If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Intro To Straw Bale Gardening 0:46 Step #1: Verify Straw Is Free Of Herbicides 3:22 Step #2: Straw Bale Plant Spacing 4:30 Step #3: Adding A Growing Medium 7:21 Step #4: Fertilizing Straw Bales 9:38 How To Plant Vegetables In Straw Bales 13:01 Straw Bale Garden Planting Results 15:02 Adventures With Dale
Did you know that the mushrooms mycelium is actually very good and beneficial for the plants? There is some swedish research showing that you actually get healthier plants and bigger yield if you have mushrooms in your garden 😀👍
I watched the video about using black hardwood Ash that you break down and use as a compost ingredients can you tell me can you of a good brand please. I've been looking everywhere
I appreciate the way you said "Some people say this, others say that - here's my opinion." I hate when people claim their idea is THE ONLY way - thanks for your video
A fabricator that was mentoring me had a saying "there's the right way, the wrong way & MY way. Around here we do things my way." He was an awesome instructor
There are pros and cons. Keep in mind the beds will last indefinitely, and you'll have to replace these annually. This is a great way to grow, but raised beds are irreplaceable for longterm use.
@@TheMillennialGardener The best teachers of good things give multiple perspectives and then explain what they believe and why. I found your video incredibly informative. I’m wanting to do this on a large scale on a half acre on rocky terrain of limestone. Really need good advice with the different perspectives because my challenges are multifaceted. I agree with your points of view and can’t wait to get started
Nice straw bale garden! 👍Your trees and bushes by the straw bale garden are looking great!👍 Dale, a pickup truck and a cool breeze equal sweet times! 🐕 Sending love to cute Dale!💕
This sounds like a great way to mulch the straw bales down for use in raised garden beds the following year. I just invested in a LOT of raised beds and I am trying to hugelkultur them down over the next season. This economy just won't give us a break but I am not letting it hold me back. Loved this step by step tutorial!
It's incredible how fast the straw bales are breaking down. They're collapsing before my very eyes. I just had to re-shift them all and press them up against each other for more support. My row shrunk by 2-3 feet. It's going to make some incredible mulch in the winter for my fruit trees.
@@TheMillennialGardener I am thinking if possible to put organic soil and fertilizers mixture in between the straws and surround the bales with walls to get more support, they will last longer as raised bed. Would it be worth it to do this?
I would love to visit you and your garden (if allowed). Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and letting us in. Seeing your garden is one of my “happy” pill.
My very first vegetable garden was a straw bale garden. No need for extra fertilizer. The best and amazing benefit to straw bale gardening is that the bale is the "container" and the "fertilizer". I did this for 5 yrs. After I conditioned the bales, I never had to fertilize again after planting with fish. After fertilizing, to plant seeds, you do need to place an inch of potting/compost on top. However, after conditioning, you can dig into the bale and I added anchovies from the fish and tackle store. That's it! once and done for the season. To plant seedlings, dig a hole into the bale, add the fish, the compost, and the seedling. It is the best! No need for any! additional fertilizer!
Yes add the potting mix or compost. I had a problem when I planted mine getting enough water to the small plants. The potting soil helped hold the water close to the roots of the plants where I used more potting mix. I had to replace two tomatoes already.
I am wrapping my bales in a white tarp to hold in the moisture when it gets very hot. Well, it was 87 the last 3 days in a row, so I guess the heat is here 😂
@@TheMillennialGardener I wrap mine in cardboard - ink side out, and wrap that with either cattle panel or hardware cloth. It retains moisture well (especially when I'm curing/fermenting the bale).
You could also put the straw bales inside of card board boxes if you’re worried about the straw going everywhere- the cardboard keeps it container and will also break down as carbon. I’ve done a similar method with potatoes in the past.
@@edjo3430 Because - After you've conditioned your bales for 14 days, the straw begins to decompose into amazing compost that feeds your seeds/seedlings.It's amazing. I've done this for 5 yrs. once the bales are conditioned, You can (well, it's a long explanation.) But, no need to fertilize. I use anchovy bate prior to planting seedlings or seeds, that's it for the entire season. I'm just a backyard gardener that loves straw bale gardening.
Potted up tomatoes today. We’re supposed to get down to 35 this weekend so I’m going to wait to put the rest out. The ones in ground already will have to get covered for a couple nights this weekend. Oh well, that’s nothing new. I rush everything out every year, then have to cover everything at least twice 😅😂🌱❄️
Be sure to cover them. A frost at 35 degrees is highly likely, especially in low spots and cold drains. Milk jug greenhouses and 5 gallon paint buckets work really well.
Hi. I've been gardening for 4 years and have learned so much every year. I'm new to your channel and really enjoying your presentation of facts and the knowledge you include. Thanks for all your thoughts and effort. I am ramping up to planting in raised beds for my first time this year and hay bales seem like a great(less expensive) alternative to allow me to elevate more of my garden than just the 3 metal raised beds that I have invested in so far. Sounds like Nightshades are good candidates for this format of growing. Are there any bush type plants that you don't recommend to try in hay bales? Also- I'm very new (this year) at fertilizing my garden more generally. I have been using Tomato Maker and had good success with that but have not fertilized beyond what is in the soil for other crops. I'm not timid about them, but just inexperienced. So Urea- It sounds like there may be some left in the runoff of the water from my hay bales (that I will be starting to prepare tomorrow) My yard slopes downward toward my patio and house. I am hoping to put bales at the top part of the slope, but I am concerned- will Urea that flows over the ground make it toxic or unfriendly for the beans that I will be growing in the runoff area? Or should I move the bales to the bottom of the slope so it hits the retaining wall and runs off to the outer edge of my yard?
