Enjoy summer’s bounty with straw bale gardening

By Andrea Busche

Container gardening has exploded in popularity over the last several years. It’s a good choice for those with limited mobility, time constraints, and a minimal amount of growing space.

Another trend following closely in its footsteps is something called straw bale gardening – a form of container gardening where the straw bale acts as the container. This trend was created and popularized by Joel Karsten of Roseville, Minn.

Mary Marciniak of Cloquet has been using this method of container gardening since taking a Community Education class with Karsten in 2013. While Marciniak herself lives in a rural setting, she said that straw bale gardening would work well in any sized yard.

What is it?

“Straw bale gardening is really another way of container gardening,” Marciniak said. “It simply involves planting directly into straw bales, without the use of soil.”

Many types of plants can be grown in a straw bale, including vegetables, root crops, vine crops, herbs and flowers. Corn is not recommended, since it is too tall and can tip over.

Perennials are also not recommended, as bales typically only last one growing season. Marciniak currently has 24 bales, which she uses to grow tomatoes, peppers, carrots, green and yellow beans, cucumbers, peas, squash (acorn, butternut and spaghetti), zucchini, pumpkins, herbs, onions and lettuce. When planting into a straw bale, you can either work with a young plant, or plant from seed.

“If planting seeds,” Marciniak said, “I put a thin layer of potting soil on top of the bales, to prevent the seeds from falling through the stalks.”

Plant spacing is the same as when gardening in regular garden soil.

Prep work

Prior to doing your planting, there is a little prep work required. And it involves a bit of patience.

“I buy new bales each year, and then follow a 10-day, step-by-step process of ‘conditioning’ the bales before use, using a nitrogen fertilizer and 10-10-10 fertilizer,” Marciniak said. “Once the straw inside the bale begins to decompose, the straw becomes conditioned and is ready to plant.”

“Getting the straw bales conditioned is an essential part of the process, and should be started approximately two weeks prior to your target planting date.

This process creates a warm, moist, nutrientrich rooting environment for young plants and seeds.”

Supplies

Straw bale gardening doesn’t require much to get started. Your shopping list includes:

• Straw bales –Marciniak sources her bales from local farmers. They can also be purchased from garden centers or feed and farm supply stores. Another option is to contact local businesses and churches after Halloween or Christmas to ask for straw bales used in a display. Old, wet, intact bales are perfect, since they need to be “conditioned” (see above) before use, anyway.

• Nitrogen fertilizer, bone meal or chicken manure (get at local feed and farm supply store)

• 10-10-10 fertilizer

Your straw bale gardens will need a water source and a sunny location – they require at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. The bales can be placed just about anywhere: on top of soil, concrete, or even asphalt.

Great option for beginners

“Straw bale gardening is very easy to do,” Marciniak said. “Anyone can do it. And, whether you are new to gardening or have done it for years, it’s a great method for people who have difficulties bending over, weeding, or doing the heavy work that is usually involved in tilling up the soil and plowing rows for planting.

“The raised height of the straw bale garden makes it easier to plant and harvest,” she added. “There is no weeding, as there are little to no weeds in a straw bale garden. Aside from watering, minimal maintenance is required.”

Resources

Marciniak offered several resources for getting started with straw bale gardening, including The University of Minnesota Extension Office, and local community education programs. Additionally, Roseville native Joel Karsten has written several books on the topic.

Straw bale gardening can create a bounty of fresh, crisp produce or bright, vibrant flowers to last the entire growing season.

“Straw bale gardening allows anyone, even those with the worst soil conditions, to grow a garden that is productive,” Marciniak said.

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