We decided to try a few of them this year also. We have finished conditioning them and will be planting soon. What will you be growing in yours?

We are using them for summer and winter squash and some Greek Runner Beans.

Primarily tomatoes. I have 3 rows of 4 bales in a line, each with its own soaker hose across top and posts at both ends for “Florida Braid” trellis. Plan to begin conditioning around 4/20 for early May planting here in zone 7

You plant right in the bales? No soil? What do you mean by conditioning? I’m intrigued as this looks like s great slope erosion solution!

A couple of weeks before planting, you sprinkle a high nitrogen fertilizer on the bales and water them well. You follow a schedule of fertilizing and watering. This basically starts a composting process. The bales start to decompose. When they’re ready, you make an opening on the bale and plant. You do need to add a bit of potting mix to anchor the plant but they eventually grow into the bales, which have turned into compost.

You have to keep them watered well before and during the growing season.

Joel Karsten popularized the idea and has written a couple of books

https://strawbalegardens.com/

Craig LeHoullier wrote one also.

Love cattle panels in the garden, so many uses. Easy to take my bolt cutters to TSC so I can cut them into useful sizes easily transported home in my pick up.

A few photos of our bales from this morning

Greek runner beans (gigantes)

Some various squashes

I had one row of squashes that did not do well initially, so I pulled them up and started fresh. I didn’t take a photo of them this morning.

So far, things are doing fairly well. I’m not sure I will do this again next year. I think we will just build traditional raised beds in this area this fall.

These look wonderful! I'm wondering if this would work for shade ornamentals (or some edibles) over fall and winter? Winter is our rainy season in the Bay area of California, so I'm thinking the hay bales might disintegrate faster with the rain. I want to try them at our school, but we only start in late August.