Setting up a new garden can be a lot of work. Here are three ideas to set up a garden quickly and with minimal toil.
Straw Bale Garden
Straw bales provide an excellent medium to plant in, especially when starting from seed. Materials needed to start a garden in a straw bale, are: a straw bale, fertilizer high in nitrogen, and compost. Turn the bale on its side so the straw is oriented up and down. Soak the bale with water daily for 5 days or longer.
On the 5th day, add 2 lbs of blood meal or 1/2 cup of fish fertilizer dissolved in water. Do this for another 5 days or longer. Straw bales which have been left out over the winter are perfect to plant in. The winter conditions have already helped break down the straw. If this is the case, start with the fertilizer water.
To plant seed, put down a 1/2 inch layer of compost. Place the seed on top and cover with a light layer of compost. Small starts can be planted by digging out a small hole in the bale. Place the start in the hole with a little compost.
Water daily with a diluted fertilizer such as fish fertilizer or other organic fertilizer. Straw bales will need more fertilizer than the average garden, since the straw is devoid of nutrients until it breaks down.
For the quickest, easiest straw bale garden, plant lettuce and herb seeds.
Whiskey Barrel Garden
Whiskey barrels cut in half are readily available. Fill a whiskey barrel full of soil. Then, create a terrace in half of the barrel. Use bags of potting soil with holes poked in both sides of the bags.
Stack the bags 3 or 4 high along one side of the barrel. Stagger the bags like brickwork. Add another step of 2 bags. Stagger these as well. Cut a slit in the top bags for planting. Leave half of the barrel soil the level of the barrel.
The terrace work is great for planting herbs and other small plants that might get crowded out. Use the soil level with the barrel for larger plants. The soil bags can also be stacked in the middle, creating great visual appeal. Try a terrace of herbs with peppers in the front.
5 Gallon Bucket Hanging Garden
Five gallon buckets can be used to make hanging tomato gardens. Many other vegetables are suited to growing from a 5 gallon bucket. Plants to try in a bucket include: gourds, cucumbers, strawberries, beans and peas.
With minimal effort, summer vegetables can be grown in alternative gardens.
Cassandra Truax - Cassandra might be considered a jack of all trades. Starting out with a BA in Spanish with a minor in Environmental Studies, she decided ...
