A few weeks ago, when I was visiting my friend and Conway neighbor Deliah Rosel, I saw a brilliant way to grow vegetables. Deliah used to store her trash cans in a wooden box on the stone patio next to her front door. Now, the top and front of the wooden box are gone, and inside the box there are several large cherry tomato plants growing out of bales of straw. It’s a perfect place for growing tomatoes, with great sun exposure and radiant heat from the stone patio. Because the plants are up higher, off the ground, and surrounded by patio, instead of dirt, they’re less likely to fall prey to slugs or blight.
How do you grow vegetables in straw bales? Deliah said she learned about it online. Here’s a container gardening website that explains the basic steps: http://abt.cm/2aF9DgI
It’s important to use straw, not hay, to avoid weed seeds. You need to prepare the straw bales by spreading fertilizer on them and watering them thoroughly for 10 days. The straw begins to break down and warms up in the process. If you’re going to plant seeds, you spread a mix of potting soil/compost on the top of the bale. To plant small plants, dig a hole and put in some potting soil/compost.
Deliah gave me some tips. She said she’s already bought the straw bales she’ll use next spring, figuring it is easier to get them now than in April. She also said she has a soaker hose positioned along the top of the bales, and that has been very helpful for providing her tomato plants with enough water.
I think straw bales are a great way, along with container gardens, to grow food in places that might otherwise not be seen as appropriate for a garden. The sunny side of a driveway? The patio? Places where ledge is close to the surface and there isn’t much topsoil? Many possibilities.
I am now eyeing the sunny place next to my driveway that I’ve always considered “not-useable.” Perhaps next year, I could have straw bales growing tomatoes or cucumbers.
I thought about the possibility of those veggies in my yard recently when I was bagging groceries for my co-op member work hours at Green Fields Market. Next to the paper bags was the co-op sales magazine with a photo of this perfect cool summer salad. Inside was the recipe, and I pointed it out to folks whose food I bagged.
I’ve been a member of Franklin Community Co-op for a very long time. When I first moved to Franklin County in the early 1980s, I shopped at the co-op when it was in Turners Falls and often bagged nuts and dried fruit as my member work. For many years, I didn’t do member hours, because I was too busy with work. Now, I enjoy member work hours for the additional discount I receive — and because I work with a wonderful co-op staff. There’s a lot to love about being a member owner of a co-op. I encourage you to join Franklin Community Co-op or another area food co-op.
This week we’re eating …
Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad
http://bit.ly/2aLtLBN
2 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ C. chopped fresh mint
¼ C. chopped fresh parsley
½ C. diced red onion
2 C. diced cucumber
2 C. diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
In large mixing bowl, gently toss together all of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. This chopped salad is amenable many variations. Add Kalamata olives, feta cheese, cubes of watermelon or cantaloupe, or just about any other seasonal diced veggies you like. Serve on a bed of fresh spinach or cooked leftover grains.
Local food advocate and community organizers Mary McClintock lives in Conway and works as a freelance writer for Greenfield Community College, brand promoter for Goshen-based local food company Appalachian Naturals and writer-editor for More Than Sound. Send column suggestions and recipes to: mmclinto@yahoo.com