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?
Quote from: artichoke on November 04, 2010, 22:25:33
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.
Once only and the biggest problem was keeping the bale of straw wet and the plant alive so I haven't bothered since.
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.
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.
have a look under ' G' - 'Growing on straw bales' on my website and you will find some info on the subject.
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
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.
QuoteTee Gee, as usual your site offers detailed and succinct information which I will keep handy.
Thank you! Comments like that are appreciated.
QuoteHave 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Quotewon'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!
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?
Sounds really interesting. I hadn't heard of it. Be good to know how you get on, artichoke! (very jealous of 3 plots! ;))
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.
Quote from: artichoke on November 04, 2010, 22:25:33
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.
==================================================
Just to let you know that your first web site is a virus threat. Can you please remove it.. Thanks.
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.
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
i have just looked at the link to Supersprouts method and what a beautiful plot. I only joined recently so did not know of her. i just hope she is looking down from the great allotment in the sky and that who ever has her plot now looks after it just as well!
Anne
I thought that one of the ideas of growing on straw bales was that they gave out heat while they are rotting so I thought that you need to keep them dry through the winter and then warm them up when required in the spring.
I had a good deal of used straw on my site when I started and it rotten down very well indeed. I do get a bit of grain sprouting but it responds well to a bit of hoeing.
I have however had various beasties taking up home in the straw. Snake, mice, slug and possibly rats.
I just went there with no alerts. I use XP.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on November 08, 2010, 17:23:07
I just went there with no alerts. I use XP.
I've gone there, when I left I got redirected to a porn site and there were plenty of allerts, I also have XP.
They may simply not get through my system. I use Spybot SD, Spywareblaster, Malwarebytes, the free version of Zonealarm, and AVG, once again the free version.
I would feel privileged if a snake took up residence in my straw bales, like the slow worms in my compost heap. Not so sure about the rats, but I'm not too worried. Yes, I've bought the bales a bit early, but they are well wrapped up in secured tarpaulins until I want to start them off in the spring. I wanted a prompt start to the 6 x 1 metre squashing of my rough grass.
I'm glad Supersprout's ideas are welcome. I still have a strain of her nice fat jerusalem artichokes, and messages from her in my inbox that I don't like to delete.
I hope no-one gets anything from the websites I gave. A porn site???? Well, I can only apologise - it looks such an interesting and wholesome site.
http://www.4042.com/4042forums/showthread.php?t=12405
Sorry, one more site. It is so informative and full of pictures and advice I couldn't resist it - but don't look at it if you have any worries....
Artichoke, what COUNTRY are you in, 4043 dot com takes me to Johnston County Classifieds, LOL ;D
Sorry about that, but it takes me straight to an excellent blog by a man who has been using straw bales for 6 years, with copious photographs at all stages. I'm in UK. It's well worth persevering if you are interested - I think it's the most useful site of all I've looked at.
Try putting Strawbaleman into google. I find the first reference takes me to p9 of his straw blog.
Admittedly he seems to be living in a hotter climate than us.
Quote from: earlypea on November 07, 2010, 07:12:28
Artichoke, where did you source your bales from? I looked before but couldn't find anything reasonable enough. Thanks.
I get mine for £3 a bale from a big garden centre (on the A21) Blackbrooks - maybe they have one in your area Earlypea?
Artichoke - another thank you for posting Supersprouts post - looking at the pictures I need to use the straw a bit more liberally and thickly, it does seem to supress the weeds and keep the moisture in at the same time :)
What are you planning to grow in your bales? I was wondering if peppers would be a good idea?
1066 :)
I am planning squashes and courgettes in some, and a lot of leafy things in others including pak choi and lettuces. I am also going to have a desperate last go at tomatoes (blight year after year) as at least the straw will not be contaminated with blight spores splashing up onto the leaves.
I am not expecting straw bales to be a magic solution to every allotment problem ever, but I do have high hopes of killing at least three birds with one stone...... stifling and weakening rough grass and perennial weeds ready for digging out future conventional beds......growing something at the same time........lots of mulch/compost eventually in order to cover the ground like Supersprout did.
Basically they are just a growing medium deficient in nitrogen, so I am expecting quite a lot of watering and fertilising, but I hope it will be worth it.
Interesting that Blackbrooks charges £3 per bale - I go there too, sometimes, but had not asked about straw.
Hi I'm new
Came specifically to this forum looking for others growing in straw bales. I'm planning to clear a large area of lawn in my garden. My bales have been on site for say six weeks I thought the rain would get them going, but of course we've had none until the last two days. I had almost abandoned my plans for courgettes, small pumpkins & nasturtiums but now I have read about conditioning the bales so now its full steam ahead.
