Anything that grows in soil should grow in a hay bale garden. If you’re new to gardening, try planting seedlings, such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, from a local garden center or home store.

After the 12th day, touch the bale to check for heat. If it is cool to touch, you can plant. To plant, dig small pockets or holes into the straw and set plants into the holes.

Just avoid hay bales, which are an animal feed crop and so contain seed heads that could germinate in your bed. How I turned my city backyard into a permaculture paradise ...