From the New York Times: “… Are you ready to learn about a transformative garden technology that could change your life — for less than $100? No? I wasn’t sold either when I first heard about a peculiar food-growing method called straw-bale gardening”
A straw-bale garden is a garden that has been grown in a straw bale. Really. It was Mr. Karsten’s clever notion to condition the bale with a little fertilizer and water, creating a kind of instant compost pile. “The crust of the bale decomposes slowly,” he said. This is the vessel. The inside, which decays faster, “is our potting mix.” Stick a soaker hose on top, then plug some tomato seedlings into a hole gouged out of the straw. Time to wash the taint of barnyard off your hands: you’ve got a vegetable garden.
Article byMichael Tortortello. Click here to read “Grasping at Straw.”
Photo byTracy Walsh/Poser Design