Tammy, did you use drip irrigation with the straw bale construction? I would think it would be much easier to do so. As I told this gardener I will be building my bale garden next year. I'm so excited.
Perhaps this is addressed in another video, but what are the benefits of straw bail planning? Can you reuse the bails for more than a season? When no longer viable for plantings do you have suggested reuse of the bails? I have a 50’ x 30’ fenced in tilled garden plot on the flattest part of our backyard hill. Most years I grow all my veggies in-ground, usually trying at least one new veggie or planting style. The challenge for in-ground planting is weed control amongst the different plants.
This is my 2nd year using bales. Last year I used hay - VERY successful. Conditioned very easily. This year I'm using straw. They aren't conditioning very well. I have mushrooms, so I know they're doing something, but they won't heat over 90 degrees. My hay got go 140 degrees last year, should my straw get that that warm during conditioning too?
Awesome video once again! QUESTION: Just so I understand the way to test for Grazon is to test plant. If it's a healthy plant then it's fine? Will the seller usually know? And when seasoning the bales can I use coffee grounds or will they take too long to break down? Thank You!!!!!!!!!!
I plan on doing some straw bale gardening next year. All the videos I’ve seen show the bales being conditioned in the spring then plants being planted shortly after the conditioning process is completed. My question is: can you set up your bales now (fall), condition them now then plant in them the following spring/summer?
Like anything else there are cons and pros. The straw bale needs a lot more water due to the loss by drainage and evaporation since it is exposed to wind and not self contained . Also it does not have the microbiome of a soil demanding a lot of of fertilizers. Overall it still be a cheap way to grow food.
Other straw bale gardeners "condition" the bales first over a period of 10-11 days before planting -- just as described in Joel Karsten's book "Straw Bale Gardens" -- also described in other youtube vids.
How often do you fertilize because I don’t think their is the same nutrients in straw as soil? Or is how you transplanted with all the fertilizer and fish emulsion etc enough to take them through harvesting?
You’re welcome! It isn’t as much as you think, especially if you aren’t buying produce. Just making a pot of tomato sauce takes, literally, 20+lbs or more of tomatoes. It cools down very quickly. There’s never enough.
I watched the video about using black hardwood Ash that you break down and use as a compost ingredients can you tell me can you of a good brand please. I've been looking everywhere
Cool video. Will you be growing anything in the actual ground? I’ve just used my two acre yard for years and always get great results. Seems like you’ve covered your whole yard In Plastic..
I conditioned old "mulch" Hay bales using Urea as you described. Bales started wet and stayed wet, never got really hot. They did get that staium mens room stale piss smell and that sunsided, I poked my finger in to check the moisture and temp a week later, still cool and my finger smelled strongly of ammonia. Is an ammonia smell expected? Will plants tolerate it?
I wouldn't use them. The bales only lasted me about 5 months before they broke down on me where I live. Granted we have hot, wet summers, so acceleration is increased versus places with cooler, drier summers. However, bales sitting all winter will not last. You must use fresh bales for best results.
I'm gonna pass on this one Anthony, the bails of straw are $14.00 + tax at the "nearest" (1 hr drive) store by me here in SoFlo. 😢 Love to sweet Dale🐕, he's so cute😍❤️
That's odd. They're $6-7 around here, which is much cheaper than a bag of potting soil. And when you're done growing in these, you use them as mulch, so it's like getting free mulch in return. Maybe look for a farm supply store inland a bit. It could be South Florida is too hot for hay or grains to grow.
@@TheMillennialGardener Anthony, the sign at my nearest Tractor Supply Store said $19 Dollars!! So we got it "on sale". That's why I only bought 1 stinking bail. I'll see if my local Ace has it, but it's hard to get it here in South Florida. Thanks for your response. Hug for Dale🐕💜
@@mariap.894 here in europe, big bag of 50L potting soil is 6 dollars. If you want we can swap houses. I want to visit florida. I live 200m from the sea, i am agro-fisherman haha
Hi Anthony - is it possible to use these strawbales again next year? BTW, I used your tutorial to plant this year and the strawbales provided an awesome harvest (:
Only if they do not decompose sufficiently. Here in North Carolina, my straw bales did not make it past August. The decomposition was too fast in our warm, wet summers. I think in most climates, the straw bales will only be usable for a single season. You can, however, repurpose them as free mulch for your trees. That's what I did.
What I didn’t hear was how often you mixed up the fish emulsion and 20:20 to water the plants. It seems like a lot of fertilizer to water every day. Would you fertilize like this daily or weeekly?
