When positioning your garden, turn bales on their side (so strings are on the side). Our garden this year has 24 bales, set up with 6 in the back row, and 3 rows of 2x3 bales. Arranging them together provides additional support as the bales decompose and lose structure. 3 of last year's bales were still holding their shape. Those were left in place to use for a second year! Once your bales are in place, you must spend 10-14 days "seasoning" the straw. This process jump-starts