I tried both straw and hay bales last year. My pumpkins grew great in the hay bales. Tomatoes did great as well. On the plus side: with bale gardening, you avoid the disease issues that can build up in a conventional garden. Also, insects not as much of an issue. On the negative side: you have to water diligently EVERY day. So, if water is plentiful and you have a hose near enough to water without difficulty, and if space is a limiting factor, or if you are physically limited and would do better not getting down to ground level, hay and straw bales may be the way to go. I had no problem with weeds associated with hay, as the center of the pile heated up to 135 degrees when I was conditioning it. (I placed 5 bales beside each other with plastic under and wrapped around sides to hold in moisture) And, I placed the bales on a small cement patio area, and I covered the top of the bales with several inches of compost. (mulch would do) By the time weeds germinate enough to get through the compost/mulch, your intended crop is big enough to shade them out. Personally, though I prefer straw as mulch in my garden, If doing bale gardening, I would prefer hay as it seemed to be much more fertile. And, given my water limitations, my preference is to avoid container or bale gardening, and mulch heavily with garden planted crops. Read "gardening without work' by Ruth Stout.Does anyone do hay bale gardening? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Is it as productive as gardening in the dirt?
Going to get 4 bales today to begin the process What vegtables do you plant when you use this method?