Bale garden

[Wheat47]

My wife and I are going to try a straw bale garden, well, at least a small one. Three, maybe four bales.
Mainly we want some red beets to pickle. I figure we could get a couple rows of beets on each bale.
BUT, I think I'm gonna use some grass hay bales. It has some alfalfa in it and fairly weed free. (No worse that straw!!)
Anyway, my point is I'm wondering how this will work with hay instead of straw. Main reason is I have several hay bales
but I'd have to buy straw. OK, so I'm cheap!! I have a half dozen hay bales that are mostly cheat grass and weeds,
Those are going to the local composter.
Am wondering if anyone out there used hay instead of straw and how well it worked.
Jon K

 

[showcrop]

That could work well if you get plenty of rain. In a dry year you will need to water it every day. You will certainly grow some weeds, but most of the weeds seeds will be on or in the ground and not in good quality nearly weed free hay.

 

[matthies]

Wondering if it would be better to leave the bales in place for a year, then plant.

 

[DoubleR]

My wife uses about ten bales of straw a year to mulch her garden to keep weeds out and it works. But last year we had allot of wheat come up instead of weeds. I've been having the same problem on the field I spread my bedding pack from the cattle. I've decided to let the bedding pack set for a year before spreading it and go back to grass clipping on her garden. I've talked to my straw guy about it and hopefully he gets his combine adjusted a little better.
So hopefully you can get some good clean straw if you try that.

 

[jwal10]

I had pretty good luck but it needs a lot of prep to work well. After 4-5 years, I just used all that material to make a bed with compost. Straw as mulch to keep weeds from growing. Just move compost back and plant, then push compost back up around plants and mulch with straw. Takes a lot less water....James

Step by step of creating a straw bale garden | Straw bale garden how-to

www.uaex.uada.edu

 

[flying belgian]

My wife and I are going to try a straw bale garden, well, at least a small one. Three, maybe four bales.
Mainly we want some red beets to pickle. I figure we could get a couple rows of beets on each bale.
BUT, I think I'm gonna use some grass hay bales. It has some alfalfa in it and fairly weed free. (No worse that straw!!)
Anyway, my point is I'm wondering how this will work with hay instead of straw. Main reason is I have several hay bales
but I'd have to buy straw. OK, so I'm cheap!! I have a half dozen hay bales that are mostly cheat grass and weeds,
Those are going to the local composter.
Am wondering if anyone out there used hay instead of straw and how well it worked.
Jon K

I tried it unsuccessfully with straw a few years ago. I suppose i could fail just as easily with hay.

 

[Wheat47]

My wife and I are going to try a straw bale garden, well, at least a small one. Three, maybe four bales.
Mainly we want some red beets to pickle. I figure we could get a couple rows of beets on each bale.
BUT, I think I'm gonna use some grass hay bales. It has some alfalfa in it and fairly weed free. (No worse that straw!!)
Anyway, my point is I'm wondering how this will work with hay instead of straw. Main reason is I have several hay bales
but I'd have to buy straw. OK, so I'm cheap!! I have a half dozen hay bales that are mostly cheat grass and weeds,
Those are going to the local composter.
Am wondering if anyone out there used hay instead of straw and how well it worked.
Jon K

Thanks for all the replies. I've got the recipe for treating the bales, basically nitrogen fertilizer and water.
Water is not an issue; it's going to be next to a hydrant. And if all else fails, I have ditch water close by.

 

[caterpillar guy]

If you look Beets like lots of potash and phosphorus. I say lots not so much as some during the summer will go a long ways with them.

 

[Roadhog1]

I can't tell you if grass hay will work but I tried straw garden about 10 years ago. It was fun but I will not do it again. It will need watered daily and the best way, I discovered, was to use those soaker hoses. I also found that watering twice a day worked better than once a day. I Put the soaker hose on an electronic timer with two outlets, then teed the hoses together so I didn't have to babysit it. Good luck!

 

[jwal10]

I can't tell you if grass hay will work but I tried straw garden about 10 years ago. It was fun but I will not do it again. It will need watered daily and the best way, I discovered, was to use those soaker hoses. I also found that watering twice a day worked better than once a day. I Put the soaker hose on an electronic timer with two outlets, then teed the hoses together so I didn't have to babysit it. Good luck!

