This Worked So Well I’m Doing It Again: Conditioning Straw Bales For Fall Gardening

[Tamara_]

I've done straw bale gardening for the last two years. Absolutely love it. Last year I used hay (alfalfa) bales and this year straw. They both work great. Less weeding with the hay for me. I use all organic (blood meal) except for the 12-12-12. Bone meal when planting for strong root growth, and GardenTone as well.

[makennahorrocks]

If anyone is wanting to do this, make sure the string is around the sides, not the top like this. It holds in the straw better as it breaks down.

[theresaowen]

I got bales in the fall, put rabbit manure on them to cure all winter. Babies are potty training, so used that too. Planting sweet potatoes in them.

[scottrumbold]

That's the same thing as I put in my diesel exhaust for clean air. Good luck

[Patricia-vz]

Thanks for sharing. Great info to know.

[Ricosyard]

Super Interesting I’m going to have to order some of that stuff

[meganbourque-arslan]

I'm doing it this year! Just watered my nails today ! From N.S. Canada

[kevin.graham.andreisupport]

What does dale think about your obsessive straw bale habit?

[ayecaptin]

I wonder if you could use diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to condition the bales. All it's just urea and water, I saw a different channel use it as lawn fertilizer and the lawn greened right up.

[geedubb-qu]

Urea is also an excellent ice melter if you’re at part o the world that Ives up.

[mariap.]

What kind of thermometer do you use to measure the heat inside the bails? Thank you❤ Love for 🐕💜

[denisemorrison]

So I went back and watched your, prepping straw bale video from early spring. My question now is, since it’s well into the 90s daily here in eastern North Carolina, is that going to impact the temperature of the straw bale while it’s conditioning or during the cool down process?
I just got 10 bales of straw to attempt to do exactly this, this fall. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks Anthony!

[MK-tioo]

I've done this in a less controlled manner as an experiment using biochar that I made that soaked in urine (our own of course, we eat homegrown/raised food and are free of any medications/drugs) and compost tea. I dug it into the center(ish) of the bales and watered it in well. It's not as fast as the high nitrogen breakdown here but it totally gave fantastic results if you have a few more weeks to condition the bales.

[TheRooflesstoofless]

I think you’ll need half as much nitrogen this time around.

I followed your instructions with a weaker N source but kept the same volume and schedule as you and had well rotted and collapsed bales.

[RndmGuy-tb]

46-0-0! Eek 😱. Interested in how they turn out. What do you use for the rest, including micros?

[summerbaby]

I followed your instructions and used the urea for doing this last year, but when the bales heated up, the flies were attracted to the bales and laid their eggs in them! I later had a fly larvae problem! How in the world do I prevent this from happening this year?

[Tuinierenopstrobalen]

Why put your bales on the side? It's better to put them cut side up❤

[Mymysticmama]

I'm in Wilmington NC. Can you share where you get your strawbales? Thanks.

[nieiniei]

Do you think adding chicken manure instead of the commercial fertilizer work?

[patkrueger]

Wow that's a lot of nitrogen.😮 Well you did this before so you know what your doing.i never did strawbale gardening.