Straw bale garden

The concept of the straw bale vegetable garden has erupted on the Internet over the last year with new gardeners looking for an alternate to the back-breaking labour of tilling a bed in the yard.

The concept is very easy. Put plants in a straw bale and let them root in the natural pockets created by the dried out grass. As the straw breaks down and decomposes, your garden is fertilized. There are definitely some big pluses with straw bale gardens.

• These beds are built on top of the ground and can be installed on any surface including hills, decks or concrete patios.
• Very little soil is used to build these beds compared to a regular raised bed because you are planting into the straw.
• The bales fertilize your garden as they break down and then can be composted afterwards to provide more nutrients to plants in later years
• The normal garden pests don’t know what to do with straw bales. Your plants have a better fighting chance as a result.

Sounds great right? There are a few cons as well that you should know.

Straw bales are messy…not just a little messy…seriously messy. That stuff spreads everywhere while you’re setting it up and for the entire summer.

Straw bales, as they break down, have a distinct funk. Put them downwind and pray that breeze keeps the musky odour away from your patio.

Mice and little creatures love to live in straw bales, so unless you are Snow White and trying to have a woodland family, be prepared for some extra guests.

You have to deal with them after the garden is done. That means a big pile of fermenting straw sitting in your space until it completely decomposes.

Still want to have a straw bale garden? Here is how

1. Grow in rows. It makes life easier with straw bales. Start with a row of bales turned on their sides so that the tips of the straw are pointing up and down.
2. You need to fasten these bales down so they don’t tip over. If you have ground underneath, just hammer some spikes through the bale and into the soil below. If you are on a deck or a patio, make your row two bales thick and tie them all together for extra stability.
3. Soak the bales. We’re not talking a little water here. These bales need to be kept very wet so that the natural process of decomposition starts to happen. Seasoned straw bale gardeners will put a drip hose on top of the bale so that the constant watering is evenly done.
4. Plant in the bales. If you are putting in veggies like tomatoes and peppers that are already a plant, just make a hole in the straw and stick them in. If you want to grow from seeds, put 1-2 inches of soil on top of the bales and plant your seeds in that. They will root into the straw below.

Even carrots and root vegetables can grow in the straw as long as it is kept very wet. As soon as those bales dry out because you went camping for the weekend, the project is done—so make sure you stay on top of it.

carson@carsonarthur.com