Cost of strawbales?

What are you paying for strawbales? The local farmer down the way has them for $3 right now. People buy them up for Harvest & Halloween decorations.

I don't know what people do with them afterwards, but I was thinking of posting on our local Freecycle ...a "wanted" for strawbales after people move on to different decorations.

Michelle in Michigan

3 to 3.50 is what the "going rate" is in NC, maybe a little higher at places like Home Depot, etc.

You can probably get some good deals by buying them back from the folks who got them for decorations.

I would get them when I could if you can store them until you need them.

Kent

The cheapest I have found the strawbales to be in Tucson is $6. I need to keep looking for a cheaper source.

Try asking for some "spoiled" straw/hay. Some that got wet and has turned colors. Ideal and usually for a much lower price.

Kent

Ms Katt - I LIKE your idea about using Freecycle to see if you can't grab some after Hallowe'en. I will give that a try here!

Pretty smart you 2. You should watch the stores also. A lot of them use the bales for decorations at Halloween also.

Jeanette

5-6 bucks here.

Larkie

Hummmm, wonder how much alfalfa, hay etc cost if straw costs that much? Think I'll check into that for next year.

Jeanette

In Tucson the alfalfa is twice as much as the straw. $6 for straw and $12 for the alfalfa.

Sure glad I don't have horses. And, when thinking about raising a beef for the freezer that would be a big issue too. Thanks.

Jeanette

I started my bales a couple weeks back and there is a huge difference in the color of the water that is now running out the bottom of the bales. The water coming out the bottom of the alfalfa is a nice dark rick colored green/brown and the water from the straw looks just like the water coming out of the hose.

Raymond, I read your post on the Southwest Gardening forum and I think you should direct some of those people over to this one. We might get some more converts.

And yes, I think you guys got the string thing right. Up and down

Well, you talked me into it Raymond, I just might try the Alfalfa hay next year. You guys are going to have fun in the coming months. Just be sure to keep posting for us cold weather people in the snow.

Jeanette.

LOL. There are a couple of us that you might have seen hanging around here loitering in the halls. MaryMcP and Tomatofreak are both giving the bales a shot too and they are just up the road to the north of me in the Phoenix area.

Now I need to go cut the strings in the middle like Kent suggested. I noticed last night while watering the straw that the water is starting to turn a nice dark coffee color. I think its getting close to planting time.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated.
thanks,
Ray

HOLD IT RAY!!! What do you mean "cut the strings in the middle like Kent said??? I know my eyes are bad, but I don't think Kent said to CUT the strings??? You had better take another look.

Jeanette

HOLD IT RAY!!! What do you mean "cut the strings in the middle like Kent said??? I know my eyes are bad, but I don't think Kent said to CUT the strings??? You had better take another look.

OH! I see what he meant. Cut the MIDDLE STRING!!! Not cut the strings in the middle.

Jeanette



Guess it depends on the emphasis on middle and strings. LOL

This message was edited Sep 21, 2007 12:31 AM

OK, Rayman, - now what didn't I read? The business about cutting the middle string is located in which thread?

Thanks

This must be pretty serious to get two warnings from you Jeanette. LOL
And I cut the strings last night and didnt read this until this morning. Didnt even have time for the coffee to kick in and I'm already laughing.

Its was in the "What is straw bale gardening?" thread.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/771419/
Everyone is correct, I should have said OFF the ground, rather than UP.

I was in somewhat of a hurry when I wrote it.

To recap, I have come to prefer the strings ON the ground rather than the strings OFF the ground.

Rayman:the way you have your bales is the way I prefer to plant. Strings on the ground. I see your bales have 3 strings per bale. I'd cut the middle string once I got ready to plant if it makes it harder to make a crack in the bale.

Sorry, ya'll.

Kent

I'm enjoying this thread! :-)

Kent

Straw bales cost $8.50 each at the local equestrian shop. I have been buying about two per year for mulching. Now that I want to start a bale garden, Ill ned a few more! Am hoping to source some cheaper ones at wholesale prices. Any Ideas?

Wow!! That's a lot. And I was complaining about $5. What do they charge for hay or alfalfa?

Jeanette

Im not sure. Will let you know soon when Ive been to investigate! :) Remember that my prices are in $NZ though.
Lena

Ive just found Barley Straw on TradeMe, 10 bales for $50.
This brings a new question, is barley ok?

Should be.

Great, thankyou :)

I responded on the other thread Lena. Jeanette

Lena: ask all your potential straw/hay sources if they have any "spoiled" or "old" straw, and ask for a discount.

Kent

My only source at the moment is Prebble Seeds, the local equestrian/feed shop. All other sources that Ive found are too far away after all. So back to $8.50 per bale of wheat straw.I rang Prebble yesterday asking if I could get a discount for an order of 16 bales. They said no. They order it from somewhere (wont tell me where) and only 10 bales at a time, so they have ordered some extra for me.

I will have to hire a trailer to pick it up. My bf thinks Im nuts!!! (you want to buy WHAT? 16 bales of straw???)

Now I must decide, do I go out and buy the pricey stuff or keep looking in hope of saving a few $???
Im quite excited and want to start NOW! And planting season is just beginning.
If I have to drive for hours out into the country to pick up cheap straw I may not actually be saving that much...

