dried grasses and used for fodder anf straw is from grains such as wheat, barley, rye etc and is used for bedding.  

That is correct my friend.