When should I start my straw bale garden?
You can start a straw bale garden in the early fall, but spring is the best time to plant vegetables.
Do straw bale gardens attract mice?
What about mice in my Straw Bale Garden, doesn’t straw attract rodents and snakes? Dry straw would provide a lovely home for a mouse or nest for a snake, but once the straw is saturated with water and begins to break down and heat up inside the bales, the bale is not at all hospitable to a mouse or snake.
What grows best in a straw bale garden?
Discovering the best plants for straw bale gardening
- Bush beans. Beans don’t like waterlogged soil, and they do enjoy warmth, making them ideal for growing in straw bales.
- Summer squash.
- Eggplants.
- Peppers.
- Strawberries.
- Tomatoes.
- Lettuce.
- Spinach.
Does straw bale gardening work?
They Work: You can have huge success with growing vegetables in straw bales. Although you have to stay on top of watering, compared to other container gardens, the bales do retain water pretty well.
How often do you water a straw bale garden?
Week 1: water the bales thoroughly every day (you should see water running out the bottom). Then, every other day, sprinkle the surface of each bale with fertilizer prior to watering (half cup per bale of a nitrogen source fertilizer, or three cups of blood meal).
How long do straw bales last?
How long will a hay bale or straw bale last? Hay bales will last for up to two years, straw bales will last up to three years. You can then add the broken down remains of rotting hay or straw to your compost heap or spread it over your garden. Ask for tightly bound bales as they stay in shape longer.
Do rats like straw bales?
Hay bales are more likely to attract rodents looking for a place to nest. Similarly, use straw to stuff a scarecrow, not hay. The packed hay is a perfect place for rodents to nest.
Do rats live in straw?
There is no greater risk of encouraging mice and rats into a straw bale building than there is for any other type of building. Straw is the empty stem of a baled grain crop and, unlike hay, it doesn’t contain food to attract furry creatures. Any home where food is left out in the open is a potential lure for vermin.
What happens if straw bales get wet?
Wet bales are at risk for combustion, store appropriately and check temperatures. Anything above 170°F is high risk. Mold may produce mycotoxins, so roll out and let animals select good portions of moldy bales. Make sure other clean feed is available.
How do you start a straw bale garden?
For effective straw bale gardening:
- Use straw, not hay. Hay is made from alfalfa and grasses that still have the seeds attached, and these seeds will turn into weeds when they germinate and sprout.
- Locate the garden near a water source.
- Solarize the bales.
- Use short plants.
- Plant in full sun.
- Avoid pooling water.
Can you overwater a straw bale garden?
Don’t Overwater “In the straw bale, the water runs down through the bales,” he said. “If you overwater, what that’ll do is it leaches through the bale and it’ll carry with it any soluble nutrients.” Karsten recommends 1 gallon of water for each bale.
Can I plant tomatoes in straw bales?
So, can you grow tomatoes in straw bales? Yes, you can grow tomatoes in straw bales. You will need to water and fertilize the straw bales to prepare them for planting and keep your tomatoes growing. Remember to tie your tomato plants to stakes or cages to support their weight as they grow!
What are the disadvantages of straw bale construction?
Since straw bale homes are built using a stacking technique, they can be susceptible to structural movement. This can lead to cracks in the plaster and even the collapse of a load-bearing wall, especially if the house wasn’t built well in the first place.
Does straw get moldy?
But because straw is packed so tightly, the cores and bottoms do collect a lot of moisture that they can’t get rid of and tend to mold up—especially in a wet year. You have to buy new bales every year, which is far from sustainable.
Do mice nest in straw bales?
Use straw bales instead of hay bales. Hay bales are more likely to attract rodents looking for a place to nest. Similarly, use straw to stuff a scarecrow, not hay. The packed hay is a perfect place for rodents to nest.
Do hay bales attract bugs?
Hay bales and corn stalks are perfect places for a host of insects to hide in and feed on. There are some things you can do to decorate and reduce the likelihood of attracting pests.
How long does a straw bale house last?
100 years
If built correctly a straw bale home can last 100 years at least. When it’s life cycle is complete, a structure stripped of all but the walls can be tilled back into the earth.
Can straw bale Gardens catch fire?
When thermophilic bacteria are present, they multiply and produce heat, which can raise interior bale temperature to over 170°F. At these temperatures, spontaneous combustion can occur.
Is straw good for compost?
Straw is also in this “brown” category. It will release carbon for a healthy compost situation. Making compost from straw alone is not recommended, as it will not break down quickly enough without nitrogen and can result in a moldy mess.
What kind of straw is best for straw bale gardening?
Wheat-straw bales
Wheat-straw bales are ideal, though other types such as alfalfa and buckwheat, are reasonable substitutes. Avoid hay bales, which are often quite a bit cheaper. They often include dried grasses with lots of seeds. In addition, they break down too quickly and become weedy.
How do you fertilise straw bales?
Position the bale (s) on their side, so the cut side of the straw is facing up. Water the bale or bales well –if you can leave them out for a couple of weeks and water them every day, even better. Sprinkle over a couple of handfuls of organic fertiliser. Water with liquid fertiliser; fish emulsion is good.
Can you grow strawberries in a straw bale?
It’s been used to grow strawberries and for mulching the pot plants. The best part was down the bottom of the bale. During summer, earthworms had come up through the bales, fed on them and filled them with worm castings, and so this meant, I had grown my own potting soil.
How to use hay bales in the garden?
There are many ways to use the bales in the garden. These include: I’ve put a row of bales on the southern side of the vegetables. That provides shelter and it releases warmth for plants, such as eggplants, which will be in production through winter.
Can I use sugar cane bales in my garden?
I usually like using leafy mulches such as straw, sugar cane and lucerne. But over the past year I’ve been experimenting with using sugar cane bales in my garden. I have surrounded my vegetable beds with entire bales. And I’ve had some really interesting results.