This year, I've decided to try straw bale gardening with one of my old bales from last year and a few new ones. I started with two new bales, but quickly got two more. I was very fortunate to get a great tip this year from a group on Facebook called "Straw Bale Miracle Gardening" that directed me to a store that sells bales within the city! In the past couple of years, I've driven over an hour and a half to buy bales, so 20 minutes in the city was a very pleasant surprise. I encourage everyone reading this blog to join in on this knowledgeable and supportive community.
With the shelter-in-place orders, rough conditions in hospitals and a vaccine for COVID-19 not being ready until at least early 2021, I figured that more bales would be not only manageable but more fun for this summer! My current setup includes four new bales and one recycled bale, and I'm excited to start planning what to plant when around two weeks of conditioning is complete. This is my third year in straw bale gardening, and I've already learned from various mistakes. The main mistake I've made is overexcitement - I want to grow as many vegetables as possible, which has led me to overcrowd my vegetables in the past. I started with around four plants per bale, switched to three plants per bale last year and this year, I've planned some bales for only two plants on top.
I'm hoping that spacing my plants out more this year will allow them to grow and flourish, rather than having stronger plants dominate the space. To be sure I have the basic plants for most of my recipes, I've dedicated ample space for tomatoes, potatoes, onions and garlic - the starter pack for a wonderfully aromatic kitchen. I can't promise that my plans won't change when I get to the store though, since I tend to be get quite excited when I see all of the possibilities.
I'll end up planning a separate lettuce pot, as I quickly learned in my first year of SBG that leafy vegetables are very sensitive to sun and water and can be easily fried. The decision of where to plant some hearty kale is still up for debate.
I laid down black fabric tarp this year underneath the bales, which has already proved to be much more aesthetically pleasing than the blue plastic tarp that I used to use, which also creates problems with humidity. Since there are strong ferns in my urban yard, it was necessary to prevent growth under and around my bales. The only other start-up materials that were needed have been repurposed each year since I began, which include four posts and a chicken-wire fence. Less than $100 to start a sizable garden for two is reasonable to me.
Each day, the bales will need to be watered and occasionally fertilized to begin the breakdown process inside of the bales. Luckily, we had an abundance of rain today so I didn't need to do anything! Honestly, the conditioning part of the process is the most challenging for me, since it requires consistency and patience. More details to come soon!
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