at the beginning of a new private or community garden where growing media is not yet Copyright Planterspost.com 2020 | CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. directly on or in bale (s) , with the possible addition of growing media (plant nutrients) from compost, soil or other sources (Figure 1). They will get east and west sun most of the day, at least 6 hours. When you are placing the bales for planting, make sure to pack them next to each other as tightly as you can for additional support. It was on my B-List of things to get around trying out some day. ), flowers, herbs, and cover crops (cow peas, vetch, etc.) Make sure to keep the soil constantly moist until the seeds have sprouted and are well established. As your vegetables and fruits grow, be sure to harvest them regularly. deficiency. Day 3: Water and fertilize the bales. A straw or hay bale bed is a type of bed that can be used for raising vegetables (pepper, These are meant as decor and sprayed with a fire retardant. I am trying something new this year, straw bale gardening. Next, it's important to not overwater your bales. Peter Anderson/Getty Images Straw bale gardening gets a lot of pressand for a good reason. (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/straw-bale-gardening.html), A Guide to Selecting, Harvesting and Preserving Woody Ornamental Cuts, Oklahoma Proven: Plant Selections for Oklahoma, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Check out the technique's pros and cons to help you decide if you want to set up a straw bale garden. Dilution is needed because the chicken poop can be higher in ammonia and kill the roots of the plants. How long Does A Straw Bale Garden Last? - No Dig Vegetable Gardening Blog How Long Do Straw Insulated Houses Actually Last Before You Have to An In-Depth Guide to Straw Bale Gardening for Beginners - MorningChores conventional beds. Privacy Policy, Disclosures and Affiliate Disclosure. When choosing straw bales for gardening, it is important to select ones that are free of chemicals and pesticides. This where the soilless mix comes in. >> Be sure the bales are STRAW and not hay or you'll be growing whatever is in that hay along with what you intended to grow. This is basically the same method as a raised bed garden and the depleted straw acts as the bulk of your compost/soil mix for the raised bed. Put 1/2 cup per bale . potassium) is available to the plants. There are a few cons as well, but they are minimal concerns. As the straw breaks down over the course of the summer, it turns into compost that feeds your plants. We let soaker hoses run over the bales to help with that. While it might cost a few hundred dollars for the wood to build garden beds, a bale averages $5 to $10 if purchased directly from a farm. Use the sides of the bale to plant ornamental flowers, such as marigolds or petunias. Sounds great, right? However, the length of time a straw bale garden lasts can be extended by using fresh straw each year and by adding amendments, such as compost, to the bales. Consider thepros and consto determine if straw bale gardening is right for you. Water in the fertilizer, making sure to saturate every bale, every day for several days. Straw Bale Gardening Is Easier Than You ThinkHere's What to Know, a location that receives 6 to 8 hours of sun per day, how to understand fertilizer numbers and letters, Compost tea or liquid fish emulsion is a good choice. into a fresh bale, the microbes in the bale will use any nutrients present to breakdown Some gardeners fill these spaces with additional compost/soil mixture as they appear. synthetic materials can also be used. What is Straw Bale Gardening? The technique allows you to put a substantial but temporary garden almost anywhere, even if your yard's sunniest spot happens to be the middle of your driveway. In general, its best to plant one type of crop per bale so that the plants have enough room to grow. Then, over the course of the next week or so, water it thoroughly every day. The straw will eventually decompose, adding organic matter to the soil. Starting a garden where soil poor is often a challenge. How long does a straw bale garden last? - Short-Questions Yes, you can garden even if you have no soil! After the growing season is over, remove the plants and use the leftover bales to cover your other garden beds. Depending on the growers needs, either old or Strawberries and potatoes are especially effective when planted this way. Some types of edible plants will also grow in the sides of the bales if you create pockets of potting soil and compost. Straw bales are preferable over hay since straw contain less seed We put seedlings in the bales, but you can also directly sow seeds. Old and intact straw bales can be used right away and If planting seed, place a 2-inch layer of soil on straw bales. Figure 3. If you have a large greenhouse or other structure, you can always have a straw bale garden in the winter to grow cold-hardy vegetables, such as kale and spinach. of about 3 to 4 inches. Straw bale gardening offers a unique and innovative way to garden. While there are many advantages to straw bale gardening, there are also some disadvantages to consider. Yes, you can garden! What tips would YOU have for a beginner? Once your bales are ready, dig out holes about six inches deep in the bales with a trowel or small tree saw. The heat produced by the microorganisms in your garden is great for vegetables but horrible for weeds. tomatoes, onion, grain amaranth, etc. Bales can be arranged based on space, type of production, and mobility needs. It's ideal for .css-1e1wdvt{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#0A5C80;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1e1wdvt:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:#0A5C80;}vegetable gardens, but you also can grow ornamental flowers. The materials are also very easy to source from farms and stores, though