Straw Bale Gardening
By Modestah
@Modestah (11179)
United States
March 4, 2008 6:21pm CST
have you heard of this method?
it would be incredibly ideal for us as our soil is terribly rocky (living in the hills as we do) I actually think it would be cost effective because otherwise I need to do raised bed and that takes so much soil! I can hardly wait to give this method a try...I imagine you could use all sorts of creativity with placement of the bales for show and design as well as function. And for renters you haven't torn up the lawn by using this method and the bales can be turned into compost when you are done! apparently you do not have the weed problems of ground planting - and it has to be easier on the back and knees!
Straw Bale gardening
http://www.carolinacountry.com/cgardens/thismonth/march06guide/straw.html
make sure to click on the picture for a better view! this is too cool!
3 responses
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
7 Mar 08
Wow, what a neat idea! I would love to have a garden here but we're renting and the ground is uneven and rocky anyway.
This would work! Wonder if I could convince my husband that he needs this for a project.
1 person likes this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
5 Mar 08
This sounds kind of neat. Especially if you have a place to compost the old straw or a place where it wouldn't matter to spread it over the ground for winter. It would also make a good mulch for the winter.
It would also be possible to add a pocket to hold more growing medium just in case the straw doesn't have exactly what it needs.
An easy alternative to getting them started would be using regular cleaning ammonia. Make sure it is clear. Blood meal, bone meal and green sand would also be beneficial.
Something else that can be done with the bales in winter is to make a green house. What you do is make a box with the straw. Then cover it with glass or old windows. This is perfect for extending a growing season if you are already using the straw. Might as well get all that you can out of them. LOL
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
7 Mar 08
I don't know if either one of you have visited www.backwoodshome.com or H.E.N.com, for all the good things we like to learn.
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
9 Mar 08
Oh my goodness, what a GREAT idea! Hubby has had two hip replacements and his knees kill him if he has to get on them. I do not enjoy doing all the weeding and maintenence of a garden. This is a great alternative. I found it interesting that he didn't have to use any liquid sevin or anything! I too, cannot wait to try this gardening method! We have a terrible weed problem in our garden and I can't wait to see if this is better for us. I liked his method of ridding the bales of the grass shoots... a trimming with a steakknife! Ha!
