Strawbale Raised Beds

500lbs Guerilla said:

Searched around but didn't really find much. Anybody have experience with building raised beds out of strawbales?

Seems cheaper than lumber, would breathe and keep soil cool, would be easy to lay a plank across an 8x8 bed, and you can sit on it and enjoy the shade of those shadow casting trees growing inside the beds. Not sure of any downfalls other than that it would decompose in a couple years or so, and that critters may make homes out of it.

Any try it or know anybody that has?

View attachment 537419
not my image

Click to expand...

I've done it with vegetables, with success. There is prep work for the bails. I learned the technique on Pinterest, they have many good articles on the subject. It should work on any crop.

Grow4me said:

I've done it with vegetables, with success. There is prep work for the bails. I learned the technique on Pinterest, they have many good articles on the subject. It should work on any crop.

Click to expand...

I understand that you need to "cure" the bails if you intend to plant directly into the bail itself. What prep work did you do for framing beds out of them?

Used straw bales last year worked real nice for my needs...
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/b-o-g-s-sour-grape-in-straw-bales.63499/

500lbs Guerilla said:

I understand that you need to "cure" the bails if you intend to plant directly into the bail itself. What prep work did you do for framing beds out of them?

Click to expand...

We had ours on an old tilled bed we'd used for tomatoes. If you search for bale gardening on Pinterest, you will find more information than you'll ever need.

ZONER said:

Used straw bales last year worked real nice for my needs...
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/b-o-g-s-sour-grape-in-straw-bales.63499/

Click to expand...

Nice set up!

I couldn't really see any downside other then some fungus or mushrooms growing around them. @Grow4me he's not growing in them he's using as a boarder..
@500lbs Guerilla you might get some mice trying to nest in them though.
STR8

But you could also use them for some veggies while growing in your soil.
Precharge the bails and let your plants roots grow into bails,air pruning roots.
STR8

str8smokn said:

But you could also use them for some veggies while growing in your soil.
STR8

Click to expand...

I like it!!

The bales " MIGHT" last two years but then you get to compost them for next season.

Do you have access to organic bales? That would be my main concern, what did they spray and use on the bales?

500lbs Guerilla said:

Searched around but didn't really find much. Anybody have experience with building raised beds out of strawbales?

Seems cheaper than lumber, would breathe and keep soil cool, would be easy to lay a plank across an 8x8 bed, and you can sit on it and enjoy the shade of those shadow casting trees growing inside the beds. Not sure of any downfalls other than that it would decompose in a couple years or so, and that critters may make homes out of it.

Any try it or know anybody that has?

View attachment 537419
not my image

Click to expand...

Yes. They use a LOT of water. They'll sprout. Once they break down they become soil, so I use them a lot around the property, especially on slopes to help hold "soil" in place.

500lbs Guerilla said:

I understand that you need to "cure" the bails if you intend to plant directly into the bail itself. What prep work did you do for framing beds out of them?

Click to expand...

Not in my experience. I dug out a channel on the top and laid down a layer of soil. That was all that was really needed. I don't use them to create a wall, I use the bales themselves.

45TH said:

one word....mildew

Click to expand...

Grew out plants in straw bales and had no issues. The straw bales can not be over watered, due to the capillary action of the straw. Heck my hot peppers, tomatoes and eggplants loved them too.

Same here, can't be overwatered but SUPER easy to underwater. They use too much water IMO/IME.

I tried using haybales one year and ended up with a severe case of mold issues. It was good clean horse hay before I put them in my greenhouse.

Using haybales as just borders for soil beds might be OK but I'd still watch for mold and rodents nesting inside.

Would strawbales be a better option? dunno?

DO NOT USE HAY BALES......ONLY "STRAW"

kolah said:

I tried using haybales one year and ended up with a severe case of mold issues. It was good clean horse hay before I put them in my greenhouse.

Using haybales as just borders for soil beds might be OK but I'd still watch for mold and rodents nesting inside.

Would strawbales be a better option? dunno?

Click to expand...

Not in a greenhouse, it's probably pretty humid in there already.
Outside in open air ,no problems.

I'm gonna try it next summer with ya there Zoner. I've got pepper plants that would love the air in the roots.
STR8

str8smokn said:

Not in a greenhouse, it's probably pretty humid in there already.
Outside in open air ,no problems.

I'm gonna try it next summer with ya there Zoner. I've got pepper plants that would love the air in the roots.
STR8

Click to expand...

Here is my bale grow from 2014, for what it's worth.
https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/b-o-g-s-sour-grape-in-straw-bales.63499/

After using straw bales for several years now for several reasons, my stance is this--IF you live in an area of high rainfall, especially throughout the year, straw bales are for you. If you're in a more desertified region, stay away from them for the water required to keep things going. It runs RIGHT through.

kolah said:

I tried using haybales one year and ended up with a severe case of mold issues. It was good clean horse hay before I put them in my greenhouse.

Using haybales as just borders for soil beds might be OK but I'd still watch for mold and rodents nesting inside.

Would strawbales be a better option? dunno?

Click to expand...

Hay is very different from straw, mainly because hay is cut while the plant is still green (and still chock full of N the animals can use to lay down as muscle and bone, etc) and straw is cut or the remains of cuttings of plants that have gone dead and brown. There's a lot less decomposition that occurs in straw bales in a short period of time as compared to hay, alfalfa, oat, whatever you're using that's actually a green cut of hay.

I use straw bales to border steep slopes and help prevent run-off. No mice or other rodents, but the dog has taken to one of the bales that's decomposing and she makes a hell of a mess. In my area it takes at least a year, usually two, for the straw bales to decompose to the point of needing replacement.

Straw bale beds work great! Those plants in pink containers fished out where the corn, shallots and lettuce once grew!