I like using straw bales in my garden. I inoculate new bales with a handful of soil from my best performing raised bed. This ensures the bale gets the micro-organisms they need early.
Many years ago, in a previous garden, I tried growing Charantais melons in straw bales. I didn't have any direction, I didn't condition the bales, I just poked holes in the top of the bales, added a little soil and planted the plants. They grew and made the best tasting melons I've ever had. It worked great. Now that someone actually has developed a system for it I can understand the steps and why it's done, but those melons grew what can I say? :) Now that I have another new garden I'm thinking of giving this another try. I want to plant sweet potatoes and so I was thinking of making a square of bales with an opening in the middle filled with soil to grow the sweet potatoes and using the bales to grow other things. I also heard you can grow out the sides of the bales???? I saw others doing it, and I think that's a pretty cool idea too :) Thanks for the great tutorial!!!
We're about to start our raised beds using concrete blocks. I came across a book in the library about this and got excited. Husband vetoed the idea so came here for ammo.
Update: I bought the straw and he still said no. 😞 So being as I don't like to waste money I grabbed some dollar store laundry baskets, mixed some oyster mushroom spawn in with the straw it's beautifully inoculated through out so as soon as temps drop I will have an amazing mushroom harvest. 😁
Plot twist, he didn't budge, so I started growing oyster mushrooms in laundry baskets with the straw. We've had several flushes harvested and have expanded to lions mane, shiitake, and chicken of the woods mushrooms.
I hate watching you tube videos, the music, the non stop chatter about the most mundane action. But this was succinct, informative and your voice is very relaxing. Wow. I listened even thought I realized this would be too expensive for me.
As usual a very professional presentation delivered at a speed that anyone can follow.....and no stupid repetitive Electronic music in the background [sometimes foreground] to bother.
I agree. Clean and to the point. I learned so much from these videos and with my bad memory, I actually retained more than any other method. But I do get those books recommended by Scott as well, as I am a book worm 😃 thank you, gardener Scott
@@moodieslog About a year ago I made a few Bales using a press I constructed from Wood, made a metal frame and trellis from stiff fencing panels .... costs $20 for a straw bale where I live AND hard to get hold of.!!!!!!!!! Wanting to grow as organically as possible and not having anything else I prepared them for planting using only diluted Chicken manure over about a month and it worked well. I am totally happy with results and expect that with a bit of topping up with soil I can harvest another round of Vegetables before having to re-bale.
@@moodieslog Oh.... that is a complicated thing to answer in detail but much blood, sweat and tears went into it. I started with watching some excellent Videos on TH-cam and found one with actual dimensions. However due to where I live I didn't have access to the material as featured so had to make do with what I had on hand.....lots of pre-loved stuff. Not planning on building another I haven't bother to sketch the design I came up with but if I had my time over again I would have paid to have it fabricated in Metal. It would probably be a more expensive way to go but if you plan to use one for many years it may be worth it. Then again I don't know what you pay for a Bale in your area and accessibility so you would have to do the Math. Get back to me if you want my feedback on how I prepared the Bales using Chicken Manure...I didn't keep exact details but can point you in the general direction for you to experiment with. I didn't have access to Commercial products so CM was all I had to work with.
My brother lives in the country and he is always telling me about an old farmer who grows the best tomatoes in stray bales. He didn't know the details so I will have to tell him about your video. Thanks.
I tried straw bale gardening for the first time last year. I am a novice veggie Gardner. The bales appealed to me because I have back problems. I feel in love with this method. It was very successful . I will be doing it again this year. Very good video by the way.
I have a funny story. When I was about 8 years old I asked my pop Dad, may I have a little area in the back yard for a vegetable garden and he said yes. When he got home from work he found that I had dug up and turned about one half of his back yard…… he was Not Happy 😂😂😂😂😂. Going forward he would not have changed a thing 😅. I miss my garden buddy 😢
I found you at 2 am and you so relaxing and best of. All is best I can understand what you said is said these I can't speak to good I Love you Chanel I make the cement planter is working good ❤️👍💯tks take care good work 🐇🐇🐇❤️
Check how the Dutch use straw bales in barns, there's several TH-cam vid's about it. I've never done this much work for my bales and always had quite good success. I think the hard work is because someone has "discovered" a new method of growing, not realizing that this is a play on a very old method.
