Planting Tomatoes In Hay Bales

[crewsk]

My grandma taught me how to do this & it's the only way I have ever planted tomatoes.


Take a rectangular bale of hay & leave the strings around it, if you take them off it will fall apart & your tomato plants will fall out. Make 2 holes in the top of the hay & fill each hole with a good potting soil mix. Place a small tomato plant in each soil filled hole just like you would place them in the ground, making sure to fill in around plants with enough soil to cover roots. Water well & fertilize as necassary. As the plants grow, tie them up or place a tomato cage around each plant. Planting tomatoes this way reduces how often you have to water them & when the growing season is over, you just remove the tomato plants & place the hay in your compost pile or use it to protect plants for the winter.

 

[GB]

What a cool idea! I bet it looks pretty cool too. How deep of a hole do you make?

 

[jkath]

How many can you plant in a bale?


Thanks so much for posting this!

 

[crewsk]

I try to make my holes the same depth as the container that the plants came in. Does that make sense?

I normally get 2 plants per bale. I tried 3 one year & it was a big mess.

 

[GB]

The containers I get mine in are usually only an inch or so deep. I am guessing yours are a bit deeper. Maybe 6 inches or so might do it? What do you think?

 

[crewsk]

Yeah, 6 inches sounds about right.

 

[GB]

Thanks Crewsk. I am going to try this next year

 

[crewsk]

I hope it works for you GB! I had one tomato plant year before last that I didn't tie up or anything & it got huge. You couldn't even see the bale of hay the plant was so big. It produced some wonderful tomatoes also.

 

[middie]

wow crewsk what a neat idea ! i just brought my tomato plant back to life... got to see if i can find a bale of hay now

 

[Andy M.]

I live in a condo. I'm lucky enough to have a cultivated area behind me so S. O. can plant some flowers along with veggies and herbs.

We are very rules and regulations bound here and the chairman of the Board of Trustees and I disagree on whether or not vegetable gardens are allowed. I say they are and plant tomatos, peppers, rosemary, thyme and basil. She doesn't complain because I'm also on the board (and because the property manager agrees with me).

I can imagine what her reaction would be if I bought a bunch of hay bales and stuck my tomato plants in them! She'd probably go into cardiac arrest or have a stroke!

 

[jkath]

Crewsk, I'm buying my bales this week! I can't wait to get started!

 

[Constance]

Thank you so much for those directions! I have heard of doing this, and been curious as to just exactly how it was done.

 

[crewsk]

Andy, that would stink! I think just about anything that grows in the ground & produces flowers can be put in a flower garden(except wedds of course).


Let me know how it goes for you jkath! I'm planning on getting a bale or 2 after we move so I can at least have a few fresh tomatoes this year.

You're welcome Constance!

 

[ronjohn55]

Sheesh! I feel like such an outcast!!

Sheila and I planted all six of our tomato plants in the ground!! What were we THINKING?!?!?!?!?



John

 

[jkath]

One more question - when you buy your plants, what size/height do you get? (I'm wondering if I can use my baby plants for this, or if I should wait till they're more mature)

 

[GB]

Sheesh! I feel like such an outcast!!

Sheila and I planted all six of our tomato plants in the ground!! What were we THINKING?!?!?!?!?



John

In the ground??? But it is all dirty there

 

[crewsk]

One more question - when you buy your plants, what size/height do you get? (I'm wondering if I can use my baby plants for this, or if I should wait till they're more mature)

Your babies should be fine. Mine are normally about 5 or 6 inches tall when I get them but my grandma would plant some of hers when they were only 2 or 3 inches tall because she grew them from her own seeds.

 

[middie]

Sheesh! I feel like such an outcast!!

Sheila and I planted all six of our tomato plants in the ground!! What were we THINKING?!?!?!?!?



John

ronjohn did this not teach you anything ????????


let this be a lesson to you from now on !!! lol

 

[thumpershere2]

You can also use a bale of straw. Planting the tomatoes deeper then the container is better. Your tomato plant will get roots up to the covered part of stem and be a better plant.

 

[cats]

My husband is the expert gardener around here and I told him about this idea. He said he has heard of doing this with potatoes as well. He only wonders whether the flavor would be the same, as the plants do not get the same nutrients as when planted in the ground. Last year, we had moved into our new home a bit too late to plant a full vegetable garden and so just put some tomato plants in pots and they had like "store bought" flavor, i.e., none.