How to condition and plant a bale of straw for gardening. Theyre like growbags at a fraction of the cost and. Health benefits of gardening and recipes to use your fresh produce. Mar 26, 2019 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. Secrets to start you organic garden are you just starting out with gardening. They function essentially as a raised bed each bale is 1416 inches high and a container garden in one.
A beginners guide to straw bale gardening by craig lehoullier. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read growing vegetables in straw bales. Chapter 1 the straw bale gardens story a decade ago, no one had heard of straw bale gardening. That includes researching and sourcing the best books and products to help individuals master the skills they need in times like these and beyond.
The straw bale process is for the person who is tired of tilling, trying to improve soil condition, weeding, constant watering, etc. Beginners guide to straw bale gardening safer brand. Straw bale gardening grow more food, in less space, with. Hay bale gardening is easy and the garden area has a unique look. Straw bale gardening uses a bale as the medium in which you plant. Information on container, raised beds, square foot, organic and straw bale gardens. Supplement the book by googling straw bale gardening and get some advice from others that have also been employing this technique for years. Aug 19, 20 transform your garden with a bail of hay and meet the man who wrote the book on it. Oct 15, 20 combining container gardening with vegetable gardening, straw bale gardening breaks the notion that plants can only grow in soil as these dirtless gardens plans will cause your plants to explode. Straw bale gardening is a great alternative for building raised garden beds, and the. Joel karstens book on this breakthrough method of gardening is well written, informative, and beautifully illustrated.
I want to incorporate straw bale gardening this year into my veggie garden. Written by joel karsten, the originator of straw bale gardening, this exciting update contains detailed, starttofinish. 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. His lastest book straw bale gardens complete 2nd edition, is on cool springs press through quarto publishing company.
In addition to purchasing bales of straw, youll need some simple equipment to get your straw bale garden started. 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. Very few weeds grow in straw bale gardens, and because they are elevated, weeding is easier than in a conventional garden. If you are able to grow food in soil, keep doing it. One of the coolest things about straw bale gardening is that it combines the best of container gardening with vertical gardening. Looking for an engaging speaker with something new to say.
Yet she liked strawbale gardening as a lowcost technique that uses. You are going to use conditioning to quickly speed the decomposition of your bale. Divyoull find a bumper crop of vegetable gardening books on the shelves today, but it is a very rare title that actually contains new information. First get bales that still have the string tightly around the bale. In larger terms, it is a focus on the larger ecosystem. If you like tomatoes, then youll want to seriously consider growing them in straw bales. Growing 10 foot tall tomato plants in straw bales straw. The book seems a good overview of the method, instructions are clear. The hidden dangers of straw bale gardening the grow network. Straw bale gardening is very simple system to set up, and there are many benefits to growing this type of garden. Joel karsten perfected the methods of straw bale gardening during more than 20 years and has written many excellent books about the subject.
The straw is an easy, loose place for the plants to spread out their roots. Straw bale gardening is also called bale gardening or mistakenly, hay bale gardening. Breakthrough vegetable gardening method allnew information on. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read straw bale gardening. Watoga trail report thank you for supporting local journalism dtc tends to town business in the new, normal way.
Buy the straw bale gardens book 20 by joel karsten straw bale gardening expert author and speaker. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Ever since the publication of his book, straw bale gardens cool springs press, joel karsten has become something of a gardening celebrity, making television and youtube appearances, being interviewed by major papers, and gathering a facebook following that counts over 27,000 likes. Straw bale gardening is just that, planting your seedlings into bales of straw. If youre an urban gardener, you may have thought of straw bale gardening. The 20 best gardening books for your home reference library. This technique might be an option if you have no soil, or your soil is contaminated, chemically or with diseases. Straw bale gardening ebook written by john tullock. Straw bale gardens have taken off over the last decade or so. Are you are wondering how you can start gardening and learning all of the necessary techniques. Straw bale gardening is simply a different type of container gardening. How to grow tomatoes in straw bales home guides sf gate.
Theyre like growbags at a fraction of the cost and without the plastic waste. Straw bale gardening is a gardening technique where the bales acts as natural containers for your plants. 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. Ive seen some really pretty and clever methods of straw bale gardening. Sep 19, 2009 straw bales not hay bales are a great place to plant vegetables. Growing vegetables in straw bales, strawbale gardening. Autographed copies of any of his books can be purchased here on this website. The technique allows you to put a substantial but temporary garden almost anywhere, even if your yards sunniest spot happens to be the middle of your driveway. Straw bales not hay bales are a great place to plant vegetables. At the end of the season, compost the bales, so its the ultimate in sustainable gardening too. And if youre interested in growing 10 foot tall tomato plants, then look no further this is your new growing method.
