Straw Bale Garden: Our Story

It has been well established that I love to garden. :) There is something deeply symbiotic about working with nature. Hawaiians might call it "aloha aina"... the love of the land. It is a relationship of respect where you take ownership and stewardship of the earth. We care for the garden, which in turn cares for us. <3 There are benefits physically and spiritually. Simply put, nature is good for the soul. 

I come by this deep internal sense of connection to the earth honestly. My parents kept gardens throughout my childhood. I have many happy memories of working in the garden with my mom and dad. I even have some fun memories of my sister's iguana climbing a pole and eating the fresh leaves of pea plants. :)

My grandparents on both sides also loved gardening. Both grandfathers invested a lot of time in tilling the land and forming careful gardens. My grandmothers too, of course. They also enjoyed picking berries and laying up jellies and other goodies. Their plots were always well-tended and robust with life.

I can still see my paternal grandfather walking among his corn. He is in his eighties now. His garden is smaller. He told me that this year he is probably only going to put out some tomatoes. Even so, he is still practicing that connection to his land. I can still taste his tomatoes and other vegetables, cooked as only my grandmother could. She passed away last fall. Those memories are all we have left and oh, so very precious.

My maternal grandparents did not have as much property, but they still put in wonderful gardens. I smile as I think of my grandfather talking to his little plants, much the way he spoke lovingly to his pigeons. I can almost still feel the sun warming my skin as we picked what would become the night's salad, as well as fresh strawberries for after dinner. <3 The sounds of his calls and whistles to his racer, roller, and prized pigeons zooming and looping in the sky above us still echo in my ears and in my heart. He passed away in 2010. The memories I have of him, while vivid, are not recent. 

Most precious are the memories of 2016, the year my dad went rapidly downhill with no apparent explanation. He visited often that summer, walking through my own (comparably small) garden. Dad gave me tips about growing vegetables, letting me know when my peppers would be ripe enough to pick. With every visit, he had lost more mobility. Even so, he would walk through the L-shape of my bale garden from beginning to end. We sent him home with as much fresh produce as we possibly could. These memories with my dad are my dearest and most precious. He passed away the following spring, just 69 days after being diagnosed with ALS.

None of my favorite memories of my last summer with my dad would have been possible without straw bale gardening. In spring of 2009 (I think... possibly 2010) my hubs, Giraffe, and I were all still living in a second story apartment. I had a pot of brand new tomatoes out on the deck. It was the only living thing I had grown as an adult. lol My sweet little one spoke lovingly to the plant, just like I had taught her to. She also read books to it and told it stories from the time it was a seedling. It warmed my heart to see the actions of her great grandparents reflected in her. <3

One afternoon, the local news ran a story on Joel Karsten's straw bale gardening method. I was fascinated by this idea that plants could be grown this way! I would never forget the diagram of carrots and other vegetables growing deep inside straw bales. My little deck was too small to try, but the image stayed with me. 

In 2010, we were surprised to learn that we would be able to build our own home! It had a very small backyard that felt huge to us! <3 We watched our dream grow, and then settled down into enjoying it. Our own family also grew before too long. We were a busy, happy little home. <3

By 2013, I began to want a garden. Since we live under the regulation of the local HOA, I called and asked what protocol was. To my dismay, we were not allowed to have any 'permanent' changes such as an in-ground garden. I was disappointed, but it made sense. On top of that, my spine curves in several places. The pain is at times excruciating. It feels as though my spine is made of glass which is shattering from the bottom all the way up into my neck. I knew that bending over and getting down on the ground repeatedly would be impossible for me. The same could be said of hoeing and trying to dig up a plot of dirt. 

One day, I remembered the news piece I had seen on straw bale gardening! I did not know how I might go about it, but I thought it would be worth a try. I asked Hubs what he thought, and he was all for it. In spring 2014, we picked up four bales of straw from the local TSC store. I googled information as much as I could, since I could not at the time afford to buy the book. (A rookie mistake... the book really is the best place to start! lol) I initially tried to plant in my bales facing the wrong way and completely raw (unconditioned). Further online research showed me that I needed to remove my plants and begin the process of conditioning correctly.

SBG June 2014

This is the result of my efforts that year. By June 2014, this is what I had growing out back. :) We had tomatoes, peas, cucumbers and broccoli. It was a very small garden. I did not know back then that I had wasted a lot of valuable bale space. This felt like a truly big deal to us! Our tomatoes grew well that year. I did not know about stabilizing them, so I simply used tomato cages. The result was top-heavy tomatoes that literally fell out of the bale, massive root ball and all! 

SBG July 2015

In 2015, I was determined to try again. I have to laugh at what a pro I thought I was by then! :) This time, we put up T posts and strung wire between. No tomatoes fell out of their bales this year! hehe We also branched out a little bit, growing carrots and teensy-tiny watermelon. :) My garden was still small, but felt absolutely huge to us! I was really warming up to the idea of having a green thumb! ;) The joy we found in our garden was immeasurable!

SBG July 2016

By 2016, I had this thing under control. I was ready to go big! We bought eight bales and Giraffe helped me to plant them. We had pumpkins, watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, zucchini, and more! (I have blog posts about this garden!) As I said, this was the year my dad walked through my garden during his visits. Those memories bring me joy and comfort I cannot even put into words. <3 <3 <3 <3

SBG June 2017

Last year, I began my garden after my dad passed away. This was a sincerely dark and painful time in our lives. I used 18 bales, and planted everything I could possibly think of to buy. The garden became a place where I could reflect on the searing pain of our loss, and draw close the memories of my beloved dad. This garden brought life to a heart shrouded in death. 

SBG May 2018

So, here we are in 2018. We are one year out from the loss of my dad. We started the seeds indoors for the third time, but with more information and better success than ever. My Mom (Granna), Giraffe, Koala, and I all planted seeds on the one-year mark of my dad's Heaven date. We have twenty-two bales of starter plants, and are greatly looking forward to seeing how they all grow through the summer.

Straw bale gardening started out as something interesting I heard about on the news one day while living in an apartment. It makes practical sense because of my back and other health issues. Our enjoyment of it, however, goes far beyond practicality. Straw bale gardening connects us to the earth, to one another, and to those precious relatives who have gone on without us. My children are growing up with a garden in their backyard. This would not have been possible without straw bale gardening. 

On a more personal note, the bale garden is where I find my peace. It is the place I go to breathe deeply and to center myself when the world is chaotic around me. Every seed is my friend. Every sprout is my baby. Every seedling that becomes a starter plant that then grows into six to eight feet of tomato-bearing goodness is my flesh and blood. Straw bale gardening is how I give back to the earth by sharing with friends, family, and neighbors. It is how the earth gives back to me on a soul-deep level. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone. <3