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How to Grow Tomatoes in Straw Bales
How to Grow Tomatoes in Straw Bales. Growing tomatoes in straw bales may be an excellent option if you have poor soil that needs lots of amendment before planting, a garden full of rocks that make it difficult to plant straight rows, or if you live in an area with soil that does not drain well. It may also be a less labor-intensive way to enjoy the...
Growing tomatoes in straw bales may be an excellent option if you have poor soil that needs lots of amendment before planting, a garden full of rocks that make it difficult to plant straight rows, or if you live in an area with soil that does not drain well. It may also be a less labor-intensive way to enjoy the back-saving advantages of a raised bed garden; there will be no need to level the ground, or to construct a frame.
Things You'll Need
Straw bales
Compost or potting soil
Sharp trowel
Tomato seeds or small tomato plants
Liquid fertilizer
Purchase wheat or oat straw bales because they contain mostly stems left after harvesting the grain; only a small amount of seed should sprout from the bales. Do not buy hay bales because they contain a lot of grass and weed seed, which will sprout and become difficult to pull out. It is best to grow no more than two plants per bale of straw. Look for straw bales tied with synthetic twine; natural twine disintegrates more quickly, resulting in earlier breakdown of the bales.
Set the bales in a sunny area of your yard. Water the bales thoroughly. A good initial soaking will cause the bales to heat up, which will begin the process of composting. Allow the wet bales to cool down during the next seven days; seedlings and new plants may be damaged if you plant them while the bales are still warm. Pull out any weed seedlings that may appear.
Place the bales on their sides, allowing the twine to run horizontally. This will ensure that the straw runs vertically, making it easier to form holes in the bales for your tomato plants, if you choose to use the transplant method.
Apply about 3 inches of compost or topsoil to the top of each cooled straw bale. If you are planting tomato seeds, place several into the compost on each bale. When the seedlings have grown a few inches in height, thin them out to two seedlings, 18 inches apart. If you are transplanting tomato plants instead of sowing seeds, create two spaces, 18 inches apart on each bale, by forcing a sharp trowel into the bale and working it back and forth until there is enough room in which to place each small plant.
Water the straw bales thoroughly each day, especially during the summer months, as they will drain very efficiently due to the stems being in a vertical position. Try using a drip system on your bales, if you tire easily while standing and watering with a hose.
Fertilize your plants on a schedule of every two weeks during the growing season, alternating between a fish emulsion, compost tea, and liquid seaweed, as recommended by Nichols Garden Nursery.