Doing veggie gardens for the first time this year here in the sand of SC. I have to buy a mix of compost, peat moss, and soil to start. I like this method because the straw plus some additions of fertilizer and potting soil will grow vegetables and also contribute to future soil. Thanks for the great explanation.
When I was farming in the UK I used straw bale gardening for over 15 years until I moved away from farming, as I had almost unlimited access to the straw. When I moved to France I took it up again for 10 or 11 years until I wasn't able to get the small bales anymore. It was here, in France, that I found out this is a typical Dutch way of growing in barns as they have limited access to growing ground. Apparently they lay the bales out over the floor of the barn and soak it for 3 - 4 days until the straw is totally saturated. I laid out my "garden" in the late autumn or early winter and let the rain soak the straw (free water). I never added fertilizer or compost and always had success with my plantings. I grew potatoes by planting them into the straw and various brassicas and squashes by transplants. I never tried sowing seeds though. If I could find an outlet for small bales I'd go back to this method of growing for the above mentioned crops.
Thank you for the beautiful detailed and informative way in which you are sharing knowledge. I'm certainly grateful for the calm, yet technically enclined explanations, giving better understanding into the why and how questions that keep popping up in my process of gathering information re building a straw bale garden.
Boy! Am I glad I clicked on this. I'm 4 days in to conditioning my bale and just now realized I have a 're-baled' bale. Turning it over to it's side wasn't as easy as when it was dry! lol Glad I didn't start planting yet. I'm using pure UREA (46-0-0) to fertilize my bale.
Love the guest appearance of Lily she is beautiful I have been seeing a lot of videos come across on straw bale gardening Thanks for being so detailed on how it’s done
Thank you for this video! So nicely put together. I love all the details! After watching other straw bail videos I thought I just needed my seeds, a straw bail and a little dirt 😳
Theoretically you could also grow in a paper bag of leaves. Just let them sit over the winter , adding a little nitrogen now and then. Let the rain and snow keep them wet and by spring they would be ready for plants.
I've grown squash in 50 gallon grow bags full of partially decomposed leaves. It required a lot of water and feeding, especially nitrogen. I composted everything at the end of the season and the root balls were massive. I plan to do it again next season in Geobins (220 gallons). I already have them full of leaves - what started out as 20 contractor bags (approximately 800 gallons) of leaves. By the time they're ready to plant, they'll have closer to 25. I've been hitting them hard with various sources of nitrogen to speed up the decomposition. I use coffee grounds, chopped fruit and aqueous solution of urea fertilizer.
Glad you got to it in the end- straw bale growing can work really well but in general is an expensive gimmick. One error- alfalfa is in fact a wonderful growing medium as it is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients.
I grew a TON of squash last year using hay bales. (Not straw) I used the same prep steps. And added a cup or so of soil to every hole I made for the seeds. During the two week process of prepping the hay...it got “some” spots of white hairy mold....but..it went away in just a few days. Your bales will get dark and start to break down..,so they may need a stake or two to keep them from falling if they dont break down evenly. I never added any more fertilizer either. 🤷🏻♀️ i never had any issues with this method. BUT...I grew the biggest and most beautiful crookneck squash I have ever grown. People driving buy wondered why that lady was watering hay bales...but after about four weeks...it was obvious...and people wanted to stop and talk about the process. I got even more bales this year...and plan on growing carrots and radishes in them as well as some bush beans. It was my first year to grow a big garden, I am by NO MEANS “experienced. Never be afraid to try! Enjoy your garden! 🥰❤️🥰
I prefer hay bales over straw. My plants do! The cons of hay is that it breaks down (decomposes) faster. I can deal with that. I have lots less weed growing.
I have to say this is a fascinating concept! 🤔 and an interesting experiment as well. I’ve never heard of this method,though I’m only 5 years into my gardening adventure so there’s a galaxy full of gardening knowledge that I’ve yet to hear about. Where I live at the edge of the prairies,straw is a very abundant resource so I might actually give it a try, though it seems like more work than I have extra time for. Still,the idea of having the straw bales as amendments for my garden is quite attractive. Thanks mr Scott for this episode ! It gets my wheels turning!
