Hay Bale Garden - Instant Raised Beds!

www.edibleacres...
Incredibly easy to set up, we step you through the process of installing hay bale raised garden beds. This setup took one hour, cost $12 and made two raised beds 3' wide and 10' long... This can be scaled up or modified to fit any situation.
Edible Acres is a full service permaculture nursery located in the Finger Lakes area of NY state. We grow all layers of perennial food forest systems and provide super hardy, edible, useful, medicinal, easy to propagate, perennial plants for sale locally or for shipping around the country...
www.edibleacres... - Your order supports the research and learning we share here on youtube.
We also offer consultation and support in our region or remotely.
www.edibleacres...
Happy growing!

[@edibleacres]

Important Note: Folks have mentioned this in the comments, and it's worth mentioning again... VERY important you ask whoever you are buying your bales from if they spray anything on their fields... Some farmers use herbicides on hayfields and you never want bales from those folks. You'd be happy to have bales that have weeds or coarse stalks, etc., so you can let them know you want completely unsprayed bales with whatever is growing in them...

[@dianeduanecounterman7126]

Danny from Deep South Homestead mulched with hay and used hay compost. It killed broadleaf veggies. The hay field had been sprayed with broadleaf killer before baling. Maybe called Grazon. It carried over into the manure and mulch. He could not use that compost for 2 to 3 years. Duane

[@johnpowell8568]

Thank you so much for your wonderful videos!Your explanation of why to use hay instead of straw was illuminating.I'm an old school straw advocate, with hay being an 'incidental' add-in if it was already there.You've opened my mind to a new way of looking at hay!Thank you.Watching you work, It suddenly occurred to me your method of making bed-gardens is THE answer to creating first time gardens on barren/rocky/poor soil areas that otherwise wouldn't yield much.

[@deborahcrutchfield5022]

Thank you for this video . Just what I having looking for. Joined your channel today. Can’t wait to see what your Grandmother grows. Love. Gardening , I am 65. Retired two years ago. Have a Wonderful day

[@punkyroo]

"rotten stuff and square things" LOL! :D Great garden build! Thanks for sharing.

[@londonpickering8675]

Very interesting. Thank you for taking the time to record, edit and post.

[@edibleacres]

Of course, my pleasure!

[@02271953me]

I hope your mom's new gardens went well for her. Was hoping to see an update. Great video, btw!

[@edibleacres]

They worked out pretty nicely

[@MrBraffZachlin]

what a nice boy you are :) helping your momma....good solution to

[@michellemcguire6249]

Excited to see how everything grows and what your mom plants! Thank you for the great video!

[@edibleacres]

We'll do an update video to share when the time is right.

[@trishferrer8209]

I want to see the results too! Thank you for this video. 🙂

[@JanColdwater]

I love this idea! I think I will do this in hugelkultur mound style! Lay tree wood under the hay, then wrap each in chicken wire. Then spread the hay around the edges, up against the chicken wire so it holds the composted soil inside! Thanks for the idea! 👍

[@kerim.peardon5551]

I have used straw bales a couple of times now and I have to say that there's no problem with them breaking down. When I broke mine apart at the end of last year, the straw fell into little pieces and my bed ended up looking like I had lightly mulched it with straw. When I went to plant directly into the bed this year, the straw was just a thin top cover. I planted herbs in that bed and they went crazy. I even had some tomatoes from last year self-seed in the bed and I have tomato plants about 6' tall. So everything there seems to be happy with the straw breakdown. This year, I did the bales in a different area. Whereas last year we were in a severe drought, this year we have had well above average rainfall. My straw bales from this year have melted down until they are only 4-6" high. When I'm done with them, there will barely be any left to put on next year's bed.

[@CanadianFarmGirl1]

Great video I have been using raised beds for 6 years now and would love to try this out as we develope new beds in our front lawn that is very sandy.

[@beebob1279]

I feel your mom's pain. Bad back myself. I'm looking at putting in raised beds but I'm not quite sure where to go. So, I'm looking for ideas and have stumbled across the hay / straw bale garden. Even my beehives are higher now so I'm not bending over when working them. Fruit trees might be in the future because they are easier to manage standing up.

