Sage-Tips

How do you condition a hay bale for gardening?

Per bale, evenly sprinkle top with 1½ cup of 8-8-8 or 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer. Water in application thoroughly. If using ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), proceed with the following directions for Days 5-10. Days 5-6: Per bale, sprinkle top evenly with 1 cup of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) each day.

How do I prepare hay bales for my garden?

The first week

1. Water the bale thoroughly, until water runs out the bottom of the bale. Sprinkle the surface with a nitrogen source (see box), applying at the recommended rate.
2. Every other day, add more of the nitrogen source; water thoroughly.
3. On the days you don’t apply nitrogen, just water the bales thoroughly.

How do you condition straw bales for planting?

Use a ½ cup of a complete garden fertilizer or three cups of an organic fertilizer like Milorganite®. Then completely moisten the bale. The organic fertilizer feeds the microorganisms that help decompose the straw into a nutrient rich planting medium. Thoroughly soak the bale every day.

How do you condition a straw bale with blood meal?

Straw is high in carbon, so it’s necessary to add a lot of nitrogen to create the environment for bacterial growth. Joel recommends blood meal as the nitrogen source. Apply it to the bale by poking holes in the top and pouring the meal into those cavities. Next, add water and let the bacteria population boom begin.

How often do I fertilize my straw bale garden?

every two weeks
Make sure you water your garden every day, except on days when it rains. Because straw contains no nutrients on its own, you will need to feed your plants frequently. Straw bale gardens should be fertilized every two weeks while plants are young, and every week once they start bearing fruit.

Does straw bale gardening really work?

As the straw breaks down over the course of the summer, it turns into compost that feeds your plants. They Work: You can have huge success with growing vegetables in straw bales. Although you have to stay on top of watering, compared to other container gardens, the bales do retain water pretty well.

When should I start my straw bale garden?

You can start a straw bale garden in the early fall, but spring is the best time to plant vegetables.

What vegetables can you grow in hay bales?

Most vegetables, flowers, or herbs that you want to grow in the ground, can be grown in bales. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, melons, broccoli, cauliflower, marigolds, petunias, basil, cilantro, and parsley are only a few of the plants that do well growing in bales.

Can you use hay as mulch?

Hay will not give you a dry layer of cover that is pleasing to look at, but it is a great mulch for growing flowers and vegetables, and you’ll get a fantastic yield. To start a garden, with seeds or starters, first create a thick layer of hay, up to eight inches (20 cm.), right over your garden soil.

How do you add nitrogen to straw bales?

For the first 3 days, simply water the bale thoroughly so it stays damp. For the next 6 days, in addition to watering the bale, use a liquid fertilizer like Bonnie Herb, Vegetable & Flower Plant Foodto add nitrogen to speed the decomposition. Simply add a capful to a gallon of water and pour it all on the bale.

Can you plant pumpkins in a hay bale?

You can grow practically any vegetable in a straw bale, but some are easier to grow than others. Here are a few tips on picking the best plants for a straw bale garden: I like to use straw bales to grow space hogging, nutrient-loving veggies like zucchini, pumpkins, gourds, and cucumbers.

What are the disadvantages to Straw Bale Gardens?

Cons

• Weeds: Even if you use straw bales—not hay bales, unless you suffocate the weeds before you plant your garden—your bales will sprout and if left alone will start looking like giant Chia Pets.
• End-of-Season Funk: By the end of the growing season, a straw bale garden can look ragged.