Safety in a Failing Economy

[Okiebug61]

We had a straw bale garden this year but a drought hit us and we were not allowed any outside watering. The only thing that survived was the rosemary and the basil. I am hoping some friends will want to participate this next year.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by Okiebug61

We had a straw bale garden this year but a drought hit us and we were not allowed any outside watering. The only thing that survived was the rosemary and the basil. I am hoping some friends will want to participate this next year.

yes you definitely don't want strawbale if water is an issue. In drought areas or where you have problems getting water you need to consider beds and adding soil mixes that retain moisture. It's not really organic but you can buy bulk bags of of a polymar like Terrasorb (not sure how to spell it). I use a ProMix that has peat and perlite, no dirt. But I also add lost of compost and then use straw, hay or dried leaves for mulch. Water is not a problem here.

But even still I had to water the bales everyday, sometimes twice depending how hot or dry. If I did it again it would be a drip irrigation with a fertilizer injector with compost tea.... constantly dripping and feeding the roots.