[@Seabee644]

Wow guys! This is really interesting and cool! I have been straw bale gardening for 6 years now and have had great success with it any where from 6 bales to 45 bales about 2 years ago. I am always looking for new ideas and wanting to learn new things. I have heard and seen other peoples posts on social media that you CAN use hay bales instead of straw, I have just nowt tried it as yet. I'm anxious to see how your mom likes the setup and how the garden progresses. I subscribed to your channel. I promise I will try not to be a big pest. Haha Have a great day! I live in Springfield, IL.

[@dianeduanecounterman7126]

Danny from Deep South Homestead found out the drawback of using hay. As someone else said, Danny bought hay for mulching. He used a small amount in a greenhouse and plants started dying. Had the hay- mulch tested and the hayfield had been sprayed for weeds before baling. This May also pass through the cows into the manure- not sure. Wheat straw in my area usually is not sprayed but you should check with the actual farmer- not just the seller. It is true hay has green (though dried) plus carbon (stems) for decomposing-composting. Straw is mostly carbon source but nitrogen (either commercial or blood meal)can be added to wet bales which will heat up and compost in about 2 weeks. Many videos on KZbin show this process. Duane

[@hopechannelcat5462]

thanks for the info on why hay instead of straw. hadn't thought of it that way. thanks for the insight

[@lblake5653]

That is very sweet of you and your friend. This is how I would want to do a garden. The older I get the less bending I can handle.

[@janp2320]

You are so right about the straw being sprayed with Roundup my son works in the fields and they do spray it right before they harvest it so that all the grain is completely dry at the same time... after learning that I have quit use using straw as bedding for my animals my dog house my chickens my cows and strawberries and started using Prairie hay for all my needs

[@edibleacres]

Yeah, pretty nasty stuff :(

[@Larry-d3i]

The good news is Roundup (Glyphosate) breaks down pretty quickly, whereas aminopyralid can last for years in the soil or in manures.

[@countdown.moments]

One great way to improve this is a layer of straw, a layer of grass clippings, a layer of straw, a layer of compost where you put your seedlings. You can do this on the poorest dirt it will create an amazing compost.

[@13c11a]

Thank you for clearing up the hay/straw issue.

[@edibleacres]

It feels important for folks to know which is which.

[@bobilott8180]

I want to try this. I'd love to see the after video. 💚

[@sylviavega-ortiz3006]

My eyes bugged out in disbelief when I heard you say $1 a bale. This Townie Girl from Pennsylvania gets charged $8 each!!

[@edibleacres]

Yeah, it was a good deal indeed!

[@gracebaptistmadisonheights8858]

Good grief I pay 6 a bale. My eyes bugged out to

[@nkel6111]

4 bucks for straw in grand rapids michigan

[@reelfunnyfishing651]

Go next door into OH, much cheaper...

[@robertl.fallin7062]

I got bales from that orange big box for 7 bucks.. unfortunately 5 had corn stalks in the middle.

[@gordonbooth8848]

To any one raised beds are great! I injured my back and now grow everything raised easily. Even trees! Every thing at convenience. I also mulch and news paper or card board stops all weeds just put on top of bails before compost...

[@Marli2023]

That made sense to me. I was hoping I could find an explanation for that. Thanks a bunch.

[@punkyroo]

And that's really some good points about hay vs straw. I am building some raised beds for next year and I was going to use straw... Now I think I'm changing my mind.. >.>

[@edibleacres]

I hope you can find inexpensive hay for yourself, really worth it.

[@simplyimpish1055]

What a good deal for the hay! What a great son you are 😋

[@tommysmith5082]

Enjoyed the video. Great info. Thanks.

[@largefamilyruralliving7434]

That's exactly what we hope to do this weekend. Although our hay bales have sat out all winter as a chicken shelter. Can't beat a dollar per Bale, that's what we paid for ours too.

[@sapodotroposo]

Such a great son & and friend!

