Bales lose water quite fast and NEED to be blocked from wind as much as possible..so by adding a simple cloth to the side can block wind and sun to permit more slow evaporation without extra heat. Straw is easy in water but also easy out water so just shade alone makes a difference and so planting near to shade the bales or a row of pots with something in them... simple stuff can shelter the bales and get more water for the job and less time watering or amount of water in automatic watering too. wind sun and how to just stop that add a lot of water to the plants.
i've grown in stray bales for a couple years.. tomatoes, basil, peppers, and cucumbers. its an interesting way to grow and conserve water in my dry high desert environment. I use the straw from spent bales (2 years) as mulch where I grow in raised beds. that way its cost effective and the straw lasts for years and years as garden material.
For automatic watering thats a great idea! I personally use and recommend Orbit timer. Its so simple to setup on the faucet and you hook up a line or two of drip tape to each row. Without an automatic irrigation system I WOULD NOT be gardening. Its the most essential factor for someone like me growing in an arid desert envionrment. Good gardening :)
I'm on my 7th year of straw bale gardening this season. I am now on tarps for weed reduction (the online source that sells former advertising banners) and it really makes life easier. Also, I went with drip irrigation, with a hose wand as an auxiliary for dry periods. Half-inch for long runs, 1/4-inch to each plant with a 1-gallon/hour emitter. I only use my bales for a year because they are pretty messy at the end of the season. As you mentioned, quality of bales varies a lot. This year they are tight and square. Last year the garden did not do well because it was a very wet season. Not disastrous, but just not the success I've had in the past. No trellises, just heavy-duty tomato cages. I'll never go back to dirt.
This is great! I’m in Ontario Canada ..zone 4…and I did straw bale gardening last year. I had great success with a lot of stuff. I’m going to use the bales again and hopefully it works out. I used tomato cages for a lot of the stuff because I still have a bunch of them. I did trellis my peas. Much easier on the back for planting and picking. Love gardening. Thanks for the video. Always love getting new ideas.
😇wonderful really. some comments - i would think roots will go down to the soil which you will learn when you change your bales. i would use the bales as mulch...blessings
Great video Sir I had a major neck surgery in sept 23 , im looking for an easier solution to gardening, im sure my tiller will just about kill me lol. Thanks for all the info.
Hi, I also am from central Ontario, zone 3-4. My question is that I have several round straw bales that have been outside for about 2 years already. They are still intact. I would like to plant them with strawberries, but do I need to condition them?, because there is already good decomposition inside the bales. I would hope to be able to use them over several years. Thank you, I am enjoying these videos, and can't wait to try straw bale gardening.
I've done a handful of straw bale gardens and they always turn to compose or mush. This year I built above ground beds and I shredded the used bales up and I will partially recondition them and reuse them that way.
I’m on year number two with mine as well. A couple I pushed together because they were falling apart so badly so now I have a nice big above ground area about 6‘ x 4‘ that I love and have filled with lettuce plants. I bought eight new straw bales, and have about 12 from last year. So much fun in my beautiful 12 x 20 greenhouse last year I had four little bunny rabbits spend a couple nights inside. One day I opened it up and had a beautiful red cardinal inside who had walked under a side that had never got rolled down the night before. Sometimes a chipmunk will walk in acting like he owns the place. My greenhouse is like a wonderful haven I can go to any time.
No question is silly and this is a good one though. Prepared bales can not be moved, they will fall apart. Prepare your bales by putting down landscape fabric and the bales on top. That will prevent a lot of weeds growing through. Cover the bales with thick plastic in winter to preserve them for the next growing season.
Only way to know is to ask the farmer who grew it, or find out a few days/weeks after you plant... Unfortunately. I am on my second year doing SBG and planted a week ago. So I feel like I found a good batch without herbicides.
