Seasoning the bales is important before you start. Make sure you space them as recommended them to allow some air movement. If you grow vine or climbing crops make sure to plan for space for them to ...

Using T-posts and wire to support climbing plants such as tomatoes or cucumbers makes a straw bale garden more productive, says Joel Karsten, author of Straw Bale Gardens Complete. ( Jen Daugherty ...

Not Conditioning the Bales Properly. One of the most critical steps in straw bale gardening is conditioning the bales. This process involves adding water and fertilizer to the bales over a period ...

Straw bales were first used in construction in the early 20th century in Sandhills, Nebraska, where timber was scarce. The practice was revived in the 1970's and 1980's with the rise of the green ...

It almost seems like magic. Lay down a hunk of straw, water it for a week or two, sprinkle in some fertilizer, and watch your plants grow. In many cases, you don’t need any soil, and the bale ...

After the 12th day, touch the bale to check for heat. If it is cool to touch, you can plant. To plant, dig small pockets or holes into the straw and set plants into the holes.

Straw bales were used only in the exterior walls, according to Lacinski, who consulted with the Albinis during the building process. Electrical wires run in spaces between the baseboard and the floor.

A: Growing in straw bales – especially veggies – has become a hot item all of a sudden. That New York Times article no doubt fanned the flames, but there's a lot of social-media chatter about ...

Straw is for gardening, and most of its seeds have been harvested, so there shouldn’t be many (or any) remaining in the bale to sprout into weeds. Straw is also less likely than hay to have been ...

In this intriguing video, we explore the fate of bales of straw and cane when left unattended over time. Discover the natural processes that occur, from decomposition to habitat creation for various ...

“Straw-bale or alternative building is an absolutely fantastic experience,” said David Chew. “But it’s not — I would not recommend this to anybody who wasn’t already interested. ...

Straw makes an attractive mulch in the vegetable garden, but I think it looks out of place in landscapes and flower gardens. A normal sized bale of straw will cover about a ten by ten foot area.