Kent Rogers provides tips for growing a successful straw bale garden. He initially used 20 wheat straw bales and later added 10 oat straw bales. He recommends tightly baled straw and synthetic twine for longer lasting bales. Rogers plants tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and suggests stakes for tomatoes and peppers. He waters the bales in the morning and evening to prevent drying out. Rogers fertilizes initially with Miracle Grow and later 10-10-10 fertilizer, taking care not to over fertilize. The straw bales can be "haircut" as needed to control plant growth. Rogers has not needed pesticides in the straw bale garden.

1. Carolina Country MARCH 2006 19
C A R O L I N A C O U N T R Y G A R D E N S
H O W T O G R O W
A S T R A W B A L E G A R D E NBy Kent Rogers
You can start your garden with
seeds if you use some topsoil on
top of the bales, but I transplanted all
of my vegetables from flats and trays
purchased from local nurseries.
I initially used 20 bales of wheat
straw. The plants in the wheat straw
were doing so well that I got 10 more
bales of oat straw to see how that
would do. (Pine straw won’t work.)
I recommend getting bales that have
been tightly baled. The oat straw bales
I bought were lighter and baled looser
than the wheat straw, and I learned
that they don’t hold as much water. I
paid about $2.50 for each bale.
Use bales that have synthetic twine
if you can find them. The twine won’t
rot and it will hold the bales together
longer. If the bales use regular twine,
that’s no problem. You may have to
put a stake at the end of the bales. The
bales I used had regular twine, and
they started to rot and break, but I
arranged 10 in each row, so the bales
tend to hold each other together.
I oriented my bales with the strings
off the ground. You can do it either
way, but I like the twine off the
ground. The transplanting seemed eas-
ier with the bales oriented with the
strings off the ground. You can decide
which way to orient yours.
If you make more than one row of
bales, put them wide enough apart so
your lawnmower can get between
them. And because you’ll be watering
them, I recommend placing the bales
where the water will drain away from
your house or away from where you’ll
be walking.
How many plants per bale? Try two
tomato plants per bale, three peppers,
two squash, two sets of cucumbers.
Be prepared to stake the tomatoes and
peppers. I recommend 6-foot stakes for
the tomatoes. I used tobacco sticks last
year, but they are too short. My toma-
toes grew way over the tobacco sticks.
I didn’t plant any okra last year, but
they will probably do well. You’ll defi-
nitely have to stake them.
I don’t think corn will work too well.
The plants will be too top-heavy.
I 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. The
main thing is not to let the bales get
dried out between watering.
I started out using some Miracle
Grow once a week for a couple of
weeks. Then I sprinkled in some 10-
10-10. You don’t want to over fertilize.
The bales will start to sprout wheat
or oat straw, but that is no problem. If
the grass gets too much for you, just
whack it off with a knife. I give my
bales a “haircut” every so often with a
steak knife. It takes no time at all.
One thing I’ve noticed—and this
could be just a fluke—is I have not had
to spray my plants with any pesticides
such as Liquid Sevin. I haven’t had any
worms, bugs or other pest bother my
straw bale garden. Maybe it has some-
thing to do with the plants being off
the ground. c
Kent Rogers is a member of Wake Electric, a
Touchstone Energy cooperative. You can
contact him by mail at 13028 Powell Rd,
Wake Forest, NC 27587, and by e-mail at
kent.rogers@earthlink.net
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 gar-
deners and others across the state. Kent points out that the method produces
good-looking, healthy plants without weeds, and is especially convenient for peo-
ple 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.
It takes 10 days to prepare your bales.
Days 1–3: Water the bales thor-
oughly 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