Alicia Campos

TI‘m a native Houstonian who grew up in the Montrose area and I come from a background in Fine Arts and International Affairs. I am most passionate about issues concerning social justice, the fair trade movement, spreading education about whole food, the importance of protecting the environment, and economic self-empowerment by utilizing and conserving the natural environment. I began researching how burning crops can effect the environment and came across straw bale growing as a positive solution to helping protect the environment. After I saw how efficient and simple growing this type of garden could be, I was sold and have been talking about straw bale gardening ever since.

About three years ago I started a straw bale garden at my family property in Montrose and I found the experience very rewarding. I created this project to see how difficult it might be to implement as a person who has no real farming or gardening experience. I truly love my Montrose garden and have learned many things through trial and error. It is a fascinating science and has been an extremely creative way to grow some healthy food and communicate with people about the environment. The garden was photographed for use in an art installation and successfully nurtured and maintained for about three years. I was able to grow tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, onions, zucchini, squash, various flowers, and a host of herbs. The end result was tons of great organic food and bales that completely composted and that made traditional garden on the front property very happy. I am a straw bale convert and love to tell people about how easy and also how amazing the experience can be for everyone, even those who don’t think they have a green thumb. This is my first straw bale garden and it has inspired me so much. I plan to create new gardens and I welcome a genuine community to help expand my knowledge and build a base towards pursuing more garden, farm, and food empowerment initiatives. A simple garden with simple straw bales has truly changed my life and I am so happy to be a part of this great movement.