I first learned of Straw Bale Gardening when my Mother-In-Law sent me a link on Facebook. I was immediately impressed and wanted to learn more. Over the next couple of weeks Sam and I discussed the project and we decided that the Straw Bale method would be a great fit for the area of "no man's land" on the south side of our house. It is a narrow stretch of grass and weeks that leads to the back yard.
For Mother's Day Ada and Sam gave me a new shovel and
this book written by
Joel Karsten. The book is super easy to read, is full of beautiful illustrations and photos, and offers a lot of practical information about growing, harvesting and composting your garden. I have already applied the knowledge to the plants growing in my raised beds as well. The book is a worthwhile reference for any gardener's bookcase.
Sam took on the task of conditioning the bales and preparing them for planting. The whole process takes about two weeks. We planted squash, potatoes, bell peppers and corn in our 7 bales.
Before coming across this gardening method we had been considering building a raised bed next to the house. The location is ideal for growing as it gets so much direct sunlight although the watering situation concerned me. I was hesitsant to be watering heavely right next to our home's foundation. The Straw Bale Method provides an awesome solution to that worry.
We stretched a soaker hose across the top of the bales and for the most part, the bales retain all the water needed to keep our veggie roots happy. I don't have to worry!
So far we are seeing great results. I look forward to keeping you posted as the season progresses. I encourage you to check out the advantages to growing from straw bales. Let me know what you think!
Here you can see three bales. One bale contains three potato plants and the two others contain two squash plants each. You can also add companion plants to the sides of the bales. So far I have started Marigolds and Pansies.
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