A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Straw bales for raised beds

I saw mention of useing these and was wondering if I could get some more information on how to go about starting and the maintance factor of this? What kind of soil should it be backfilled with? How offen do the bales have to be replaced? Do you need to drive rebar or anything down in the bale? Lots of questions and will probbaly have more. Looking at doing this in a semi shaded area where we have a concrete wall on one side and looking at useing the bales for the other three side as well as making a free standing bed in a sunnier location for some veggies. Going to have to do a temperory bed soon as well have a bunch of hosta lilys and several other plants I need to dig up and move they used to be around the base of a pool but we took the pool out so now have a bunch of plants to find somewhere we can put them while we fix the former pool area as a raised bed garden. So looking at the straw bales as both a long term and short term for raised beds. So wondering what the maintance and other factors to keep in mind would be? And how do they handle a area that gets wet frequently? Whenit rains the area gets pretty wet at times.

Hey Frisha. I use straw/hay bales for a large vegie garden area.

see here
and here
and here

As you can see, the bales are not physically holding back the soil, just keeping it in place if it subsides. It will work as a retainer, i just have plenty of space and so keep the bales back a little.

You don't need to put rebar thru the bales. They will be very solid and will become more-so as they age.
The bales need to be replaced every year to 2 years, which is fine, as they go from being the sides to becoming the mulch or just being dug into the beds as you prep them for the next crop. They are a great additive for soil. The life which grows in and under them as they decompose is excellent for your soil.
If you want a bed with permanent plants, you could still use them, just don't plant right beside the bale. Leave about a foot if possible, to allow for a bit of subsidence. Ideally though, they are best for vegies and for a garden which is annual or seasonal..

They would be fine for both applications you have in mind, and for a temporary bed they are ideal.

The best thing to put into the beds is compost, however, it may not be available in the quantities you need. One thing for sure though, your existing soil should be utilised if possible, so have a look at it and see what it is like.
I can send you a detailed description of how to build up your soil if you like.

Many thanks.

One of the places I have in mind has a pile of compost in the middle of it atm part of why I am wantting to use the area. It was a pile of mulch that I never got around to useing. Unforentually this is about all the compost I have atm have some more in the works though.

One thing I noticed from the pictures do you cut the twine when you place the bales?

You can grow things in bales of straw too..
*cut a hole in it, dump some dirt/soil and plant..
A good one for it is a Tomato plant..*
***Make sure the bale has sat out at least one season to get it so it's not so fresh and has started to break down and turn brown a bit...***

Frisha, did you ever do this??
Would love to know...

do you cut the twine when you place the bales?
++++++++++++
Didn't see this query sorry Frisha.
I usually leave the twine on for a long while. Make a point of leaving the knot on the top side, so later, when you want to remove the twine, you cut it at the knot and just pull it thru. I usually do this just before breaking the bales up to use as mulch.

http://www.county.ces.uga.edu/chatham/hay_bales.htm Hay Bale Gardening

Doh I complealy forgot I had this thread going We didn't end up usign the straw to make a temp bed to move the hosta just went dug it all up and plantted it where I was thinking but didn't have the time or energy to get teh straw.

Still intending to do this in the next year or so but the kid is taking alot out of me this year with him beign due in Sept, alot of the outside projects have been put on hold expecually since I startted reacting to sunlight so cann't be outside much.

Longy
when do you plant your tomato plants in the hay?

Shari,
If I did it, here in growing zone 5, it would be in May time...
*earlier if you can construct something like a portable hoop house around it...

*if you would like to further more info on this subject, I would suggest a new post in either the GARDNER'S CHAT or FRUITS AND VEGETABLE SECTION, that way it's not buried here in the recipe section Shari...*

thank you. i will do that:)

Nichols Nursery in Oregon has been expermenting with growing in bales of wheat straw. you can see what they have been doing at thier web site