I'd like to see a video of starting a strawbale garden 1st year,2nd year planting and then on 3rd year using all of that straw to start a no till garden,i have used straw to build soil up to an 8 inch depth before inside my chicken coop,so im wanting to this in my garden by adding leaves grass clippings small twigs ect during the winter after the 2nd year in preparation for my 3rd year season and hopefully have about a foot of nice soft nutrient rich soil that i have produced
Miracle grow is a great product. For the average person it works great. Plants don't care where the food comes from. You could use urine and wood ash if you want real honest organic. Most people are clueless and will not put forth the time like this gentleman. I live in the northland and people up here can't afford to screw up. If MG helps the average person don't knock it. After they learn more from trial and error they'll do better.
If you look around, you can find free straw bales, or for very cheap. I pay $4 each for them in Minnesota. Fertilizer can be had for cheap as well. Specially if you fish. Important to note that straw is not hay. and straw and hay come in different plant species flavors
Good luck with the baling twine not rotting before the end of the season, or maybe I just got a bad batch of twine. In the GOOD OLE DAYS they used wire to hold the bales together. Thanks for the video. Scott.
This is an intriguing and informative video, especially because I already have the basics to get started. I have a couple of extra straw bales that I purchased last fall (for additional brown material in my compost), as well as a couple of gallons of urea pellets (46% N). I might give this method a try. While I'm not convinced it's worth the effort, I'll try it to satisfy my curiosity. I'm wondering (since you posted this 3 years ago), if you continue to practice this method?
A good alternative to the dried blood is Urea....WE can get it here locally in New Brunswick Canada for well under $1/pound and it is 46% Nitrogen. It really kickstarts the decomposition process into high gear
Thank you! I had a hay bale from last halloween and we were going to use it. It fell apart on the way to the garden area... it is now going to be dug in to the ground. I had no idea that there was so much involved in straw gardening. Thank you!! I would like to try it but it wont be this year.. Love the video! PS.. Rodents you said.. yeah.. we have an issue so I'm kind of thinking maybe when we move we can try this. LOL...
Thank you again you going in depth science and knowledge behind it.love to learning. Hope you do more videos about the history behind. Have you grown the tomato called money maker
I dont have water out in my garden, I have to haul it out so this wouldn't work for me. Also I was thinking $$$$$ while you were pouring all that fertilizer. Thanks for the video it was very educational.
One thing wasn't mentioned I bought some bails and got to thinking should i prepare them now or wait till three weeks before I plant ( It is mid December )
Hey gdr Scott! What's your thoughts on wrapping the bales with plastic with soaker hose inside, or using drip system. Think of any benefits or disadvantages? Thanks
Hello Gardener Scott, I'm getting a bunch of bales tonight and we're going to see if we can get stuff growing in them in the coming months. We plan to use the remains this fall to create good soil for the next year. I was wondering how often do we need to add fertilizer to the bales after the first 12 days and which fertilzer do you recommend? A balanced one or a nitrogen rich one?
Extremely interesting. I like the idea. My only concern will be the rodents. I live in central Florida and snakes and their friends they always around. Thanks for the information.
i heard you say - don't plant near the edge of the straw bale, but actually you can grow in the side and pretty much anywhere on the bale thats what i did last year, and it says you can do that in the book. i like your videos just thought i'd point that out.
I have followed some directions on conditioning the bales by soaking the bales with bonemeal. What they didn’t say is Nitrogen is needed also. But a bigger problem is the kazillion flys that appear using bonemeal.
Thanks, I have done this for 4 years now with EXCELLENT RESULTS, However, when you lay your bales down Flat you risk the chance of the Strings Rotting off Prematurely, especially if they are Sisal String. Set the bales on End. Former Farmer, Gary.
I do this every year with about 3 to 6 bales. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I throw everything in the compost bin when the bales are spent. I then use that wonderful (rich with other materials too) compost on my no dog beds. Win win for me.
I put my bales in place in the fall, wet them, fertilize them real good once and they sit there for the winter and in the spring when it's safe to plant , I do...
Great video. We are trying our first straw bale garden this year. What is the best way to prevent the straw seeds from sprouting or, in our case, once they have already sprouted? We prefer to not use a commercial weed killer if possible.
It may not be possible to keep the straw seeds from sprouting without a pre-emergent herbicide which could affect your plants. Once they sprout, they're easy to pull out.
