Straw Bale Gardening Ready for an innovative way to garden? Read on... Want an easy way to grow vegetables but don’t want the hassle of tilling ground or pulling weeds, straw bale gardening may be the ticket. While there is a whole science behind what makes this work, here are a few steps to get you started: 1. Choose straw bales from your local feed store. Opt for wheat straw and not grass hay. Straw has the correct structure as a growth medium and generally lacks seeds that will re-sprout once you water. 2. Set up the straw bales on edge for maximum working height and arrange in any configuration that works for you. The sides of the bales are also the cut edge of the straw thus you’ll get better water and nutrient infiltration.
place over a couple of weeks so plan accordingly. In short, you’ll water each bale to saturation every day for two weeks. Every other day sprinkle three cups of organic fertilizer on top of each bale and water it into the bale. The fertilizer will kickstart the microorganisms living in the bale and the bales will begin to decompose from the inside out. The decomposition process feeds your garden vegetables and the structure of the bales provides a growth medium that’s weed free. While this a quick start guide to straw bale gardening, we’ve found the best source to learn about the technique is to check out the book Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten.
3. For the bales to serve as a growth medium, they need to be conditioned prior to planting. Conditioning takes
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