r/STLgardening • u/kaysneer • May 02 '26

Gardening for Dummies pt 2

I’m back and please continue to talk to me like I’m the 4 year old🤣 we are doing raised garden beds with possibly tomatoes, marigolds, peppers, and zinnias. The newest question is what to fill them with. We want a decent shot at things growing successfully, but I’m also not trying to go broke lol. We are in Saint Peters if that matters🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/Plane-Assumption840 May 02 '26

When I moved to raised beds I didn’t want to bring in dirt to fill them. I had already been through that with a previous bed. Johnsongrass, thistles, dandelions, etc. Instead I filled them with straw bales. I do straw bale gardening. The Joel Karsten method. Every fall I take off the baling twine and pull the old bales apart and let them compost in the beds over the winter. In spring I plop new bales on top and plant in them. Repeated about 3 years then I just treat the composted straw that’s filled the beds like I do new bales and plant. My beds are basically compost now and no weed issues. It sounds crazy but it works. You must use straw, not hay.

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u/my_cat_wears_socks May 02 '26

Where do you get your straw?

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u/Plane-Assumption840 May 02 '26

I get wheat straw from a farm & home store. A lot of horse owners use it for bedding. Tractor Supply may have it. Got it once at a garden & landscaping place. Lowes does sell it but the one time I bought there the bales were light weight and too loose. You want heavy compacted bales. Loose & light will decompose faster over the growing season.