[@user-te7zz8mv3x]

thanks so much for sharing! i am a lazy gardener and have ended up with lots of hay! i had tried composting the hay but they seemed indestructible so far whereas my kitchen waste seems to have dissolved! so i will separate out the hay and use it to start a raised bed!

[@edibleacres]

These beds have broken down over time and are now some very very nice garden beds

[@Melidontcare]

$12 worth of hay? Wow.. wish I had that source. Hey man, love your channel, we appreciate your garden methods. Liam, great idea.

[@edibleacres]

Lucked out on that. Mulch hay is generally 2-2.50 a bale around here, but $1 a bale is crazy great.

[@saltlifegull4091]

Outstanding! Do I have to do a bunch of conditioning? Thank you!!!

[@edibleacres]

We didn't and they worked out OK. When in doubt add more compost on top to be helpful to them getting started.

[@Soulman-lb3gg]

You're a good dude.

[@EmmieBruin]

Did Sasha make that shirt???? Love it!!

[@vicdogger3088]

Very good bro thanks

[@Kowzorz]

Makes me think of a hugelkultur. Would love to see an update as (or if) these start to break down.

[@edibleacres]

Certainly planning to provide an update video as things move along. Once it's seeded and transplanted into we'll share more notes.

[@sheryllbolton1179]

Do you have any video showing the project after it has plants growing? Not sure how you plant in a hay bale with what little bit of dirt you have with a transplant. We are in Middle Tennessee and we have some really hot spells and our garden is in full sun. Also, what would you recommend if you are starting from scratch and do not have the type of compost you added to your bales? We had raised beds made out of stacked 4by concrete blocks at least 10 years old and decided to tear them down. He wants to till the area and I am totally against it and want to try something different and more natural. By the way, really enjoying your videos. We are still discussing chickens which we have had before and I would love to have again. Tired of buying another person's home grown eggs. Hope you have time to reply. Thanks.

[@edibleacres]

In a super hot climate without much compost... Haybales may not be ideal. Permanent raised beds with wood or stone sides might be nice, and keeping it not super raised so they dry out would be ideal. Focus on deep mulch and getting as much organic matter as you can and I bet it will all work out!

[@jhehn3]

Hello! I love your videos. Pronunciation note: I have noticed your saying "glyphosphate" in a few videos, and I just wanted to point out that that word is "glyphosate" without the second "ph". Thanks for all the wisdom you've shared in these videos!!

[@edibleacres]

Got that feedback before and am trying to make the adjustment. I just love that Phhh sound :)

[@jhehn3]

@@edibleacres Haha I don't blame you! The phs are just so phun

[@marleneycampos]

Is there an update on this video? I’m curious on how it looks? I’m trying to do hay bales myself but I keep reading mixed reviews. Came across your page, already a fan!

[@edibleacres]

No update video, but quick note is year one they worked decently well, and eventually we framed a bit of wood around each bed and added more compost and now a few years in they work incredibly well.

[@zachfox7771]

Good shit man

[@PetalsonthePavingSlabs]

great build, great price too!

[@edibleacres]

I thought so.

[@iansalvatore3591]

What brand of shovel is that? Love your videos!

[@edibleacres]

I'll have to check, but it's just a generic metal shovel, probably $15-$20. I take a file and sharpen the tip on them and that helps them cut and work MUCH better.

[@iansalvatore3591]

Thanks man!

[@squil35]

Where did you source the rotten burlap bags? I know it’s an odd question, but I’d love to know what kind of folks would have that kind of thing on a larger scale

[@AuraofBeauty]

What is mulch hay? Where I live, grass hay (which is the least expensive I've found) is $13 a bale and straw is $8, so I've been using straw in my goat pen as bedding. Now I'm thinking that might be a really bad idea with the glycophosphate... Is mulch hay the rotten stuff people sell for cheap? If so, how do you know if it's "good" or "bad"? We're new to homesteading (just bought a property 3 months ago), so all the help is appreciated! While we followed lots of permaculture principles at our previous house in-town and did 3 years of research before moving out here, it's been really interesting to see how little we actually knew once we were on the property LOL

[@janice2532]

Why the walkway? For to grow something there as well? Beautiful job.

