Straw Bale Gardening - Extension.illinois.edu
Straw BaleGardeningMy Personal ExperienceLee Ann WilleIllinois Master NaturalistIowa Master Conservationist
Behold my friends, the spring is come; the Earth has the embracesof the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love. Sitting BullFlowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; theyare sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. - Luther BurbankThe master of the garden is the one who waters it, trims thebranches, plants seeds and pulls the weeds. If you merely strollthrough the garden, you are but an acolyte. - Vera Nazarian
Time to thinkSPRING
Table of Contents (my ramblings) Why Do It? Pluses Minuses What Do You Need? Basics Getting Started (now the fun begins) Conditioning Your Bale (not your hair) Planting Harvesting (hope you like tomatoes) Resources
Why do it? – Pluses ( ’s) Relatively inexpensive If you have limited space Can grow most vegetables Allows for earlier planting Less water (can’t overwater) No soil fungus splash from rain Practically weed free Like raised beds for disabled(portable if strong) Straw can be composted ordug into soil No soil or container needed Can be placed in same spotyear after year Pests don’t like it
Why do it? – Minuses (-’s) Bale usually last just oneseason May need a ground cover tokeep grass or weeds fromgrowing into the bale Mat needed if on patio ordeck to prevent staining Also ask where the balescome from and what if anypesticides were used
What do you need? Straw bale(s) not hay Shop around –Davenportwe’ve used Wallace’s in Fertilizer (high in nitrogen) Water –from our rain barrels Tools – Small pruning saw,trowel, cages and/or poles,gloves, and thermometer Why Straw Straw comes from grains (oat,wheat, flax, rye, barley) Straw is the by-product afterfood removed Used as animal bedding Not Hay Hay is grass (alfalfa) and willgrow in the bale Used as animal fodder, it’s food
Area for strawbales prior toclean-up andsetting bales inplace; oldstraw mostlydecomposed.
Bale placement. We will try parallel tofence next year (you will see why later)
Getting Started – Let’s have some fun*Get the most compact (dense) bale (can weigh 35-75 lbs.)*Leave the baling cords on*Make sure cut side is up (cut ends (looks like a straw) – allowswater & fertilizer to soak into the bale) Conditioning (10-14 days) Water & Fertilizer createheat and grow bacteriaalready in the bale Decomposition of balecreates growing mediumFertilizer: Nitrogen is mostimportant N (nitrogen)29 P (phosphorus)0 K (potassium)4Note: Avoid fertilizers withherbicides or pesticides
Day 1Day 2 Sprinkle one-half (½) cupfertilizer on cut end surface Water only – keep balesaturated Water in well – until waterruns out of bottom of bale Remember you can’t overwater – it just runs out thebottom of the bale
April - Sometimes youdo not have to waterthe bales or the plants
Day 3 Sprinkle one-half (½) cupfertilizer on cut end surface Water in well – until waterruns out of bottom of baleDay 4 Water only – bale my nottake as much water butkeep bale saturated Remember you can’t overwater – it just runs out thebottom of the bale
Day 5 Sprinkle one-half (½) cupfertilizer on cut end surface Water in wellDay 6 Water only – bale my nottake as much water butkeep bale saturated Water should be warmish(ambient air temp) set asidebuckets overnight if youdon’t have rain barrels Cold water from faucet willslow the decomposition Start taking temperature ofbale
Days 7, 8 & 9 Sprinkle one-quarter (1/4) cupfertilizer on cut end surface Water in well Take temperature of bale; againtemperature can get as high as150 degrees in the center – notabsolute Note: Mushroom growth is agood sign (not edible). Showsdecomposing bale and bacteriagrowth – not harmful to bale Bale may be getting darker incolor
Planted twoplants per bale: Celebrity Better Boy Sweet 100 JulietAlso had twovolunteers inthe dirt to theright side
Day 10 Sprinkle one (1) cup 10-1010 (general garden) fertilizeron cut end surface If voids or cracks form fillwith straw or sterile pottingmix. Water Do Not use garden soil asthis introduces soilpathogens and weeds
