By Kent Rogers | March 2008

• Introduction
• Prepare your bales
• What to plant & how to care for it
• Resources
• Download the FULL article as a

What to plant & how to care for it

How many plants per bale? Try 2 or 3 tomato plants per bale, 3 peppers, 2 squash, 2 sets of cucumbers.

Be prepared to stake the tomatoes and peppers. I recommend 6-foot stakes for the tomatoes.

If you plant okra, you’ll have to stake them, too.

Corn plants will be too top-heavy.

Water the bales in the morning and after sunset. You can’t over-water because any excess will just run out of the bales. Soaker hoses will work. Do not let bales get dried out.

I started out using some Miracle Grow once a week for a couple of weeks. Then I sprinkled in some 10-10-10. Don’t over fertilize.

The bales themselves will start to sprout, but that is no problem. I give my bales a “haircut” every so often with a knife.

I have not had to spray my plants with any pesticides. I haven’t had any worms, bugs or other pests. Maybe it has something to do with the plants being off the ground.

At season’s end you can use the bales for mulch or bust them up and set new bales on them next year.