[@edibleacres]

You need to walk around the beds!

[@TheQuietestOnesInTheRoom]

Great video! I'm new to gardening. How long before you can start to plant food into this type of setup. Also are there certain vegetables and fruits that are best for this type of bed or all fruits and vegetables are doable?

[@ordinarychap1085]

I've used hay in the past for mulching and building soil in garden beds. I got a thick mass of weeds/grass sprouting from there. It turned me off the idea of ever using it again, unless it was composted first... Is there something I might be missing when it comes to using hay?

[@edibleacres]

It can get weedy. You'll notice that in this video we cap the hay with a thick layer of compost and will be transplanting and seeding into that compost, which will reduce weed pressure dramatically.

[@teller007]

ordinary chap You want older hay bales where the seeds from the hay or other weeds have died off.

[@MrBraffZachlin]

do you need new hay bails ever season? or do they take longer to decompose than that. i like the idea that it breaks down to a more nutrient rich medium than straw

[@edibleacres]

We're in year 2, same bales, and it seems functional and pretty good overall. I can see them breaking down enough to need 'renovation' or a new phase in life by the end of this year...

[@MrBraffZachlin]

thanks, great info

[@JanetWilham]

wonderful you helping your mom--note==if you put chicken wire around the bales or other long lasting material they hold together longer for many years of use, also use logs wired together--many many uses and less work. God bless.

[@norxgirl1]

Northern middle Tennessee here.....straw a dollar or two cheaper than hay.....2nd year to condition my straw bales, which were used as added insulation around our RV this winter .. so dual purpose.....bunch of mushrooms with 46-0-0 urea granules and daily watering so breaking down nicely. I do, however, use my spent goat hay in a Ruth Stout garden bed this year.....

[@robertlampert4407]

Thanks for sharing. Did you inoculate the burlap yourselves?

[@edibleacres]

Yep. We have other videos where we talk about that, if you check out the mushroom playlist.

[@Andrex4440]

I don't understand. So plants planted on top will then grow through the hay and then find the soil below? How can the roots grow in hay? I saw some videos where people open the hay mulch making a hole, put down some compost and plant. But your method is different, you plant on top and the roots have a long way to reach the dirt. Can you please make a comment about it? Let me understand, because I'd like to try. Thank you very much! :)

[@fatdanios]

Do you have any followup videos related to hay bale gardening? All I can find only vids (on KZbin) for the straw. Thanks!

[@jennifersissons7844]

Hay is now sprayed too. This is so farmers can bale the grass wet without the bale going mouldy. The spray called bailers friend also contains a green colouring too. No wonder horses are now getting stomach ulcers.

[@edibleacres]

That is insane. I haven't heard about that around here, so hopefully that isn't a practice in our area (yet!?)

[@danielnorthrup9440]

The sprayers are primarily used to spray a salt water mist to help cure the hay and make it more palatable. No local farmer selling hay is going to do anything like spraying dye to add to the cost, hay has been scarce and selling hasn’t been a problem. I have seen suspicious looking bright green mini hay bales sold as small pet feed.

[@ondrejv416]

How did it go? 3 years later, would you do it again? :)

[@edibleacres]

I would. I should do an update on all this at some point.

[@Mericel1]

Do you take the wire off

[@edibleacres]

I don't worry about it, I can get it later :)

[@albertosuarez4933]

just found your channel and really enjoying it! Have you had any problems with voles or mice in the hay beds? Thanks!

[@edibleacres]

Sometimes, but nothing too crazy.

[@itscomingaroundagain]

wow i had no idea there was a difference between hay and straw

[@edibleacres]

kind of a big difference!

