Topic: Growing in straw bales?

[artichoke]

The RHS mag has had a couple of articles on this, and it seems rather successful.

I have a rather untamed plot (one of three) and am thinking of putting down some tarpaulin on rough grass, arranging the bales in a row on top, and in the spring starting to grow things on them. Eg:

http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale-garden
http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgardens/thismonth/march06guide/strawphoto.html

Apparently at the end of the growing season they rot down into spreadable compost, your rough grass is smothered ready for digging and growing, nothing to lose but the cost of the bales.

I am bounced into this by sending an exploratory email enquiry to a local agricultural merchant and receiving a quick answer that 10 bales cost £3 each including delivery to the the allotment address I gave them. Seems to me a good deal.

Has anyone tried growing on straw bales?

[tonybloke]

The RHS mag has had a couple of articles on this, and it seems rather successful.

I have a rather untamed plot (one of three) and am thinking of putting down some tarpaulin on rough grass, arranging the bales in a row on top, and in the spring starting to grow things on them. Eg:

http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale-garden
http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgardens/thismonth/march06guide/strawphoto.html

Apparently at the end of the growing season they rot down into spreadable compost, your rough grass is smothered ready for digging and growing, nothing to lose but the cost of the bales.

I am bounced into this by sending an exploratory email enquiry to a local agricultural merchant and receiving a quick answer that 10 bales cost £3 each including delivery to the the allotment address I gave them. Seems to me a good deal.

Has anyone tried growing on straw bales?

I've seen it done in greenhouses, but never outdoors.

[Toadspawn]

Once only and the biggest problem was keeping the bale of straw wet and the plant alive so I haven't bothered since.

[artichoke]

Yes, I have read about that.....but I have water on this site and am thinking of doubling them up side by side to keep them damp. Apparently they conserve water better than grow bags do. But that is a useful warning, thanks.

[artichoke]

Well, I am committed to it now. I have laid down a base of thick newspaper plus a doubled, heavy tarpaulin to smother the grasses, 1 by 6 metres, and 12 straw bales are being delivered tomorrow. They will be laid close together in a double row of 6, and I will cover the sides with old wooden planks collected over last year in the hope of keeping them damp more easily over next summer.

At the very least I have masses of mulch à la revered Supersprout, and at best a certain amount of harvest, and heavily smothered grassy area revealed for easier digging when I remove everything in winter 2011.

I realise that couch grass and deep rooted weeds will still be there, but much more easily removed, judging by the covering, then digging, that I have been doing for several years.

[Tee Gee]

have a look under ' G' - 'Growing on straw bales' on my website and you will find some info on the subject.

[chriscross1966]

won't you get a ton of grass weeds growing from the straw?.... Love to be wrong but untreated straw is a weed-seed paradise, adn the treated stuff will kill most of your plants.....

chrisc

[artichoke]

This straw is from a nearby farm (East Sussex), and is regularly used to mulch strawberries and doesn't kill them. I am expecting weed seeds - I hope no more than in my cultivated ground, not to mention the unreconstructed rough grassland I am steadily digging out to make this allotment. I am hoping to establish some energetic winter squash in the summer to eventually smother the weeds.

Tee Gee, as usual your site offers detailed and succinct information which I will keep handy. I am planning to protect these bales until early spring, and then treat them as you describe, thanks. Have you actually grown this way yourself, and did it work reasonably well?

Various warnings, here and by private messages, have been very useful, thanks. This experiment is costing all of £36 plus fertilisers, and I'm sure I will find the mulch useful over next winter at the very least.

[Tee Gee]

Tee Gee, as usual your site offers detailed and succinct information which I will keep handy.

Thank you! Comments like that are appreciated.

Have you actually grown this way yourself, and did it work reasonably well?

Personally No! but my mate always grows his tomatoes this way with a degree of success!

He keeps telling me to grow in this manner but my set up is somewhat different from his so I have never got round to it!

It was him that gave me the method & feeding recipes hoping that some day I might change my methods.

One big advantage he has over me is;  he can source straw I can't!  not that I have really tried  ;)

Perhaps one day! ::)

Let me wish you the best of luck with your venture and please keep us all informed how you go on! Tg

[artichoke]

Very interesting to know that you have seen someone grow this way successfully.

I am now the proud owner of a double row of 12 bales resting on tarpaulin, and covered for the winter with more tarpaulin heavily weighed down. No more to do until spring, except to explain to my allotment neighbours what I am up to.

