Straw Bale Gardening Instructions

Cost is typically 10 per bale.

Straw bale gardening instructions. Use these straw bale garden instructions to build your own for fresh herbs and vegetables right outside your door. The big box stores offer decorative straw bales during the autumn holidays but they are small and not suitable for growing plants in a straw bale garden. If you want to garden organically the person at the garden center won t likely know how the.

Bales of hay can also be used for this type of garden but are more prone to. Plants are simply placed into the bales a little bit of soil is added and a garden begins to grow. Contact your local county agent to find out where to get straw bales in your area.

Place a sheet or two of newspaper or cardboard on the ground where you want your garden. Purchase bales of straw from a farmer s market or a local farmer. The paper should extend several inches beyond the edge of each bale.

Sometimes known as bale gardening or hale bale gardening a straw bale garden uses ordinary farmer s straw as the principle growing medium conditioned with a small amount of potting soil compost and fertilizer the straw itself breaks down gradually. Essentially straw is the leftover stalks from harvesting cereal grains and isn t edible so it s used as animal bedding. Any kind of raised bed makes for an easy convenient garden but one technique that is especially effective is straw bale gardening.

Purchase rectangular straw bales approximately 2 x 3. Instructions for starting a straw bale garden. Then place a bale on top of the paper.

Be sure the bales are straw and not hay or you ll be growing whatever is in that hay along with what you intended to grow straw is typically yellow dry hollow and not food for animals. It doesn t require digging in rocky or hard soil and it creates cheap raised beds. Hay is the nutritious dried grass and alfalfa used.