Im wondering whether roots would grow a bit horizontally if the straw werent all that vertical i.e. in case of rolls. Perhaps a thicker layer of top soil would resolve the issue for the first year and the decomposition of straw would provide more space for roots as it would loosen up.
Great video! I live in a tiny house in northern Wisconsin and am planning on lining the perimeter of my house with straw bales to create a air pocket beneath it for insulation. Could i use those bales in the spring as a garden? We get a lot of snow and it's pretty cold in the winter. I think they would be fairly saturated in the spring
Good thing I supported the bales with 2 x 8 and 2x6 boards on the sides. My bales have totally turned to mush. Beautiful compost. Now with Broccoli, yellow peppers, cucumbers and an eggplant. Just knowing what or how to feed them now?? I’m trying instead of a tablespoon per gallon of water each 10 days to 2 weeks. I’m putting that same gallon in 10 gallons of water and giving every day. We will see. 5 gallon buckets and I’m starting a hydroponic cucumber today
you are the Bob Ross of gardening. so relaxing listening to you.
So nice of you
My thoughts exactly!
I hear P. Allen Smith, Mr. Rodgers, and a bit of Rick Bayless.
I was just about to write the exact same comment when I saw what you wrote. Freaky 😳
talks kinda slow
I like using straw bales in my garden. I inoculate new bales with a handful of soil from my best performing raised bed. This ensures the bale gets the micro-organisms they need early.
Many years ago, in a previous garden, I tried growing Charantais melons in straw bales. I didn't have any direction, I didn't condition the bales, I just poked holes in the top of the bales, added a little soil and planted the plants. They grew and made the best tasting melons I've ever had. It worked great. Now that someone actually has developed a system for it I can understand the steps and why it's done, but those melons grew what can I say? :) Now that I have another new garden I'm thinking of giving this another try. I want to plant sweet potatoes and so I was thinking of making a square of bales with an opening in the middle filled with soil to grow the sweet potatoes and using the bales to grow other things. I also heard you can grow out the sides of the bales???? I saw others doing it, and I think that's a pretty cool idea too :) Thanks for the great tutorial!!!
We're about to start our raised beds using concrete blocks. I came across a book in the library about this and got excited. Husband vetoed the idea so came here for ammo.
Update: I bought the straw and he still said no. 😞 So being as I don't like to waste money I grabbed some dollar store laundry baskets, mixed some oyster mushroom spawn in with the straw it's beautifully inoculated through out so as soon as temps drop I will have an amazing mushroom harvest. 😁
Plot twist, he didn't budge, so I started growing oyster mushrooms in laundry baskets with the straw. We've had several flushes harvested and have expanded to lions mane, shiitake, and chicken of the woods mushrooms.
@@monikasturm2575 if the mushrooms don't show your hubby your right and have great ideas I dunno what will 🤣
Thank you for taking the time to record, edit, and upload.
I hate watching you tube videos, the music, the non stop chatter about the most mundane action. But this was succinct, informative and your voice is very relaxing. Wow. I listened even thought I realized this would be too expensive for me.
Chicken manure is the best thing I have found for straw bales.
Gail, so as human urine.
Svetla Nikolova of
As usual a very professional presentation delivered at a speed that anyone can follow.....and no stupid repetitive Electronic music in the background [sometimes foreground] to bother.
I agree. Clean and to the point. I learned so much from these videos and with my bad memory, I actually retained more than any other method. But I do get those books recommended by Scott as well, as I am a book worm 😃 thank you, gardener Scott
@@moodieslog About a year ago I made a few Bales using a press I constructed from Wood, made a metal frame and trellis from stiff fencing panels .... costs $20 for a straw bale where I live AND hard to get hold of.!!!!!!!!!
Wanting to grow as organically as possible and not having anything else I prepared them for planting using only diluted Chicken manure over about a month and it worked well.
I am totally happy with results and expect that with a bit of topping up with soil I can harvest another round of Vegetables before having to re-bale.
@@dannyhughes4889 good thing I have chickens :). How did you build your bale press?
@@moodieslog Oh.... that is a complicated thing to answer in detail but much blood, sweat and tears went into it.
I started with watching some excellent Videos on TH-cam and found one with actual dimensions.
However due to where I live I didn't have access to the material as featured so had to make do with what I had on hand.....lots of pre-loved stuff.
Not planning on building another I haven't bother to sketch the design I came up with but if I had my time over again I would have paid to have it fabricated in Metal.
