Straw bale gardening is one of many options for dealing with poor soil. How do you know that you have poor soil? To begin, have your soil tested by your local Cooperative Extension Office. These tests can determine the pH level of your soil, assess the fertility and health of the microorganism colonies living in the soil, and provide you with useful information on which organic amendments to add.
In order to make the straw bales a good habitat for garden vegetables, you’ll need to condition each bale, which turns it into a growing medium. This is the most time-intensive part of the project, but don’t worry! Nature does most of the work.
Days 1 to 3: Once your straw bales are in place, take the garden hose and water each bale thoroughly. Soak it with water. You need to do this once a day for three days to start the conditioning process. The bales begin to decompose. As the microorganisms start to work, the inside of the bale heats up. Days 4 to 6: On days 4, 5 and 6, you will need to sprinkle the top of the bale with fertilizer. Sprinkle each bale with one cup of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) OR half a cup of urea (46-0-0). The numbers after the name of the material refer to the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash in the fertilizer — an industry-standard measurement. These are high nitrogen sources, and they also speed up decomposition and conditioning. After sprinkling the fertilizer onto the top of each bale, water it thoroughly into the straw. You will tackle this process each day on days 4, 5 and 6. Days 7 to 9: On days 7, 8 and 9, continue using the fertilizer, but cut the amounts in half. Continue to water it into the straw bale. Day 10: On day 10 of the process, stop adding fertilizer, but continue watering the bale to keep it moist. Check the bale on day 11. If it feels about the same temperature as your hand, you can plant your vegetables. If it feels hot to the touch, water the bale another day and check it again on Day 12. The bale should feel warm, but not super hot to the touch.
Planting Vegetables in Straw Bales
Once your bale is properly conditioned, it’s time for the fun part: planting vegetables!
Each bale can be planted with the following number of vegetable plants:
Tomatoes: 2 to 3 plants per bale
Peppers: 4 plants per bale
Squash: 2 to 4 plants per bale
Zucchini: 2 to 3 plants per bale
Cucumbers: 4 to 6 plants per bale
Strawberries: 3 to 4 plants per bale
You can also grow lettuce and green beans in straw bales, but the number of plants depends on the varieties. Check the seed package. Both lettuce and beans grow easily and quickly by direct sowing methods (planting seeds directly).
Use your trowel to dig into the top of the straw bale. Make a hole about the size of the container your vegetable plant came in. Gently slide the plant out of the container. If it sticks, tap the sides and back of the container to loosen the plant. Don’t tug it by the stem — you can easily break the stem and hurt the plant.
Place the plant, root-side down, into the hole and gently push the straw back into place around the soil and onto the roots. Water it well. Congratulations! You’re growing your very own straw bale garden.
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