Synopses & Reviews
You’ll find a bumper crop of vegetable gardening books on the shelves today, but it is a very rare title that actually contains new information. Straw Bale Gardens teaches gardening in a way that isn’t only new but is thoroughly innovative and revolutionary to home gardening. It solves every impediment today’s home gardeners face: bad soil, weeds, a short growing season, watering problems, limited garden space, and even physical difficulty working at ground level. Developed and pioneered by author and garden expert Joel Karsten, straw bale gardens create their own growing medium and heat source so you can get an earlier start. It couldn’t be simpler or more effective: all you need is a few bales of straw, some fertilizer, and some seeds or plants, and you can create a weedless vegetable garden anywhere—even in your driveway. Karsten’s step-by-step guide offers all the information you need to make your own straw bale garden today. In this lushly photographed volume, Karsten shares all of the secrets he has developed over years of teaching eager students the miracle of straw bale gardening. You’ll learn how to locate and choose straw bales, then how to condition and plant them for the earliest possible start. You’ll master Karsten’s methods for combating plant pests and maximizing space by applying the principles of vertical gardening to his straw bales. Whether it’s seedlings or seeds, veggies or flowers, there is practically no limit to the plant varieties that will prosper in a straw bale garden—and with Karsten’s breakthrough gardening guide, you can do it all yourself.
Review
"Are you ready to learn about a transformative garden technology that could change your life - for less than $100?" - New York Times
Review
"Since the book was published in March 2013, thousands of gardeners from just about every country in the world have tried his techniques, which he pioneered shortly after receiving a degree in horticulture from the University of Minnesota." - DallasNews.com
Synopsis
Straw Bale Gardens has everything you need to know to join in on the most revolutionary gardening method in the last generation. Using author Joel Karsten’s innovative methods, even beginners can raise a successful vegetable garden.
Synopsis
Author Joel Karsten (Roseville, MN) has a B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota, where he was recruited to play football by legendary coach Lou Holtz. He was raised on a tree farm, where he learned the secrets to successful gardening from his grandmother Josephine. In addition to giving demonstrations and lecturing on the many benefits of his unique straw bale gardening technique, he is an inventor and entrepreneur with boundless enthusiasm for better solutions.
www.strawbalegardens.comLearn to Grow a Straw Bale Garden (Facebook page)
Synopsis
Straw Bale Gardens teaches gardening in a way that isn’t only new; it is thoroughly innovative and revolutionary to home gardening. Developed and pioneered by author and garden expert Joel Karsten, straw bale gardens create their own growing medium and heat source so you can get an earlier start. Unlike dirt, straw has no weed seeds and therefore no weeds. A simple drip irrigation line is all you need to fill the garden’s need for water, and because excess water simply drains off, you don’t need to worry about overwatering. It couldn’t be simpler or more effective. All you need is a few bales of straw, some fertilizer, and some seeds or plants, and you can create a weedless vegetable garden anywhere—even in your driveway.
Synopsis
Straw Bales: Nature’s Perfect Planting Container Straw Bale Gardens . . .- Get High Yields- Never Need Weeding- Do Not Require Soil- Extend Growing Season by Weeks- Can Be Conventional or 100% Organic: Your Choice- Can Go Anywhere: Even Balconies and Driveways
About the Author
Joel Karsten developed the straw bale gardening method more than ten years ago. As interest grew, he became one of the most in-demand garden lecturers in the country. A pioneer and an entrepreneur, he has been featured in the New York Times, national television and radio, and dozens of other major media outlets. He has a degree in horticulture form the University of Minnesota and currently resides in Roseville, Minnesota.
Table of Contents
IntroductionStrawPlanning Your Straw Bale GardenConditioning the BalesSeeds and SeedlingsStraw Bale GreenhouseGrowing Your Straw Bale GardenHarvest TimeWhat Remains is GoldFAQsPlan ProfilesResourcesIndex