You should! Straw is what’s left over after wheat is harvested. Two week before wheat is harvested it is sprayed with Round Up to dry it up to make it easier to combine, this practice is called crop desiccation and is wide spread, unless it is organically grown which is a very small percentage of wheat that is grown. Straw has no place in the garden, it is totally toxic and laden with glyphosate (RoundUp) Crop desiccation is done on lots of other crop too, it is ruining the health everyone and its practice matches the rise of cancers and digestive disorders since they started doing it. RoundUp is also registered as a bactericide, it kills the good bacteria in your gut and in your soil. 28 countries are outlawing the use of glyphosate, but not the U.S., wake up people!
Yes, you can use hay with similar results. Although usually hay is much more expensive and has a higher weed seed count. So not as clean as straw. Thanks for checking and and best of luck if you give it a go! Cheers!!
@@i1bikepreposterous! Join a garden club, there's plenty of diversity in the plant community! There's so many cool plants out there, it's not feminine or masculine, it's just fricking fun! They don't get it, oh well! Prove them wrong!
@@RealBradMiller There is no such a thing as garden clubs here in europe. Its just something people do as routine if they are villagers. But if you are in turbo urbanic touristic teritory, being gardener is being a loser. Im fisherman aswell, so it adds to the loserism haha
*The Number One Side Benefit of Straw Bale Gardening* ---> ua-cam.com/video/TNOJiFzX8fk/v-deo.html
Bales lose water quite fast and NEED to be blocked from wind as much as possible..so by adding a simple cloth to the side can block wind and sun to permit more slow evaporation without extra heat. Straw is easy in water but also easy out water so just shade alone makes a difference and so planting near to shade the bales or a row of pots with something in them... simple stuff can shelter the bales and get more water for the job and less time watering or amount of water in automatic watering too. wind sun and how to just stop that add a lot of water to the plants.
i've grown in stray bales for a couple years.. tomatoes, basil, peppers, and cucumbers. its an interesting way to grow and conserve water in my dry high desert environment. I use the straw from spent bales (2 years) as mulch where I grow in raised beds. that way its cost effective and the straw lasts for years and years as garden material.
yep! just added a video about that! Cheers!!
Nice job bro I've been thinking about doing one for some time now that I've watched your video I'm gonna jump in😂
❤ 'ed your video
For automatic watering thats a great idea! I personally use and recommend Orbit timer. Its so simple to setup on the faucet and you hook up a line or two of drip tape to each row. Without an automatic irrigation system I WOULD NOT be gardening. Its the most essential factor for someone like me growing in an arid desert envionrment. Good gardening :)
Thanks for the info... gonna try and get something setup this year.
I'm on my 7th year of straw bale gardening this season.
I am now on tarps for weed reduction (the online source that sells former advertising banners) and it really makes life easier. Also, I went with drip irrigation, with a hose wand as an auxiliary for dry periods. Half-inch for long runs, 1/4-inch to each plant with a 1-gallon/hour emitter.
I only use my bales for a year because they are pretty messy at the end of the season. As you mentioned, quality of bales varies a lot. This year they are tight and square.
Last year the garden did not do well because it was a very wet season. Not disastrous, but just not the success I've had in the past.
No trellises, just heavy-duty tomato cages.
I'll never go back to dirt.
I'm on my second year with part of my garden and fresh batch of 120 bales this year ! All planted !
Very impressive garden
This is great! I’m in Ontario Canada ..zone 4…and I did straw bale gardening last year. I had great success with a lot of stuff. I’m going to use the bales again and hopefully it works out. I used tomato cages for a lot of the stuff because I still have a bunch of them. I did trellis my peas. Much easier on the back for planting and picking. Love gardening. Thanks for the video. Always love getting new ideas.
Thank you for sharing this information with us
you're welcome.
😇wonderful really. some comments - i would think roots will go down to the soil which you will learn when you change your bales. i would use the bales as mulch...blessings
Great video Sir I had a major neck surgery in sept 23 , im looking for an easier solution to gardening, im sure my tiller will just about kill me lol. Thanks for all the info.
Hi, I also am from central Ontario, zone 3-4. My question is that I have several round straw bales that have been outside for about 2 years already. They are still intact. I would like to plant them with strawberries, but do I need to condition them?, because there is already good decomposition inside the bales. I would hope to be able to use them over several years. Thank you, I am enjoying these videos, and can't wait to try straw bale gardening.
