Faced with the expense (OK, and effort) of building raised beds, I decided instead to go cheap and easy: a straw bale garden. So I called up Joel Karsten, author of Straw Bale Gardens, and lead ...

SANTA CRUZ — When Mike and Cindy Grall imagined their dream house, it was something much more than three bedrooms, two baths, a white picket fence and a swimming pool. “We wanted the home to ...

Professor Walker led the project in developing and testing straw bale construction, including the testing of weight-bearing, structural, and thermal qualities in straw bales. The project was ...

They would be relatively inexpensive and easy to build. And straw bales would fit in well with the natural flavor of their business, which specializes in native California plants. The number of ...

“It’s something that’s been done for hundreds of years.” Proponents of modern straw-bale construction highlight the sustainability of sourcing materials from local farms and natural ...

Straw-bale construction has been around for centuries and was widely used in Ireland, Scotland and other parts of Europe. It was also extensively used in the United States as settlers pushed their ...

More specifically, about how such a widely available agricultural byproduct makes for an ideal building material. In fact, the concept of straw bale construction had seeded in his mind long ago ...

A time-honored method of construction will find new expression as a Columbia building company shows off its home built of prefabricated straw bale panels. The house, which its builders believe is ...

VINES — Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments, Inc. — set the first straw bale at 157 Susquehanna St. Thursday, marking a ceremonial start to construction of its new home in the ...

On days 4-10, sprinkle the top of the bale with one-third cup of herbicide-free lawn fertilizer that contains at least 20 percent nitrogen (organic gardeners can substitute a 50/50 mix of bone ...

PARADISE — Straw bale house owners Delayne Stoneman and Eric Brzescinski were thrilled to see people coming to see the progress of the building of their house Oct. 12. Several interested parties ...