It would probably be a more expensive way to go but if you plan to use one for many years it may be worth it.
Then again I don't know what you pay for a Bale in your area and accessibility so you would have to do the Math.
Get back to me if you want my feedback on how I prepared the Bales using Chicken Manure...I didn't keep exact details but can point you in the general direction for you to experiment with.
I didn't have access to Commercial products so CM was all I had to work with.
@@dannyhughes4889 paying about $10 for a bale here. Guess it's probably worth it lol
My brother lives in the country and he is always telling me about an old farmer who grows the best tomatoes in stray bales. He didn't know the details so I will have to tell him about your video. Thanks.
I tried straw bale gardening for the first time last year. I am a novice veggie Gardner. The bales appealed to me because I have back problems. I feel in love with this method. It was very successful . I will be doing it again this year. Very good video by the way.
Hi. Are you trying to re-use the bales or will you be starting over?
@@clemturner most don't seem to be reusable . They are all black. Trying to reuse 2 to see if they work. I bought new bales.
Yup! They are awesome for establishing new beds, just watch out for yellowjackes. They like straw. 😏
I have a funny story. When I was about 8 years old I asked my pop Dad, may I have a little area in the back yard for a vegetable garden and he said yes. When he got home from work he found that I had dug up and turned about one half of his back yard…… he was Not Happy 😂😂😂😂😂. Going forward he would not have changed a thing 😅. I miss my garden buddy 😢
I found you at 2 am and you so relaxing and best of. All is best I can understand what you said is said these I can't speak to good I Love you Chanel I make the cement planter is working good ❤️👍💯tks take care good work 🐇🐇🐇❤️
I was thinking about doing straw bales but had no idea it was that much work. Thanks for sharing
Check how the Dutch use straw bales in barns, there's several TH-cam vid's about it. I've never done this much work for my bales and always had quite good success. I think the hard work is because someone has "discovered" a new method of growing, not realizing that this is a play on a very old method.
I did tomatoes and basil in straw bales best tomatoes 🍅 I have ever grown!
Awesome. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for your expertise and your willingness to share so freely. You are an AMAZING teacher.
P.S. Love seeing your sweet dog!🐾🐾🐾🐾
I grew pie pumpkins in mine and they did great.
I look for a how-to video in the first thing that pops up is a gardener Scott and I got really excited
Doing veggie gardens for the first time this year here in the sand of SC. I have to buy a mix of compost, peat moss, and soil to start. I like this method because the straw plus some additions of fertilizer and potting soil will grow vegetables and also contribute to future soil. Thanks for the great explanation.
Same as how plants like growing in the compost pile.
When I was farming in the UK I used straw bale gardening for over 15 years until I moved away from farming, as I had almost unlimited access to the straw.
When I moved to France I took it up again for 10 or 11 years until I wasn't able to get the small bales anymore. It was here, in France, that I found out this is a typical Dutch way of growing in barns as they have limited access to growing ground. Apparently they lay the bales out over the floor of the barn and soak it for 3 - 4 days until the straw is totally saturated. I laid out my "garden" in the late autumn or early winter and let the rain soak the straw (free water). I never added fertilizer or compost and always had success with my plantings. I grew potatoes by planting them into the straw and various brassicas and squashes by transplants. I never tried sowing seeds though. If I could find an outlet for small bales I'd go back to this method of growing for the above mentioned crops.
Fantastic content. Your calm demeanor and quality information makes the learning enjoyable. Got a vibe Like the BobRoss of gardening.
Thank you for the beautiful detailed and informative way in which you are sharing knowledge. I'm certainly grateful for the calm, yet technically enclined explanations, giving better understanding into the why and how questions that keep popping up in my process of gathering information re building a straw bale garden.
Been on a gardener scott marathon lately
I’ll be getting started in southern Arizona at end of summer, can’t wait!
Boy!
Am I glad I clicked on this. I'm 4 days in to conditioning my bale and just now realized I have a 're-baled' bale. Turning it over to it's side wasn't as easy as when it was dry! lol
Glad I didn't start planting yet. I'm using pure UREA (46-0-0) to fertilize my bale.
