We all heard the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Now we have Jack and the straw bale garden. The claims of those who straw bale garden sounds magical. Should we all get a straw bale and see if we grow a huge magical plant?
It is not that hard to figure out how straw bale gardening work. You get a bale of straw, condition it, fill it with nitrogen and fertilizer and supposedly the plants will magically grow because you didn't till the soil.
The bale loaded with fertilizer and nitrogen will grow plants as long as it retains its moisture and its roots reaches the soil beneath it. When the plant starts to grow it will utilize the water and the fertilizer. It is at this early stage of plant development that watering is important. If the plant's root doesn't reach the bottom of the bale, where the soil is, it will stunt, wilt and die.
As the bale decomposes, it looks more like spoiled straw than a bale. It soon is apparent that the bale is no more than a pile of straw that rests upon the soil. The plant has finally reached the soil and started to grow more vigorous due to all the fertilizer that leeched into the soil.
Any horticulture book will tell you that the root systems of most plants need soil depth to flourish. The temporal small depth the bale supplies is not sufficient for root development.
Don't be fooled by magical gardens. Every plant needs soil, food (nutrients), water, and the proper growing temperature. Next time you plant, place a pile of straw around your garden plants, it has some benefits as mulch, but not in growing magical plants.
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