One day we may all get there, but if you have trouble now getting down on your hands and knees to work the soil, then Straw Bale Gardening is perfect for you! The advantages are numberous to gardeners with physical limitations, making this method perfect for “seasoned” gardeners to take up the method. For folks who use a wheelchair to move around, or for those who need to sit in a chair while they plant and harvest, the bales are at a perfect height to accomodate a seated gardener. With traditional soil gardens, it is common to rototill or double dig the garden each spring with a shovel. These tasks are extremely physically demanding, and require tools and extra man power. A SBG can be done with zero tools, although a hand trowel and pruner are helpful. Once the bales are delivered and set into place, there isn’t any additional heavy physical work required. Most of the planting and harvesting is done at knee height, allowing the passionate gardener to keep on growing well into their later years.
These images are of a couple of avid Straw Bale Gardeners both in their mid 90’s. So if you’ve thought about giving up your garden, stop, and start a Straw Bale Garden. It may be a new trick that will allow you or someone you love to keep enjoying their passsion to garden for many years beyond a normal soil gardener.