Love the guest appearance of Lily she is beautiful
I have been seeing a lot of videos come across on straw bale gardening
Thanks for being so detailed on how it’s done
Thank you for this video! So nicely put together. I love all the details! After watching other straw bail videos I thought I just needed my seeds, a straw bail and a little dirt 😳
very good, Scott
Tks for sharing this information with us
Thanks for your insight and instructions. Great information Scott!
Best explanation I've heard of this. I'm on day 10 after watching lots of OTHER videos. I wish I'd seen this first!
Hey, I'm on day 10 right now...How'd it go?
Thank's I learn a lot :-) Have a nice day sir!
Loved this.You answered lots of my questions.Thank you.
Good info about getting the ends of the straw facing up. Missed in other videos
Very interesting
I am so excited to try this method. I look forward to the use of the left over straw. Thank you so much!
Theoretically you could also grow in a paper bag of leaves. Just let them sit over the winter , adding a little nitrogen now and then. Let the rain and snow keep them wet and by spring they would be ready for plants.
I've grown squash in 50 gallon grow bags full of partially decomposed leaves. It required a lot of water and feeding, especially nitrogen. I composted everything at the end of the season and the root balls were massive. I plan to do it again next season in Geobins (220 gallons). I already have them full of leaves - what started out as 20 contractor bags (approximately 800 gallons) of leaves. By the time they're ready to plant, they'll have closer to 25. I've been hitting them hard with various sources of nitrogen to speed up the decomposition. I use coffee grounds, chopped fruit and aqueous solution of urea fertilizer.
Glad you got to it in the end- straw bale growing can work really well but in general is an expensive gimmick. One error- alfalfa is in fact a wonderful growing medium as it is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients.
Not at all frail. Awesome Kale Bale.
Excellent video!
What a great video! Thank you!
I grew a TON of squash last year using hay bales. (Not straw)
I used the same prep steps. And added a cup or so of soil to every hole I made for the seeds.
During the two week process of prepping the hay...it got “some” spots of white hairy mold....but..it went away in just a few days.
Your bales will get dark and start to break down..,so they may need a stake or two to keep them from falling if they dont break down evenly. I never added any more fertilizer either. 🤷🏻♀️ i never had any issues with this method. BUT...I grew the biggest and most beautiful crookneck squash I have ever grown. People driving buy wondered why that lady was watering hay bales...but after about four weeks...it was obvious...and people wanted to stop and talk about the process.
I got even more bales this year...and plan on growing carrots and radishes in them as well as some bush beans. It was my first year to grow a big garden, I am by NO MEANS “experienced.
Never be afraid to try! Enjoy your garden! 🥰❤️🥰
Thanks for sharing your comment. This is my first attempt this I wasn’t able to get straw bales and only hay bale I’m hoping for the best.
I prefer hay bales over straw. My plants do! The cons of hay is that it breaks down (decomposes) faster. I can deal with that. I have lots less weed growing.
Brilliant mate.
I have to say this is a fascinating concept! 🤔 and an interesting experiment as well. I’ve never heard of this method,though I’m only 5 years into my gardening adventure so there’s a galaxy full of gardening knowledge that I’ve yet to hear about. Where I live at the edge of the prairies,straw is a very abundant resource so I might actually give it a try, though it seems like more work than I have extra time for. Still,the idea of having the straw bales as amendments for my garden is quite attractive. Thanks mr Scott for this episode ! It gets my wheels turning!
I learn so very much from you! Thank you!
And you can use the straw again next year for whatever. ETC
I'd like to see a video of starting a strawbale garden 1st year,2nd year planting and then on 3rd year using all of that straw to start a no till garden,i have used straw to build soil up to an 8 inch depth before inside my chicken coop,so im wanting to this in my garden by adding leaves grass clippings small twigs ect during the winter after the 2nd year in preparation for my 3rd year season and hopefully have about a foot of nice soft nutrient rich soil that i have produced
Typically the bale isn't used for more than two years. It can decompose quickly.
I didn't much care for the miracle grow soil, but other than that its a great idea!!
Miracle grow is a great product. For the average person it works great. Plants don't care where the food comes from. You could use urine and wood ash if you want real honest organic.
Most people are clueless and will not put forth the time like this gentleman. I live in the northland and people up here can't afford to screw up. If MG helps the average person don't knock it. After they learn more from trial and error they'll do better.
Thank you gardener Scott! I always wondered how to grow in a straw bale! New subscriber and love your channel!
