Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Like other kinds of raised bed gardens, a straw bale garden shares these advantages over the usual grade level in situ garden. See more ideas about raised garden beds, garden beds and garden. The main difference is that the container is actually the straw bale itsel. At the end of the season, compost the bales, so its the ultimate in sustainable gardening too. Ive seen some really pretty and clever methods of straw bale gardening. One of the key elements to a successful straw bale garden is the trellis system. In fact, the bales themselves become the growing medium providing nutrients as they break down. Straw bale gardening is just that, planting your seedlings into bales of straw. Joel karstens book straw bale gardens it has gained new popularity. As interest grew, he became one of the most indemand garden lecturers in the country. Beginners guide to straw bale gardening safer brand.
I have about 28 bales i use and i have also created a raised bed behind all of my bales against a hill sideso i doubled my growing space. Published in 20, straw bale gardens is now printed in more than 20 languages, and karsten states that its the topselling gardening book on the planet. Although the practice of gardening in straw bales dates back to ancient times, i learned of it only a decade ago during a chance encounter with a local straw bale guru, kent rogers. Gardening with straw bales university of tennessee system. Straw bale gardening with an rs combo raised bed garden. Unlike raised beds, with straw bale gardening the bale itself forms the frame. Straw bale gardening an overview gardening of what, how. Raised bed gardening incorporating straw bales rs combo method 9781530814954 by stone, norman j and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. A variety of crops can be grown in bales, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, melons, and herbs. This excellent gardening combo means that you have all the advantages of these 2 great systems combined the used bales also provide excellent composting material for the raised bed.
Raised bed straw bale organic gardenbroke gardening. Begginer vegetable garden strawbale gardens gardening with disability straw bale garden beginner garden straw bale gardening. Ashton ritchie shows you how easy it is to grow vegetables by building a simple raised bed with bales of straw and potting mix. Straw bale gardens have taken off over the last decade or so. Layered garden beds no dig, no till, easy garden method.
Straw bale gardening a beginners guide happy diy home. We tried it this year for ourselves and our 81yearold mothermotherinlaw whos thrilled to have easier access to tending garden plants. I have been adding raised beds to my garden gradually so i can work sitting down. Dozens of helpful stepbystep, color photography illustrates how to arrange and prepare the bales to get the best results and take full advantage of all that straw bale gardening offers. As the straw breaks down over the course of the summer, it turns into compost that feeds your plants. Raised bed revolution provides you with information on size requirements for constructing raised beds, height suggestions, types of materials you can use, and creative tips for fitting the maximum garden capacity into small spacesincluding vertical gardening.
Heres the method that has made karsten the goto guru for straw bale gardening. He says strawbale gardening can be done practically anywhere, even in small spaces, as long as the bales are stable. Three of the beds are built with concrete blocks, and one with dirt bags. Gardening was a part of this channel well before fishing took over, and we are getting back to those roots with this raised bed garden. Factoring in the cost of building and gardening supplies needed for a raised bed, growing a garden isnt cheap. You can even start one right over a patch of grass you. This helps plants that need certain soil warmth to succeed, such as the peppertomatoeggplant family, the squashes and melons, and herbs like basil. Nov 11, 2016 with straw bale gardening and raised bed, you have concepts that bring out quality vegetables grown with ease meaning no hard digging, weeding etc that are the mark of groing straight into the. Beginners guide to straw bale gardening gardening with straw bales is the answer to any organic gardeners prayers.
Raised bed garden straw bale gardening the gardeners rake. A straw bale garden bed starts with a bale of straw. Raised bed straw bale organic gardenbroke gardening youtube. One key to a successful straw bale garden set up is the. Joel karsten developed the straw bale gardening method more than ten years ago. Building a straw bale garden home gardening tips and. In the sfg method this area is measured at 4 x 4 feet square. They require less water than traditional gardens and theyre an easy way to start a raised bed. Straw bale gardening the ultimate 5chapter beginners guide. Aug 14, 2019 a straw bale garden is a kind of raised bed garden. Rose will explain how to create and maintain a straw bale garden. Gardening with straw bales alan windham professor, plant pathology what is straw bale gardening.
Straw bale gardening is an easy way to setup your own veggie garden, by using the decomposing straw bales as the foundation for your garden. A pioneer and an entrepreneur, karsten has been featured in the new york times, national television and radio, and dozens of other major media outlets. Take your straw bale gardening to the next levelin mor. Gardening straw bale gardening for seniors potato vegetable gardening straw bale gardening straw gardening hay gardening raised bed garden urban gardening rodents back yard gardening zero hunger gardening strawbale gardens potato growing raised bed gardening beginner garden. Edible acres is a full service permaculture nursery. Straw bale gardening lets you control the nutrients.
Lots of additional details to setting up this trellis system in the book, but this will help you accomplish the overall objective. Straw bale gardening is a great alternative for building raised garden beds, and the modular nature of straw bales allows for gardening at any scale, from a balcony to a community. Thats why were using more surface gardening methods, including lasagna, raised bed, straw bale and hugelkultur. I want to incorporate straw bale gardening this year into my veggie garden. In straw bale solutions, the next book in the straw bale gardening series, you will find over two dozen stories of straw bale gardens that inspire. Besides being easier on the back they help keep pests out of the garden. I thought it would be good for someone like me who is getting older and cannot till or cultivate beds or get down on the ground to plant and weed. How to make a raised bed from bales of straw bonnie plants. The bales are scruffy looking and arent as attractive as a welltended garden or bed, but the.
The hidden dangers of straw bale gardening the grow network. Advice vegetable gardening growing vegetables in straw bales. If you want to garden organically, the person at the garden center wont likely know how the straw was grown. Straw bale gardening involves, as the name suggests, creating a garden from straw bales. Written by joel karsten, the originator of straw bale gardening, this exciting update contains detailed, starttofinish instructions for growing vegetables in straw anywhere, plus many new ideas and projects to help you enjoy your. Growing vegetables in straw bales, strawbale gardening. An indepth guide to straw bale gardening for beginners. An instant raised bed use straw bales to grow plants and. Added a few raised beds and i will me ever go traditional gardening. Buy straw bale garden books and balebuster in straw bale garden s online store and learn all about how to grow your own straw bale garden. Hay bale gardening strawbale gardening backyard farming container gardening garden soil garden plants fruit garden garden beds organic gardening straw bale gardening 101. I have also set up most raised beds to be instant hoop greenhouses. But if the cost of construction supplies like wood and nails wont leave much room in your budget for important gardening supplies like seeds and plants, consider using a hay bale garden instead.
Straw bale gardening and millions of other books are available for amazon. Recently i decided to try the technique called straw bale gardening, after an online chat with the author, joel karsten, who wrote the book, straw bale gardens. In this article, youll find the whys, hows and wherefores. Once a straw bale has been prepared for planting, it can be transformed into a beautiful threedimensional annual garden, or host a fresh vegetable garden. Last year we had a drawing for two of the books joel sent me. To get largescale instant results, use bales of straw or hay to frame a big raised bed arranged in a rectangle, a 15bale instant garden bed will have an 8by20footfootprint. How many you pick up will depend on how big you want your garden to be. Creating a straw bale garden flea market gardening. Straw bale gardening strawbale gardening garden hay bale gardening g modern growing vegetables amazing introduction to straw bale gardening straw bale gardening is a simply a different type of container gardening. Raised bed gardening is the fastestgrowing garden strategy today, and raised bed revolution is the definitive guidebook to mastering this consistently proven and effective gardening method.