It is weed barrier. I have a video on it here, and I have another video on it dropping this afternoon in about 3 hours: th-cam.com/video/XT1reOI1-5E/w-d-xo.html
Hey, what are some disease preventions and when u have disease a solution to stop it and what are some pesticides to control insects and pest? All organic solutions? Thank you! For tomato's and other vegetables.
One of my old neighbors grew in them fine. It will work fine no matter where you live as long as you have a system to keep them hydrated. If it's too hot in your area, shade cloth is an answer.
@@TheRainHarvester No. The straw which is tied together into a bale, and after conditioning with blood meal etc. begins to decompose into a compost. Straw being hollow, retains the water to hydrates the plants. After the conditioning process, I actually plant flowers and herbs on the sides of the bales.
Hey MG. Temperatures are dropping to 43 here in central PA next week. Is it too soon to plant tomatoes and peppers?? It's been in the 80's during the day here recently, and in the mid 60's at night
Tomatoes are killed by frost and freeze. If it doesn't frost or freeze, the tomatoes won't be injured. Persistent cool temperatures can cause yellowing or purple-ing due to nutrient uptake issues, but they'll remedy as soon as it warms up. Using the milk jug greenhouse method to keep them warm help keeps the deficiencies away. th-cam.com/video/IkNczi2K-lU/w-d-xo.html
@@TheMillennialGardener I'll keep my plants indoors and under grow lights for another week. They're saying the cold could last through the first week of May. I planted 35 potatoes on 04/05. They're just now breaking the soil.
@@TheMillennialGardener I had to look that up - apparently there is something called 'electroculture' & there are some YT videos on it - now on my 'to watch' list. My guess is it alters redox potential of soil, but I guess I'll find out after watching videos. I'd rather try altering redox with something like EDTA than have to mess with electrical wiring.
HELP! We are trying this for the first time and have followed the process to the letter. This is day 10 and my bales are NOT heating up at all! They are ranging from 58-62 degrees while the air temp is 68. What can we do to be ready to plant in about 3 weeks?
Wanted to try straw bales this year. Picked up 4 bales about 3 weeks ago. Prepped them with 46-0-0 every other day for 6 days; water only on the days off. Only 1 of the 4 bales started to heat up. Any way to get the other 3 to start? First timer with straw bales; only second year with a garden.
Did you get rain that washed the bales out after you applied the fertilizer? Were the bales soaked down well beforehand? They should all start heating up at the same time unless some were already rotted and composted.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you for the reply! We did get rain on day 8. Found your method of prepping them after failure and a search. The remaining 3 bales are heavy from water and have some color on the sides. Also smell like things are starting; but no temp increase. Even bought a compost thermometer; and checked that against my food thermometer. Just strange that 1 of 4 bales started... ETA all 4 are brand new; dry bales
I hear a lot about fish emulsion being used as a fertilizer, but it occurs to me that with the seemingly prevalence of mercury within our ocean environment fish emulsion may not be a safe thing to use in organic gardening. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
My bales aren’t heating up. My bales sat outside all winter and are very wet. Using urea for several days but no heat. Can they be to wet? Or would they have all ready heated without fertilizer?
If your bales sat outside all winter & got soaking wet, they are most probably cycled and ready to go. The urea kick starts the fresh new bales, but urs already started “composting”. Make sure you flush the urea out or it will burn new plants.
You didn't show how to trellis those tomato plants. You also did not mention green beans (bush), My bales are SOGGY even with 80+ heat, wind, and humidity in the teens. They are not heating up at all even after a few weeks. I had to use lopping shears to cut holes in my bales. Stuff is hard to cut even with those.
This video is about planting in straw bales, not trellising. Straw bales won’t heat up on their own. They need nitrogen. You should use urea. There is a series on conditioning bales in the video description.
@@TheMillennialGardener I used urea nitrogen (46-0-0) as suggested. I got the smell of ammonia for a few days after the course was completed. Still no heat and very soggy.... Sigh. Had my hopes up too. Knowing my luck it will kick in about July and cook everything I have planted in it....
NJ hay and straw bales are the same way. heavy as heck too.I use a knife or saw to just break up the bales and mix it in with compost. it takes a long time to break down down too. It's very different than straw bales I interacted with in Pennsylvania and couple of other states.Not sure why but NJ straw impossible to work with.
I was at one of the big box stores and walked over to their wheat straw trailer and noticed a weird smell? Hard to describe the smell but it was very strong. Is that normal for wheat straw bales to have a strong odor??
I'm not sure what smell you're referring to. Usually, wheat straw just smells like dried grass. It isn't much of a smell. When it was very hot during the conditioning process, it smelled like a horse stall. If it had the classic barnyard smell, it could be the trailer was getting very hot in the sun and it was causing the straw to rot. Once my bales hit 130 degrees, the scent was strong.
@@TheMillennialGardener The scent almost reminds me of a oil smell. I bought one bale and brought it home. I spread some around my compost bin and it has stuff sprouting in it already. Looks like grass, I am assuming its wheat?
Yes, but keep in mind strawberries are perennials, and the straw bales will break down completely in 1-2 years. The strawberries will outlive the bales, so you'll have to find a way to move them somehow.
nice idea but way too many products needed = very expensive. I will stick to soil and compost in cloth or thick plastic bags,stores put groceries in these days.
