By Kent Rogers | March 2006
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Introduction
Kent Rogers of Wake Forest has successfully cultivated a vegetable garden in bales of straw. Carolina Country’s report on his idea last year drew attention from gardeners and others across the state. Kent points out that the method produces good-looking, healthy plants without weeds, and is especially convenient for people who don’t have a large plot of ground to till, or who are physically unable to do a lot of kneeling, bending, raking and hoeing. Here is some of his advice for people interested in straw bale gardening.
Preparing Your Bales
It takes 10 days to prepare your bales.
- Days 1–3: Water the bales thoroughly and keep them wet.
- Days 4–6: Sprinkle the bales with 1/2 cup of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0) per bale per day, and water it well into the bales. I didn’t have any trouble finding ammonium nitrate from my local ag-supply store. They sold it in 40-pound bags. I have heard, however, that some people have had difficulty finding it in more urban settings. Ask around.
- Days 7–9: Cut back to 1/4 cup of ammonium nitrate per bale per day and continue to water it in well.
- Day 10: No more ammonium nitrate, but do add 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer per bale and water it in well.
- Day 11: Transplant your plants into the bales. I used a spatula to make a crack in the bale for each plant. Place the plant down to its first leaf and close the crack back together as best you can.
Web links to articles on straw bale gardening:
www.nicholsgardennursery.com/strawbales.htm
www.county.ces.uga.edu/chatham/hay_bales.htm
www.co.clay.mn.us/Depts/Extensio/ExAPHydr.htm
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