This is a good picture to show you that nothing grows in hay bales. That is why I make a hole in my bale and add soil medium. Plants grow in soil not in straw or hay bales. Then why use hay bales?
First: Weeds also don't grow in hay bales. If you threw a clump of soil on the hay, something will grow in it. Add fertilizer to the clump and your hay will have more growth of plants. Add nothing to the hay bale, and nothing will grow.
In time earthworms will turn the hay into rich humus and soil will seep into the hay, then you will see all kinds of growth from wild plants.
Second: Hay bales suck up moisture and retain it. However, if the bale is above ground, it will shed off moisture until it is overcome with hours of watering or drenching. Straw bale gardeners call this process the conditioning of the bale. They speed this process of breaking down the straw fibers by using fertilizers and other ingredients. I use microbes and earthworms in my conditioning process. I bury my bales while my plants are still growing and let all the tiny creatures go at.
Third: Hay bales becomes rich mulch the next year. You can add soil to your medium and reuse it.
Forth: Some garden plants do not like overcrowding. Growing in hay bales keeps other plants from encroaching on its habitat.
Fifth: Hay bales normalizes the moisture that the garden plant gets. In wet weather hay bales allow water to flow through them. This help the garden plant not to be overly saturated in water and rot. In hot weather, the hay bales allow the garden plants to tap into their soggy wet fibers.
Sixth: Hay bales aerate the soil. Aeration is favorable for plant growth. Plant roots like to breath. They just don't like to dry out.
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