Hay bale gardening

[Scarecrow]

http://www.newsprepper.com/hay-bale-gardening-effortless-food-production-with-no-weeds-no-fertilizer-less-watering-video/#.ViuLvOlUQfG

Anybody got experience with this? I'm wondering if the heat generation from the composting hay bales might double as a way to increase the temperature of a green house, while simultaneously providing something for your plants to grow in.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

I've planted potatoes in about 6inches of soil and then used hay to cover the plants as they grow, building it up to about 50cm using mesh barriers.. Made great tatas and they were super easy to harvest and minimal washing of them before they were on sold. I didn't fertilise either, maybe just some seasol.

I've done the same with leeks too, planted into shitty soil and using hay to build up around them (leeks will only be white/edible on the parts not exposed to sun). Once again zero ferts and amazing leeks that didn't get dirt in the "rings" as they grew. Got 4-5" usable stem and Perfect for chefs and "organic" freaks.

I've never planted directly into them tho but love the idea! I wonder what would happen if you spawned it with some oyster grain first.

[compost]

be cautious of ethylene production as the straw bales break down if doing this indoors..

while it can increase temps in your greenhouse, without proper ventilation ethylene may cause problems like growth abnormalities on many plants..

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

its kinda common practice to use straw and hay breaking down to keep stables warm back in europe.

If you put enough fresh stuff on top it dont even smell

[Anodyne]

Apparently a traditional way to prepare cloches (removable mini-glasshouses that you put on top of your raised beds) was to fill the base of the bed with HEAPS of horse manure (~6 inches deep), then fill in the top with soil/straw/sand, as appropriate for the crop, before planting your veges & covering it all with the cloche. Then the manure breaks down slowly, ideally providing warmth to the seedlings all thru the cold winter months. I've only read about this method though, never lived anywhere cold enough to need it.

With haybale beds, the only issue I've noticed is that they suck up a huge amount of water, so if you're planting in little pockets of soil on top (rather than piling the straw up around a ground-planting) they can be susceptible to drying out. I'd started wondering if they could use a "wicking bed" type structure: the whole raised bed is placed in a big tray (built of anything waterproof: plastic, metal, old bathtubs, etc), & lined with drainage rubble, then filled with organic materials which "wick" the water up from the base to the top layer of actual soil. So it's essentially bottom-watering, but for a whole garden bed. Haven't had a chance to try it out, but I'm just thinking it could be a way to bring some water-efficiency to haybale gardens.