Home Gardening Ideas: Easy Organic Hay Bale Gardening
How to Make an Easy Organic Hay Bale Garden – Benefits & Rewards
Have you ever heard of growing your garden on bales of hay?
Doesn’t look like a traditional garden, does it? But it’s really easy. And the vegetables and fruit are clean, organic and delicious! You can even grow flowers.
Raised-bed gardening is an old tradition making a rewarding come-back. It’s easy. Organic. It’s next level gardening.
Here, from gardening writer Stacy Pessoney is a special Guest Blog:
“Hay Bale Gardening — It’s Easy!”
Well, if you are interested, it’s not very hard and has a lot of advantages over the traditional garden. Especially if you don’t want to do a lot of bending over, tilling and digging.
Hay bale gardens are also great for growing a garden when you do not have much yard space.
People have been known to grow straw gardens on their driveways or even on their rooftops!
To plant a hay bale or straw garden, soak your straw or hay bales in water every day for up to two weeks. Some folks simply make a slit in the top of the hay with a spade and insert their plants into the slit, just as if it were soil.
You can speed up the hay conditioning process by watering for three to four days, then adding a layer of hummus, peat moss, potting soil or compost to the top of the bales. Simply plant your seeds inside and add any plants that you may have started already.
Home Gardening Ideas: Easy Organic Hay Bale Gardening.
How does it work?
Well, hay contains many microorganisms. When they get enough water, they will start eating away at bacteria inside the hay. All of this action makes compost material inside the bale, creating a perfect environment for your plants to grow.
Hay bales drain very well, so you never have to worry about too much rain or watering. Make sure that you maintain the moisture level inside the hay bale and you are all set. You can reuse your hay bale garden next year. After two years of use, you may want to replace the bales.
Two-year-old hay bale gardens make wonderful compost for the rest of your yard.
There are a lot of benefits to having a hay bale garden.
One, the drainage makes root rot and other soil-borne illnesses a non-issue. Tomatoes especially grow well in these conditions. Because they cannot get too much water, they will have strong roots and the tomatoes will not become grainy, pale or deprived of nutrients.
Why hay bale gardening is great for seniors and physically challenged folks.
One of the most enjoyed benefits of the straw garden is the lack of bending over, digging and tilling.
Many people love gardening but simply cannot handle the physical labor of caring for the plants. With a hay bale garden, you can make it as high as you need it to avoid the need to bend over. A raised garden bed. If you stack bales to keep plants within reach, make sure that you stake them to avoid them tipping over.
Another benefit of hay bale gardening is that rabbits cannot climb up to the plants. Furthermore, dogs and other animals will not see your garden as a great place to dig and play.
You can keep your water hose on a garden hose reel to always have it handy. If you are physically challenged, consider an automatic hose reel for super easy watering.
Taking care of a hay bale garden is so simple that you will wonder why you ever did it any other way. Simply add water and you are done.
Enjoy your hay bale garden!
Thanks, Stacy, for this great Home Gardening Guest Post.
Vegetable Garden Design Ideas: And an even easier garden…
==>> More Home Gardening Ideas. To See my inspiring popular post about RAISING CHICKENS: Growing Your Very Own Hens & Eggs, Go Now To RAISING CHICKENS: 5 Reasons to Build a Backyard Chicken Coop!
“Thanks for your RAISING CHICKENS. It was a Big help. My husband and I have a big back yard. We’re thinking hens. That’s the Funniest Chicken Story we’ve ever heard! We know a real life Clem.” Evelyn J.
Home Gardening Ideas: Easy Organic Hay Bale Gardening.
About our Guest Blogger: Stacy Pessoney studied advertising, marketing and communications at the University of Alabama with a minor in dance. Stacy has garnered numerous awards for her essays, articles and short stories. She is well versed in various topics, including gardening, lawn care and landscaping. In her spare time, she loves hiking, kayaking, fishing, photography and exploring the outdoors with her family.
“Herb gardens can be therapeutic, fragrant, beautiful and delicious. Planting an herb garden is easy and fun. You can grow it indoors or out. Even starting from seed, you can start to harvest your own fresh herbs within about a month.” – Stacy Pessoney
Hay Bale Gardening photos on this page from our Country Home Image Scrapbook.
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