Thanks, Gigi. Welcome to the channel.
Thanks for the great video....first time trying the straw bale method.....
I live in Southeast Virginia.
If you look around, you can find free straw bales, or for very cheap. I pay $4 each for them in Minnesota.
Fertilizer can be had for cheap as well. Specially if you fish.
Important to note that straw is not hay. and straw and hay come in different plant species flavors
@Angela use as mulch.
I dont know seems like a lot of work and a lot of money and a wait , i think i will stick to my regular raised beds of soil.
My father tried this and had varied success. I can't wait to see your efforts and see how it works out for you
I used Urea instead of bloodmeal bc it's more concentrated nitrogen, so fewer bags. It's also water soluble, more than blood meal. It worked faster.
Good luck with the baling twine not rotting before the end of the season, or maybe I just got a bad batch of twine.
In the GOOD OLE DAYS they used wire to hold the bales together. Thanks for the video. Scott.
It is a plastic twine, so I'm not worried about it rotting.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for the reply
Xin chào anh.anh chuẩn bị cho vườn rau thật tuyệt vời
Thank you for showing us how to grow this way! My husband just bought me the book, and I can't wait to try this!
Hope you like it!
thanks for this great info! I just love this idea, love this channel, love that they can be reused for enriching the soil & love you!! thanks again!
Very interesting video.
This is an intriguing and informative video, especially because I already have the basics to get started.
I have a couple of extra straw bales that I purchased last fall (for additional brown material in my compost), as well as a couple of gallons of urea pellets (46% N). I might give this method a try.
While I'm not convinced it's worth the effort, I'll try it to satisfy my curiosity. I'm wondering (since you posted this 3 years ago), if you continue to practice this method?
I don't grow in bales every year, but like to use it to get the soil ready in areas for new beds.
Hay great video! 😂😂🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😍😍
Anyone know on day 7, 8 & 9 what is the appropriate fertilizer to use?
A good alternative to the dried blood is Urea....WE can get it here locally in New Brunswick Canada for well under $1/pound and it is 46% Nitrogen. It really kickstarts the decomposition process into high gear
Yes! That's good stuff.
Thank you! I had a hay bale from last halloween and we were going to use it. It fell apart on the way to the garden area... it is now going to be dug in to the ground. I had no idea that there was so much involved in straw gardening. Thank you!! I would like to try it but it wont be this year.. Love the video! PS.. Rodents you said.. yeah.. we have an issue so I'm kind of thinking maybe when we move we can try this. LOL...
Thank you again you going in depth science and knowledge behind it.love to learning. Hope you do more videos about the history behind. Have you grown the tomato called money maker
Thank you Scott, excellent video and tips !
Glad it was helpful!
nice informative videos, I am from Decorah so I LOVE the seedsavers seedstock!
Thanks. Seedsaver's is great!
On the bales you have could you put the true cut end up?? It's narrower but then the true cut end will be up!!
I dont have water out in my garden, I have to haul it out so this wouldn't work for me. Also I was thinking $$$$$ while you were pouring all that fertilizer. Thanks for the video it was very educational.
Great video Scott! Thank you for the info
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Thanks. This was very informative. Any idea how many tomato plants could be panted per bale?
Two plants per bale should work okay.
Is there different types of bails?
Hay, straw, and alfalfa come in bales.
Heard of potatoes being grown this way. Called a lazy bed.
One thing wasn't mentioned I bought some bails and got to thinking should i prepare them now or wait till three weeks before I plant ( It is mid December )
Hey gdr Scott! What's your thoughts on wrapping the bales with plastic with soaker hose inside, or using drip system. Think of any benefits or disadvantages? Thanks
Lay them out in the winter and let nature water them for free
Hello Gardener Scott, I'm getting a bunch of bales tonight and we're going to see if we can get stuff growing in them in the coming months. We plan to use the remains this fall to create good soil for the next year. I was wondering how often do we need to add fertilizer to the bales after the first 12 days and which fertilzer do you recommend? A balanced one or a nitrogen rich one?
After plants are in place use a balanced fertilizer or one that is appropriate for the specific plant.
Extremely interesting. I like the idea. My only concern will be the rodents. I live in central Florida and snakes and their friends they always around. Thanks for the information.
Is the blood meal effectively acting as the "green" to the straws "brown"?
