My straw bale garden

[babice]

Originally Posted by RebelRidin

Babice - This seems like a perfect solution for your backyard overlooking the creek.

Very good idea RebelRidin

[Alpinejs]

This is my 2nd attempt to grow tomatoes in straw bales. Last year, while I was in Canada,
my caretakers said the bales fell apart and the 'maters died. I discovered that the bales
are tied with cord and not baling wire, so this year I added a binding of baling wire. My four
tomato plants in two bales are running well ahead of my container plants. They all look healthy
and I am using rebar for support and just tying the plants to the rebar. If the project goes as
well as it has started, I will greatly expand my straw bale gardening in the future. Plus, it is
a great conversation piece.

Here is a suggestion that is working for me and may ultimately give me a source of free bales.
Offer the feed store seedlings and have them plant some maters in bales in front of the
feed store. Post a picture with instructions by the planting and elsewhere inside the feed
store. They sell more bales, you sell more seedlings and you may get some free bales.

[FreyaFL]

I'm seriously considering trying this sometimes this year or next. But...question...are all hay bales made from wheat straw? I've Celiac Disease and even breathing wheat dust could set me off. Is there another kind? I'm in SW FL. Thanks!

FreyaFL

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by FreyaFL

I'm seriously considering trying this sometimes this year or next. But...question...are all hay bales made from wheat straw? I've Celiac Disease and even breathing wheat dust could set me off. Is there another kind? I'm in SW FL. Thanks!

FreyaFL

There is a difference between hay and straw. Most straw is made from wheat yes, but if you can find someone who grows oats you may be in luck. Otherwise most hay is usually a blend of grasses and/or alfalfa. Hay is usually more expensive than straw though.

[FreyaFL]

Thank you! Oats are bad, too. (They are an alternate crop for wheat unless grown specifically "gluten free".) They usually share the same fields, equipment, and processing as wheat. So, hay, from grasses/alfalfa, would be the only kind I could possibly use. Hmm. Maybe I won't be doing this. (More researching...)

[Tracydr]

Being in Florida, you should be able to find Sudan grass hay for cheap. Be very careful not to introduce Johnson grass seeds. Also, I'd be careful of using grassy hay. I used it once on my raised beds one year and introduced tons of Bermuda seeds. Grew myself a real nice lawn in my garden which was h*** get rid of.

[FreyaFL]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Grew myself a real nice lawn in my garden which was h*** get rid of.

That would be very annoying! I have a terrible problem with dollar weed here (creeping charlie?) and have been fighting that continuously. Adding grass seeds could make me insane. Thanks for the advice!

[Gardadore]

I have been using the straw bale or hay method of growing tomatoes and eggplants for the last 5-6 years with great results. The gentleman Filmnet mentioned started a thread on that site. I read through all the postings and then made a synopsis of what works well for me. AsI point out in the synopsis this is not an exact science and there are many viable approaches especially in terms of fertilizing. I am sharing mine below in case anyone wants to try this method and needs some guidelines. Please note there is a difference in prepping the bales depending on whether you start them in the spring or fall. Naturally your location plays a role in how quickly they heat up and the problems you may incur. We do not have fire ants in my area! So Happy New Year to all and I hope this helps someone:

