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Health & Fitness

Grow Your Vegetables in Straw Bales this Summer!

by Jennifer Ebeling

Interested in starting a Straw Bale Garden this year? 

There are many reasons gardeners enjoy greater success with Straw Bale Gardening - from getting a jump start on the growing season to faster growth. No doubt about it - This interview will inspire you to give it a try in your 2014 garden!


The Still Growing gardening podcast: SG517 Straw Bale Gardening (Part 3 & Wrap Up)

In this week’s episode (SG517), I continue my chat with Joel Karsten about Straw Bale Gardening in warmer climatesdirect sowing in Straw Bale Gardensgrowing vegetables in Straw Bale Gardens, and the inspiration other gardeners have discovered through Straw Bale Gardening.

Here's a quick summary of the things Joel covers in this interview:

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  • Straw Bale Gardening in warmer climates  
  • The Advantages of  Straw Bale Garden

"You condition, you plant and you harvest. And, if you have an automatic water system set up, you don't even need to get your garden hose.

You don't have to go through a learning curve, and you don't have to rotate crops." 

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-Joel Karsten, Straw Bale Gardens

  • Joel's DIY Tomato Cage 
  • Joel's Tip for Storing Basil
  •  Direct Sowing with Straw Bale Gardening
  • Shorten Days to Maturity

"Growing in a Straw Bale - with the earlier start and fast growth - it shortens the days to maturity.

Straw Bale Gardening allows for a tomato harvest three weeks ahead of schedule.

If you look at a tomato plant, it tells you this is 100 days to maturity. Usually I tell people to knock off about 10% - so 90 days.

So, if you planted it two weeks early, and now you only have 90 days to maturity, you're saving 10 days plus another 14 days of planting earlier.

Essentially, you're getting tomatoes 23 - 26 days earlier than you normally would."

-Joel Karsten, Straw Bale Gardens

  • Vegetable Growing in Straw Bales
  • Some things that do not like/need to grow in Straw Bales 
  • What to do after the Harvest
  • Some Classic First-time Edible Gardener Mistakes 
  • Joel's picks for Ornamental Edibles
  • Viola! Gladiola Straw Bale Gardening
  • Joel's trip to France
  • What Seasoned Straw Bale Gardeners Know

  • Joel's own Straw Bale Garden


All this and more on the wrap-up of my Straw Bale Gardening interview with Joel Karsten.

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