Straw Bale Gardening in Seattle

We're halfway through May, and it's time for some Spring Time Fun with the ladies from The Blended Blog.  Today we're talking about gardens in different climates.  If you're visiting from Leslie or Sheila's blogs, thanks for stopping by, and we hope you'll link up with us below!

For many years we planted a large vegetable garden, mostly because our youngest son begged us to.  We have the perfect spot in our backyard, nice and flat and sunny.  But as he lost interest, so did we.  Gardens are a lot of work, and our neighbors were tired of finding zucchini presents on their front porches.  Sadly, our garden became neglected and overgrown.

But recently my husband read about straw bale gardens, and the idea intrigued us.  Spring in the Pacific Northwest is traditionally cool and wet, so planting has to wait until late May or June, which leads to a short growing season.  By conditioning compressed straw bales with fertilizer and water for a few weeks, the straw begins to compost and release heat, which allows earlier planting and more success.

After the bales have conditioned for a few weeks, you can plant vegetable starts directly into the straw by making small holes.  Or, spread a little potting soil on top and plant seeds. Then keep watering, and soon you'll have a full garden.  No weeds, no mess, and no more fertilizing needed.

This past weekend we spent a day preparing our yard area.

Tomorrow we'll pick up the straw bales and start the conditioning process.  Hopefully we'll be able to plant these guys in a few weeks and start sharing zucchini with our neighbors again.  I'm sure they're as excited as we are!

Have you ever planted a straw bale garden?  Or any kind of garden?  Be sure to visit Sheila in Florida and Leslie in Texas to see how their gardens grow.  We hope you'll link up with us below!

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