The breakthrough method for growing vegetables anywhere, earlier and with no weeding paperback mar 15 20 by joel karsten author 4. Learning how to plant straw bale garden beds, on the ground or in a raised bed offers easy access to those who should not bend. It solves every impediment todays home gardeners face. There is no need to rotate crops, since each season you start with new hay bales. 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. Starting a straw bale garden is an inexpensive and viable option to working up the soil in a regular garden. The hay bale garden everything you need to get started. Oct 15, 20 if you follow the relatively simple instructions in this book, i can assure you that you will be successful in straw bale gardening. Hay bale gardening is a book that will haunt you with this one thought, why. Straw bale gardens by joel karsten goodreads share book. Straw bale gardening is also called bale gardening or mistakenly, hay bale gardening. Enjoy trying and sharing this revolutionary method and all the crops it will yield. The hidden dangers of straw bale gardening the grow. Straw and hay bale gardening explained flowerpotman.
Enjoy organic home grown vegetables in a space as little as 4 ft x 2ft. This is especially useful if you do not have space for a huge garden, or if you have difficult soil, or gravel, to work with. 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. Just be prepared to answer some questions from your neighbors. In my garden adventures with hay bale ad straw bale gardening i have tried several different gardening techniques. He also details a system for using wire and fenceposts over the bales to create a greenhouse effect. Joel karsten joins us today to share his new book straw bale gardening isbn. I make raised beds with straw, hay, leaves, twigs, or cardboard bales. Straw bale gardening grow more food, in less space, with.
Hay bales create an environment similar to gardening hills in soil. And if you know where you want your garden position the bales. While i like growing melons and gourds in the bales both are heavy feeder so i created a hay bale straw bale square garden technique to use with these crops. First get bales that still have the string tightly around the bale. Feb 01, 2015 take your straw bale gardening to the next levelin more places, with new products, and even sometimes skipping the straw entirelywith straw bale gardens complete. The straw bale process is for the person who is tired of tilling, trying to. 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. Take your straw bale gardening to the next levelin more places, with new products, and even sometimes skipping the straw entirelywith straw bale gardens complete. Hay bale gardening uses bales of hay in place of soil.
As well as bales that contain little to no weed or bale seeds. All that is needed are a few straw bales, fertilizer, a bit of compost and time to condition, plant and water the garden. Growing plants in a straw bale garden can be further elevated by locating the bales in a raised bed. An introduction to straw bale gardening stepbystep instructions for starting and maintaining your own straw bale garden tips for selecting plants and for harvesting your crops answers to common questions about straw bale gardening if you are ready to give this simple but effective gardening method. Some plants prefer a raised bed than any other system of growing. The main difference is that the container is the straw bale itself and is held together with two or three strings. Straw bale gardens have taken off over the last decade or so. Ive seen some really pretty and clever methods of straw bale gardening. If you follow the relatively simple instructions in this book, i can assure you that you will be successful in straw bale gardening. 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. The straw bale process is for the person who is tired of tilling, trying to improve soil condition, weeding, constant watering, etc. Sep 21, 2017 planting tomatoes in a bale of hay may seem like a strange gardening technique, but its actually a very effective and practical way to grow a healthy crop of tomatoes.
He has detailed his research into the technique into a very popular book, straw bale gardening. Raised bed gardening can be used with all types of garden plants. Straw bale gardening is not something ive tried before, but it is on the cards for this year. How to use hay bale gardening to increase your harvest. You can also learn more about me, joel karsten, or send questions you might have about straw bale gardening. Straw bale gardening organically grow great vegetables. Organic soilfree potting media will help hold nutrients and water more efficiently for faster growth. 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.
May 01, 2017 straw bale gardening has been around for centuries, but thanks to joel karstens book straw bale gardens it has gained new popularity. Consider the pros and cons to determine if straw bale gardening is right for you. The reception and enthusiasm for straw bale gardening, introduced in 20, has proved revolutionary in vegetable growing. I have a large raised garden that was overcome by bermuda over the last year, beginning. 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. You could consider straw bale gardening a form of composting and gardening simultaneously. For gardeners without a plot of tillable land, hay bale gardening is a way to garden in a relatively small space. Purchased the book, best investment in a book ever.
