Straw Bale Gardening

WA S H I N G T O N S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y E X T E N S I O N FA C T S H E E T F S 1 0 9 E
What is a straw bale garden?
A straw or hay bale garden is a gardening method used for
raising vegetables, herbs, and flowers directly on a bale.
Straw or hay bales from alfalfa, wheat, oats, rye, or other
cereals are suitable for making a garden bed. Straw bales are
preferable over hay because hay bales contain more weed
and grass seeds. The bale should be tight and held together
with2-3 strands of plastic baling twinepreferably made
from a biodegradable material such as jute and sisal (Figure1). Biodegradable twines should be positioned parallel
to the ground to avoid their hastened decomposition.

No digging or soil preparation is required, a big

advantage if you have hard or rocky soil or if you
live in an area where soils may be contaminated
with heavy metals.

Bales can be placed on concrete or asphalt paving.

Bales are an inexpensive way to create raised beds

for gardening (Figure 2).

Figure 2.
Cantaloupe
grown on straw
bales.

Figure 1. Position the bale so that the baling twine is

parallel to the ground. The yellow tape was used to
measure the dimensions of the bale.

Source and cost

Advantages

Bales are about 2 feet tall, which makes gardening

more accessible for gardeners who have difficulty
bending over. The bales are not permanent and are
usually removed at the end of the season.

Used bales can be used as mulch, added to a compost pile, or spread on the ground to enrich the
soil.

Straw or hay bales can be obtained from a variety of places,

such as a local farm store or directly from a producer. In
farm areas, straw bales should be easy and inexpensive to
purchase ($5 or less per bale.) You will want a bale that is
held together tightly with baling twine encircling the bale
in two to three places. Old, unrotted bales work well if
bales are still held tightly together by the twine.

This fact sheet is part of the WSU Extension Home Garden Series.

The steps
Bed preparation
Bales can be arranged based on space, type of production,
and mobility needs. You can also design the placement of
the bales for an attractive appearance. In any case, ease of
maintenance should be considered when designing the
garden. Planting height, row width, sun exposure, and
watering convenience are important.

Bale Conditioning

Water the new bales thoroughly and keep them

wet for 3 days (days 1-3). Keeping the bales moist is
very important. Once the bales have been watered,
they will be very heavy, so be sure they are situated
where you want them before you start watering. As
the inside of the bales begins to decompose, they
will start to warm up. This is part of the conditioning process.

Figure 3. Two types of beds: (a) pocket or hole and (b)

flat.

Seeding and Transplanting

On days 4, 5, and 6, sprinkle the top of each bale

with 1 cup of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) or
cup of urea (46-0-0), watering the fertilizer in after
application. This speeds the decomposition process. On days 7, 8, and 9, cut the amount of fertilizer per bale in half. Take care not to water excessively, which could lead to runoff and leaching of
the nitrogen out of the bale.

On day 10, stop adding fertilizer, but keep the bales

moist.

On day 11, feel the top of the bale for heat. If still
hot, check every day until the bale cools down to
about 99F or lower, still keeping bales moist by
watering when needed.

You can plant your bales using transplants or seeds for

both the pocket and flatbed methods. Alternatively, direct
seeding can be used when practical because it allows germinating seeds to form extensive roots within the growing profile. The number of plants per bale depends on the
space requirement of the specific crops and cultivars being
planted. Table 1 includes suggested number of plants per
bale.

Table 1. Straw Bale Planting Guide.

Crop

Planting Methods
Straw bales should be ready for planting 3 to 4 weeks after
conditioning begins. There are 2 ways to plant the bales:
1. Pockets or holes: Create pockets about 3 to 4
inches deep by loosening and removing a small
amount of the straw (Figure 3a) and filling each
hole with growing medium The number of pockets
will vary, depending on what crops you intend to
grow and the spacing needed for those crops. It
takes about 10-15 minutes to make 4 pockets on a
straw bale (Figure 3a).

