Straw Bale Gardening: Start to Finish

Straw bales (not hay bales) are a great place to plant vegetables. Here's my start-to-finish results! The straw is an easy, loose place for the plants to spread out their roots. Also, up on the straw bale there is essentially ZERO weeds to pick. (Note: do NOT use a "hay" bale: unlike straw, the hay has lots of seeds and you will have wheat/oats/grass/etc. growing as weeds in your garden!). Straw bales have some benefits like "raised bed" gardening.

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[Willow Dove]

Can this still be done if we didn't start the straw bales in the winter? If so how??

[OrganicGarden123]

If you didn't get the straw bales to compost themselves somewhat over the winter, then would need to add more soil & compost in at the top of bale before planting. Still worth trying if that's your best option for gardening in that location.

[dynodish]

I like this idea. I was thinking though, if you use hay, you're going to get weed growth from all the seed left in it. That might break down to good plant nutrients, but, it would be a pain. If you use straw, you wouldn't have so much of a problem and it would be more airy for plant roots. Either way, you'd have some nice compost piles for the next spring. It's good looking when it fills in.

[OrganicGarden123]

Yes, I agree with you, which is why the video title says "Straw" bale gardening rather than "Hay" bale. I agree with you that hay would have more seeds/weeds.

[heath32600]

Plants will grow in straw. A real no-brainer. Pardon me, but do you have any idea what kind of REAL farming went into growing the straw itself? What I see when I watch the video is two acres of wheat being cut and harvested and the remaining straw being used to grow 2 tomato plants. What a waste of resources. Why not till the straw into the soil in fall. Then plant it in spring You've managed to accomplish so little with so much. Congratulations.

[OrganicGarden123]

well, it wasn't much a waste of resources since the straw bales were being thrown out by my neighbors after being Halloween/Thanksgiving porch decorations, and I used them to grow more tomatoes than my family could eat, in an area where I could not plant directly into the soil since it was a chemically-treated lawn the year before. Those scrappy bales got me started on a home gardening journey that has yielded hundreds of pounds of food over the past couple years, and healthier living. Peace.

[Dewayne Curry]

You should do some research before you open your yap. Mono-cropping is not real farming. 2 acres for 3 bales? Are you retarded? That straw is going back into the soil of his yard btw. He has accomplished a lot. You, I suspect only accomplish trolling. Stop watching youtube and go grow something.

[Daisy spring]

Where is Springdaiseys coment



[punkrockplatypus]

I use hay instead of straw. Yeah, there are seeds, but when they start to grow, pull the weeds and tuck them in the bottom of the bales. It's a nitrogen boost. I also treat the bales with ammonia for 4 days, then heavy watering for 2 more days. Ammonia has a lot of nitrogen in it. It basically makes a bacterial block party so you're ready to plant in under two weeks. Plus a lot of the time the bales get so hot so fast that the weed seeds cook before they ever get to sprout.

[bosatsu76]

Nitrogen sources... Try peeing on it everyday for a while...

[coco jarvis]

after I plant my garden I would use straw as mulch around my plants so I don't have to weed my garden. I tried shreded newspaper last year and the plants didn't get enough water to grow so back to straw.

[ohsnapiam59]

I am doing this in my backyard as an experiment. I also transplanted some of my perennial herbs. I started late but the bales have been in my backyard for several months and already have stated to decompose. Looking forward to the results!

[skullaria]

Yes! I've done it.  I just watered mine every day for about 2-3 weeks. Now, I didn't go 'organic' but I miracle growed my bales several times. Then I planted in the top with a bit of good dirt. I had AMAZING zucchinis and cucumbers.

[CurvyOyster3]

Okay I've fertilized and kept my bales of straw wet for 10 days as another video recommended before planting. Now I have some kind of seed sprouting everywhere :(. If I pull these out will more grow back? any advice appreciated. ty

[66scottfree]

Almost all gardening requires dealing with weeds... but in this case the bales should compost and the resulting heat will kill most of the seeds. Also, picking weeds out of a bale of hay should be relatively easy.

[mackenzie brightmon]

how did i get here