No Topsoil, No Problem
A couple of posts ago I wrote a post about “straw bail” gardening. Straw bales can be conditioned to induce faster organic breakdown than they would normally undergo by feeding the microbes that break down the
straw, giving the process a boost. Then the bales themselves can be used as the growing media.
The straw bales can overcome the problem of shallow or infertile soil. At the end of the growing season, the straw can be turned in to the compost pile, used as mulch or simply spread out where it is to help build up the soil in that spot. The bales have a more or less one to one ratio of the area that would be used in a normal garden.
Sack Farming
If the prospective grower has a lack of growing space (and/or problem soil) there is another alternative; sack farming. Sack farming is exactly what it sounds like. A large bag is stood on its end and filled with growing medium consisting of compost manure and soil. A central vertical path is provided for water by forming a column of stones up the center of the bag using a can with no lid or bottom. The can is slid up the interior of the bag as the soil/compost mixture rises, leaving behind the small stones that filled it. Holes are cut into the side of the bag in five rows of eight holes. Three to four week old transplants are put in place.
The sacks can be reused for up to three years until the composted manure loses its fertility. At that time, the sack can be tipped over and new composted manure mixed with the soil and it can be reused.
In tests described in the “Sack Farming Innovation” PDF download below, they discuss an alternative to the central stone column that used PVC pipe with holes drilled in it. The PVC didn’t perform as well as the column of small stones. I had similar problems with a strawberry barrel I made using a PVC watering pipe. I like the idea of using small stones. I may give this a shot.
I want to say something about the “Sack Farming” PDF. It is available at a location called ResearchGate. You need to join to get access to this paper. It will be worth it. No cost. Free downloads. They have a lot of scientific papers, technical papers and study reports such as the link I provide. There will be a bunch of information in this paper that you probably aren’t interested in. But what it does provide is detailed information on two case studies, photographic images clearly showing what needs to be done and a statement of results.
This is a technique that could easily be used on stony ground, on concrete, in an abandoned parking lot or virtually anywhere with solar exposure and access to water. And if you think about the productivity of a 3 ft. diameter sack, five feet high, planted with 30 – 40 plants, compared to an equivalent garden plot, it is very space efficient.
I will leave it there. The downloads can explain it in more detail. I have provided several because this type of farming is being done slightly differently in different places. These downloads vary in length, but they all have additional insights. One of the downloads is a promotional piece from a company showing how their drip irrigation system could be used with Sack gardens. I thought it was instructional enough to include.
I hope you found this useful. I plan on giving this a try beside one of my raised beds this spring.
Sack Farming Downloads
Vertical Bag Farms Drip Irrigation
Sack Farming Innovation for Land Scarcity Farmers in Kenya and Ghana