[@itscomingaroundagain]

most def, this i know now. you've been teaching me so much, thank you

[@theeclecticnurse2485]

Lol. Didn’t grow up country. But you can learn with hard work :)

[@nkel6111]

would you address horse booboo compost? I have reservations about the added wood fibers TY

[@edibleacres]

I would have no reservations about the wood fibers, it all mixes and evens out in the end. That has been my personal experience, so take that as you wish :)

[@tyronesart]

Hi there, love you channel , I have a quick question if I may (not related to the video) if I take a cutting and root it from a 5 year old plant let's say , how old is the rooted cutting? Would it be considered a year one plant? Or the same age as the mother plant? I rooted cuttings from a 3 year old haskap, and want an idea of when to expect fruit , thanks

[@edibleacres]

I would think the 3 year old haskap when rooted will produce fruit next year. The cutting is from the younger growth, right? So the rooted cutting would most likely be 1-2 years old, 2-3 year old wood starts producing for them.

[@tyronesart]

+EdibleAcres thanks for the info , keep up the great work

[@nkel6111]

any comment on horse manure and any form of disease. Also most horse manure around here has wood combined together, will this wood raise pH level or have inherent pathogens. TY

[@edibleacres]

The only concern I have with manure is how the animals are being raised/maintained. Horses seem to be a strong candidate for a LOT of deworming and other pharmaceuticals. That makes for some toxic manure. Woodchips, sawdust, hay, straw in the manure isn't a concern in my mind in any way, though...

[@waynetadlock9719]

Loved the video, check this out. I don't spray my yard with anything. This year I made a small "baler" and baled some of the grass clippings. Planned on using them for decorations but, hey, (no pun intended), why not a (grass) Hay bale garden. Just for grins and giggles. If the cantaloupe and marigolds I planted in them grew, great. I was curious how long it'd take them to die. Long story a little shorter... I harvested 2 melons. The second one I measured- 8-1/2" and a strong five pounds. PS. There's 4 more on the way, same planting. Yeah, it works.

[@norxgirl1]

Yes, have about an acre that has been unmowed for almost a year now....wanted to get a scythe and do it by hand.....would love to be able to bale it up....thank you...

[@sjobang]

Hay also contains a greater variety of nutrients, trace substances etc., than straw.

[@edibleacres]

Excellent point. It breaks down into beautiful compost, thats for sure.

[@CovilleR]

Nice. How'd she like it? Has the hay melted into Earth by now?

[@edibleacres]

I rebuilt it this spring with actual wood boarders and topped it off with some compost and the hay had become almost entirely compost. It grew some beautiful plants this last year, and I suspect it'll be getting better this year!

[@Chief44]

Is this method less susceptible to mole invasion? That's the problem.I've had for the past couple of years in my in ground garden

[@edibleacres]

I think if you have a lot of moles they would be involved in these beds, too. We get a fair bit of mole and vole activity in the garden and find that in the end the soils are nicely textured and rich and grow well. Sometimes we lose a crop here or there but it isn't that big a deal.

[@MyChilepepper]

This is the reason why straw bale price has gone up to $15 each or more in my areas. They used to be $3 or left to rot in the fields of Van Gogh.

[@trollforge]

Havering done both, hay has more than 2x the weeds, but neither are excessive. Both need excessive watering the 1st year, but straw needs 2x the water hay does. For me water is the premium. Our hay/straw prices reflect the same difference.

[@edibleacres]

This is good info you shared here. Thanks.

[@garybrown9719]

Bermuda grass will come through concrete

[@gkranch990]

Be VERY careful with hay bales. Many farmers are now using selective herbicides that are long lasting and deadly to garden plants. Milestone is a good example. This stuff has a half life of nearly five years and it doesn't matter if it is composted, run through an animal or both. If used in a garden it will kill the plants for years to come. If used as mulch it will kill trees. Ask me how I know! Always check with the farmer before getting hay or manure.

[@edibleacres]

Thank you for this heads up. Really sorry you had this experience. 'milestone'... nice. I looked it up and it's used to help get rid of 'invasives'... Such irony that the native plant folks are willing to use such toxic crap to control things... I certainly will check in with farmers before taking hay from them after this heads up...

[@mamabear3834]

Did you say horse manure?

[@edibleacres]

Pretty sure I did. Been a long time since I made the video...