I was watching today. How do you keep all the wheat from spouting
Look at green manure crops in between your straw bales?
Can you plant radish and carrots in strawbales?
I don't know how you keep bales going two years! Mine are a pile of compost at the end of the season. 🤷
I've done a handful of straw bale gardens and they always turn to compose or mush. This year I built above ground beds and I shredded the used bales up and I will partially recondition them and reuse them that way.
I’m on year number two with mine as well. A couple I pushed together because they were falling apart so badly so now I have a nice big above ground area about 6‘ x 4‘ that I love and have filled with lettuce plants. I bought eight new straw bales, and have about 12 from last year. So much fun in my beautiful 12 x 20 greenhouse last year I had four little bunny rabbits spend a couple nights inside. One day I opened it up and had a beautiful red cardinal inside who had walked under a side that had never got rolled down the night before. Sometimes a chipmunk will walk in acting like he owns the place. My greenhouse is like a wonderful haven I can go to any time.
Depends on the type of straw (rye is long lasting) also how much grass is in the bale (nitrogen).
Please can tell us how to get new bales ready?
How to get started straw bale gardening ---> ua-cam.com/video/Zmz1MkfeFw8/v-deo.html
Was wondering do straw bales get a lot of earwigs?
Silly question: do you leave the bales outside over winter or do you store them in a barn?
Good question and should you cover the top to keep the wet weather from washing all the nutrients through.
No question is silly and this is a good one though. Prepared bales can not be moved, they will fall apart. Prepare your bales by putting down landscape fabric and the bales on top. That will prevent a lot of weeds growing through. Cover the bales with thick plastic in winter to preserve them for the next growing season.
Do you have to worry about whether or not the straw was treated with chemicals?
Only way to know is to ask the farmer who grew it, or find out a few days/weeks after you plant... Unfortunately. I am on my second year doing SBG and planted a week ago. So I feel like I found a good batch without herbicides.
no, I don't
You should! Straw is what’s left over after wheat is harvested. Two week before wheat is harvested it is sprayed with Round Up to dry it up to make it easier to combine, this practice is called crop desiccation and is wide spread, unless it is organically grown which is a very small percentage of wheat that is grown. Straw has no place in the garden, it is totally toxic and laden with glyphosate (RoundUp)
Crop desiccation is done on lots of other crop too, it is ruining the health everyone and its practice matches the rise of cancers and digestive disorders since they started doing it. RoundUp is also registered as a bactericide, it kills the good bacteria in your gut and in your soil. 28 countries are outlawing the use of glyphosate, but not the U.S., wake up people!
Can you use hay
Yes, you can use hay with similar results. Although usually hay is much more expensive and has a higher weed seed count. So not as clean as straw. Thanks for checking and and best of luck if you give it a go! Cheers!!
NO.... many herbicides, seeds and other intrusive things in hay.
Loved that click bait, wait till the end for a silly non portant tip on bale gardening.
unless your on the fence about trying it... for some, starting something different or new is the hardest part. blessings to you! Cheers!
Hello. Any problems with ants or spiders in your bales?
I did straw bale gardening last year and had spiders but they weren't really a problem.
@@pamwilliams6630 Good to know. The spider were outrageous last year.
I would think spiders would be a plus, ants not so much.
Music to loud ,Can not hear you
When i told my friends from teen and early adult years what i do, they told me that i am a loser. Even my ex girlfriends told me that i am a loser
so you got that going for you... which is nice.
@@WorkshopatTheGardens
Gardening as a man means being a loser, thats what they said to me. Im from europe
@@i1bikepreposterous! Join a garden club, there's plenty of diversity in the plant community! There's so many cool plants out there, it's not feminine or masculine, it's just fricking fun! They don't get it, oh well! Prove them wrong!
@@RealBradMiller
There is no such a thing as garden clubs here in europe. Its just something people do as routine if they are villagers. But if you are in turbo urbanic touristic teritory, being gardener is being a loser. Im fisherman aswell, so it adds to the loserism haha
Seems informative but the music stopped me from watching
The music ends at 2:14.... Worth watching the whole video