Science > Gardening

Straw bale gardening??

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Gimpy:
I saw this on facebook and checked it out. It looks like a viable option for folks with poor soils, little space, or difficulty in bending.

link here: http://strawbalegardens.com/Home_Page.html

The ebook is cheap, 10 usd.

JEEP:
There is also straw bale housing:


EarthFlow Design Works (www.earthflow.com) Straw bale house with natural swimming pool by EarthFlow Design Works.

http://www.greenenergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageID=1211

http://www.greenenergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageID=697

http://www.dulley.com/docs/f750.htm

http://www.harvestbuild.com/kruggel.html

http://www.bluerockstation.com/complete-vaulted.html

http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/straw-bale-house-design.htm

Concepts of People Power - Mother Earth friendly sustainability

                   

banjoechef:
One of the main drawbacks I could see happening is that the straw bails wouldn't hold as much heat as soil. This happens to a slight extent with raised bed gardening and I would predict the rate of heat loss would be greater since the straw bails would be less dense. Thus it could make it harder to grow cool weather crops like peas, lettuces, and brocoli. It also may shorten the season of peppers and tomatoes and things like that because the temperature they will be growing in will drop much quicker than in soil.
 I also would think you'd have to get new straw bails every year, or maybe two years.
After doing a bit of reading, it's basically like creating raised beds but using straw as a base so it is less permanent. Also not recomended for tall plants like corn or sunflowers, only annuals, and non-staked tomatoes.

wanderer:
A friend of mine is doing this, now in her 2nd year. She has physical disabilities, has plenty of room, access to cheap hay (she's experimented and decided hay is better than straw) and friends to help her set the bales in place. For her, I guess it makes sense. To me, it seems like a lot of work and expense for a relatively low yielding garden and I wouldn't be interested in doing it.

Rabelais:

--- Quote from: wanderer on April 13, 2010, 03:14:06 AM ---A friend of mine is doing this, now in her 2nd year. She has physical disabilities, has plenty of room, access to cheap hay (she's experimented and decided hay is better than straw) and friends to help her set the bales in place. For her, I guess it makes sense. To me, it seems like a lot of work and expense for a relatively low yielding garden and I wouldn't be interested in doing it.

--- End quote ---

Yeah it is a lot of work for low yield, but my property is on a steep hillside with few decent garden spots. The best flat, good sun area happens to be where the builder placed the septic and drain field, so growing above that, in bales, makes sense, since the soil is a no-no. Any safe method of utilizing that patch of land gets my attention.

I contacted the company and asked if hay would work, instead of straw. I wanted some clarification, since their web page seemed to emphasize straw. They said it really makes no difference, so long as you followed the preparation stage of nitrogenating the bales of whatever was at hand. I am also thinking that alfalfa bales might be a great medium, since it is such mineral rich plant.

Its a little late for this project this season, but I may try a bale garden tobacco experiment next year, over the septic field, with some plastic sheeting between the bales and the ground. I can probably get 50- 60 plants in the area that is currently unused.

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