Thanks for the inspiration folks.
How are you getting on now?
Best wishes
SN
welcome to A4A Strawnymph :)
It would be interesting to hear how folk got on with strawbale growing
I have to report that my bales never did heat up. I exposed them to the weather in February, watered them a lot, put on the prescribed fertiliser (sulphate of ammonia), but nothing happened. Gave up watering in April, just too difficult to keep them wet in the baking heat.
Today I watered them again, hacked out planting holes, filled them with a mixture of earth and manure, and put 12 squash plants (two per bale) of various sorts in them, protected by netting and fleece, as we had a vicious frost here last week. It's early to put out squash/courgette plants but these were getting too mature, and had to be planted. (Yes, I started them off too early....)
The holes were surprisingly difficult to make, but my son solved the problem by attacking the bales with an axe.
I'll put 12 more out tomorrow, and will push lettuce and spinach seedlings into various corners - someone recommended nasturtiums, to make things look pretty.
I'll let you know if the squashes grow, or turn miserable. I'd love to hear from anyone else who is actually doing it.
Tee Gee's advice: http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Growing%20on%20straw/Growing%20on%20straw.htm
It sounds like the battle to keep them wet / watered is the hardest thing to sort out.
Will be intersted to hear how your squash get on ;) :)
Brief update: all the bales are planted with squashes and courgettes now, and although I couldn't visit them for 4 days, I went back yesterday and found them looking really well and not at all dried out. I know it is early days, but they have put on visible growth and look greener. The slightly worrying idea that they have to be watered every day is clearly not necessary. (And we certainly have not had any rain).
As Tee Gee writes: "Watering daily is advisable, but unlike traditional growing methods, to miss a watering is not as critical, as the moisture content of the straw is generally sufficient to cover for such an event".
At the moment they are covered with net tunnels and fleece, which may be helping to retain moisture and protects them from the drying wind.
I have finally found a source of some bales so now I have also cleared out the car I hope to be able to get two in. So I am hoping to get them started next week. I I am interested in your experiences please keep them coming.
I had a pile of straw but the hedgehog has tossed if around somewhat.
Another update - hope this is not too many....
Now that my 24 squash/courgettes have been in straw for 11 days, I can still report that they are growing new strong dark green leaves, and although I have visited them only three times to water them, have shown no sign of drying out. In weather like this, I would be watering those in the ground as often as possible, so this is not an extra chore just because they are in straw.
The only problem is some slug damage to a few plants and it may be that 3 or 4 won't survive.
I have not fed them anything yet (apart from the sulphate of ammonia watered in about a month ago), and they are still protected against wind and excess sun by a net tunnel and fleece.
not at all, I'm reading this with interest :)
Have been away for a couple of weeks (very very sunny Colonsay) but am now able to update the straw bale experiment - 12 bales, 24 squash/courgette plants. My squashes are growing away quite well and a few courgettes have formed - waiting for them to grow bigger - but I have to admit that a neighbour's courgettes in the ground are much larger and leafier!
Never mind, before going away I fed and watered mine with seaweed and chicken pellets and hoped they would not die in the continuing drought, and they haven't. My courgettes in the ground on another plot are at about the same stage, so maybe my neighbour is just better at growing them, and the straw is not a factor.
As we all know, the heavens eventually opened in the south east and everything is beautifully watered, so I am looking forward to a growth spurt.
Just as a reminder, the reason for using straw bales is not only to find out if it works, but to smother the grass and weeds under the bales (tarpaulin there too) to make a new bed, and to eventually have a huge pile of composted straw for mulching (bales are said to last for 2 years as growing medium).
Anyone else got anything to report about straw bale growing?
I am doing very well with mine at the mo. I have two planted up with courgettes though one is struggling but since the other three are particularly good I do not hink that is anything to do with the bale. There is a slight problem with wind so I have put a row of plastic bottles along the edge of the bale. Seems easy enough to stick canes into the bale to hold them in place. I have another with beans in it and another two now ready to be planned up this week.
They are also acting as windbreaks to some more courgettes/squash and a couple of melons which like the gentle warmth very much indeed. I love them. I am looking forward to picking dwarf beans without bending down. They are now growing wheat as well so are starting to turn green.
So far really impressed. I am planning to buy some more. Just so easy. No digging, no weeding, no mess. Only a slight issue with sourcing the liquid compost accelerator. I think in future I will make the holes for planting before I apply this.
