Oh brother, this is brilliant!

I was reading a blog posting by Mama Crow about straw bales.  Now, MC has spoken before about them, and I always assumed that she was going to build a straw bale home.

But she isn't!

Well.... actually, she is...

But, she is also going to plant herself up a straw bale garden!

Photo source: http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale_garden

That is absolutely perfect for our clay / rock hard soil.  And, it is a raised bed vegetable patch at the same time!

Photo source:
http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale_garden

This is the inital layout I am planning:

Straw bale vegetable garden plan 

As you can see, being in the southern hemisphere, I have orientated the planting with the northern sunlight in mind.  I reckon planting the lettuce behind the peppers will provide enough dappled light - time will tell.  I may also alternate tomatoes and peppers bales in a row.

I am going to try both methods of laying the bales down - one bale will be with the twine side horizontal to the ground, and the alternative bale will be with the twine vertical.

The advice for successfully growing in straw bales is as follows:

• Days 1–3: Water the bales thoroughly and keep them wet.

• Days 4–6: Sprinkle the bales with 1/2 cup of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0) per bale per day, and water it well into the bales. I didn’t have any trouble finding ammonium nitrate from my local ag-supply store. They sold it in 40-pound bags. I have heard, however, that some people have had difficulty finding it in more urban settings. Ask around. (Apparently, ammonium nitrate is used in bombs - that may explain the difficulty in obtaining it.)

• Days 7–9: Cut back to 1/4 cup of ammonium nitrate per bale per day and continue to water it in well.

• Day 10: No more ammonium nitrate, but do add 1 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer per bale and water it in well.

• Day 11: Transplant your plants into the bales. I used a spatula to make a crack in the bale for each plant. Place the plant down to its first leaf and close the crack back together as best you can.
(Info source: http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgardens/thismonth/march06guide/straw.html#intro)

And, apparently, when growing squash / watermelons / pumpkins in straw bales, the crop yield is terrific.

And at the end of a years' growing, when the bales are looking really sad and sorry for themselves, simply open them up, spread the straw around, and add another straw bale on top and start all over again...

They can even be used for growing flowers in...

Googling straw bale gardening or info and images brings up a wealth of info / idea's!

I had been trying to visualize mixing clay and compost for my vegetable patch on a grand scale without a tractor / rototiller.  Now I have one more problem solved - thanks MC!

I reckon this might even work for those over there in Terlingua - their ground is even harder... J