Straw or Hay Bale Gardening Formula
Need: Wheat, Oat Straw or Hay Bales (Alfalfa is best); Long Thermometer; Fertilizer; Spatula or Garden Knife; Potting Soil (love Pro Mix or Coir); Wire fencing.
What To Plant: Any Annuals; Annual Herbs; Non-root Vegetables: Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, Beans, Lettuce, Squash, Melons, Okra, etc. Potatoes may be planted the following year in the decomposed straw or hay!
To Prepare Bales if they are new in the Spring:
Use wheat / oat straw or hay (Alfalfa is great) bales. Hay has some nitrogen whereas Straw has no nutrients. I use both. Ask if and which herbicides were used. Avoid if “Growzone” was used. Remember you are planting your vegetables in them! If placed in double rows they will heat up better but it is not necessary. Put newspaper or cardboard underneath to avoid weeds. I prefer bales with strings on the ground for less water run-off. Others prefer strings off the ground.
In the spring water all the bales for two days before starting the prepping with fertilizer so they are moist. Bales will handle up to 5 gallons easily but if it rains in between you don’t need as much water. After adding fertilizer, if the bales do not heat up as much as you want, just add more water.
You need a nitrogen fertilizer in the spring to help the bales heat up and begin breaking down. You can’t plant in them until they are cool and workable. They get soft after heating up and breaking down. I prefer Blood Meal (Espoma is good) but the original formula recommended Ammonium Nitrate or Urea (not organic). I have used Urea. You will need less nitrogen fertilizer for the hay bales. Formula below is for straw. Buy a long meat thermometer to check the temps as they heat up.
Use the fertilizing regime below to start bales in the Spring. If you start your bales in the Fall skip to day 10 in the Spring. Add the fertilizer before planting unless bales didn’t break down well naturally over the winter. Then start at day 7 with Nitrogen fertilizer but don’t expect the bales to heat up. Once they are prepped (soft and workable) you will be able to separate the straw with a spatula or your hand to plant in them. Be sure to add Potting mix, NEVER soil from your garden!
Day 1: Add 1 cup of Blood Meal or 1⁄2 cup Urea plus 5 gallons of water. Water slowly so the Blood Meal doesn’t all run off.
Days 2 and 3: Add up to 5 gallons of Water each day as needed.
Day 4: Add 1 cup of Blood Meal or 1⁄2 cup Urea, plus water as needed.
Day 5: Add just Water as needed
Day 6: Use thermometer to check temperatures; record them. Temps can go to 140+o but usually low 100’s. Add 1/2 cup Blood Meal or 1⁄2 cup Urea and Water as needed.
Day 7: Check temps. Add Water as needed.
Day 8: Check temps. Add 1/2 cup Blood Meal or 1⁄2 cup Urea plus Water as needed.
Day 9: Check Temps Add Water as needed.
Day 10: Check Temps Add 1 Cup Organic granular fertilizer like Espoma for Vegetables and Flowers (I also add rock phosphate, bone meal, and gypsum) and Water them in.
If the bales never heat up over 100o you may need to add more water or fertilizer. If the bales were not really new and had been sitting outdoors most of the winter they may never heat up as they already perked throughout the winter. From Day 11 on you might be able to plant in the bales but watch that they have cooled down sufficiently inside or you will burn the roots of the seedlings. You may have to wait several days. The internal temp should be 85o or lower to be safe. When planting, separate the straw with the spatula, a garden knife or your hand, then add POTTING SOIL OR COIR (I mix in worm castings as well) and the seedling or seeds. With seeds sprinkle potting soil on top or shallowly so the seeds are covered. Keep watering - DO NOT LET THE BALES DRY OUT!! **DO NOT USE SOIL FROM THE GARDEN!!
About every two weeks I foliar feed tomatoes, peppers and eggplants with Fish Fertilizer (like Neptune’s Harvest) and Kelp. I add Epsom salts (1 tbs. per gallon of water at transplant, flowering and fruit set). Then watch ‘em grow!
Put wire caging around the bales. For tomatoes you need at least 5 - 6 ft. high wire fencing so you can attach the tomato plants to it. The bales will continue to break down throughout the summer and not offer the support you need. Tomatoes can grow tall and get heavy. I put a 2-3 ft high fence around the rest of the bales, especially for squash and melons as they get really huge and can fall down the sides. The fencing really helps keep the bales together as they sink. In the fall you can gather up the used bales, pile the straw high to make a regular height bale (the worms go crazy in these!) and replant in the spring. Two old bales usually make 1 new one. Some people suggest planting potatoes in the old straw. That works well. Experiment!! This is not an exact science. Each bale will do its own thing temperature and growth-wise. Keep notes on what you do so you can report to others what works and what doesn’t!! Have FUN!

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by FreyaFL

That would be very annoying! I have a terrible problem with dollar weed here (creeping charlie?) and have been fighting that continuously. Adding grass seeds could make me insane. Thanks for the advice!

I do use alfalfa hay for mulch and never get weed seeds so that is safe. Too bad you can't use wheat or oat straw.
How about pine straw bales?

[Tracydr]

For planting lettuce and other winter greens, do you need to do the 10 day heating step? Seems like you could skip or modify that, since they have shallow roots and are being planted in the potting soil on top of the bale.
Could I maybe plant and do a mild prep of the bales at the same time, maybe with a little less blood meal or something?

