I make hay bales with a growing hole in the middle. As I feed in the soil, I remove the PVC pipe. I then place the bale in the trench. The bale has a way to wick up the excess moisture from the trench. The plant does not become drench or overly dry.
I have not tried this technique in flooded areas. But it works great in dry areas like Missouri. I suspect that by releasing the water from the trench in flooded areas, it would still work.
Why doesn't straw bale gardening work? It does so only in wet areas of our country. The reason of most failures is because the bales are mistakenly place upon the surface of the ground. The bales do not soak up water but shed it off. That is why conditioning is very important in straw bale gardening.
I do not support straw bale gardening. I feel it is a waste of time. I want something that works with little work.
Making a foot trench is no harder than double digging a raised bed, or watering a straw bale garden. Once the canals are made, next year will only yield rich humus that will be easier to scoop out and use. This time the decayed bale will be used with the soil medium.
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