Yes, that is one reason, so that the straw decomposes faster. It also is a nitrogen source for the plants.
i heard you say - don't plant near the edge of the straw bale, but actually you can grow in the side and pretty much anywhere on the bale thats what i did last year, and it says you can do that in the book. i like your videos just thought i'd point that out.
You're right. The reason I said that is that if you plant near the edge it limits the root growth to one side and may not anchor larger plants well.
Can you use horse manure as your nitrogen because blood meal gets a really expensive in a market
Horse manure might work as an option.
I have followed some directions on conditioning the bales by soaking the bales with bonemeal. What they didn’t say is Nitrogen is needed also. But a bigger problem is the kazillion flys that appear using bonemeal.
Bonemeal adds phosphorus, which the plants need, but nitrogen is definitely needed too.
@@GardenerScott agree but I had to put up three fly traps … the flys are terrible and I mean terrible
Thank you for this information! Can I stick a trellis or two into the bales? Will they hold well? Thanks, Margie
It depends on the size of the trellis. Wet bales are heavy and can support small ones. Big trellises might tear out of the bale without extra support.
@GardenerScott Thank you so much! I think I'll look at the "ladder mesh". I just read about it.
Thanks, I have done this for 4 years now with EXCELLENT RESULTS, However, when you lay your bales down Flat you risk the chance of the Strings Rotting off Prematurely, especially if they are Sisal String. Set the bales on End. Former Farmer, Gary.
Good point. The twine used in my area are all plastic, but in other areas it is a concern. Thanks.
I do this every year with about 3 to 6 bales. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I throw everything in the compost bin when the bales are spent. I then use that wonderful (rich with other materials too) compost on my no dog beds. Win win for me.
No dig beds. Although my dog doesn't get that part 😁
That's great!
I put my bales in place in the fall, wet them, fertilize them real good once and they sit there for the winter and in the spring when it's safe to plant , I do...
Good plan. Thanks.
My bales are the same. It is because they were baled with a inline baler.
Thanks for the info.
Great video. We are trying our first straw bale garden this year. What is the best way to prevent the straw seeds from sprouting or, in our case, once they have already sprouted? We prefer to not use a commercial weed killer if possible.
It may not be possible to keep the straw seeds from sprouting without a pre-emergent herbicide which could affect your plants. Once they sprout, they're easy to pull out.
Would it help if yo enclose bales in homemade pallet bin
You can do that, but it probably isn't necessary.
I have problems with moles, do I have to put something under the bales?
Placing the bales on top of hardware cloth can deter the moles that might want to burrow in.
Can you use pea straw. This is the most common straw available in new Zealand
If it is sold in bales, you can use it this way.
Couldn't you use coffee grounds as some of the nitrogen? And kelp for potassium?
Wood ash also works.
Sure, but coffee grounds don't have as much nitrogen as other options.
Im wondering whether roots would grow a bit horizontally if the straw werent all that vertical i.e. in case of rolls. Perhaps a thicker layer of top soil would resolve the issue for the first year and the decomposition of straw would provide more space for roots as it would loosen up.
Can pine straw bales be used ?
Sure, but they may need longer to pre-condition and begin breaking down.
Great video! I live in a tiny house in northern Wisconsin and am planning on lining the perimeter of my house with straw bales to create a air pocket beneath it for insulation. Could i use those bales in the spring as a garden? We get a lot of snow and it's pretty cold in the winter. I think they would be fairly saturated in the spring
Definitely. I prefer to use straw bales in the garden that are already a year old.
Good thing I supported the bales with 2 x 8 and 2x6 boards on the sides. My bales have totally turned to mush. Beautiful compost. Now with Broccoli, yellow peppers, cucumbers and an eggplant. Just knowing what or how to feed them now?? I’m trying instead of a tablespoon per gallon of water each 10 days to 2 weeks. I’m putting that same gallon in 10 gallons of water and giving every day. We will see. 5 gallon buckets and I’m starting a hydroponic cucumber today
A balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 should work until they start setting fruit. You probably don't need weekly fertilization.
Would it work to grow cannibus in? Love the idea!
Possibly. It depends on your climate for starters and you would need to add extra fertilizers.
How often do you fertilize the bales after you plant the bales?
It depends on the type and number of plants, but is usually every 2-3 weeks.