obsessed
Deeply Rooted
I would totally try this if I didn't have to pay 10+ a bale.
Hay Bale Gardens?
- Thread starter BettyR
- Start date
ironimagery
Leafing Out
I don't think you want that $10 hay for this anyway. I got 32bales for free all we had to do was load em and haul em off. If you look around and check with farmers I bet you can find some for free, the only price better is if they pay to haul them off.
karanleaf
Garden Ornament
Wonderful info now I know what to do with the straw bales I used to line the inside of the duck shed this winter. 
Here Dh was telling me I would have to burn them in the brush pile 
They are already fertilized and at the 1st stage of decomposting. Now I have a new project for this weekend,
clean out the duck shed :tools Thanks so much for sharing
:happy_flower Karan
vfem
Garden Addicted
We have a feed store that has them for $4 a bale.... They told me if you buy more then 10 they usually just give you a bunch for free. The bales they have they made from free straw they collected so its not a lose for them.
Just look on craigslist to see if anyone has them... or put up an ad you are looking for some free ones!
Just look on craigslist to see if anyone has them... or put up an ad you are looking for some free ones!
ironimagery
Leafing Out
Well I hope I am posting this in the right place, if not someone please feel free to help me relocate it.
This is an update to my first time bale garden.
I got the bales placed as I wanted and as you can see was in a hurry to get my WW onion sets, Broccoli (sp) and Cauliflower (sp) starts planted. I placed my bales so the stems were running up and down rather than horizontal to the ground. My reason for placing them this way is that I thought it would be easier for the worms to come up and to push plants down into.
I soon realised that I was going to need to secure the bales so they would stay tight and not try to fall over. So I made a very long needle, I made the needle by drilling a hole in one end of a piece of 1/4" round steel rod the rod is about 4' long. I then bent the other end at a 90* so I could use it as a handle to push and pull. I pushed the needle through the bales and then tied a twine on and pulled it back. I then put the twine up over the bale and pulled it tight then tied. I did this on each end of the bales and it really helped keep them together. I won't waste space with the pic of the tie since you can barely see it.
I then placed RR ties around the bales and drilled down through the ties so I could drive steel rods into the ground to keep things in place. I then filled the voids with a mix of the very best soil in SW Washington (clay) and composted horse manure/alder saw dust. I used water to wash the fill in to the voids as much as I could. I know there will still be some settling but just wanted to try to minimize the settling.
When I took the pics I had not totally finished cleaning the edges as you can see.
Also due to getting in a hurry I missed one step I had planned, I was going to attach plastic between the ties and the bales but didn't remember that until I had already staked the ties down and filled with dirt.
This is an update to my first time bale garden.
I got the bales placed as I wanted and as you can see was in a hurry to get my WW onion sets, Broccoli (sp) and Cauliflower (sp) starts planted. I placed my bales so the stems were running up and down rather than horizontal to the ground. My reason for placing them this way is that I thought it would be easier for the worms to come up and to push plants down into.
I soon realised that I was going to need to secure the bales so they would stay tight and not try to fall over. So I made a very long needle, I made the needle by drilling a hole in one end of a piece of 1/4" round steel rod the rod is about 4' long. I then bent the other end at a 90* so I could use it as a handle to push and pull. I pushed the needle through the bales and then tied a twine on and pulled it back. I then put the twine up over the bale and pulled it tight then tied. I did this on each end of the bales and it really helped keep them together. I won't waste space with the pic of the tie since you can barely see it.
I then placed RR ties around the bales and drilled down through the ties so I could drive steel rods into the ground to keep things in place. I then filled the voids with a mix of the very best soil in SW Washington (clay) and composted horse manure/alder saw dust. I used water to wash the fill in to the voids as much as I could. I know there will still be some settling but just wanted to try to minimize the settling.
When I took the pics I had not totally finished cleaning the edges as you can see.
Also due to getting in a hurry I missed one step I had planned, I was going to attach plastic between the ties and the bales but didn't remember that until I had already staked the ties down and filled with dirt.
Purple Strawberry
Garden Ornament
That looks really good. I wish I could suggest this idea to someone because it looks neat but nobody I know cares about sticking there hand in dirt or hay.
karanleaf
Garden Ornament
Nice job Please keep us updated how it grows along :watering
We plan to get ours setup this weekend if we don't get rained out, :tools sure hope at least Saturday morning is nice :coolsun
:happy_flower Karan
Please keep us updated how it grows along :wateringWe plan to get ours setup this weekend if we don't get rained out, :tools sure hope at least Saturday morning is nice :coolsun
:happy_flower Karan
vfem
Garden Addicted
Love it!!!!!!!!!!