That is the way I did it but with the black hose with drippers on a timer and reused it in the raised beds....James

 

[da.bees]

What is your goal and why are you choosing bale garden over other methods? I built raised huglekultor beds when it became difficult to stoop ,bend,tend and harvest. They've held up well and now that it's imposable to stoop without getting dizzy I'm glad I chose to build them while I was still able. Water required is less than 25% what I used previously for in ground.

 

[Mule Meat]

Tried it once with potatoes in hay. They produced good but were to bitter to eat. Will never do that again.

 

[jwal10]

I did it to improve the soil when the bales rotted down but got a crop the first year. Poor soil, lots of rocks, new house build, no time to get soil ready. I used what didn't rot the first year as mulch the second year. Used to make garden on top of rocks, good drainage. Lot of material in a bale, could haul 2 at a time in HHR. Potting soil is expensive. Straw bales were free.

I also made hugelkultur raised beds out of plastic barrels with the tops cut out. Drilled holes in bottom. 1/3 full of rotten wood, some of the improved garden soil with a bag of potting soil mixed in the top foot. Really like them. Great as kitchen garden....James

 

[Geo-TH,In]

My wife and I are going to try a straw bale garden, well, at least a small one. Three, maybe four bales.
Mainly we want some red beets to pickle. I figure we could get a couple rows of beets on each bale.
BUT, I think I'm gonna use some grass hay bales. It has some alfalfa in it and fairly weed free. (No worse that straw!!)
Anyway, my point is I'm wondering how this will work with hay instead of straw. Main reason is I have several hay bales
but I'd have to buy straw. OK, so I'm cheap!! I have a half dozen hay bales that are mostly cheat grass and weeds,
Those are going to the local composter.
Am wondering if anyone out there used hay instead of straw and how well it worked.
Jon K

My boss doesn't like straw in the garden. let alone grow stuff in a bale of straw.
Good thing, straw is $5 a bale and full of wheat seeds.
To keep weeds down she uses Ag plastic. First till then cover with plastic and hold plastic in place with dirt on the edges.
Poke holes in plastic and plant.
On the way to Florida we see farmers use Ag plastic in lower Alabama and Georgia.
They grow produce, weed free. Plastic holds moisture too.
Last fall my Boss wanted me to put compost enriched dirt in piles, She covered it with plastic. poked holes in the plastic and planted flower seeds in the holes. Be an interesting experiment to grow flowers from seeds.
What is the advantage of using bales of straw?
I'm a believer in using horse poo compost and tilling it in the soil.
Every spring, I take my friend a 10k dump trailer load of horse poo mixed with my top soil.
He calls it a radioactive mix. Hie garden grows like crazy.

 

[jwal10]

I get horse manure from a friend with 2 horses usually, in July when it gets dry enough to get to the pile. 4-5 gallon buckets at a time in the HHR. It is alfalfa hay, stall pellets and horse manure, rotted down. I make a pile and let it rot another year, then use it as compost on top, in the fall. Move it back from the planting area, plant, then move back over the planting area. Wheat makes a good cover crop for the winter, mow it off and plow it under, if you garden that way. I garden 3 ways, depending on crops. Plow (turn over with a shovel now) deep bed and raised beds....James

 

[RobCons]

I have a client that uses 7 or 8 straw bales every year and grows assorted vegetables. Peppers, beans, tomatoes, etc. She uses some vertilizer and keeps them moist. Works out well for her since it elevates the plants making for easier access.

 

[Wheat47]

Thanks again for all the replies. Main reason we want to do this is to get some beets for pickling. Figured I can get a couple row of beets on each bale side. Also want them close to the house for ease of watering and keep (maybe!!) the deer away. Someone said to cover the sides with compost to place small seeds. I was just going to put an inch or so of dirt on them and plant the seeds. And someone mentioned using soaker hoses for watering.
I see several real good suggestions offered up.
Thanks everyone!!

 

[da.bees]

Your bales should be good,maybe better for gardening after first crop has been grown in them.