Why do you think it's expensive? A straw bale is about $6, and it cost maybe $15 -20 to condition them all. That is a fraction of the cost of potting mix for container gardening, I don't need to buy any containers, and then all that straw will be reused as mulch for all my fruit trees, so I get to mulch all my trees totally free. This is much cheaper than buying soil.
Straw bale gardening does not need "any" fertilizer". The bale is your container and fertilizer. As the bale decomposes it becomes compost. It's amazing! This is his first time trying this process. One thing is that the straw bale is only good for one season.
@@TheMillennialGardener you used so many "products".,I am older, don't drive so would be difficult to go get that stuff besides not afford it on a limited income. I just use homemade compost and occasional compost tea I make in a bucket worth grass,banana peel ,etc- I usually grow potatoes in compost soil mix with a lot of straw. Never needed any fertilizers or any of that other stuff. These days and in our near future, the way our country is going, few of us will be able to afford any products at all. Better to keep it simple and organic. I do love your channel, I just don't buy any of the stuff you use.
I tried this last year, did everything right except it was an epic fail. The landscaper I got the bales from lied about them being treated . Epic fail, not doing this again
If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 Intro To Straw Bale Gardening
0:46 Step #1: Verify Straw Is Free Of Herbicides
3:22 Step #2: Straw Bale Plant Spacing
4:30 Step #3: Adding A Growing Medium
7:21 Step #4: Fertilizing Straw Bales
9:38 How To Plant Vegetables In Straw Bales
13:01 Straw Bale Garden Planting Results
15:02 Adventures With Dale
In the vid you mentioned linking to other videos, but I don't see those links. Can you tell us where to find them?
Did you know that the mushrooms mycelium is actually very good and beneficial for the plants? There is some swedish research showing that you actually get healthier plants and bigger yield if you have mushrooms in your garden 😀👍
I like the water container idea, can you video how to make That??
I watched the video about using black hardwood Ash that you break down and use as a compost ingredients can you tell me can you of a good brand please. I've been looking everywhere
I appreciate the way you said "Some people say this, others say that - here's my opinion." I hate when people claim their idea is THE ONLY way - thanks for your video
A fabricator that was mentoring me had a saying "there's the right way, the wrong way & MY way. Around here we do things my way." He was an awesome instructor
This is my third year straw bale gardening. It’s the cheapest easiest raised bed ever. Blessings!
It is certainly easier to deal with. I am curious to see how they perform.
How much does a bale cost?
@@TheRainHarvester ..around $6.00 in my area
@@herbharriss8498 oh, no! Not in Florida, I paid $14 hard earned dollars!!!😢😭
I have gopher problem. Do you think they can get into straw?
WOW, never knew I could plant in straw bales. Thanks! Again you do a great job of educating us.
It's definitely an interesting process. Hopefully, it works well.
@@TheMillennialGardener I like the experiment then. Thank you.
Thank you I never knew I could grow this way! I have spent soo much money Building wooden beds.
There are pros and cons. Keep in mind the beds will last indefinitely, and you'll have to replace these annually. This is a great way to grow, but raised beds are irreplaceable for longterm use.
Thank you so much for giving all the different types of opinions and techniques then stating what you do
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
@@TheMillennialGardener The best teachers of good things give multiple perspectives and then explain what they believe and why. I found your video incredibly informative. I’m wanting to do this on a large scale on a half acre on rocky terrain of limestone. Really need good advice with the different perspectives because my challenges are multifaceted. I agree with your points of view and can’t wait to get started
I'm glad you mentioned grazon. I learned the hard way. This is the most important thing mentioned. Edit: I love the way Dale listens to you.
Dale is a good listener when he's incentivized to listen 😄
Nice straw bale garden! 👍Your trees and bushes by the straw bale garden are looking great!👍 Dale, a pickup truck and a cool breeze equal sweet times! 🐕 Sending love to cute Dale!💕
Thanks. It's coming along, although slowly, this year. Dale will never enjoy riding in cars, it seems, but this is a big improvement.
This sounds like a great way to mulch the straw bales down for use in raised garden beds the following year. I just invested in a LOT of raised beds and I am trying to hugelkultur them down over the next season. This economy just won't give us a break but I am not letting it hold me back. Loved this step by step tutorial!
It's incredible how fast the straw bales are breaking down. They're collapsing before my very eyes. I just had to re-shift them all and press them up against each other for more support. My row shrunk by 2-3 feet. It's going to make some incredible mulch in the winter for my fruit trees.
love hugelkultur!
@@TheMillennialGardener I am thinking if possible to put organic soil and fertilizers mixture in between the straws and surround the bales with walls to get more support, they will last longer as raised bed. Would it be worth it to do this?
I would love to visit you and your garden (if allowed).
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and letting us in.
Seeing your garden is one of my “happy” pill.
I'm glad to hear that! I'm a bit behind this year by 2-3 weeks, so I'm still in the process of setting everything up.
@@TheMillennialGardener I have small porch and planted yams and garlic following your directions.
I have learned tremendously from you.
Thank you.
Love this. I have a separate garden this would be perfect for. Thanks!
