Garden Experiment

[drhall762]

I live in the sand hills and not much seems to grow here crop wise without a lot of soil preparation and constant fertilizing. Not a big problem if you are growing, cotton, tobacco, corn or soybeans by the hundred acres but kind of a pain for a home garden. I decided to try and experiment. This is not new or original just doesn't seem to be well know.

Straw bale gardens. The straw bales are used as the planting medium or for the scientifically inclined, the biomass. I start the plants in the green house and then simply make a hole in the straw bale and put the plant and potting soil right in. Straw bales stand so the ties are on the side. I prepped the straw bales for about 2 weeks before planting with urea every other day for about 10 days and lots of water every day. Finished up with a dose of 10-10-10 and watered another 4 days. I used wheat straw. Best part is no weeds grow. Lots of info on the Net.

Here's a picture. Didn't expect these results. Next year more straw bales and better spacing on the plants.

[nagantguy]

Good for you for thinking outside the box, my brother had very good results with bis straw Bale garden last year. He treated his with blood meal before planting, don't think that's a necessary step but it doesn't hurt. Doesn't it feel good when a plan works out?!.

[472x1B/A]

Ya just never know until you try. Looks like you will have a good yield.

[drhall762]

It is nice when things work out. So far I have more green beans than you can shake a stick at. I'll give them away. Lots of folks like fresh vegetables.

[DerekP Houston]

Nice job! I looked into the bales for some of my space but got lazy. Looks like your plants are thriving.

[drhall762]

Next year I will set them up in single rows, 10 bales long with 3 foot isles. 60 bales are planned for the Spring.

[country gent]

Here in the heavy clay grounds some set potatos on the worked grounds surface and cover with straw and a plastic mesh to hold straw thru winds and rains. Come fall they unstake the mesh and pull back rack away straw and potatos are on top of the ground. Wonder how well straw bales would work for root crops like potatos, onions, carrots and red beets.

[Skunk1]

I have no doubt it works. We used a similar method but ours was naturally fertilized from hog waste from birthing pens. Grew some of the best potatoes I ever had.

[drhall762]

Here in the heavy clay grounds some set potatos on the worked grounds surface and cover with straw and a plastic mesh to hold straw thru winds and rains. Come fall they unstake the mesh and pull back rack away straw and potatos are on top of the ground. Wonder how well straw bales would work for root crops like potatos, onions, carrots and red beets.

The root crop thing was a question I had. Next year I am going to cut shallow "V" grooves the length of the bales. 2 or 3 about 3" deep, pack them with potting soil and plant carrots, beets, and radishes. Might as well try onions as well. The soil will give them a good start just like the plants I put in this years and there is no reason they won't grow down into the bale. We shall see.

Corn is too shallow and top heavy I think and potatoes too deep I think. Might be worth one or 2 bales to try them also.

[nagantguy]

For rooting vegetables or tubers try the large square bales

[Blackwater]

Great looking garden! Is that tomatoes in the back? I can't tend a garden now, but would love to plant some tomatoes. Our soil seems to have some sort of smut that really keeps good tomatoes from growing in my yard. Wouldn't this kind'a tend to eliminate that from any tomatoes grown this way? You may have given me a way to finally grow some good ones again! Thanks!

[country gent]

I have rad some on this technique and some recomend setting the baes out in the early fall and letting rains and snows start to break down the straw then in the spring fertilize and wet down then plant. A saturated straw bale holds alot of water for a long time. One other plus to this is that it puts the crops up higher so you dont need to bend over as much. I bet corn would do well in the bales as roots will go deep enough in the straw and branch out as needed.Ears might be at eye level though with some varieties. LOL. WHen setting your rows How wide is your mowers deck? make them this wide plus a little and you can mow between the bales to keep trimmed up easily.

[drhall762]

I have rad some on this technique and some recomend setting the baes out in the early fall and letting rains and snows start to break down the straw then in the spring fertilize and wet down then plant. A saturated straw bale holds alot of water for a long time. One other plus to this is that it puts the crops up higher so you dont need to bend over as much. I bet corn would do well in the bales as roots will go deep enough in the straw and branch out as needed.Ears might be at eye level though with some varieties. LOL. WHen setting your rows How wide is your mowers deck? make them this wide plus a little and you can mow between the bales to keep trimmed up easily.

My cucumbers and other vine crops grow down the sides of the bales and across the aisle so to prevent weeds I just put down a barrier. I agree that it is easier to work as I don't have to bend over so far. I did a little more research on potatoes and the University of Colorado has a technique that basically has the eyes sitting in the middle of a 4" deep x 12" wide trench that is then covered with about 6" of straw. When they sprout through ad another 6" of straw. Uncover when they are ready and harvest. Think I'll try it next year or maybe this one that I found on using straw bales:

"In normal soil gardens it is important to hill up the soil around the stem as the potato emerges. This is important because potatoes form on the stem not on the roots. If planted too deep in the soil, the stem has a hard time emerging, because it cannot push up more than a few inches of soil. In a straw bale, we simply plant the potato cutting deep into the bale. While a bale may be 20″ high, we will plant 16-18″ deep in a “crack” in the bale. The looseness of the bale will allow the stem to easily reach the surface, and the potatoes will form along this stretch of stem, filling the bale with potatoes. I suggest two or three potatoes in a bale, even while planting other crops on the surface of the bale. These “surface” plantings will be harvested early before the potato vine has stretched its way above and around the bale. Wait for the vine to flower and this is the earliest the potatoes will be ready, however waiting for the vine to wither later in the fall will allow the potatoes inside to mature a bit longer."

[drhall762]

Great looking garden! Is that tomatoes in the back? I can't tend a garden now, but would love to plant some tomatoes. Our soil seems to have some sort of smut that really keeps good tomatoes from growing in my yard. Wouldn't this kind'a tend to eliminate that from any tomatoes grown this way? You may have given me a way to finally grow some good ones again! Thanks!

Yep, tomatoes in the back and the grow like weeds. Up, down, over, you name it. No soil disease and no weeding.

[DerekP Houston]

Great looking garden! Is that tomatoes in the back? I can't tend a garden now, but would love to plant some tomatoes. Our soil seems to have some sort of smut that really keeps good tomatoes from growing in my yard. Wouldn't this kind'a tend to eliminate that from any tomatoes grown this way? You may have given me a way to finally grow some good ones again! Thanks!

From my reading, the straw bales + dirt in the middle successfully grow crops on bare concrete, I imagine it would break down and improve the soil underneath as well.

[drhall762]

From my reading, the straw bales + dirt in the middle successfully grow crops on bare concrete, I imagine it would break down and improve the soil underneath as well.

Very true. I plan on pulling the strings off each bale and till it under. Can't do anything but improve my soil.

[bayjoe]

I got off work and went out to look at the garden and found 2 quail eating the strawberries and baby squash.
Looks like I will be building a cage or having quail for sunday dinner.

[DerekP Houston]

I got off work and went out to look at the garden and found 2 quail eating the strawberries and baby squash.
Looks like I will be building a cage or having quail for sunday dinner.

Shoot and eat! bet they taste great eating off those strawberries.

[MaryB]

As the bales break down rake them to a pile off the side and use that for your root veg. If you make it deep enough potatoes will even thrive.

[JeffinNZ]

Pea straw is what I use to keep the moisture in over the summer and it mulches down wonderfully well also. Worth it's weight in gold.