Straw bales are relatively inexpensive especially in the farm country of the prairies and wont require much more than the plants themselves. The method below uses straw bales as vessel and growing medium to grow a productive raised bed vegetable garden. A pioneer and an entrepreneur, karsten has been featured in the new york times, national television and radio, and dozens of other major media. Straw bale gardening is a type of raised bed and container gardening. A raised bed made of straw bales is a convenient, inexpensive way to build your first garden or add to your existing growing space. A straw bale garden is simply a garden where you grow your vegetables, herbs, and flowers, in straw bales rather than in a traditional garden bed. In many ways it is like growing in raised beds without having to make the raised beds. To get largescale instant results, use bales of straw or hay to frame a big raised bed arranged in a rectangle, a 15 bale instant garden bed will have an 8by20footfootprint. The only thing with a straw bale garden is that it is best to use transplants.
Works were there is no soil, or soil is contaminated. With straw bale gardening and raised bed, you have concepts that bring out quality vegetables grown with ease meaning no hard digging, weeding. I have a variety of beds all around our farm house. When my back was the worst i started doing hillside gardens and i even planted some of my crops in straw bales. When my publisher asked me to write about straw bale gardening, i tested the techniques in my own gardens and was quite impressed with the results.
These people were using square bales or straw bales. The same mix could be layered on soil to make a nonwalled raised bed and it is similar to some formulas for making walled raised beds. Besides seeds and transplants, the only additional cost is a nitrogenrich fertilizer to help get the bales ready. And if you are an older gardener like myself, you will appreciate that it is a method of raised bed gardening which is so much easier on the back. Joel karsten, author of straw bale gardens, straw bale solutions, and straw bale gardens complete, developed the straw bale gardening method more than 10 years ago. Take your straw bale gardening to the next levelin more places, with new. A pioneer and an entrepreneur, karsten has been featured in the new york times. With straw bale gardening, i have to drive to get the bales, haul them to my garden, set them up, condition them for 10 days and add soil on top. But if the cost of construction supplies like wood and nails wont leave much room in your budget for important gardening supplies like seeds and plants, consider using a hay bale garden. If you prefer wood raised beds, this has information on the.
Straw bale gardening is not something ive tried before, but it is on the cards for this year. Straw bale gardening uses a bale as the medium in which you plant. I wanted even more raised beds this year, but didnt have the time to build them. The hidden dangers of straw bale gardening the grow.
I like the idea of starting plants early in their beds and having raised beds without building more garden boxes. There are many benefits to growing in a straw bale. It sits above grade level, so theres less stooping and no kneeling to work in the garden. In a more traditional gardening style it is even layered on soil, and dug in, to create a new garden bed. Best straw bale gardening tips step by step straw bale. You can toss the dice like i did and purchase straw bales from your local garden center, but its best to source them direct from the farm. What youll soon learn there is that a strawbale garden is a garden that. While i will continue to do traditional in ground gardening, straw bale gardening will now be part of my vegetable gardens. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read straw bale gardening. The bale is first conditioned and then vegetable plants are planted and grown inside the bale. Tara nolan, author of raised bed revolution, is a garden writer and editor with a diverse background in publishing.
How to get started with straw bale gardening empress of dirt. Most fertile garden i have ever grown and i will never go back to traditional raised bed gardening after trying straw bales. This book was interesting to read and has good gardening advice. Like other forms of raised bed gardening, straw bale gardening lets you control the nutrients in your soil. In this first chapter, youll learn about the benefits of a straw bale garden and what. The usual alternative would be to use raised containers filled with potting soil. Oct 01, 2018 buy straw bale garden books and balebuster in straw bale gardens online store and learn all about how to grow your own straw bale garden. Really pack in and pack down the straw in your raised bed even building the layer up to the lip, as it will greatly compress. My garden is on a mountainside in central california. View joel karstens straw bale gardens article in the new york times. Her work has appeared in the toronto star, as well as in magazines, including readers digest and canadian living, and on websites, like designsponge. Enjoy your organic harvest and please share your straw bale gardening experiences and hay bale gardening tips with the rest of us. Here are some interesting questions and answers from our forums. Great book to introduce you to straw bale gardening, a great way to garden in large or small space.
