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39 Comments
I put straw down when I planted my fall garden three years ago and it resulted in adding more pests (slugs, snails, etc.) to our garden because of the over abundance of rain and humidity in TN. I would caution those living in areas like mine to test a small section of your garden before putting straw down. Fortunately we only added straw to one bed that year and removed it when we saw the problem. 😂❤
i dont work in my truck patch ..but ive had the same beds over 20 years now that are mulched with grass and leaves every years and topped off with poulty manure
I grow in 10 gallon containers and do the same thing. 6" of soil in top of the straw keeps plants happy, use 1/2 the water i used to. Win win.
Needed this- its been dry this half of the summer and even the trees are struggling
GETTING "CLEAN" STRAW…. Is becoming impossible. Wheat is almost ALL….GETTING SPRAYED with RoundUp to force Simultaneous Maturity of all the wheat berries.
When you say “plant right on top of it” do you mean you can literally plant right through it? As in did a hole right into it and stick a plant in?
Awesome
Would dried grass or hay work?
I’m excited to try this. I’ve been learning about hot beds this year, and this information answers some questions I had about the hot bed process, as well (which in an ideal situation makes use of straw and horse manure). This was a FANTASTIC video. Thank you!
I have never found a source of "safe" straw in south Texas.
Thanks Luke!❤
This sounds like a great idea except for us old gardeners that have trouble digging a trench like that. I know I would never be able to do that. Its very interesting but I don't think this is ideal for me.
The last bales of wheat straw I used contained GRAZON and killed my plants 🙁 Make sure your straw is clean, if you can. Also use Ollas with clay pots 🙂
This is not Permaculture style gardening for sure! Why not just lay the straw on top of the soil? You damage all the life within the soil by digging up the soil making those trenches- especially. The more often you do it the more compromised the soil becomes.
If you want to be able to water less frequently, make a hugelkulture bed. Put logs at the bottom of a trough that will break down slowly and cover it with organic matter and soil/compost at the top.
You mean either: "…people wrote in [or] people have written in.." not "..people have wrote in…".
If the straw is treated with grazon, your garden will die. Mine did! There is no way to know unless you can get it from a local farmer and he is honest.
Just curious why don't mulch to help water conservation too?
Looks similar to a "Hugle bed". …. Sepp Holzer
I bought 2 bales of straw from the large farmers market near me in Metro Detroit (1 farm only) last year. I mulched some tender perennials with one bale and left the second for core gardening in the spring. I only watered my entire garden once this year. It helped of course that we had tons of rain this year which is unusual.
Living in an urban area, we have no local farmers. When I ask the people who do sell bales of straw within an hour's drive if their straw is clean, they can't answer accurately because they source from 5 or more farms. So I ALWAYS plant some bean seeds in a pot with a 1" deep mulch of the new straw before using it. The beans sprout quickly and you can easily see if the bean leaves are warped or stunted. If they're healthy you can be sure your straw is free of glyphosate (Grazon). 💚
In Australia we use sugar cane mulch which is the chopped up canes left over after processing the sugar. It’s excellent to retain moisture in the soil, decomposes well and adds nutrients to your soil
Given that my garden is a small space in the city, can i use the plants that ive let go to seed instead? All edible weeds like like lambsquarters and perilla? Or does it have to be straw?
I’ve used this method and it works. I might have to redo some beds in the spring.
I’m in South Texas, and I definitely will try this.
Would the 10×10 trench also apply to a 2 foot wide, 17 inches deep by 7 feet long raised bed? Please and thank you!!!
FYI–you think it is hot there–I live in So. Calif. with temp getting up to 108' this week!
I think next year I am going to not mulch or straw. I think it gives them a place to hide. Them as in squash bugs and cucumber beetles. I put down straw and I have had nothing but issues this year 🙁 Im in northern Indiana.
You can do the same thing with finely sifted wood chips. And they'll last a lot longer as a sponge. When I made our last raised bed, we filled the bottom with wood chips, sticks, branches, shredded leaves, and smashed pumpkins from halloween (borrowing a tip from one of Luke's previous videos). Even in our super dry summers, these plants haven't shown even a hint of water stress. The only time I've added extra water has been when we are starting new plants whose roots haven't reached very far yet. Hugelkulture for the win!
Used hay to help fill my raised beds. Didn't realize what a good thing it was. Soak the hay before covering with soil. Was just trying to fill my bed cheep and got some free hay after a work event glad to hear it was such a good thing. 😂
Thank you for this timely reminder. What little rain we get will be in the next 3 months. Im using grow pots and a moisture sink is essential. 🎉😂❤🌵🌺👍🏻
I have been getting E-Z Straw from Menards and Farm & Fleet. $12 per "bale. One year I had seeds. That was fun. 😅 This is a great idea. I have a couple of beds that I need to revamp for next spring. Thank you! The $12 bale of straw will be much less expensive and much more beneficial than just adding in soil and compost!
I do happen to have some dried grass, partially decomposed & cut up sticks, & pellets of chicken manure so I guess there is no harm in trying it out in a spot. They'd otherwise just be sitting in a pile slowly breaking down or getting added to the compost pile.
That sounds like exactly like what he did….only with longs rather thatn hay.
You just saying it lasts longer?
shredded paper also does this
Im going to be moving my concrete raised beds. Can I use rotting logs on the bottom then a layer of straw then fill it with soil?
Interesting! I had not heard of this before although I do use trench composting a lot. Very similar concept. I could see a well rotted bale working well. Similar to bale gardening as well, but in the ground. Thanks for sharing.
Luke, I will be doing this method, but….how will this effect potatoes? I am assuming the straw will break down enough for planting potatoes deep next year if you do this now. However, if waiting to do this core gardening next year, digging deep enough to plant seed potatoes, it will disturb the core when placing potatoes in ground. Also, I hope to plant garlic when I can get some from you, so this should enhance the developing garlic over winter. I have been wanting to do core gardening for sometime now, but it doesn't seem like it would be deep enough for planting some things. Please advise.
I live in Phoenix Arizona and implemented a core garden with my bed but I'm finding I'm still having to water it literally everyday otherwise if I go a day or 2 without watering, the leaves of my plants go limp although it did add quite a few mushrooms, pill bugs and centipedes into my raised bed
New subscriber here. What state/area are you in? Would dried grass clippings work?
health, mobility issues, and pocket gophers require me to garden solely in containers. Could I use the core method in a scaled down application in my half barrels and grow bags? Also I live in the zone 9a area of the California high desert ( near death valley) and water is a very important consideration for my plants.