Straw Bale Gardening with Style
An article I wrote about straw bale gardening appears in the latest July/Aug 2012 Northern Gardener magazine. My friend Karen found a new way to container garden using straw bales as the growing medium. That’s right, no potting soil just bales of straw.
Karen wasn’t thrilled with the messiness of the straw bale method so she went one step further and bought galvanized aluminum horse watering troughs at a local farm store to hold the bales. She painted the troughs beautiful shades of pale yellow and green and when she was finished had containers that were stylish enough to fit into any landscape.
Karen painting the horse trough
My article explains how to primer and paint the troughs and also how to prepare the straw bales to plant. I could tell you how right here, but you wouldn’t be inclined to buy the Northern Gardener magazine then, would you?
Northern Gardener magazine is available in many MN bookstores and garden centers, but I recommend buying a year’s subscription–at least!–on NorthernGardener.org. You don’t have to be a member of the MN State Horticultural Society to subscribe, but there are a lot of membership perks when you belong including getting the magazine and if you are already a member of a garden club or are a Master Gardener your membership may be reduced.
So join the MSHS or buy a subscription to our really terrific northern-specific magazine. You will be glad you did!
Pumpkins growing in the straw bale trough garden.