My very first vegetable garden was a straw bale garden. No need for extra fertilizer. The best and amazing benefit to straw bale gardening is that the bale is the "container" and the "fertilizer". I did this for 5 yrs. After I conditioned the bales, I never had to fertilize again after planting with fish. After fertilizing, to plant seeds, you do need to place an inch of potting/compost on top. However, after conditioning, you can dig into the bale and I added anchovies from the fish and tackle store. That's it! once and done for the season. To plant seedlings, dig a hole into the bale, add the fish, the compost, and the seedling. It is the best! No need for any! additional fertilizer!
Did you put a dead fish/bones or fish fertilizer
You mean like a whole anchovie fish to the soil???
Excellent video! They always are so informative. Thank you.
Dale really looks relaxed in the back of your truck. Good boy Dale!!
Better than usual. He will never be a dog that wants to get in a vehicle, but this is definitely a step up.
You The Man Bro.
Yes add the potting mix or compost. I had a problem when I planted mine getting enough water to the small plants. The potting soil helped hold the water close to the roots of the plants where I used more potting mix. I had to replace two tomatoes already.
I am wrapping my bales in a white tarp to hold in the moisture when it gets very hot. Well, it was 87 the last 3 days in a row, so I guess the heat is here 😂
@@TheMillennialGardener I wrap mine in cardboard - ink side out, and wrap that with either cattle panel or hardware cloth. It retains moisture well (especially when I'm curing/fermenting the bale).
Thank you Anthony. Fascinating teaching. DALE I hope your mommy is home so you're happy 😊 Love yall. ❤
Mom has a long break off from work, so Dale has been relentlessly pestering us for attention.
@@TheMillennialGardener AWE that's great to hear. FATHER GOD BLESS YALL IN JESUS NAME 🙏 🙌 ❤
You could also put the straw bales inside of card board boxes if you’re worried about the straw going everywhere- the cardboard keeps it container and will also break down as carbon. I’ve done a similar method with potatoes in the past.
I'm actually wrapping mine with a large white tarp once it starts getting hot to hold in water.
fantastic!! looks so easy. The whole concept is awesome.
Thank you! It worked out very well for me. I will do it again next year.
Best wishes. Thanks for the awesome information too. Cheers from zone 8b in BC Canada@@TheMillennialGardener
i am just now thinking about trying this. thx
Your channel is the best
Thank you! 😃
I have been waiting for this video. I am looking forward to your plentiful harvests using this affordable and attainable growing method.
Hopefully, it works well. This is new to me, so I’m curious to see the results.
No need for additional fertilizer. Just FYI
@Garden of Petals really? Why?
@The Millennial Gardener have you planted potatoes or root vegetables this way?
@@edjo3430 Because - After you've conditioned your bales for 14 days, the straw begins to decompose into amazing compost that feeds your seeds/seedlings.It's amazing. I've done this for 5 yrs. once the bales are conditioned, You can (well, it's a long explanation.) But, no need to fertilize. I use anchovy bate prior to planting seedlings or seeds, that's it for the entire season. I'm just a backyard gardener that loves straw bale gardening.
Potted up tomatoes today. We’re supposed to get down to 35 this weekend so I’m going to wait to put the rest out. The ones in ground already will have to get covered for a couple nights this weekend. Oh well, that’s nothing new. I rush everything out every year, then have to cover everything at least twice 😅😂🌱❄️
Be sure to cover them. A frost at 35 degrees is highly likely, especially in low spots and cold drains. Milk jug greenhouses and 5 gallon paint buckets work really well.
Gonna try this
Thank for sharing this video very informative.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Hi. I've been gardening for 4 years and have learned so much every year. I'm new to your channel and really enjoying your presentation of facts and the knowledge you include. Thanks for all your thoughts and effort. I am ramping up to planting in raised beds for my first time this year and hay bales seem like a great(less expensive) alternative to allow me to elevate more of my garden than just the 3 metal raised beds that I have invested in so far. Sounds like Nightshades are good candidates for this format of growing. Are there any bush type plants that you don't recommend to try in hay bales? Also- I'm very new (this year) at fertilizing my garden more generally. I have been using Tomato Maker and had good success with that but have not fertilized beyond what is in the soil for other crops. I'm not timid about them, but just inexperienced. So Urea- It sounds like there may be some left in the runoff of the water from my hay bales (that I will be starting to prepare tomorrow) My yard slopes downward toward my patio and house. I am hoping to put bales at the top part of the slope, but I am concerned- will Urea that flows over the ground make it toxic or unfriendly for the beans that I will be growing in the runoff area? Or should I move the bales to the bottom of the slope so it hits the retaining wall and runs off to the outer edge of my yard?
I will try this
It’s definitely interesting. I’m curious to see how they perform.
lucky you! I had to retire my peas mid-feb. it got hot super early this year. fingers crossed for your straw experiment! we're such a strange bunch.
Stocking shade cloth can make all the difference. I have 3 large shade tarps, just in case. It can work magic.
Tammy, did you use drip irrigation with the straw bale construction? I would think it would be much easier to do so. As I told this gardener I will be building my bale garden next year. I'm so excited.
What a great idea 💡
It's pretty interesting to see it work.
This is so interesting! Thank you for sharing MG😊👍
You're welcome! Thank you for watching.