Raised bed gardens are a great solution for growing plants if you cant bend easily, your dirt is poor, or you dont even have soil. How to build a straw bale garden strawbale gardening. Straw bale gardening ebook written by john tullock. I must say i found more useful information for free on youtube videos but if you are a paper in hand kind of person this book will tell you everything you need to know. Straw bale gardening is an ideal way to overcome nutrientlimited soil. Dig in with albertas best gardening blog for more unique gardening ideas. Straw and hay bale gardening explained flowerpotman. I have started the plants from seeds but my normal success rate is off so i cheat and go for the transplants. Straw bale gardening is simply a different type of container gardening.
Straw bale gardening grow more food, in less space, with. Straw bale gardening utilizes straw bales in place of other types of containers and is a lowmaintenance, ecofriendly way to grow plants. What about mice in my straw bale garden, doesnt straw attract rodents and snakes. I also have to drive to get my straw mulch, but it usually lasts several years. May 10, 2006 going to have to do a temperory bed soon as well have a bunch of hosta lilys and several other plants i need to dig up and move they used to be around the base of a pool but we took the pool out so now have a bunch of plants to find somewhere we can put them while we fix the former pool area as a raised bed garden. Straw bale gardens, flea market gardening style flea. They function essentially as a raised bed each bale is 1416 inches high and a container garden in one. Straw bales for raised beds garden helper, gardening. Inexpensive way to create raised beds for gardening.
There are all kinds of references and resources on how to build your nodig notill low maintenance garden. Strawbale also holds heat well, so it keeps soil temperatures warm in raised beds. Plan your bed shape and size, and buy the number of bales accordingly. It doesnt require digging in rocky or hard soil, and it creates cheap, raised beds. One of the neatest ideas ever, its not too late for you to give straw bale gardening or hay bale gardening a go somewhere around your place.
Buy a signed book for yourself or a friend from today through sunday, august 12, and save 50%. This can be scaled up or modified to fit any situation. Then a friend of mine sent me an article about hay bale gardening. Maintenance of garden beds made from straw and hay is easy, keep the bale garden watered during hot dry weather, a little bit of weeding and nature will do the rest.
An instant raised bed use straw bales to grow plants and vegetables. If your soil is so poor that amending, or enhancing, it with compost, fertilizers, or leaf mold makes you exhausted just thinking about it, then using straw bales for planting may be the perfect solution. Container gardening without the container advantages of straw bales height 2 foot raised bed no digging, cultivation soil type doesnt matter inexpensive raised bed used bales can be used as mulch, compost mobile at least. Easier to build than typical raised bed or container gardens easier to arrange and access than other raised bed gardens. A garden in a bale of the many benefits of straw bale gardening, one of the most popular is the backsaving easier access. Straw bale gardening straw bale gardening, strawbale. Looking for an engaging speaker with something new to say. Lets have a closer look at each claim, and compare straw bale gardening to traditional gardening done in soil at ground level.
Easily accessible to those who battle to reach normal garden beds, this type of gardening can be very effective and useful. Feb 06, 2017 gardening was a part of this channel well before fishing took over, and we are getting back to those roots with this raised bed garden. Joel karsten vegetable gardening 1 comment dry straw would provide a lovely home for a mouse or nest for a snake, but once the straw is saturated with water and begins to break down and heat up inside the bales, the bale is not at all hospi. We have grown tomatos, squash, eggplant, peppers, herbs, beans, it is a great way to garden. You can create raised bed gardens on your patio, lawn or compacted. The pioneer of this method, joel karsten, wrote an excellent book straw bale gardens complete, which gives all the details on straw bale gardening. This new edition of straw bale gardens complete is the only book you need to get started with the revolutionary gardening method that has taken the world by storm. Rather than growing food directly in the ground, or in raised beds filled with compost organic matter or another growing medium, in straw bale gardening, plants are placed in planting pockets of compost. How to begin hay bale gardening or how to start a straw bale garden. I wanted to save money without short cuts, and this method. Square foot gardening as with the raised garden bed is one of the most popular small garden ideas at the moment, as it allows you to truely maximize your growing abilities, by concentrating a number of different plants within the same small area.
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