A Straw Bale Garden
by John Yazo
Straw bale gardening is an ideal method of gardening to use if you are limited for space, your soil is to rocky or if there is poor drainage where you want to garden. It is a unique method of organic gardening.
This method of gardening is built like a raised bed garden is above ground with the exception that you use straw bales in place of soil. Any type of straw bales will work. Don't use hay bales. Hay bales have way to much seed and will be a big problem when the seeds germinate and take over the garden.
Creativity is endless with straw bale gardening. Your imagination is the limit. Straw bale gardens can be built in any shape or size. You can stack the bales on end, lay them on there side or get creative and terrace them or even build a maze.
After you have built your garden using straw bales you will need to wet them. This will start the composting process. Once they are wet let them sit for a week or two to cool down. The composting process will heat the bales. This is the same process of cooking that takes place in a traditional compost pile.
Depending if you are sowing seeds or planting transplants, there are two different methods that you can use. For sowing seeds apply a compost and soil mix on top of the bales about two to three inches thick for the seeds to grow in and if you are growing transplants you can dig small holes where the plants are going then backfill them with compost.
This method of gardening is a time saver from your traditional dug garden or raised bed garden. It is a fully organic method of gardening that will produce a healthy and productive crop or even an excellent way to grow flowers.
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