Great video I would like to try it but at 10 dollars a bale here in TN I can't afford it
@@michaelmosley254 Try $14 here in Florida 😢
@@michaelmosley254 But, you won't need any fertilizer at all. The bale is a container and fertilizer. I used it for years.
i cannot wait to plant my vegetables
Perhaps this is addressed in another video, but what are the benefits of straw bail planning? Can you reuse the bails for more than a season? When no longer viable for plantings do you have suggested reuse of the bails?
I have a 50’ x 30’ fenced in tilled garden plot on the flattest part of our backyard hill. Most years I grow all my veggies in-ground, usually trying at least one new veggie or planting style.
The challenge for in-ground planting is weed control amongst the different plants.
This is my 2nd year using bales. Last year I used hay - VERY successful. Conditioned very easily. This year I'm using straw. They aren't conditioning very well. I have mushrooms, so I know they're doing something, but they won't heat over 90 degrees. My hay got go 140 degrees last year, should my straw get that that warm during conditioning too?
Very cool, thanks!
Thank you so much for your support and generosity! I really appreciate it ❤
Awesome video once again!
QUESTION: Just so I understand the way to test for Grazon is to test plant. If it's a healthy plant then it's fine?
Will the seller usually know?
And when seasoning the bales can I use coffee grounds or will they take too long to break down?
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!
Lots of good info! I'm thinking of strawbales. Do you think a bioactive liquid as part of the readying process would help?
Liked and sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you! What trellis system would you reccomend for these tomatoes? Cages?
I will be working on that probably next week. I will be using 2x2's and cables.
Have you ever used olla or terra cotta watering spikes in straw bale gardening for slow release watering ?
Thank you!
You're welcome!
has Mr. Millennial done mushrooms yet? Seems like a cool thing.
I have not grown mushrooms yet.
The bales will sprout mushrooms on their own. DON'T EAT THEM!
@@TheMillennialGardener Seems like a natural next step. Plus in your warm climate lots of variety choice.
I plan on doing some straw bale gardening next year. All the videos I’ve seen show the bales being conditioned in the spring then plants being planted shortly after the conditioning process is completed.
My question is: can you set up your bales now (fall), condition them now then plant in them the following spring/summer?
Like anything else there are cons and pros. The straw bale needs a lot more water due to the loss by drainage and evaporation since it is exposed to wind and not self contained . Also it does not have the microbiome of a soil demanding a lot of of fertilizers. Overall it still be a cheap way to grow food.
Other straw bale gardeners "condition" the bales first over a period of 10-11 days before planting -- just as described in Joel Karsten's book "Straw Bale Gardens" -- also described in other youtube vids.
How often do you fertilize because I don’t think their is the same nutrients in straw as soil? Or is how you transplanted with all the fertilizer and fish emulsion etc enough to take them through harvesting?
Very informative. Thank you. Can I please have the link to the place where you got your straw bales?
Finally!
Things are 3 weeks behind this year thanks to a cold end to March and a bunch of damping off problems. But they'll catch up.
Thank you for such detailed how-to. What do you do with all that food?
You’re welcome! It isn’t as much as you think, especially if you aren’t buying produce. Just making a pot of tomato sauce takes, literally, 20+lbs or more of tomatoes. It cools down very quickly. There’s never enough.
Splitting maul works great for penetrating a tight bale.
I watched the video about using black hardwood Ash that you break down and use as a compost ingredients can you tell me can you of a good brand please. I've been looking everywhere
I live in Iowa and have never heard of Grazon.
Its use is becoming more and more widespread.
You mentioned direct seeding at the beginning of the video. I wonder how well root crops would do. Any info about that?
Do you have to change the bales out after the growing season? Or will they last longer?.
Do you compost the straw bales over winter?
Fellow NC-er (in the Piedmont) I noticed that you have coffee trees growing in containers behind the straw bales. How do you overwinter the trees?
Can you plant Jerusalem artichokes or potatoes in this medium?
Cool video. Will you be growing anything in the actual ground? I’ve just used my two acre yard for years and always get great results. Seems like you’ve covered your whole yard In Plastic..
The straw bale garden is an experiment to see if the tomatoes won’t get ruined under cover. Tomatoes get destroyed here due to our rainfall.
I conditioned old "mulch" Hay bales using Urea as you described. Bales started wet and stayed wet, never got really hot. They did get that staium mens room stale piss smell and that sunsided, I poked my finger in to check the moisture and temp a week later, still cool and my finger smelled strongly of ammonia. Is an ammonia smell expected? Will plants tolerate it?
❤
What are the hoops
Made of above the area and purpose?
Hi I've just found your channel. Can you explain why the bales are on plastic, or is that weed matting?
Would anything change in the preparation or planting routine if the bales are out all winter?
I wouldn't use them. The bales only lasted me about 5 months before they broke down on me where I live. Granted we have hot, wet summers, so acceleration is increased versus places with cooler, drier summers. However, bales sitting all winter will not last. You must use fresh bales for best results.