[@Larry-d3i]

I hope the hay has not been sprayed with aminopyralid or similar chemicals.

[@edibleacres]

It was not. I ask. It isn't a common chemical around here (as of yet!)

[@toordog1753]

Straw and hay are the same thing......

[@edibleacres]

They are not.

[@BrianSmith-ow6pj]

What about fire ants?

[@edibleacres]

We personally haven't had issues at all with that. Maybe we're too far north?

[@clmtdmmjcmm4489]

You have to know your source of hay. My local supplier sprays with weed killer so you wouldn’t want that on your food garden

[@edibleacres]

Very important point, I'm glad you bring this up.

[@kyrie26]

It's tempting to say "gly-phosphate" but the correct word is "glyphosate".

[@deinse82]

Yeah, this won't work. Plants don't just grow in slowly decomposing hay, they need plant available nitrogen. The bacteria that's eating the hay uses up all the nitrogen (that's seeping down from the compost), the plants don't get any. To make this work, you have to treat the bales with chemical fertilizer first. Long story short, you have to infuse them with pure nitrogen (I guess it's nitrate salts, technically), which only exists in chemical form. That's the only way to get raised beds out of straw or hay bales. Even with chemicals, it takes a couple of weeks before the bales are ready to feed plants. (and yes, you still need the compost on top...or more fertilizer, this time a more general use one). If you want organic, you have to actually compost the hay...but then you don't get the volume (so you also need to bring in soil), and you of course need to add green materials. And, for anyone who decides to go the chemical route, please, for the love of God, don't do it on bare ground. Lay down plastic, and make sure you don't let any of the nitrates escape into the ground or, worse, nearby bodies of water (you only need the plastic during the treatment process, you can get rid of it a few weeks after planting, as long as you're careful not to over-water the thing). Because nitrogen (organic, chemical, doesn't matter) kills soil life, fish, etc. etc. But, as long as you prevent runoff, the chemicals used are probably not toxic for humans (they don't DIRECTLY kill life, they create a biological process that deprives life, in water, of oxygen). Key word here, on the non-toxic to humans part: probably. But that can be said about pretty much anything. And yes, the process works like a charm, you WILL be able to grow really well in it. Keeps a lot of pests away too, because they have a hard time finding the plants. So it's an ingenious process. As long as you're willing to use some (relatively safe) chemicals, and put in the effort to protect the environment from runoff, it's not the worst idea in the world.

[@edibleacres]

Long winded bit here from you saying it won't work, but here we are 2 years later and I can say, without chemicals and fertilizers and plastics and all the stuff you said I had to use... My mom had a decently nice crop from the 1st year with this system and an amazing crop year 2. So, please don't invest so much time and energy explaining why people HAVE to use chemicals to make this work unless you've tried it yourself and have learned that to be true... Talk from experience, please.

[@deinse82]

@@edibleacres I meant that it won't work right away. I believe I mentioned that. You have to either use chemicals, or invest the time it takes for the hay to naturally break down. I don't doubt that by the second year the beds were great to plant into. Never suggested that they wouldn't be. I should also mention that I wasn't trying to tear you down, or attack you. Not all criticism is malicious. I just had an opinion and posted it. I wouldn't watch your video if I hated you. I just disagreed with this one thing. I don't know if you can see my comment history, but if you can, you will find that I'm usually supportive of organic farming methods and permaculture, and leave positive comments. And while I live in an apartment and have a full time office job, I do have a small garden outside the city, and I work on it once or twice a week. It's fully organic, I don't use chemical fertilizers. Even my house plants are chemical free. So I'm not trolling, or being malicious. Not intentionally, anyway. I will however now have to criticize again, and take exception with your other argument: the one about having to "try it" first to know about something. That's anti-intellectualism: an aversion to accepting that knowledge can be gained through learning from others (especially from books), not just through personal trial and error. I don't have to try this to know it won't work, because permaculture expert after permaculture expert all says the same thing: things don't grow well without plant available nitrogen, and the nitrogen content in fresh hay is not secret information. There isn't enough in it. You have to let this stuff break down before you can grow in it.