Garden straw bales just got in this weekend at Foreman’s General Store. Bales are now $8.75 per bale usually $9.95 per bale. Straw bales are great for spring gardening. You can grow tomatoes and other vegetables in them this spring.
Straw bale gardening is great for those who don’t want to make a huge time and money commitment to creating a new garden bed. You can easily move it from one area to another. Straw bales are inexpensive and are available throughout the year.
Before planting into the bale, make sure you condition it. Below are the steps to prepare your straw bale garden.
- Soak your straw bales with water
- Sprinkle the top with high nitrogen fertilizer
- Wait for the bale to decompose and cool down (be sure the temperature is cool and not high)
- Dig into the bale to place your root ball
- Add soil (1/3 of a bag of soil)
- Roots will start to coil around the straw
In addition to buying straw bales you also need some supplies to get started on your straw bale garden. Below are items you can purchase at Foreman’s garden section.
- Sheets of newspaper or cardboard to place under the bales
- A hand trowel
- A garden hose
- Organic fertilizer — especially bone meal or blood meal
- Straw Bales
- Soil or compost if you need to direct-sow seeds
If you are new to straw bale gardening, check out this beginner’s guide.