I first tried straw bales last year to get around a root knot nematode problem in cucurbits. It was immensely successful. So over this winter I advertized on Craigslist wanting cheap/free bales. Found a local indoor dog training facility that uses straw bales for obstacles, they replace them every 30 days from getting peed on. $1 per bale, as many as I want. I'm going big this year with 40 bales. Strawberries, melons, cuckes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, brussels sprouts. Corn, potatoes and beans will remain in the ground.
Things I've learned so far;
1. Be sure composting temps have stabilized before planting. At the end of the recommended 14 days, my internal temp was only 80 degrees, so I assumed that was as good as it was gonna get. I planted 50 strawberry plugs. Two weeks later, the internal bale temp was 140 degrees. Fried plugs. When it dropped back to 80 degrees I replanted; the new ones are doing really well.
2. Stick to sterile soil as an amendment to the bales. Last year I used well composted horse manure and, although it produced great melons and cukes, it completely negated the "weed free" advantage of the whole concept.
BTW, I'm brand new here and grateful to have found this site. I'm once retired as a local police officer and recently followed my wife into a new career as an optician, hence the screen name "coptician". I attended the Chesapeake VA Master Gardeners Program about 8 years ago, but am not currently active. I learned just enough to make me dangerous. I'm looking forward to sharing and learning more here.
Dave
