03/08/2017
Please forgive me, but I'd like to take one moment to comment from the top of my Soap Box. One reason the term STRAW BALE GARDENS® method is trademarked and copyrighted, is because it is a reference to a very specific technique. It works, there is no question, and thousands of photos available online attest that the method works. I won't argue that question any longer. Anyone who proclaims "I tried it and it didn't work for me!" should immediately be asked a simple question, "Did you follow the actual STRAW BALE GARDENS® method, or did you save $25 on the book and instead follow some wives' tale methods or fly-by-night method that you read about on a "click bate" website?" If so, then don't expect consistently good results. It took me over 20 years to develop this very specific method, which works every time it is used. So please help me out, if someone tells you they are planting a Straw Bale Garden, make sure they are following the no-fail STRAW BALE GARDENS® method. If they cannot afford to buy the book, lend them yours, or ask them to visit their library and read it. Making a small investment in education will save them from a whole summer of wasted labor, and the cost of bales, seeds, bedding plants, etc. to end up having a complete failure. The STRAW BALE GARDENS® method is not complicated, but it is very precise, with specific biological reasons why it must be done this way. I didn't make the rules, Mother Nature did, but if not followed, the new Straw Bale Gardener will probably fail. Keep in mind you can always ask questions, no question is a dumb question, but don't expect to learn the entire process explained in great detail in my books, by simply asking questions. You don't know what you don't know, is very true in this case.