- 1). Set your straw bale where you want your tomato plant. Orient it so that the stalks of the straw point up and down, rather than side to side.
- 2). Water the straw bale and let it sit for at least seven days. This starts the composting process for the straw, and during the seven days, the bale heats up internally. The heat can cook a tomato plant, so wait the full seven days. Use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the straw bale is lower than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 3). Spread 2 1/2 pounds of 5 parts nitrogen, 10 parts phosphorus, 10 parts potassium fertilizer over the top of the straw bale. Let the temperature drop under 100 degrees again. Do not use too much nitrogen, or the tomato plants grow with lots of leaves and not much fruit.
- 4). Plant six tomato plants evenly throughout the straw bale. Use a trowel to push the straw apart and place a transplant tomato plant in the hole. Pull the trowel back out. Make sure you weed any grain or grass plants that have sprouted from the bale.
- 5). Water your tomato plants regularly. They may require more or less water than they do in the garden, depending on how much moisture the straw retains.
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