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Straw Bale Gardening Techniques

By Jared Lee

http://ezinearticles.com/?Straw-Bale-Gardening-Techniques&id=3675870

Straw bale gardening technique is the use of bunches of straw as hosts for growing plants. Applying this technique to your gardening can be very helpful if you have knee problems or wish to avoid the mess involved with soil gardening. This technique helps keep weeds away too.

Get started with good, strong straw bales. Once you ascertain the number of bales needed, place them in the desired area in rows so that the strings are on the ground. This should look like a raised bed garden. Ideally you could use your backyard for this, otherwise choose an airy spot. Ensure that important things are removed from the spot, since the area will turn messy once it gets wet.

Water the bales twice a day for the first three days. Between days 4 and 7, the bales will start heating up and decomposing. If the bales start sprouting, do not worry. Just trim them with a pair of scissors or a knife. Take a layer of weed resistant, compost soil and place it on top of the bales after the 7th day and then plant your seeds.

There is another method which is used in this technique. The initial process is the same, but between days 4 and 6, you need to sprinkle each bale daily with half a cup of ammonium nitrate and then water well. Carry on the same routine between days 7 to 9, but reduce the amount of ammonium to 1/4th cup. Again, water the bales. The 10th day needs you to add a cup of fertilizer per bale, water again and then place your plants in the bales.

The second method is ideal for vegetable gardens, especially for those vegetables that grow above the surface. Water the bales daily since they need to be kept damp.