I'm gonna pass on this one Anthony, the bails of straw are $14.00 + tax at the "nearest" (1 hr drive) store by me here in SoFlo. 😢
Love to sweet Dale🐕, he's so cute😍❤️
That's odd. They're $6-7 around here, which is much cheaper than a bag of potting soil. And when you're done growing in these, you use them as mulch, so it's like getting free mulch in return. Maybe look for a farm supply store inland a bit. It could be South Florida is too hot for hay or grains to grow.
@@TheMillennialGardener Anthony, the sign at my nearest Tractor Supply Store said $19 Dollars!! So we got it "on sale". That's why I only bought 1 stinking bail. I'll see if my local Ace has it, but it's hard to get it here in South Florida. Thanks for your response. Hug for Dale🐕💜
@@mariap.894
here in europe, big bag of 50L potting soil is 6 dollars. If you want we can swap houses. I want to visit florida. I live 200m from the sea, i am agro-fisherman haha
Hi Anthony - is it possible to use these strawbales again next year? BTW, I used your tutorial to plant this year and the strawbales provided an awesome harvest (:
Only if they do not decompose sufficiently. Here in North Carolina, my straw bales did not make it past August. The decomposition was too fast in our warm, wet summers. I think in most climates, the straw bales will only be usable for a single season. You can, however, repurpose them as free mulch for your trees. That's what I did.
Can you use old bales? lol I have a few leftover from last fall.
Are your bails flat or on their side? My seem awful tight, shoud I retie and cut present strings?
How many growing seasons can a bale be used?
Where did you buy your bales? Herbicides is my concern too.
Will hay bales work as well as straw bales?
Since it’s not growing in a soil or compost. Do you have to fertilize a lot more often so that the plants have enough nutrients?
What I didn’t hear was how often you mixed up the fish emulsion and 20:20 to water the plants.
It seems like a lot of fertilizer to water every day.
Would you fertilize like this daily or weeekly?
Every 10-14 days.
I enjoy your videos but I would like to know what kind of fabric you have covering your ground and does it need staking down.
It is weed barrier. I have a video on it here, and I have another video on it dropping this afternoon in about 3 hours: th-cam.com/video/XT1reOI1-5E/w-d-xo.html
How do roots take food from that straw bales i dont get it, do you add anything so bale can rot in inside ?
Hey, what are some disease preventions and when u have disease a solution to stop it and what are some pesticides to control insects and pest? All organic solutions? Thank you! For tomato's and other vegetables.
I cover those issues in this playlist: th-cam.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIG0SVll6H6boefbbL1-V5fo.html
Do you use the bails only one year?
My straw bales are so tightly packed. I had to use a blade to cut through it to plant
It'll be interesting to see if this works. Did you see results for straw bales in your area? I don't think this would work in central Texas. (Too dry)
One of my old neighbors grew in them fine. It will work fine no matter where you live as long as you have a system to keep them hydrated. If it's too hot in your area, shade cloth is an answer.
It will work anywhere. It's amazing. No need for any additional fertilizer. I used straw bales for years.
@@growagarden54 would it work with leaves instead? If not, Why ?
@@TheRainHarvester No. The straw which is tied together into a bale, and after conditioning with blood meal etc. begins to decompose into a compost. Straw being hollow, retains the water to hydrates the plants. After the conditioning process, I actually plant flowers and herbs on the sides of the bales.
@@growagarden54 what if i leave the leaves in a bag? Moisture is retained in a bag. Airflow is allowed if bag is opened at top. Anyone try this?
Hey MG. Temperatures are dropping to 43 here in central PA next week. Is it too soon to plant tomatoes and peppers?? It's been in the 80's during the day here recently, and in the mid 60's at night
Tomatoes are killed by frost and freeze. If it doesn't frost or freeze, the tomatoes won't be injured. Persistent cool temperatures can cause yellowing or purple-ing due to nutrient uptake issues, but they'll remedy as soon as it warms up. Using the milk jug greenhouse method to keep them warm help keeps the deficiencies away. th-cam.com/video/IkNczi2K-lU/w-d-xo.html
@@TheMillennialGardener I'll keep my plants indoors and under grow lights for another week. They're saying the cold could last through the first week of May. I planted 35 potatoes on 04/05. They're just now breaking the soil.
How do you water these in the future?
I will run drip line.
Have you heard of using electric culture for your garden stakes if so what gauge of copper wire would you use
I am not sure what you’re referring to.
@@TheMillennialGardener I had to look that up - apparently there is something called 'electroculture' & there are some YT videos on it - now on my 'to watch' list. My guess is it alters redox potential of soil, but I guess I'll find out after watching videos. I'd rather try altering redox with something like EDTA than have to mess with electrical wiring.
HELP! We are trying this for the first time and have followed the process to the letter. This is day 10 and my bales are NOT heating up at all! They are ranging from 58-62 degrees while the air temp is 68. What can we do to be ready to plant in about 3 weeks?
Wanted to try straw bales this year. Picked up 4 bales about 3 weeks ago. Prepped them with 46-0-0 every other day for 6 days; water only on the days off. Only 1 of the 4 bales started to heat up. Any way to get the other 3 to start? First timer with straw bales; only second year with a garden.
