Straw bale gardening is a gimmick, like growing tomaotes upside down. Those that I know that have done this have not "aged the bales several months" since a few weeks works as well. The primary reason for "aging" the bales is to allow any seeds still in the straw to germinate and die. The last time I checked into the price of a bale of straw around here it was over $6.00 and that, along with the compost and other stuff that might be needed, makes for an expensive garden, a pot would be less expensive.
But here is a link from someone that has done this already.

Here is a link that might be useful: Straw bale gardening

Thanks a lot kimmsr!

greenmonk, were you planning on growing right in the bales or simply using the straw as mulch?

greenmonk, kimmsr thinks you are planting directly in a bale of straw. I read your post to read that you are mulching with straw.

You do not need to soak straw before using it as a mulch.

Yes, I'm only using the straw as a mulch, no bale gardening here. I'm just worried that the rotten mulch would infect my crops when touching them.

No not at all straw is going to look like that soon enough anyways Straw and hay around here is free because you ask for the rotten unusable stuff pretty much all my mulch has been out for a few years in the weather and had plenty of the white fungi on it although I really thinks its stretching it to say fresh straw would pull nutrients from the soil even if it does nitrogen is easy to add back in

Best of luck to your giant tomatoes Had some 2 pounders last year delicious and fun to show off

Not sure where Kimm pics up straw at it can be found all over Michigan for $2 or less

Have you read any Ruth Stout? She's got some very entertaining books on low maintance mulch gardening. I've used her method for years with great results. I don't worry about mold on the rotting straw or seeds or anything complicated. In the winter I put on some cottonseed or bloodmeal as a N replacement to replace the missing stuff - but I am not sure it does anything or is needed. If I can get moldy straw/hay cheaper I use it instead. It doesn't make a difference. Below is a youtube clip of her. Check her out.

Here is a link that might be useful: ruth stout on youtube

zach!! Thank you so much for posting that. I have Stout's books, of course, and I believe I've seen her on TV in my 20s, but oh! that was wonderful!

I hesitate to tell you this *monk, because it's based on only my own experience, but tomatoes in my yard enjoy having mulch---especially decomposing straw/hay mulch---drawn up around their stems. They send out feeder roots wherever they contact a moist mulch.

greenmonk asked "So my question is, has anybody else here tried weathering their straw bales?"

I've used weathered straw for the last several years and have not noticed that it spreads disease.

Using a thick mulch of it should be just fine around your tomatoes but I would wait until the soil temperature has warmed up. Thick mulches tend to keep soil temps down.

Very interesting info, thank you much!

I definitely want to be like Ruth Stout when I'm 85 (55 years time to practice). That was a really inspiring clip. I've never heard of her (I'm pretty "fresh" to gardening) but it sure gave me extra impetus to do something I had intuitively wanted to: to cover all of our gardens with mulch.

Thanks again!

I've actually weathered my straw bales for the last 2 years. But not by intention. Here's a good tip:

If you make one of those fall harvest setups (yunno, with the straw, scarecrow, pumpkins, gourds, dried cornstalks, etc.) I left that straw laying all winter til it was ready to use this spring, good and moldy, but when I opened it up, it had worms all throughout it.