Day 11 Purchase plants or ready yourforced veggies Water in well Take temperature of bale; baletemperature may start todecline – good signDays 12-14 PLANT & Water You will need to cut outholes for plants (pruningsaw & trowel) We use home made compostas an additive This is the time to addcages and/poles when plantsare small
Mid May
Mid-JuneLate-June
July - AugustEarly September
Harvesting one of many baskets
Straw Bales – Why we are limited on spaceNativeplantingsSide Yard
Front yard
Back Yard
We have also planted potatoes in a bag
Resources – there are manyWebsites:Just type “straw bale gardening” into your search engineBooks:Straw Bale Gardening Complete by Joel Karsten from Cool Springs Press(also an updated edition)Straw Bale Gardening (from the Idiot’s Guides series) by John Tullock from AlphaGrowing Vegetables in Straw Bales by Craig LeHoullier from Storey Publishing
Nurseries: Teskes – (309) 762-7575 Moline(563) 355-7230 BettendorfWallaces – (563) 332-4711 Bettendorf(563) 445-2458 DavenportGreen Thumbers – (563) 323-0055Hilltop Gardens – (309) 791-8765 Illinois City
A good reason for straw bales – no weeds
Straw Bale Gardening(from the Idiot’s Guides series) by John Tullock from Alpha Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales by Craig LeHoullier from Storey Publishing. Nurseries: Teskes –(309) 762-7575 Moline (563) 355-7230 Bettendorf Wallaces –(563) 332-4711 Bettendorf (563) 445-2458 Davenport Green Thum
Straw Bale Gardening Instructions What is Straw Bale Gardening, or SBG? SBG consists of using a straw bale as a growing medium for flowers and veggies. A straw bale consists of the dried stalks of cereal grain leftover from harvest. There should be few, if any seed heads. Bales should b
reasonably well. Once rendered, straw is durable and strong. Straw bale building has seen a renaissance in recent years. It is spreading fast like a wildfire to every corner of the earth. Building Your Straw Bale Home is a how-to book for people interested in straw bale building. It is a practical book reflecting the author's
My Straw Bale Gardening Experience So Far . . . . Page 2 I started conditioning the straw bales on May 7 and finished on May 23. As you can see by the attached notes that I kept during the process, weather and life events sometimes interfere with the best-laid gardening plans; i.e. an 11-day textbook process turns into a 16-day real time process.
Straw Bale Gardening Basics Would you like to grow a vegetable garden, but you have poor soil or you are unable or unwilling to get down on the ground to plant and harvest, or do you simply hate pulling weeds? “Straw Bale Gardening” is just what you need! Easy access is one benefit of gardening in bales
Common Plants for Straw Bale Gardens Plants Tomato Squash Cucumbers Peppers Zucchini Lettuce Beans How Many Plants per Bale 2-3 2-4 4-6 4 2-3 Follow package directions Follow package directions Sources: Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten, March
Straw Bale gardening is more economical, easier on your back, and is great for people with mobility issues. After over 40 years of gardening in four states, Wanda has experimented with many forms of gardening including Ruth Stout’s raised beds, keyhole gardening, and the French Intensive Gardening Method. She has tried many
Commissioners make an informed decision on what nominal R-value to assign to straw bale walls for purposes of modeling building performance in California. 1Health and Safety Code, Chapter 4.5 to Part 2.5 of Division 13 (commencing with Section 18944.30). Tested R-Valsse for Straw Bale Walls and Performance Modeling -1.43
Standard can be used by an organization to assure interested parties that an appropriate environmental management system is in place. Guidance on supporting environmental management techniques is contained in other International Standards, particularly those on environmental management in the documents established by ISO/TC 207. Any reference to other International Standards is for information .
