Strawbale gardens

Since hay bale gardening is spreading ... Ummm , just a thaught from my time with a University when I was on a campus safety panel in charge of looking for things or practices that may lead to accidents waiting to happen . ... Has anyone seen / heard of hay/ straw stacks spontaniously combust into a blazing fire ? How about a compost pile start a smoldering fire as it heats up from heat of decomposition ? All of the elements are there for a fire to start and spread. :hu
 
I don't think that a single bale can generate enough heat to combust. It's not like we're stacking them. If you use more than one bale at a time, the only parts touching are the ends.
 
Interesting question. According to this article, it's possible, but if you read way down in it, the small square bales are the least likely to spontaneously combust, especially if they are not tightly stacked. I'd think once you get past the first wetting when you condition the bale the risk would drop significantly, but that's me thinking.

http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agric...agement/haystack-fires-spontaneous-combustion
 
bobm said:
Since hay bale gardening is spreading ... Ummm , just a thaught from my time with a University when I was on a campus safety panel in charge of looking for things or practices that may lead to accidents waiting to happen . ... Has anyone seen / heard of hay/ straw stacks spontaniously combust into a blazing fire ? How about a compost pile start a smoldering fire as it heats up from heat of decomposition ? All of the elements are there for a fire to start and spread. :hu
Click to expand...


Not likely in straw bale gardening Bob, but thanks for the walk on the sunny side of life as usual.

When the kids in my class started their conditioning process of the bales the internal temp was 60 degrees F. They reached 100 degrees F in about a week, then dropped back down around 80. The interior of the bales as of Wednesday was warm (and we were way too crunched for time to record the temps) when you pushed your hand into the planting holes, but not hot, just comfortably plant friendly.

I don't see how they could combust anyway. They are saturated, not just moist.
 
Why did I post as just a thaught and as something to consider as a possibility ? ...
bobm said:
Since hay bale gardening is spreading ... Ummm , just a thaught from my time with a University when I was on a campus safety panel in charge of looking for things or practices that may lead to accidents waiting to happen . ... Has anyone seen / heard of hay/ straw stacks spontaniously combust into a blazing fire ? How about a compost pile start a smoldering fire as it heats up from heat of decomposition ? All of the elements are there for a fire to start and spread. :hu
Click to expand...


Last Saturday, my wife and I visited a local farm near us here is Wa. that was selling strawberries that my wife needed for making 6 strawberry pies for a function ... They had several straw bales stacked next to each other in the far corner of their farm yard that were left overs from a hay ride they had last Thanksgiving and just left there. We noticed some steam / smoke comming out of the top of a bale as they all were still wet from the winter rains decomposing and turning brown. Upon investigator further , the farm owner opened up the steaming bale and found evidence of simmering embers and some black burned straw. So mabe possible ? Just something to consider even if a remote possibility :idunno
 
I have to agree with the tinyness of possible flame from my extremely precious and hard won SBG.

On a lighter note i has another tomato! Its a roma this time and a butt load of beans on the 'bush' beans (look like pole beans to my inexperienced eye, gotta love out crosses) and my squash blossoms are opening on my summer squash/zukes
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The tiny 'pole' beans ^
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The 'bush' beans ^
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A single bale is more likely to get moldy in center than ignite. It takes a pile to ignite. If you are storing wet hay, salt it. End of problem. Takes stagnant air to ignite.

I'm just too cheap to buy good straw (let alone alfalfa) to use for a garden. God gave me dirt, I'll use that. :).

Curious how summer project turns out.
 
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