you must ensure theyre organic. You use the straw bales as both the garden bed and the growing medium. Straw Bale Gardening | Home & Garden Information Center Should I Buy (or Retain) Stockers to Graze Wheat Pasture? Straw bales contain barley and wheat stems, commonly used for composting, mulching, and gardening. Karsten mentions tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, the entire squash family, cabbage family, all greens, and herbs as the vegetables that will flourish with this method. Get daily tips & tricks to help make your best home, How to Pick the Best Mulch for Your Flowerbeds, How to Make and Use a Straw Bale Compost Bin, How to Start and Plan a Garden in 14 Steps, Six Great Containers for Growing Vegetables, How to Garden Outdoors in Winter and Grow Fresh Vegetables, What to Know Before You Build Raised Beds for Gardening. the rows between the bales as mulch for grass and weed control. However, for many gardeners, the benefits of straw bale gardening outweigh the disadvantages. Your choice. The roots can spread far quicker in straw than they can in the dirt, which allows them to have a stronger foundation. Check the bale after Day 11 and as long as it is cool to the touch you are ready to start planting. than hay. vetch, etc.) Also, try to place taller plants toward the back of the bale, so that when they grow, they wont shade the smaller plants. to the fact that the water infiltration rate is high in straw bales. Bales should last a full season or two. Stack bales in the interior. Water the bales thoroughly, and keep them wet for three days. Straw bale gardening uses a bale as the medium in which you plant. As they have the highest concentrations of nitrogen, it will help to speed up the conditioning. At the end of the season, compost your bales or save for one more year. Straw bale gardening has grown in popularity over the years, especially for smaller homesteads. gardener may need to hasten their planting. The plants then grow in the straw, drawing nutrients from the decomposing material. Choose organic. Karsten says to add your organic or non-organic nitrogen source to your bale. Most vegetables need direct sunlight, meaning about six hours of light a day, and a healthy dose of H2O to grow. This makes it easier on the back and knees. Lets get into the details you need to learn how to build your garden using these easy straw bale gardening instructions. Given the nutrients Once you get those bales soaked good at the beginning, it should only take about 1 gallon to 1.5 gallons to water each bale and you can get the water directly where you need it, around the plants. Have you considered planning a garden only to find your soil is too poor to grow anything properly? Youll want to plant your potato seeds up to six inches deep in the hay. The best plants for straw bale gardening are anything you would want to plant in a regular bed. it only requires a matter of minutes to pull out any weed seedlings quite easily. With leafy greens, you can keep your garden fertile until winter, but they will require more maintenance. A straw bale can make a great growing medium, and a straw bale garden is a raised bed in which the potting soil, compost, and plants are all housed inside the straw bale. Pros and Cons of Straw Bale Houses - House of Straw While it is true that straw is highly flammable, there are several mitigating factors to consider. (Nitrogen will be the first of the three numbers on the bag.) Introduction to straw bale gardening (http://strawbalegardens.com/ ), Straw bale gardening (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/straw-bale-gardening.html). Beginner's Guide to Straw Bale Gardening - Safer Brand If you live in an area where straw is not readily available, you may need to order it from a gardening supply store or farm. Straw Bale Gardening with Joel Karsten - The Beginner's Garden be achieved with the set up of timed drip irrigation or a soaker hose system. But how much can you actually plant in a bale? Hay is grass and straw is stalk think grains like barley and wheat after the harvest instead of dried grass. Straw bale gardening uses a bale as the medium in which you plant. Keep your bales watered; they dry out really fast! Sometime during the last 3 to 4 days of the prep process, sprinkle a cup of bone meal and a cup of wood ash over every bale before watering. Growing lettuce also works well with strawbale gardening. Proper prepping requires a week to 12 days. Whilst it is true that a depleted straw bale has nothing in the way of nutritional value to add to the compost, it does add bulk and carbon to the mix. In days your bales will heat up and the interior will become compost, creating the perfect environment to grow plants without straining your back or your wallet. You also may want to get a couple of metal stakes to drive into the ground at either end of the bale for stability. First of all, hay is not sterile, so its important to make sure that the bales you purchase are free of weed seeds and other contaminants. The Best Plants for Straw Bale Gardening and How to Create Your Own situation. Then you can add water and let your bales sit, soaking, for a few days which will turn to compost. It is possible to see some volunteer plant emergence, but these For both methods, Learn more. Decomposition is an exothermic process, this chemicals for control. Have you ever tried straw bale gardening? Some of the best vegetables that you can grow in a straw bale include zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers because they'll thrive in the nutrient-dense and warm environment. Liquid organic nutrients as well as compost tea can be added to this water, Heathers homesteading journey started in 2006, with baby steps: first, she got a few raised beds, some chickens, and rabbits. The number of pockets can vary depending on what the grower plans The Basics Of Straw Bale Gardening Insteading The answer depends on the size of the bale and the type of plants youre growing.For example, small bales can typically accommodate two to four tomato plants, while larger bales can accommodate six to eight plants. Do whatever is easiest for you to maintain. All of these steps should take a total of 10 days, and yield beautiful results. Generally, if any of the 16 essential plant nutrients Also, its a useful alternative for properties that cant be dug to create your garden. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. What Is Straw Bale Gardening, And How Do You Do It? Fill that hole with compost tea, consisting of either straight rabbit manure or a 1:5 ratio of chicken manure to water. When planting a straw bale garden, you will obviously need bales of straw. Purchasing old unused straw bales from farmers As usual, make sure to plant seedlings no deeper than they sit in their nursery pot. The planting process is similar to potatoes in that the seeds should be buried six inches into the bale. Gently pack it around the stem of the plant to provide support. Straw or hay bales can be obtained from several different places. This means that when you click our links and make purchases we may recieve a comission. Straw Bale Gardens | Illinois Extension | UIUC if properly cured compost is used. This means that the straw bale garden when planted with potatoes will only last for 1 year. As far as hay, I have never used that for this type of gardening. The best tomatoes for straw bale gardening include: Potatoes and other root vegetables do very well with straw bale gardening, as their roots can thrive. Straw bale gardens are an excellent idea because they combine vertical and container gardening. Generally, youll fit two or three plants per bale. All rights reserved. Straw bale gardening is a method of planting in "conditioned" straw bales that are ripe with nutrients ready to nourish those plants. Purchase rectangular straw bales (approximately 2 x 3). The practice has enjoyed explosive popularity in the last few years as gardeners worldwide discover its many advantages. What Is a Straw Bale Garden? Bales of straw started to be used for building construction in the early 20th century. Finally, straw bale gardens require more maintenance than traditional gardens. baits, or other appropriate methods. This decreases the chances of them coming into contact with an ignition source.Also, straw bales are typically moistened before they are used in gardening, which also reduces the risk of fire. After 3-4 days of manure tea and continual watering down, the bales are ready to be planted. For instance growing potatoes in straw bales means that the bale has to dismantled at the end of the first season to harvest the crop. Its an incredibly cost-effective way to grow organic vegetables. A high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as that used for lawns, is the best formulation to use for this conditioning stage. Generally, I had it for my horses several years ago. Required fields are marked *. Also, it's a useful alternative for properties that can't be dug to create your garden. We start with a bale of straw and add a nitrogen source over the period of a couple of weeks. Straw Bale Gardening: Learn How to Grow Vegetables in Straw Bales It will cost more per bale and may not be available in all areas. also be added to compost piles for quick and complete decomposition. How Long Does a Straw Bale Garden Last? be added, depending on the fertility requirement of these bale grown crops. Straw bale gardeninggets a lot of pressand for a good reason. Karsten says, "It isn't normally necessary but in rare cases when a bale of oat or wheat straw is baled without having grain harvested first, this means zillions of viable seeds exist which makes a bale sprout like a chia pet. This process needs to be done once daily for three days so the conditioning process can start. But do be prepared because the organic products often are, well, rather stinky and can attract pets (or even wildlife). Youll also need to make sure there arent any binding strings along the bales planting surface. No problem. Straw bale gardens typically last for two to three years before the straw begins to decompose and will need to be replaced. 4. This can be repeated at regular intervals until a substantial temperature This is an important step as the bales should be positioned so the narrow side with the visible cut straw edges is facing up. This is because we tend to think of potatoes in 3 distinct types 1st early, 2nd early, and main Hi, I'm James Paris and welcome to my blog! This can This is important because if seed or seedlings are planted Overall, its a good project to consider for your homestead. At the end of each bale row, erect your posts and run wires 10 inches above the planting surface of your bales. Give straw bale gardening a try this year and see how easy it is to have a weed free garden! This will help create a place that will nurture the plants for you. It is a phenomenal growing medium for an assortment of vegetables and is quite simple to maintain. It sounds like this would need doing each season with each new bale, so Im not sure I see the time savings and convenience I assumed was the perk to this method. Straw Bale Gardening for a Weed-free Garden - The Homesteading Hippy The good news is that although the bales may well be past their sell by date with regards to growing vegetables in them, you can still put them to good use in other ways such as. If you live in an area with a longer growing season, you may be able to start your garden even earlier.Another factor to consider is the maturity of the bales themselves.Bales that have been sitting out in the sun and rain for a few weeks will be ready to plant sooner than bales that are fresh from the field. An Amazon best selling author of numerous books in the No-Dig vegetable gardening niche, I am particularly interested in the No-Dig