Thanks for the tip Kent, I will remember to ask if they have any old ones! Hopefully this time next year Ill have found a better source and be more prepared. 2 weeks ago I hadn't even heard of straw bale gardening before...!

Lena, go price the pricey stuff and quit worrying about it. You'll spend the savings in gas and time.

Jeanette

Lena: I'm with Jeanette, since you're anxious to get started, get the bales you need and that will be settled, then you'll have alot of time to get some good deals on next year's bales.

You're going to love bale gardening!

Kent

Lena, I meant, go buy the pricey stuff. From the sounds of your response on the other thread it sounds like you did. Good for you. Now have fun and let us know how you do. Jeanette

you guys have made up my mind for me, thanks...

we were thinking of putting two acres in wheat & oats this winter for bread & cereal......now that I think of it...that would give me straw for my straw bale garden. A neighbor has an old fashioned square type bailer that he's selling......switching to round bales...we'll see about this. Maybe I 'll have bales to spare just for local straw bale gardeners...& at a nice affordable price.....lol...

the hay situation has gotten bad around here...they are baling cornstalks & soybeans that didn't produce for cattle feed.


Foggy

Foggy, that sounds great!! Send me 6 bales. lol

Jeanette

Jeanette: Forgot to answer your question from last week. Clover and alfalfa hay are around $14 per bale, pea straw $16, or even more from garden centres. Ouch!
Lena

WOW!!! That is awful!

Jeanette

It is expensive. Most of New Zealands horses, sheep, and cattle live on huge paddocks year round and dont need much supplementary feeding. Only the southern end of the South Island experiences snow at low altitudes (Im on the North Island) And only race horses know what the inside of a stable looks like! Will be keeping ears and eyes open from now on, to hunt out cheaper straw for next year. My 18 bales cost me $153 plus 9x 5km trips backwards and forwards to collect it.

Oh Wow Lena, that's a lot of money isn't it? Lena, would you please put your zone number on your profile? It sure would help us to know what you are. A least it would help me. Thanks, Jeanette

Jeanette: Id like to, but I have no idea what zone I am, or how to find out. I spent some time last week looking for a map of the zones (US) just to get an idea of where everything is... all I could find was a map labelling the diferent states and provinces, no mention of zones. Id be quite interested to know my zone number too. Also, what exactly does the zone number tell me? Is it time zone or climate zone or season or all of the above? Is there a zone for the south pacific?
If you could please give me a hint on how to find it (and what it is!) id be very grateful.
Thanks, Lena

Lena and kaelkitty: just went to check for your markers at www.frappr.com/strawbalegardeners and YES!, they are there!

awesome!

keep asking for some "spoiled" hay/straw and hopefully you'll score some cheaper bales

Kent

I talked to a friend of mine at church on Sunday and he said his hay bales are $2.50 in the field.

That's what I want to use next time so I can get some experience with something other than straw.

I'll be calling on those who have been using hay/grass bales for some tips.

Kent

It has been a LONG while since I've posted, but wanted to let you know, we used our two-year bales this past spring and summer in Redwood City; have moved last month in October '07 nearly allll the way across Redwod City (out of the boglands into rich land that was a truck-farm two generations ago and in the same family still - and we have ROOM. We love it.
In any case, since we had travels for elder family care and for vacations last summer, we didn't put in so many tomatoes.

To answer someone's question (I've just skimmed back a couple of threads), our bales (no strings cut till the second year) went two seasons pretty well, and cleaned up into the compost nicely by September, mainly because we needed them to.

Our first set of bales (16, with another 8 delivered to us for a neighbor friend, to get a discount on the trucking over Hill) were $7.50 for feed-grade hay from Pescadero, CA, and of the first 35 or so of us following this thread at the beginning, I think we paid the most at that time (in US$ for early 2006). T'other week I scored five bales FREE (since that's what I could stack in and onto the l'il car) from the local grocery after they struck their October display. If these work out well, we'll be ready to ask again next year.

We're in the astonichment of gardening in Northern California after having grown up in Minnesota and Wisconsin-and-later-Manhattan winters, and are getting used to what they call winter here by starting these new bales and planning to plant our greens - it's like a Minnesota April; it gets a little chilly, but it's the season of "free water from the sky" as another gardening friend put things.

The French sorrel took the transplant quite well, the rhubarb is having a serious Sulk, and the clump of cannas is now in a longish row, doing well, but soon to be hunkering down for the winter.

The new house has a mature fig tree in the front yard, well known and beloved by the neighbors (including some who knew the grandfolks who built the place), and a pear in the side yard - pix to come. The dwarf citrus proto-orchard is doing well, still in all its pots.

I expect I'll be doing more garden journaling in this delightful new place; hello to dear familiar ones and to new faces just trying out strawbale gardening. Kent, who knew that first post of yours would grow into this shared delight? Thanks again for it.

The crock-pot spinach soufflé sounds fabulous. I'm going to try ricotta instead of the cottage cheese, and if it turns somehow into a lasagne on the second try, I'll let you know how it goes!

love,
Ruth