This is my 3rd year growing organic vegetables in straw bales, instead of dirt.
Year One - I moved to a new house in a new growing zone. The landscape consisted of lawn - where to start!?! See my post planning-a-new-garden-from-a-blank-slate-a-straw-bale-garden-introduction. Anyway, #SBG was the best option to create a garden without digging grass or building beds. I got 16 bales and made 3 irregular shaped rows. I planted 2 tomato plants per bale and I had a jungle by fall. The results were amazing, but I quickly realized that growing tomatoes on bales without solid support was a disaster!
Year Two - I now had fertile ground to plant where the bales had once laid. The leftover straw made nice mulch and compost. I planted all of the tomatoes in the ground and staked them. A few of the old bales were pushed over and smooched down and planted with zucchini, watermelon and roma bush tomatoes.
I bought 4 new bales, placed at the end of rows, and planted beans and peppers in them. I had more room between plants and better airflow. The bales on the ends also help prevent hose damage, acting as a bumper when watering between rows.
If I was smart, I would have had the rows running parallel to the hose.
Year 3 - I got 6 new bales in late April and placed them in various places in the yard where I wanted to establish new garden beds. I planted the beans, eggplants and watermelon on the other side of the yard, away from the tomatoes. I added a trellis to help support the tomatoes. But I still felt like I spent the entire summer tying up tomato vines!
As an organic gardener, I love how straw bale gardening helps eliminate weeds, the plants are off the ground, reducing powdery mildew and soil born disease.
Harvesting is a joy, without crawling on the ground!
I have had luck keeping tender bean seedlings out of rabbits reach. See Bunny Hacks https://sherikaz.wixsite.com/mygardenzone/post/gardening-hacks-for-rabbits
A few other Benefits of Straw Bale Gardening
They are lightweight compared to bags of potting mix.
My local supplier delivers!
As they decompose, they provide natural nutrients. I'll admit, I've never been good at fertilizing my garden. I prefer to just water and harvest. Let nature do it's thing.
So as you can see, I use straw bales for some of my crops. Potatoes thrive in second year straw. Root vegetables, beets and carrots will not work well in first year bales, but they love a mix of second year straw and dirt.
I love experimenting and trying new things. To see how straw bales compare to dirt when growing eggplant and peppers click Gardening Hacks for Rabbits
Happy straw bale gardening!
Sheri Kaz is a digital storyteller and an Emmy award winning Writer, Producer and Director with a love of organic gardening. Visit Kaz Creative for more information.
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