annieb123
Written on Mar 23, 2019
Straw Bale Gardens is a how to guide and manual for using straw bales to make temporary raised beds for vegetable and flower gardening. The first edition was published in 2015 and this updated re-release from Quarto on their Cool Springs imprint is due out 26th March 2019, it's 208 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. This edition is updated with further info on growing non-mainstream crops such as mushroom as well as some improvements. The fundamental techniques are unchanged.
The book progresses more or less over a growing season. The introduction covers the fundamental techniques and an overview of what SBG is, and the theory behind the philosophy. The following chapters cover planning and execution, watering, planting, growing, harvesting, and using the compost from the broken down bales. There's also a chapter of plant profiles with ideas for planting and growing individual herbs and vegetables.
The index section includes a short resource list (slanted toward North American readers, but not a problem since readers in other areas can easily source the same or comparable materials online), an English/metric converter (including °F - °C), photo credits list, and a short author bio.
The photography is clear and illustrates and supports the text very well. There is a lot of good information here. I am looking forward to incorporating some of these ideas into my vegetable and herb garden this year.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes