This year, I decided to try something a little different.
We tipped the hay rolls onto their flat sides, covered them with a layer of compost, and planted cucumbers and pumpkins right on top. The hay underneath should slowly break down, helping to retain moisture while feeding the plants over time.
So far, I have to say… I’m pretty impressed!
The cucumbers and pumpkins seem to be enjoying their unusual home. The vines are growing well, the leaves are lush and healthy, and everything looks surprisingly happy considering they’re growing on what used to be a hay bale.
Was it a good idea? Time will tell.
I’m curious to see how the plants perform through the rest of the summer and whether the harvest will be as good as it looks right now. Gardening is full of experiments, and honestly, that’s one of the things I love most about it.
Have you ever grown vegetables on hay bales or tried an unconventional gardening method? I’d love to hear about your own gardening experiments!
Ilze
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A great idea Ilze, my mum used compost a lot, she was a fantastic gardener!
I wish you can share some tips on composting 🙂 It’s not working for me 🙂 I have to check out what you been up to soon!
This is exactly the kind of experiment I love reading about. Not the perfectly planned, guaranteed to succeed kind. The kind where curiosity wins over caution and you just try something and see what happens.
There is something deeply satisfying about using what the land already gives you. Hay rolls feel so rooted in that. Nothing wasted. Nothing imported. Just working with what is already there.
I will be following this one closely. The garden always teaches you something you did not expect to learn and I have a feeling this experiment will be no different.
Thank you for always sharing the process and not just the result.
— Khadija | @sheknowsall.blog
Thank you, Khadija, I hope I won’t forget to share the process 🙂
This is fascinating and I’ll truly look forward to seeing what happens 🙂 ! Easy gardening also! How does it work out financially . . . how much does it relatively cost to create a bale of hay from your grass as you may not get that much produce from the one bale ?
Jānis’ dad cuts all the fields—both his and ours. Then his friends come over to bale the hay (and they never charge us for it, cause he is taking all the bales back to his farm to feed the cows).
We “stole” two hay bales for ourselves. 😄 We are lucky to have such a community!
ALSO, if I had to buy it, one bail costs 15-20 euros, BUT there are bails, that are year old and composting process has started, those are 10 euros or free… if you can collect them 🙂 I’m growing in hay bails, cause I have two, and I bet they will be good for next 5 years! Will see 🙂
So… 20 euros / 5 years… is 4 euros a year for growing pumpkin and cucumbers… I would say it’s cheap 🙂
Wow! What an interesting way of gardening, although I just love plants but I don’t have a garden to experiment with your fascinating ideas. It indeed encourages me to try something new and different. 😃
Thank you 🙂
That looks like a really good idea. Coincidentally we have a tomato plant growing from a split in a bag of our own compost
Thank you, Derrick! I hope there will be good results and I won’t forge to share!
Do you need to irrigate those plantings by hand, or do you get rain frequently enough that they get moisture that easy way?
It looks like a tidy way to grow some vegetables, if you don’t need the hay for something else…
Jānis’ dad cuts all the fields—both his and ours. Then his friends come over to bale the hay (and they never charge us for it, cause he is taking all the bales back to his farm to feed the cows).
We “stole” two hay bales for ourselves. 😄
We don’t really need them for anything else, and they’ll probably turn into big piles of rotting hay over the next few years. But that’s actually perfect—they’ll slowly break down and make a great growing bed for cucumbers and pumpkins planted on top.
Now it’s been raining, which is even better. I watered them while the seeds were germinating and the seedlings were tiny, but I don’t think I’ll need to water them anymore. Nature is taking over!
I have tried growing in hay bales with good results. I would try again if organic ones were more accessible.
Oh, Maria! Thank you – this inspired me! These rolls are from our land around us – completely organic! Maybe yours was straw-bails? Those are hard to find chemical-free!