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Straw-bale gardening is a type of container gardening that uses straw bale-type construction as both the container and the planting media and the bale takes the place of both creating a container made entirely of straw. It is mainly used as a method for growing vegetables and can be done following the practices of organic farming that uses the decomposing interior of the straw bale as the soil and the exterior of the bale as the container. This method of gardening can be used by people with limited mobility, poor soil, or those without the space for a traditional soil type garden. Documented use of this method of gardening has been found back as far as the ancient Aztecs and has become increasingly popular since the 1990s.

History
Straw-bale gardening is said to date back to the ancient Egyptians and Aztecs who used it as a way of growing plants in wet conditions that would not support normal dirt planting. It has been found in Aztec writings, history, and art.

Straw-bale gardening became popular in the 1990s due to the number of organic gardeners who would plant in the bales as they were decomposing in their compost piles.

Process
In straw-bale gardening, plants grow on the interior rotting portion of the straw bale. As such, it is best to use bales that are older as opposed to new. Fertilizer of ammonium nitrate, blood meal, or fish emulsion can be used to assist and speed up the decomposing of the bale. The carbon in the straw is decomposed by bacteria and worms which also feed on the supplemental nitrogen in the fertilizer to speed up this decomposition and create a rich soil similar to traditional compost. During the decomposition process, the bales release nutrients that are then absorbed by the plants. The bales also release a significant amount of heat as they decompose, and it is this release of heat that makes this method of gardening so advantageous to gardeners in colder climates, because they can plant earlier and this extends their growing season.

Conditioning the bale is considered one of the most important parts of the process. It involves soaking the bale on a daily basis for approximately 2 weeks in addition to adding a nitrogen fertilizer.

Benefits
Straw-bale gardening is said to have many benefits including being able to retain moisture, reduce the need for watering, increased airflow to the roots of the plants, less disease and no weed seeds like in regular topsoil. It can also be done completely organic with no need for any chemicals or fertilization. Since straw bales are raised, it is easier for those who are older or in wheelchairs to be able to plant. Due to the size of the bales, they can also be used by those with small yards.

Drawbacks
Straw is more prone to mold than normal soil and as such can damage plants if not monitored properly. Mold can be controlled by adjusted fertilizer amounts in the bales. Once saturated with water, straw bales become extremely heavy. As such, it is advised that those using this method place the bales in a place where they do not plan on moving them until after harvest.