By Kent Rogers| March 2007

• Intro
• Preparing for Planting
• How Many Plants Per Bale?
• Final Tips
• About Kent Rogers
• Download the FULL article as a

How many plants per bale?

Try 2–3 tomato plants per bale, 3 peppers, 2 squash, 2 sets of cucumbers, 3–4 sets of okra.

Be prepared to stake everything but the cucumbers and squash. I recommend using a trellis system for the tomatoes if you plant a row of any length; otherwise you’ll need stakes at least 6 feet tall. I used tobacco sticks the first year, but they are too short. My tomatoes grew way over the tobacco sticks and the vines broke badly.

I planted okra last year and they grew well over 9 feet tall. You’ll definitely have to stake them.

I don’t think corn will work too well with this method.

I recommend using a commercial, stretch tie that comes in rolls for tying up all of your plants.

I water the bales each day after sunset. You can’t over-water because any excess will just run out of the bales. Soaker hoses will work. The main thing is not to let the bales get dried out between watering.