STRAW BALE GARDENING
– By Brandon M. Gelderman
I n a recent issue of Birds and Blooms magazine, Joel Karsten
has come up with an interesting concept, an alternative to
conventional gardening. This could be enjoyed by all, from
young children to seniors, perhaps even starting children on
an early road to providing some of their own home grown
foods. Joel’s method is as follows:
Many gardeners face the on-going challenges of poor soil,
weeds, short growing seasons and space issues, to name a few.
Straw bales hold moisture and as they decompose, providing
a rich medium for your vegetable garden. One of the largest
benefits of straw bale gardening is that the bales heat up as
they begin the conditioning process, thus allowing for earlier
planting, according to Joel, author of “Straw Bale Gardens
–A Complete Breakthrough Vegetable Gardening Method”. The
warm root zone means faster, early-season root production,
resulting in earlier maturing vegetables.
For those with physical limitations, raised bales are easier
to reach and work on, and they almost eliminate weeding –
a benefit many straw-bale gardeners enjoy the most. Here
are the suggested steps to follow in order for you to garden
using straw bales.
1. Pick a prime location – Choose heavy, highly compressed
straw (not hay*) bales, directly from a farm if possible.
Find a location on your property that gets 6 to 8 hours of
sunlight per day. Lay landscape fabric first over this area to
keep weeds from growing, and arrange the bales with sides
up, and the strings running along the sides.
2. Condition the straw – Two weeks before planting, start
“cooking” the bales by treating them with high-nitrogen
fertilizer every other day, and then water them heavily for
about 2 weeks to accelerate decomposition of the straw
inside each bale.
3. Plant seeds or seedlings – Seedlings can be planted directly
in the bales. Just make a hole with your trowel and add
a little planting mix to cover any exposed roots. Seeds
require a bed of potting soil to hold moisture on top of the
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Straw is a stalk, usually a waste
product of wheat, that’s used as
bedding for barnyard animals.
Hay is typically alfalfa or a
grass, and is used as animal feed.
HOME + FAMILY
bale until germination. If you wish, you can plant annual
flowers or herbs into the sides of the bales to make them
more attractive.
4. Protect and support – Position tall posts at the end of
each row of bales and run wire between them at 10” inch
intervals from the top of each bale. When seeds sprout, drape
a plastic tarp over the bottom wire to create a greenhouse
for chilly nights. As the plants grow, the wires become a
vertical trellis, supporting the tiny veggies.
5. Harvest and compost – When the season is over, the bales
turn into usable and healthy compost for next year’s gardens.
As Joel points out, these bales raise garden beds for easy
reaching, and weeds are eliminated.•
Brandon is a landscape designer and founder of Gelderlands Inc.
in Burlington. 905-637-1509 www.gelderlands.ca
Lots more online! www.silvergoldmagazine.ca