gardening methods that Urban or City dwellers can use to grow their own food - even when space is limited.Please check out my Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/author/jamesparis. Healthy garden Soils. These things we had to learn the hard way, but they were lessons well learned. The Pros and Cons of Straw Bale Gardening - The Spruce After the bales are arranged in your chosen configuration, spread a generous layer of high-nitrogen fertilizer on top of the bales. On the other hand, hay bales dont have barley and wheat stems but seeds. Make sure there is no weed killer. If youre using seedlings, you must create holes in the straw and then cover the seedlings with planting mix. You won't have to dig in rocky or hard soil, and it creates cheap, raised beds. Prepping straw bales (sometimes called conditioning) involves starting the decomposition process before planting. One of straw bales unique features is that it serves as a growing medium and garden bed. the bales, then watering it in thoroughly will help to accelerate this decomposition However if you enclose the bale in a wooden frame as you may see in the image on this page, you will get at least an extra year or 2 out of the bale. The gardening concept is the same and they seem similar on the surface, there are differences between straw bale gardening and hay bale gardening. ), flowers, herbs, and cover crops (cow peas, Once youve gotten as much use of the straw as possible, it can be turned into a mound of rich compost. The first thing you must do is conditioning the bale(s). The soda/milk bottle can be pierced in two to four places to allow water to drip. can be incorporated into the ground for conditioning the soil or possibly used in Oklahoma Chickens, Livestock, Homesteading & Gardening | Rural Living. Category: FAQs. The bales should be positioned on edge so that the sheared ends of the plant stalks are facing upward and the bands of twine are along the sides. Let me know how it works for youI have never tried alfalfa hay before! In regions that experience less than 80% humidity there is little concern for mold. This type of fertilizer will provide a steady stream of nutrients over time, rather than a sudden burst that can lead to plant stress.In addition to adding compost to the center or top of the bales, blood meal is another good option.Finally, it is important to choose a fertilizer that is specially formulated for use in straw bale vegetable gardens. You will know the bale is ready to use when it feels spongy and moist.At this point, you can add some compost or fertilizer to help give your plants a head start. This gardening technique is as easy as it is efficient. The pests present in a straw bale garden This is important for most vegetable crops. When asked about the perfect seeding technique Karsten says, "Seeds are planted at varying depths into a seedbed on top of the bale. How long does it take to condition a straw bale before planting? and high microbial/root activities which occur in them. Alternative Gardening:Watering requirements for straw bales - Dave's Garden After removing the peat pot from the seedlings/transplant, I placed them into their respective holes. Next season I will go again with this method but space everything further apart! At the end of the season, your straw bales should be gray, soft, and saggy, making them ideal for winter composting. Day 2: Give the bales a good soak, but don't add any more fertilizer. To avoid uninterrupted harvests, youll want to ensure you plant new seeds every three weeks in your bale. Straw bales can be used like raised beds in the yard so that no additional soil is needed. Feed your plants every other week at first, then weekly as they mature. Be sure to pin this for later! You can find an assortment of unique carrots to grow in straw gardens. weeks before planting. They can be purchased Actually, one way to minimize the risk of disease is to grow root crops like carrots, potatoes, and beets in straw bales. Heres how to do it. In If purchased, prices range anywhere practice because it allows germinating seeds to form extensive roots within the growing process. A few other essential vegetables to add to your straw garden include: As a fan favorite worldwide, tomatoes do quite well in straw bales and are easy to grow. For planting seeds, push them about inch deep in the soil-compost mix and water them. Generally, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make four pockets or holes This is different from the hay bale which is in fact full of nitrogen-rich dry grass made from meadow grass and destined for winter animal feed owing to its nutritional value. A variety of foundations can be used for bale placement: concrete, gravel, dirt, sand, turf, or wooden pallets. The straw stays warm and dry, which helps to prevent diseases and pests. After this time you can simply let the bale collapse in on itself as it degrades and top it off with a good compost mix to extend the period even further. The other method is adding or spreading soil materials on the top University of Illinois Extension. By adding vertical stakes and wires to your garden, you can create a greenhouse to protect seedlings. media is in place, the bales need to be moistened. They arent suitable as a garden medium or for composting. I must say that I was surprised to see all the lead up time and prep work involved. To plant seedlings in a straw bale, simply take a sharp trowel and stick it down into the straw, wiggling it back and forth to make room for the seedling. The second year, we cut the twine and wound up with tomato plants all over the place due to lack of support from the straw bale. to no problem with ground dwelling pests. Compost tea that is. Really good soil is made from this . Spring and fall are the best times for starting a straw bale garden. Straw Bale Gardening (Part I) - FineGardening
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