Copy and use this gardening channel coupon code 4g8z2hfv31lg to receive a discount on your purchase of the book. The soil beneath a pile of rotten hay or straw improves marvelously after a year or so, leaving a patch of humusrich earthwormpopulated earth. Search the internet for information on using hay vs. Shows our design for our future hay bale garden design. Dec, 2019 straw bale gardening can destroy your garden. Whatever you call it, its a great way to grow herbs and vegetables. In this article, youll find the whys, hows and wherefores. Ive never made the mistake of using hay, or straw makes great mulch or, for that matter, a great addition to your compost pile. Discusses why we did the design and why we will probably not set the bales with the twin on the sides. Straw bale gardening is very simple system to set up, and there are many benefits to growing this type of garden.
Very few weeds grow in straw bale gardens, and because they are elevated, weeding is easier than in a conventional garden. This book is truly a straw bale garden sbg for dummies guide. One of the coolest things about straw bale gardening is that it combines the best of container gardening with vertical gardening. Its economical, easier on your back, and is great for people with mobility issues. His book has various suggested layouts for a straw bale garden. 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. This gardening technique has been around for centuries but thanks to joel karstens book straw bale gardens it has gained new popularity.
What youll soon learn there is that a strawbale garden is a garden. The book has many beautiful photos of straw bale gardens. Using straw and compost rather than soil as beds for plants, straw. Garden guides how to grow tomatoes in bales of hay.
In fact, he uses hay bales in a simple notill raised garden bed. Once the straw inside the bale begins to decay the straw becomes conditioned compost that creates an extraordinary plant rooting environment. As your raised bed decomposes, you can add the rich humus to your garden soil. Straw bale gardens teaches gardening in a way that isnt only new but is thoroughly innovative and revolutionary to home gardening. Keep reading to find out how it can make your gardening dreams come true below. Mar 02, 2017 heres a really great book on amazon that shows you tools for hay bale gardening. 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. Straw bale gardening is simply a different type of container gardening. Jul 16, 20 one of the coolest things about straw bale gardening is that it combines the best of container gardening with vertical gardening. The technique has been around since the sixties, if not earlier.
Keep reading to find outhow it can make your gardening dreams come true below. In his book youll find the answers to why he no longer uses a rototiller or a composter. The best part of hay bale gardening is how easy it is so if you have a brown thumb or are just looking for a really simple, low maintenance way to start a garden, then hay bale gardening might be for you. The hidden dangers of straw bale gardening the grow network. Enjoy your organic harvest and please share your straw bale gardening experiences and hay bale gardening tips with the rest of us.
As interest grew, he became one of the most indemand garden lecturers in the country. Jul 22, 2016 shows our design for our future hay bale garden design. 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 straw bale experience even more. Growing vegetables in straw bales, strawbale gardening. Straw bale gardening, is a most informative and detailed book for the avid vegetable gardener. We tried it this year for ourselves and our 81yearold mothermotherinlaw whos thrilled to have easier access to tending garden plants. A garden in a bale of the many benefits of straw bale gardening, one of the most popular is the backsaving easier access. So, if your soil is poor or you want to use the raised bed method but are short on soil, you may want to consider growing your crops in hay. Or cut the bottom out of a plastic flat, pin it down onto top of bale, fill with soil and plant. Straw bale gardening gets a lot of pressand for a good reason. Karsten recommends erecting sevenfoottall posts at the end of each row of bales, and running wire between them at intervals of 10 inches from the tops of the bales. Buy the straw bale gardens book 20 by joel karsten straw bale gardening expert author and speaker.
Hay bale square garden technique the gardeners rake. Does your garden need wind protection, mulch, or a habitat for earthworms. Storey publishing liked the way epic tomatoes came out, and they said theyd really like to have a book in their portfolio about strawbale gardening, and i said, great. Straw bale gardens are a growing fad among urban gardeners and others looking for a challenging way to raise plants away from natural soil.
302 217 906 317 15 593 777 1114 531 978 751 148 1017 1339 1196 1157 954 958 728 1222 450 61 521 1155 333 1454 791 1166 724 470 562 58