Suggested number
of plants per bale

Cantaloupe

Cucumber

3-4

Peppers

3-5

Pumpkins

Squash (winter)

Squash (summer)

2-3

Tomatoes

2-3

Garden management
Watering
Watering is perhaps the most crucial consideration in bale
gardening because water moves out of the straw quickly.
There are several ways to handle this issue. An effective,
less labor-intensive watering system can be achieved with
drip irrigation or a soaker hose system on timers. Lowinput resources can be used innovatively to a build an
alternative passive watering system. For example, a 2-liter
soda bottle or a gallon milk container can be used for
watering. Poke drip holes in the lid of the container and
then fill the container with water and place it upside down
about 1 inch away from the target plant (Figure 4). The
water will then drip out slowly over the next day or two,
depending on the size of the drip holes and the tempera-

2. Flat straw bed: Create a flatbed on top of the bale

by spreading growing medium on the top of each
bale (Figure 3b).
For both methods, the growing medium can be a mix of
a well-rotted,good quality compost, soil, aged manure,
and other nutrient rich materials. The growing medium is
needed to create a suitable rooting environment for successful production on the bale beds. Approximately 1 lb
of growing medium is needed to fill each pocket. For the
flat-bed method, a 3-4 inch deep layer of growing medium
works well. Once the growing medium is in place, moisten
the medium and the bales.

Figure 4. Pierce
the lid of a
plastic bottle,
fill with water,
secure lid, set
bottle upside
down into the
bale to provide
drip irrigation.

compost and most organic fertilizers release nutrients

slowly, they are most beneficial when applied at planting. However, inorganic fertilizers will provide nutrients
at a faster rate and are more useful for providing nutrients
quickly when plants are exhibiting symptoms of nutrient
deficiencies. Foliar application of micronutrients can also
be an alternative way to ensure balanced nutrition in bale
gardens. Some of these products are expensive and may
not be available in small packages. However, group order
may help to get around this problem.

Weed Control
An added bonus of the straw bale garden is that,in general,
there will be very few weeds. Some grass and weed seeds
may germinate from the bale, but these are usually easy to
remove early in the season. Use properly cured compost
instead of raw manure to avoid weeds.

Insect Control
Ground-dwelling insects will be less of a problem in straw
bale gardens because the bales elevate the plants above the
ground level. This helps prevent ground dwelling insects,
such as cutworms, from attacking plants. Also, because
bales are used for only one season, the lifecycle of some
insects is disrupted. Regardless, it is essential to apply the
principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to prevent
and control insect pests in straw bale garden.

ture. Temperature affects how quickly the plants take up

the available water. Liquid organic nutrients can be added
to the water.

Fertilization
Adequate nutrient supply is critical for plants growing in
bales. Make sure that plants have a sufficient supply of
the major nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
throughout the season. Nitrogen deficiency is very common in straw bale beds because the microbes are using
much of the available nitrogen to break down the bale, and
nutrients are lost from leaching. If the oldest leaves begin
to turn yellow before their physiological maturity, this is
an indication that nitrogen may be limiting (Figure 5).
Purpling is a symptom of phosphorus deficiency, while leaf
margin necrosis (brown leaf edges) is a symptom of potassium deficiency.

Recycling bales
Bales will usually last for only one growing season, two at
the very most. After the growing season is over, recycle the
bales by using them as mulch in beds or pathways, placing
them in the compost pile, or working the rotted straw into
the soil. If you do not have a garden where you can recycle
the rotted bales, theres probably a local gardener you can
find who would like to take them.

For More Information

Abrahamson, R. Hydroponics in the Garden? University of
Minnesota Extension, Clay County. http://www.co.clay.
mn.us/Depts/Extensio/ExAPHydr.htm.
Straight, A. Straw Bale Gardening. WVU Extension Service.
http://anr.ext.wvu.edu/lawn_garden/straw_bale_
gardening.
Straw Bale Bed: A Way to Garden While Building Soil.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service PSS2264.
http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/
Document-7191/PSS-2264web.pdf. http://anr.ext.wvu.
edu/lawn_garden/straw_bale_gardening.

Figure 5. Nitrogen deficiency in pepper.

If plants show nutrient deficiency symptoms, apply a
handful (about 3.5 oz) of aged manure, compost, or a
mixture of the two in the affected hole. If you use organic
fertilizers, such as blood meal and fish meal, nutrients are
more readily available than from the manure. Because

By Kefyalew Girma Desta, Soil Management Scientist/Specialist, WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Prosser, WA; and Marianne
Ophardt, Area Horticulture Specialist, WSU Benton County, Kennewick, WA.
Use pesticides with care. Apply them only to plants, animals, or sites as listed on the label. When mixing and applying pesticides, follow all label
precautions to protect yourself and others around you. It is a violation of the law to disregard label directions. If pesticides are spilled on skin or clothing,
remove clothing and wash skin thoroughly. Store pesticides in their original containers and keep them out of the reach of children, pets, and livestock.
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Issued by Washington State University Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension
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intended. Published February 2013.
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