Straw Bale Gardening - Joel Karsten

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$697
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
no
Recipient Type
Libraries
Status
Completed
Start Date
April 2016
End Date
April 2016
Activity Type
Education/Outreach/Engagement
Counties Affected
Nobles
Nobles
Project Overview

Joel Karsten's presentation on Straw Bale Gardening will be twofold. He will focus on gardening without the use of herbicides, insecticides or fungicides and without weeding. People will learn how to utilize decomposing straw bales to make gardening convenient and fun. He will also discuss how straw bale gardening can enhance the aesthetic nature of gardening. Many gardeners spend the entire growing season using plants and flowers to create a work of art.

Project Details

20 participated

Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota for 2013 Chapter 137, Article 4, Section 2, Subdivision 4
2015 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$697
Other Funds Leveraged
$305
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

The audience will learn how to garden with straw bales, an environmentally friendly and healthy way to garden. They will learn how to garden in small spaces and to gain an interest in healthy eating and efficient gardening practices. The program will touch on the agrarian roots of Minnesotans and the unique ways in which they have adapted their farming/gardening practices. It may help people to realize that gardening is a unique form of artistic expression. Flowers and plants serve as living paint and an empty garden in the spring is a blank canvas that will be a masterpiece by fall. straw bale gardening only enhances the creative possibilities. Anecdotal responses will be collected.

Measurable Outcome(s)

Many attendees expressed satisfaction with the program and suggested they were going to attempt straw bale gardening at home. One attendee later reported he had started his straw bale garden and it seemed to be working well. He hoped to grow large tomato plants with this concept. One lady came to the library and asked if we had books on flowers so she could create splashes of color in her yard. She was hoping to place partial straw bales around her yard in order to grow flowers.

Source of Additional Funds

Center for Active Living, venue - $150.00
Radioworks, advertising - $80.00
Daily Globe newspaper, advertising - $25.00
Nobles County, advertising - $10.00
Community Education, promotion - $40.00

Project Manager
First Name
Jim
Last Name
Trojanowski
Organization Name
Plum Creek Library System
Street Address
290 S. Lake Street, P.O. Box 697
City
Worthington
State
MN
Zip Code
56187
Phone
507-376-5803
Email
jtrojanowski@plumcreeklibrary.net
Administered By
Administered by
Location

1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113-4266

Phone
651-582-8200