[earlypea]

Artichoke, where did you source your bales from?  I looked before but couldn't find anything reasonable enough.  Thanks.

I thought it was hay that gave you a lot of seeds, not straw? 

I have used both in the past and seems to be the case.  Was I just lucky with my particular straw?  The hay on the other hand gave me a proper headache all year after using it.

[artichoke]

Daniel Massey <agriquest@hotmail.com>

http://www.agriquest.co.uk/

This is a farm outside Heathfield, East Sussex, not far from my village. He charged £3 per bale, including delivery in a huge trailer and arranging them on my prepared base, which I thought was good. Hay is certainly supposed to be worse for weeds because the grass is bundled up, seeds and all, but the straw does contain various leftover grains and no doubt other seeds.

What did you do with your hay and straw bales? Did it work?

I am getting manure from him next....we are about to discuss prices.

[earlypea]

Thanks Artichoke.  I think he's a bit far, but I can ask I suppose.

I've used both to mulch mainly - hay was a disaster, like I say - beds which were in superb condition and ready for delicate seeds like carrots were spurting deep clumps of grass all year.  ::) :-[

I didn't get any seeds from the straw I used - it was for pets though, maybe that's the difference.

I did also cover some couchy paths with hay - worked well to suppress that and easy to make something permanent later.

Basically, I dislike using the black weed fabric because it seems to attract the slugs big-time, straw/hay doesn't.

I need to cover some of my beds because I won't be here in the spring - that's what I want it for this year and the weed fabric doesn't seem to stop the marestail either, whereas the cooler temps of the paler straw does hinder it's development.

[Tee Gee]

won't you get a ton of grass weeds growing from the straw?.

Quite the reverse I would say!

The decomposing straw generates so much heat it kills the annual weeds off.

If the odd perennial weed gets into the mix then thats another matter but as these are generally quite large the are quite easily dealt with!

[gp.girl]

I've only had wheat seedlings from straw......or at least I think it's wheat, easy to weed. Mines loose barn straw from heston bales so it isn't special.

Thought about growing tomatoes/peppers in bales as the allotment is seriously blighted.

Would they work in a greenhouse?

[pigeonseed]

Sounds really interesting. I hadn't heard of it. Be good to know how you get on, artichoke! (very jealous of 3 plots!  ;))

[artichoke]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/growing-techniques/supersprouts-allotment_5573.html

I thought I would put this here because it took me some time to find it again, and mulching has been mentioned. If anyone doesn't know about Supersprout, she used to post here a lot until she died. I plan to do this with my straw when it is exhausted and gradually move over to minimal digging.

As she wrote: "I wish I'd come across this way of cultivating years ago - it's sheer luxury to spend the time mulching, sowing, planting, tending and harvesting instead of digging, weeding and hoeing."

Three half plots - I only mentioned them as an excuse for needing bales to suppress at least 6 square metres of rough grass! I am steadily digging through them, but can't keep everything clear all the time....

Apparently straw bales are successful in greenhouses.

[Denzle]

The RHS mag has had a couple of articles on this, and it seems rather successful.

I have a rather untamed plot (one of three) and am thinking of putting down some tarpaulin on rough grass, arranging the bales in a row on top, and in the spring starting to grow things on them. Eg:

http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale-garden
http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgardens/thismonth/march06guide/strawphoto.html

Apparently at the end of the growing season they rot down into spreadable compost, your rough grass is smothered ready for digging and growing, nothing to lose but the cost of the bales.

I am bounced into this by sending an exploratory email enquiry to a local agricultural merchant and receiving a quick answer that 10 bales cost £3 each including delivery to the the allotment address I gave them. Seems to me a good deal.

Has anyone tried growing on straw bales?

I was surprised to see this, as next year I will be experimenting with straw bales for my giant onions.  Keeping a note on the results from Straw Bales, Large Pots, Wooden Boxes, Raised Beds etc etc.
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Just to let you know that your first web site is a virus threat.   Can you please remove it.. Thanks.

[terrier]

Just to let you know that your first web site is a virus threat.   Can you please remove it.. Thanks.
[/quote]

The URL in the first post (growandmake dot com) is marked as a high risk site that can install malware on your computer, not the same as a virus, but still unwanted, use at your own risk. Better still, don't use it at all.

[artichoke]

Sorry, I've no idea how to remove it.

I have looked at it quite a lot with no problems. Maybe because I use Ubuntu/Linux