Ciara Radecker

Hi Taryn,

Thanks for your reply.

I live in New Zealand in a temperate maritime climate. Mild winters which rarely get to freezing and also mild summers averaging low to mid 20's c. The most extreme aspect of the weather here is the wind which often reaches 35+kmph and can be 100+ kmph. The raised bed would have a wind break around which has really helped with my container growing this year. It is also a very humid climate.

I would be planning to grow mostly veg. Tomato, capsicum, courgette, aubergine, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, beans, peas, onion, garlic, herbs and lettuce.

My main question really is if straw bales can be left in a raised bed to decompose the 2nd and 3rd year with new annual veggies growing on top in a fresh layer of compost over the first year straw bales. Everything i read about spent bales advises removing them for putting into a designated compost bin. Could i not just let them compost in place with new veg growing on top?

The no dig system i was looking at was newspaper-lucerne-manure/compost-straw-manure/compost-straw.

If i put down newspaper and lucerne, added straw bales on top with planting pockets of compost for the first year, then as the bales break down add a layer of manure/ compost on top and a layer of straw and plant in these new top layers the 2nd year. Would this be too much straw? Or would the composting straw underneath negatively (or positively) affect the growth of 2nd year veggies?

Sorry for the long explanations, i'm sure i'll pick up the  lingo to explain myself better as i go

Hi everyone.

I'm mew on here and to gardening so would like some advice to get going.

This summer I have grown a few veggies in containers and would like to build a raised bed for next season.

We have a small patch of rocky soil out the front of our house. It faces easts so gets lots of morning sun and goes in the shade by 5pm. Its also very exposed to high winds.

I was planning on buildinng a raised bed approx 5ft x 4ft. I'm am deciding between strawbales surrounded by wood for the first year, then as they decompose over the first year or two add compost and manure on top to slowly create a no dig bed layer system.
Or should i just start with building the layers of newspaper, fertiliser, straw, compost) and not use strawbales.

The strawbales was mainly to save on money for the initial set. Is it ok to let strawbales rot in place and add layers on top each year? I do not have space for a seperate compost area. From what i've read people using strawbales put them on the compost after and start with new bales.

Any advice on this or facotrs i have not considered would be appreciated.

Thanks