Has anyone tried strawberries in them? So much easier picking them. What are they like after the winter?
Oh other only other downside, they make a terrible mess in the car.
That's very good news, and thank you for the idea of a wall of bottles to protect the plants, and that of using the bales as a windbreak for plants in the ground!
Do you think the bales would hold together long enough for the life of a strawberry plant (3 years?)?
this makes a interesting read using straw bales, part of my new plot [ 2ndt one] [fruit next year]is covered with pond liner my son lent me but to use straw to get crops from it would have been ideal
I planted some new strawberries last year and took runners off them which were grown in recycled compost in 1 ltr pots. These are now cropping this year much better than the mother plants. So was rather thinking of only having them one year and then scrapping them. Might give it a go, after all it will only waste £3 for a bale and that could still be used as mulch. The strawberry plants will be more of less free.
As windbreak they not only cut out the wind but are still gently warm with the decomposition. At no stage have they got more than warm so I am hoping next year to plant them up sooner and use the warmth to good measure.
The dry weather however is going to make straw difficult to comeby next year and probably more expensive. In most fields round here the cereal crops are half the height they usually are.
They certainly swamp most weeds brown thumb. Though I would expect things like brambles and bindweed to grow through them, but you can put the bales on top of a plastic membrane. So they could do a good job of holding a membrane in place, I doubt a black sheet would lift up at the edges with a large wet bale on it.
In fact you have given me a great idea. I have an area in my garden which has got out of hand with bindweed, nettles, brambles: more or less a catalogue of nasties. I did not want to give up entirely on growing on it. But using straw bales I can kill the weeds and grow veg.
I am still wondering though about the difficulties of dealing with a partly decomposted bale at the end of the growing season.
<< I am still wondering though about the difficulties of dealing with a partly decomposted bale at the end of the growing season. >>
Spread it out over vacant dug ground to rot away and make worms happy and prevent weeds and stop nutrients leaching away in the winter rain/snow? That is my intention, anyway.
You make a good point about straw bales probably being harder to find and more expensive in the next season.
do you think they ll last only 1 year i wonder if any ones used them for more than one year may be by spreading directly on the ground and then planting some thing such as pumpkings etc through the straw i am looking forward to following your progress
I'm sure bale would last longer than one year. Particularly if you haven't cut any strings off so they keep together.
Now you've got me thinking of using bales again.. ::) I've got batch of land around my large bramley..usually I've got wild flowers growing there..but it does look bit messy at times..and I would love to make that area in good use for myself. I've tried to use various crops there but it never does that well as the the tree is so large that it really 'suck' any goodness out of the soil.
But putting membrane down and using bales...hmmm... ;D ;D OH JOY!..choises choises..why didn't I never thought that before..and I used to store some bales on pallets on that spot.. ::) It was all there...but my brain never made the connection..instead I used the straw for mulching or for chickens..
Well..I'm having to do some calls now and trying to get hold of some small bales for next year..and excersise my bladder..I'll be needing lot of the 'stuff' when the time comes... ;D I am still wondering though about the difficulties of dealing with a partly decomposted bale at the end of the growing season If you don't want to use it as mulch elsewhere..you can always just spread it 'flat' on the membrane and drop the new bales on top of that..after few years you could plant between the bales too..on the new 'ground'. ;) ..that's what I think I'm going to do.. ;D
loads of ideas bumping to gether in my skull by the time i get hold of some bales it would be most likely too late for this year i must get organized for next year loads of farms by me surrounded by them shouldn't be any problem to get some do you think farm straw is safe ist there some kind of weed killer that could be infecting straw and manure
Courgettes looking very bonny but dwarf french beans looking rather sick. Presume straw may have been strayed with a few things.
They certainly need a lot of watering - but here in East Sussex, everything does. I have cut fat courgettes (?5) and I can see winter squashes developing, and there is one Italian squash (Marina di Chioggia Winter Squash) that is romping across the bales, and also my other allotment, as if it wants to take over the world.
Does anyone know: is it a problem for courgettes etc to bear huge jungles of leaves? I ask because my neighbour has these, but my straw bales do not. Peering into his plants (by invitation), I cannot see much in the way of edible stuff.......
Sounds as if he's gone a bit strong on the nitrogen to get the leaves and slow on the potash for the flowers/fruit..... A dose of tomato fertilizer might help get the fruit going.
Took this pic a couple of weeks ago, so they are much bigger now. But as you see looking very bonny. Pity about the beans.
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/gallery/9388_22_07_11_7_54_37.jpg)