Straw bale gardening

[Southern Gardener]

Quote:
10 year old Leyland Cyprus trees. They were tiny when I planted them in October '97.

eeeeek! 10 years!? I can't wait that long -

 

[dlhunicorn]

I would imagine one of the benefits would be keeping the moisture in more easily recquiring less watering?

 

[arlee453]

Another benefit (having dug sod up for a very tiny garden this weekend)

NO DIGGING or Hoeing!!

Cool idea...

 

[Robin'sBrood]

This is from the man who wrote the article that I linked to in my OP. This is from last spring, so he is in his 4th year now.

As a life-time gardener I thought some of you may like to try a great method to garden called: Strawbale Gardening.

This is my 3rd year using this method and I've enclosed a link to my most recent article that describes how to get started.

http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgard...wBales3.07.pdf

(If this link doesn't work for you, go to www.carolinacountry.com and the article will be in their past issues - March 2007 issue.)

Now is the perfect time to purchase those bales and get your garden going.

Strawbale gardening is great for:

1. Those whose health and physical limitations prevent them from doing traditional "dirt" gardening. My daddy has had several strokes and this is the only way he can garden. I can't tell you how many calls and letters I've received from folks who had given up gardening until they read about this method.

2. Those with limited space in their yard.

3. Those with bad soils.

Here's some additional answers to the most common questions I get:

1. If you have a hard time locating some ammonium nitrate, Southern States carries it. It comes in 40-50 lb bags, so go in together with a friend. It only takes 2.25 cups/bale to help prep the bales and a bag holds about 80+ cups. Check with any agri-supply place, too. If you can't find any ammonium nitrate, then you can use BLOOD MEAL that is readily available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Use about 1 cup/bale every other day on days 4, 6, and 8.

2. Wheat straw, oat straw, rye straw, and hay will work. PINE STRAW won't work. Ask the straw bale seller if they have any straw that is moldy or old. This is can usually be bought at a discount. Ask any landscaper where they got their straw. Home Depot had bales for $4.11 at one time. I purchased 65 oat straw bales from a local farmer for $3/bale. Most places that sell mulch usually carries some wheat straw.

3. Your bales will soon sprout which is no problem. When the wheat/oat/rye sprouts get tall enough to grab, just cut them off with a knife. I call it giving my bales a "haircut". Mushrooms will also pop out which is OK. Just knock the caps off if you don't like them.

4. This year I'm putting my bales with the string sides down and I'm using bales with regular twine, not the plastic. Putting your bales either way works fine and I'm finding that with the strings on the ground, the water doesn't run through the bales nearly as fast, and I like that.

5. This year I also added about 2 handfuls of commercial potting mix as I transplanted each plant into the bale. I think this helps the plants get a better start in the bales, but it's not necessary.

6. One of the biggest differences in bale gardening is the watering. You really need to water once/day in the beginning, especially. As the bales decompose over time, the straw holds more moisture for a longer period. But look at all the time you would have to spend weeding and tilling.

This link will give you a look at just some of the folks who I've gotten started bale gardening all over the US and Canada: www.frappr.com/strawbalegardeners​