How does straw bale gardening work?
by
Marysews
Recently heard about straw bale gardening. How does it work? Can the same straw bales be reused the next year as well?
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Straw bales do not have any nourishment for plants and they dry out quicker so you need to add more fertilizer more often and water more often. The bales deteriorate from the water and sun exposure and will not hold up for more than one year. I tried it as an experiment and would not do it again.
I have been straw bale gardening since 2013, and have had the best production ever. It is great for folks with limited space and/or poor soil. I especially like this kind of gardening because I don't have to bend over. I keep a stool out in the garden and sit on that when I'm tending my crops! Here is a picture of this year's "bed of carrots"; I planted butterc crunch lettuce on one bale. This picture was taken May 5 and the carrot tops are over a foot tall now and I see the carrots peeking out of the straw bales! It won't be long until they are ready to harvest. I used seed tape for easy planting - I've got a bumper 2018 carrot crop going! I have more bales out in my yard where I am growing tomatoes, various peppers and honeydew melons. I keep things watered with a drip irrigation system on a timer. There is a facebook group you might consider joining for guidance. Here is the link...there are lots of friendly, helpful folks in this group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/strawbalemiraclegarden/
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