Straw bale gardens 1st edition straw bale garden club. Driveway container and straw bale gardening mother earth. Straw bale gardening, is a most informative and detailed book for the avid vegetable gardener. Straw bale gardens, flea market gardening style flea. I also use a square bale garden formation for heavy feeding plants, lay out the bales for an interesting garden and have mossed the sides of the bales for a very artistic flower garden. If you are hoping to find enough space to grow even a tomato plant or two, building a garden with straw bales creates a whole new range of possibilities. Readers agree, the books are filled with information that a new straw bale gardener really cant do without. 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 strawbale guru, kent rogers. Straw bale gardens complete joel karsten 9780760365236. 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. Dec, 2019 straw bale gardening can destroy your garden.
A storey basics title ebook written by craig lehoullier. Organic fertilizer especially bone meal or blood meal. When it comes to thrifty, versatile ways to garden, its hard to beat gardening using a bale of straw. By now, even the most casual gardeners have heard of straw bale gardening, the pioneering method to gardening introduced by joel karsten. 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. What youll soon learn there is that a strawbale garden is a garden that. This type of gardening looks for solutions that improve the health of the soil, the plant, and the animals that surround the garden. He presents his revolutionary new gardening methods with an engaging style using humor, life lessons and stories that will get every member of the audience excited to try his revolutionary straw bale gardening system. I like the idea as have just taken over a garden with thin, acidic soil at 850 feet on dartmoor. By fitting straw bale gardening into your garden plans, you can overcome these obstacles. A pioneer and an entrepreneur, karsten has been featured in the new york times, national television and radio. Ever since the publication of his book, straw bale gardens cool springs press, joel karsten has become something of a gardening celebrity, making television and youtube appearances, being interviewed by major papers, and gathering a facebook following that. Once the straw inside the bale begins to decay the straw becomes conditioned compost that creates an extraordinary plant rooting environment.
I have a variety of beds all around our farm house. A beginners guide to straw bale gardening raleigh news. Straw bale gardening works off that same idea and the processes that creates compost. Its economical, easier on your back, and is great for people with mobility issues. Straw bale gardens teaches gardening in a way that isnt only new but is thoroughly innovative and revolutionary to home gardening. If you skip this part your plant roots will be affected by the heat created from the compositing process and it will kill the plants. How to begin hay bale gardening or how to start a straw bale garden duration. Sheets of newspaper or cardboard to place under the bales. As joel attests, the books are simply tools essential to learning the techniques and protocols that took me over 20 years to perfect. His books contain all the ins and outs on how to setup, condition and care for straw bales helping you to grow almost any plant in them. This gardening technique works well anywhere in the country or the world for that matter.
Straw bale gardening gets a lot of pressand for a good reason. How to grow vegetables and herbs without any digging by sarah mcmillan 20141024 by sarah mcmillan. 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 gardens complete, updated edition by joel karsten. Straw bale gardening ultimate 5chapter beginners guide. It doesnt require digging in rocky or hard soil, and it creates cheap, raised beds. In plain terms, organic gardening means growing without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Straw bale gardeningday 1 conditioning the bales duration. This new edition of straw bale gardens complete is the only book you need to get started with the revolutionary gardening method that has. Beginners guide to straw bale gardening gardening with straw bales is the answer to any organic gardeners prayers. Consider the pros and cons to determine if straw bale gardening is right for you. Best straw bale gardening tips step by step straw bale. This makes it a great choice for anyone with hard soil or no soil at all, as all the magic takes place above the surface of the ground.
The main difference is that the container is the straw bale itself and is held together with two or three strings. Straw bale gardening is more work, takes more water and uses more fertilizer than traditional gardening. An indepth guide to straw bale gardening for beginners. Whatever you call it, its a great way to grow herbs and vegetables. Straw bale gardens complete, updated edition joel karsten. Straw bale planters are an easy solution for people lacking clean soil or extra space for gardening. The hidden dangers of straw bale gardening the grow. Today, more than half a million people all around the globe are growing vegetables in straw, often in climates and areas where a vegetable garden was never an option. As interest grew, he became one of the most indemand garden lecturers in the country. If you are hoping to find enough space to grow even a tomato plant or two, building a garden with straw bales creates a whole.