Straw Bale Gardens Complete, Updated Edition

Book excerpt: 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. Written by Joel Karsten, the originator of Straw Bale Gardening, this exciting update contains detailed, start-to-finish instructions for growing vegetables in straw anywhere, plus many new ideas and projects to help you enjoy your straw bale experience even more. Whatever your gardening challenge, Straw Bale Gardening holds the solution. Have a small or unusual space? Straw Bale Gardening is perfect for urban, rooftop, and balcony gardens. Contaminated soil? Planting in straw bales eliminates the problem. Are you inundated by weeds? With straw bales, there is no weeding. The advantages of growing a Straw Bale Garden go on and on: they require 75 percent less labor, their raised height makes planting easier, they extend the growing season, prevent disease and insect issues, are portable, hold water well but are impossible to overwater, they create excellent compost, and can be grown 100 percent organically. Among the new subjects: Cultivating mushrooms in straw and straw bales How to grow plants in hay bales (and how to tell the difference between hay and straw) Tips and ideas for making your straw bale garden more attractive How to make a cold frame with straw bales Trellising projects for growing vertically And much more Assure your success with Straw Bale Gardening with instructions and advice direct from the inventor of the method.