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Straw Bale Provides Solution For Those Who Want To Garden But Don't Have Space

By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you live in the city, and don't have a lot of space for a garden, there may be one option that can work for you. There is going to be a straw bale workshop taking place today from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at Greensgrow Farms in Kensington.

So, the soil behind your row home is poor, mixed with glass and worse, or you only have a small balcony. Fear not, there is a growing medium that can work for you.

Nathan Hasler-Brooks, a farmer at Greensgrow Farms, a community supported agriculture operation, says all you need is a straw bale. They measure about 2-and-a-half feet long, 20-inches wide and 20-inches deep.

"You don't pull a dry hay bale out of the barn and plant it, it's got to be broken down first, so you need to start the hay bale a few weeks ahead of time."

He says two weeks is good to start the break down process. Hasler-Brooks says the great part about the bales is there is no soil, you plant directly in the bale after it starts to decompose, and so there's no weeding necessary.

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