Bradley J. Almond

This will be my 4th consecutive year using the Straw Bale Gardens book and growing my own straw bale garden. I had 2 good years to begin, despite late starts, lack of funds, and a wife who has no interest in growing anything……I succeeded in growing more tomatoes, cucumbers, & green beans than I could imagine, and also got started canning, which I had never done before either. My 3rd garden was put in 2 weeks before the last frost and was THRIVING, before I lost control of things & succeeded in killing most everything , replanting, adding a BIT too much extra fertilizer, & killing most of what was left. Don’t worry, the book & methods weren’t the least bit at fault. I take FULL responsibility…..Now I not only know how to read and follow directions, I also know how bad it will get by NOT, lol. This year, I have moved up the hill to a better location with great sunlight and room to expand from 27-30 bales to 42 bales. My cobbled watering system last year was a big problem. This year I have gone through Dripworks.com for a bulletproof drip tape system. Since I am always being asked about my garden, I had thought about becoming an Instructor. I have recently been asked to give a short talk at one of our County Libraries, so guess this is a good time to jump in. I just turned 60 years old, I am a retired/disabled carpenter/millwright, I live on 1.61 acres in the woods about 45 miles south of Metro St. Louis, 4 miles west of the Mississippi River, and I have been married to my wife JoElla for 35 years now. We spend a lot of our time with our 2 grown kids & their spouses, and our AWESOME Grandson Bentley.