[livinonfaith]

My straw bale garden last year was a bit disappointing. Lots of disease and insect damage. I think there were a couple of reasons for this.

One, it rained quite a bit this Spring. While my entire yard had more disease this year because of this, the bales really just held the water and that seemed to accelerate the diseases on those plants. There were mushrooms everywhere and the bales got downright slimy inside at times. I sprayed a few times for disease, but it seemed like every time I sprayed, it rained shortly after.

Two, I am not sure that my bales were decomposed enough before I planted. My most decomposed (most squashed looking) bales were the ones that produced the healthiest plants. Also they didn't seem to hold so much water, maybe because they had loosened in structure?

Three, the bugs and slugs LOVED the bales. The millipedes and pillbugs especially. I've never seen so many millipedes and pillbugs in my life, thousands of them. And I don't care what anyone says, if pillbugs are hungry, they do eat live plants! They especially loved the lettuce, celery and kale. (They did leave the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants alone for the most part, but infested those bales, as well.)

I soaked the bales a few times with organic insecticides, but while it would kill the ones on the surface, more would emerge within days. Again, I suspect that the unusually moist Spring kept the bug levels high. Also, my bales were placed on top of existing gardening fabric where the bugs and slugs had probably begun to breed. Marko's placement on concrete, or even out in the middle of a yard, would probably prevent this.

This is not meant to discourage those thinking of trying bales. Honestly, when I could keep the bugs toned down and the moisture level steady, many of the plants seemed to enjoy the bales. The kale perked up once the bugs died off and is beautiful now in December. I got the most cucumbers I've ever gotten. My White Rabbit tomato thrived and kept going until killed by frost. There were some other successes, as well.

This is just to let people know some of the pitfalls, so that they can avoid them.

[Gardadore]

I have never grown lettuce or winter greens in bales but guess the 10 step method wouldn't be as necessary especially if there was enough soil on top. My son lives in Phoenix so I can see it could be a real challenge to keep them moist enough, especially on top. Tomatoes do well for me because I plant them really far down and keep adding soil as they grow.
I believe I have read that pine straw bales are not as good because they break down almost too quickly but I have no experience with it.
As to Livinonfaith's problems I don't think there is any 100 per cent perfect way to raise anything. We are all subject to weather and climate situations. Mushrooms growing in the bales while they are perking is a good thing, however, as it shows they are breaking down well. They can get slimy inside with heavy rains and slugs are a problem here as well. I had to use more Sluggo last year than ever before. The slugs can climb easily. I did also sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth around the bales as well and all that did help. I don't have millipedes or pill bugs.
I guess the best advice is to experiment and see what works best in your area, then share the results! For me the bales are a saving on back pain once I have them in place!

[FreyaFL]

Originally Posted by Gardadore

...
Straw or Hay Bale Gardening Formula
Need: Wheat, Oat Straw or Hay Bales (Alfalfa is best); Long Thermometer; Fertilizer; Spatula or Garden Knife; Potting Soil (love Pro Mix or Coir); Wire fencing
....

Awesome write up! This really seems to explain it, step-by-step. I think I can find alfalfa bales, so, why not try? I'm really looking for a good way to build good soil (as I haven't ANY. Just sand. LOL) and garden at the same time.

Thank you, Gardadore!

FreyaFL

[Gardadore]

Freya,
The by product of all this straw bale growing has been awesome compost. The following spring I find fantastic amounts of earthworms under the decomposed bales and often add that to my flower and veggie gardens instead of replanting in them. I see you live in Florida so you will face completely different conditions. My notes are based on my experiences in a NE PA climate. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[livinonfaith]

Agreed, Gardadore! It is certainly worth a try.

I neglected to mention the things I really did like about the bales.

They held water far better than I thought they would. If it hadn't been such a strange wet Spring, that would have been a major plus! As it was, once everything dried out a bit, I had to water the bales less than half as much as my containers.

I didn't have to weed, at all! Just mow between the rows of bales. Can't beat that!

For the smaller crops, like lettuce and such, they can be a real back saver. Picking everything is much easier when it's higher off the ground. (I especially can't imagine trying to crawl around after all those little Ground Cherries every day!)