Did you get rain that washed the bales out after you applied the fertilizer? Were the bales soaked down well beforehand? They should all start heating up at the same time unless some were already rotted and composted.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you for the reply! We did get rain on day 8. Found your method of prepping them after failure and a search. The remaining 3 bales are heavy from water and have some color on the sides. Also smell like things are starting; but no temp increase. Even bought a compost thermometer; and checked that against my food thermometer. Just strange that 1 of 4 bales started...
ETA all 4 are brand new; dry bales
I hear a lot about fish emulsion being used as a fertilizer, but it occurs to me that with the seemingly prevalence of mercury within our ocean environment fish emulsion may not be a safe thing to use in organic gardening. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
What do you do with last year’s straw bales?
use in normal garden around tomatoes ?
Use for mulch.
My bales aren’t heating up. My bales sat outside all winter and are very wet. Using urea for several days but no heat. Can they be to wet? Or would they have all ready heated without fertilizer?
If your bales sat outside all winter & got soaking wet, they are most probably cycled and ready to go. The urea kick starts the fresh new bales, but urs already started “composting”. Make sure you flush the urea out or it will burn new plants.
Can you plant seeds in the bale of straw and use soil and fertilizer as you do a plant??-😮😮
🌈💚🍀
Hi Dale 👋😘🐶🦴
Dale says hello!
@@TheMillennialGardener Dale has made Cate in Northern Ireland a very happy mummy 🤗
You didn't show how to trellis those tomato plants.
You also did not mention green beans (bush),
My bales are SOGGY even with 80+ heat, wind, and humidity in the teens.
They are not heating up at all even after a few weeks.
I had to use lopping shears to cut holes in my bales. Stuff is hard to cut even with those.
This video is about planting in straw bales, not trellising. Straw bales won’t heat up on their own. They need nitrogen. You should use urea. There is a series on conditioning bales in the video description.
fwiw, I used a Sawzall ( reciprocating saw )
@@TheMillennialGardener I used urea nitrogen (46-0-0) as suggested.
I got the smell of ammonia for a few days after the course was completed.
Still no heat and very soggy....
Sigh.
Had my hopes up too.
Knowing my luck it will kick in about July and cook everything I have planted in it....
NJ hay and straw bales are the same way. heavy as heck too.I use a knife or saw to just break up the bales and mix it in with compost. it takes a long time to break down down too. It's very different than straw bales I interacted with in Pennsylvania and couple of other states.Not sure why but NJ straw impossible to work with.
I was at one of the big box stores and walked over to their wheat straw trailer and noticed a weird smell? Hard to describe the smell but it was very strong. Is that normal for wheat straw bales to have a strong odor??
I'm not sure what smell you're referring to. Usually, wheat straw just smells like dried grass. It isn't much of a smell. When it was very hot during the conditioning process, it smelled like a horse stall. If it had the classic barnyard smell, it could be the trailer was getting very hot in the sun and it was causing the straw to rot. Once my bales hit 130 degrees, the scent was strong.
@@TheMillennialGardener The scent almost reminds me of a oil smell. I bought one bale and brought it home. I spread some around my compost bin and it has stuff sprouting in it already. Looks like grass, I am assuming its wheat?
Are you switching from your raised garden beds? Is this the best way to plant now? What made you decide to use this method?
I'm doing this because I can cover them from rain, and it rains too much here for my tomatoes to grow. It's explained in my straw bale series.
hello, i need some stawbery seeds can you send that
I recommend growing strawberries from bare root plants.
You get bonus mushrooms to eat
I don't think I'll be eating any random air-seeded mushrooms anytime soon. That's really risky.
Looks like you are using your truck!
Oh, yea. I use it daily these days.
How does anyone find straw they can trust these day? So much Herbicides I don't think I could ever trust buying bales of straw.
Will strawberries grow in a straw bale..
Yes, but keep in mind strawberries are perennials, and the straw bales will break down completely in 1-2 years. The strawberries will outlive the bales, so you'll have to find a way to move them somehow.
@@TheMillennialGardener
Thank you..
nice idea but way too many products needed = very expensive. I will stick to soil and compost in cloth or thick plastic bags,stores put groceries in these days.
Why do you think it's expensive? A straw bale is about $6, and it cost maybe $15 -20 to condition them all. That is a fraction of the cost of potting mix for container gardening, I don't need to buy any containers, and then all that straw will be reused as mulch for all my fruit trees, so I get to mulch all my trees totally free. This is much cheaper than buying soil.
Straw bale gardening does not need "any" fertilizer". The bale is your container and fertilizer. As the bale decomposes it becomes compost. It's amazing! This is his first time trying this process. One thing is that the straw bale is only good for one season.
@@TheMillennialGardener you used so many "products".,I am older, don't drive so would be difficult to go get that stuff besides not afford it on a limited income. I just use homemade compost and occasional compost tea I make in a bucket worth grass,banana peel ,etc-
I usually grow potatoes in compost soil mix with a lot of straw. Never needed any fertilizers or any of that other stuff.
These days and in our near future, the way our country is going, few of us will be able to afford any products at all. Better to keep it simple and organic.
I do love your channel, I just don't buy any of the stuff you use.
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I tried this last year, did everything right except it was an epic fail. The landscaper I got the bales from lied about them being treated . Epic fail, not doing this again
Yikes..we still have temps at night in high 20's, low 30,s