Gardening on Straw: What is behind it?

Straw instead of potting soil - it actually works. We'll tell you what's behind the new trend and how gardening on straw works.

A good soil is important if you want to enjoy lush flowers and he althy vegetables. But that's only partly true: In fact, you can grow plants with simple straw bales on infertile and sealed soil without much effort. So it's no wonder that gardening on straw has become a real insider tip that is finding more and more followers.

You can find out here what you need to know about the unusual trend of gardening on straw and how you can create a garden on straw yourself. We present both advantages and disadvantages and provide detailed instructions.

Advantages and disadvantages of gardening on straw

Gardening on straw has one particular advantage: you are independent of the respective subsoil. Gardeners with balconies, terraces or large, paved courtyards are particularly enthusiastic about the new cultivation trend, because they can grow flowers and vegetables without any plastic tubs or flower pots. But even with very infertile, s alty or stony soil on which only a few plants thrive, a straw bale garden can be a real relief - using the straw bale as a substrate, you can start gardening quickly and easily without having to extensively rehabilitate the soil .

But straw gardening has other advantages. Straw gardeners like to emphasize the reduced weed pressure in particular. Since the plants grow higher on the straw bales, weeds and soil-borne diseases hardly stand a chance. Even waterlogging can hardly occur, as excess water can simply drain off. Bumblebees and wild bees, on the other hand, benefit from the straw because they find a natural shelter here. In addition, vegetables and flowers often grow faster on the straw bale than in the bed. This phenomenon is caused by the heat released as the straw rots (similar to a raised bed).

Finally, of course, the look and sustainability of the raw material straw should be emphasized. Straw beds often have a very rustic and country charm,which is popular with many gardeners. At the same time, it is easily compostable and can therefore be recycled without leaving any residue - in contrast to plastic flower pots, which only decompose after decades.

However, gardening on straw also has disadvantages: the heat released not only allows plants to thrive, but also mushrooms. So-called slime molds can develop, which are not particularly attractive. In addition, gardening on straw uses much more fertilizer than gardening in beds, which can lead to environmental pollution if you don't use organic alternatives.

What are the advantages of gardening on straw?

• Gardening also possible on poor soil, flexible use
• Protection against weeds and soil-borne diseases
• Avoiding waterlogging
• Better growth with warmth
• Appealing appearance
• Straw can be composted
• Refuge space for bumblebees and wild bees

What are the disadvantages of gardening on straw?

• More growth of mushrooms
• High fertilizer consumption

Gardening on straw: you need it

If you want to grow your own plants on a bale of straw, you can find almost everything you need in the household. The most important are the straw bales, which you can often buy cheaply on farms or in companies with horses in the area. In a vegetable garden, straw from organic farms should be used to avoid exposure to pesticides. Small, rectangular bales are best for gardening, because they can be easily moved by hand and fit into any garden. If you have a larger property, you can also use large square bales - but these are often heavy and awkward to transport. In principle, round bales are also suitable for gardening, but hay is not a good starting material.

As already mentioned, this type of gardening increases the use of fertilizers, which is why it is all the more important to use a long-term organic fertilizer in order not to pollute the environment. We therefore particularly recommend our Plantura organic fertilizers, which are made from purely plant-based raw materials and pose no risk to the environment.

What do you need for straw gardening?

• Straw Bales
• Organic Fertilizer
• Water, a watering can or a hose
• Gloves
• Shovel
• Plants
• Possibly wood or wire for the cladding or attachment for the straw bales

Instructions for gardening on straw bales

A lot of people think that when gardening on straw, you can just put the plants in the pads. In fact, the straw bales must first be prepared before you can actually start gardening. However, you should first select a suitable place for your straw bale garden - since the straw bales are supplied with a large amount of water during preparation, they are later much heavier and therefore more difficult to move. In addition, you can think about whether you want to build a cladding (e.g. made of boards) for your straw bale or whether you want to additionally fasten the bale with wire. This is useful because the bales lose stability over time as they decompose. Gloves should be worn at all times when handling the bale of straw, because you can easily injure yourself on the prickly straw.

Now the actual preparation of the straw bale can begin: the bale has to be watered every day for ten days. In addition, fertilizer is added every other day. In this case, it is particularly important to pay attention to a high nitrogen concentration. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect has an NPK ratio of 6-3-4 and is therefore ideal for fertilizing straw bales. On the sixth day, a slightly sweet odor should be noticeable on the straw and a slightly higher temperature as a result of the rotting processes. If the smell freshens up on the tenth day, you can start gardening.

Using a trowel or a small shovel, holes can now be dug in the bales, in which the plants can later be planted. A small layer of potting soil is also filled into the holes - this helps the plants to get used to the new location without slowing down their growth. Then the plants can simply be placed in the straw bale with some soil on the root ball. After that, the plants are regularly supplied with water and fertilizer as in the normal bed until they are ready for harvest. Peppers (Capsicum), tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum),various types of cabbage and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) are suitable. But flowers such as nasturtium (Tropaeolum) or marigold (Calendula officinalis) also feel at home in the straw.

How to plant a straw garden correctly?

1. Place straw bales in appropriate place
2. Possibly disguise or attach straw bales
3. Water every day for ten days
4. Fertilize adequately every other day
5. Prick small holes with a garden trowel after ten days
6. Fill the holes with some potting soil
7. Place the seedlings in the straw bale

If you are still interested in unusual forms of gardening, you can find out here how you can cultivate mushrooms on coffee grounds or on tree trunks.