Straw Bale Gardening Basics

Knowing the straw bale gardening basics will allow you to make your first straw bale garden thrive. Straw bale gardens are a great way to garden without having to worry about the condition of your soil. Straw bale gardening is a great way to create a raised bed and help your plants thrive. This article will discuss straw bale gardening basics in detail.

When first deciding to plant a straw bale garden you may be wondering what type of straw to use. Any straw will work for your straw bale gardening needs, and it is best to go with what is available in your area. The important part to remember is to not use hay. Hay is different from straw and it will sprout grass that is extremely hard to pull. Using hay will cause more work than necessary; so only use straw bales for your straw bale gardening needs.

Now that you have the straw bales you will be gardening with it is important to consider where and how your will create the structure of your garden. First it is important to remember to not let the string tying the bale together touch the ground. The string must not come in contact with the ground because this contact will cause it to rot. If the string rots your straw bale will fall apart, and so will your garden. Well kept straw bale gardens can be used for up to two years so this simple step is important. When placing your straw bales to form your garden there are a variety of patterns and designs you can create. Feel free to be creative with the design. As long as you can reach the top of the bale to add plants and weed than your straw bale garden placement is successful.

Now that you have the gardening layout set up you must wet the bales completely. When you wet the straw bales they will get hot. This is the composting process and it will take about a week for the bales to cool down. After the bales have cooled down feel free to weed them and add about 3 inches of soil to the top of the bales. If you are going to be gardening with transplants the soil is not necessary because you can plant right into the straw bales. If you are starting this garden from seed you will need to add the soil and sow seeds the same as you would in any other gardening situation.

Creating a straw bale garden is fun and easy. It adds an interesting touch to your garden and helps out in areas where the soil is not good for gardening.

Originally published at http://sarahganly.blogspot.com.