There's a garden experiment underway in my back yard. I've set up a straw bale garden for growing vegetables and I'm hoping the results are as healthy looking as the garden shown here.
As interest in urban agriculture grows, more people are trying this approach to growing vegetables – not because it's quirky, because it's practical.
I plan to document my experiment (as others have) and share the results.
Straw bales create a nutrient-rich growing medium that can be set up in any sunny location with available water. The straw acts like a sponge, retaining moisture for thirsty plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.
A straw bale garden is automatically raised, making it easier to plant and maintain. And it's inexpensive. The start up cost is far less than for a conventional raised bed built of lumber and there is no soil to haul and dig. I had my bales set in place the day they arrived.
First steps ...
There is some work to do at the beginning. You have to condition the bales by saturating them with water and adding high-nitrogen fertilizer. This process takes several days.
Day 1 – 1/2 cup of 34-0-0 fertilizer per bale and then water the bales
Day 2 – water
Day 3 – 1/2 cup of 34-0-0 per bale and more water
Day 4 – water
Day 5 – 1/2 cup of 34-0-0 per bale and water
Day 6 – water
Day 7 – 1/4 cup 34-0-0 and water
Day 8 – 1/4 cup 34-0-0 and water
Day 9 – 1/4 cup 34-0-0 and water
Day 10 –1 cup 10-10-10 per bale and water
The goal during the conditioning is to promote bacterial growth that will decompose the straw. The inside of each bale should heat up to over 115 degrees F, according to an American Horticultural Association article on straw bale gardening. "The time it takes for the bale to heat up may take several weeks longer, depending on weather conditions and the type of fertilizer you use — organic fertilizers seem to take longer than non-organic types — so 10 days is just a rough guideline."
I have been letting the bales rest a bit while ensuring they are still wet. I still need to add the 10-10-10- fertilizer. The weather has been cool, as has become the springtime norm in Thunder Bay. I expect our days will need to get warmer before the bales really start to 'cook'. Still, I'm excited by this endeavour. I plan to keep you posted.
Mary Yee's article, Straw Bale Gardening, in the Nov/Dec 2014 issue of The American Gardener is worth a read. (also linked above).
See University of Washington fact sheet for a quick overview.