@jimhd I googled it right after @sueinmn was talking about it, and came up with https://www.thespruce.com/straw-bale-gardening-848248
@bjs06 started the bale gardening idea. I am so excited to see this idea, it might be the right thing to find out what grows around here.
Ginger

Here is the site for Joel Karstens, the originator of the concept: https://strawbalegardens.com/
Any kind of tight straw bales will work (not hay!) but oat, rye & wheat straw are my favorites. I get mine from a nearby farm supply store or sometimes right from a local farmer - just make sure the bales are tight
Basically, you acquire the bales, put them in the sun & corral them (so they don't collapse as they compost), put down a soaker hose - preferably with a timer, add a trellis above, condition (jump start the composting process with a prescribed course of fertilizer and water) and plant. Stand back and watch it grow, tying up plants as needed.
Once planted there is little to no weeding, no soil-borne disease, out of reach of bunnies and clean veggies. And you can plant greens or flowers in the sides of the bales for extra yield. I started using bales because I only have one spot for my tomatoes, and was getting a lot of disease because I couldn't rotate where I planted.
My 7 bale row supports 5 tomato plants and 5 peppers, which is enough for fresh eating and a little freezing, plus a supply of fresh lettuce and basil (in the sides). It is wrapped with a 30" X 50' roll (I think) of green wire fencing (not chicken wire) held by 4' steel fence posts at the corners and about every 7-8'. My plan for next year is a second row of bales where I will plant potatoes in the sides and bush beans on the top.
It's a wonderful choice for sites with poor soil, and as the bales decompose, you take the resulting compost and spread on other gardens before you put in new bales.
Sue

This is the book I purchased to get going on straw bale gardening. A wonderful resource!