It's time to garden smarter, not harder. The Midland Garden Club is thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Hands-On Straw Bale Gardening Class! Discover NO GRUNT GARDENING and how to transform standard agricultural bales into a high-yielding, self-cleaning vegetable sanctuary right in your yard.
📸 Look What’s Cooking In The Garden!
📅 Event Blueprint
When: Sunday, May 31 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Where: On Eagles Wings Inn’s White Event Barn - 4159 E Hubbard Rd. Midland, MI 48642
RSVP: RSVP by May 21
Email: [email protected]
Call: (989) 272-3117
Facebook DM: Midland Garden Club - Michigan
🌿 Follow us on Facebook — we promise it's more interesting than watching grass grow!
COST:
$15 Non-members
$10 Members
🌱Instructor Spotlight: Meet Chuck and Bethany, our regional straw bale conditioning experts! They are life-long gardeners and former strawberry farmers, Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City. These 10 year veteran straw bale gardeners are ready to walk you through every step of the process.
🛠️ What You Will Master:
🌱 The 12-day conditioning process: How to biologically condition a sterile straw bale using nitrogen so it safely feeds plant roots without burning them.
🔪The Pocket Carving Technique: Practice cutting perfect planting pockets into tightly bound twine lines using basic hand tools.
🍅 Zone 6a planting guide: Learn which plants do well in Michigan straw bale gardens.
⬆️ The T-Post Trellis Trick: Learn how to anchor heavy crops like squash and vining tomatoes straight though the core of the bale.
🔑 Companion Planting & Edible Flowers: Learn which plants and what planting pattern works best to achieve the highest yield
🍄 What Mushrooms on Your Bale Mean?: Do not panic! Learn what the positive milestone of spouting mushrooms means.
⭐ Year 2 & Black Gold Compost Secrets: Learn the secrets to maximizing and utilizing this holy grail of recycled planting medium.
📋 Sourcing & Logistics
Member Perk: You can reserve a copy of expert straw bale gardener Joel Karsten’s book: Straw Bale Garden Complete for a special discounted price of $15
What to bring: A sturdy trowel or an old serrated bread knife, your favorite gardening gloves, and your trusty travel mug. We will supply the hot coffee, iced tea, and ice water.
Special Gift: Participants will receive a free seed pack to help start their own SBG
🎟️ Reserve Your Bale Today!
Space around the demonstration bales is strictly limited to ensure everyone gets hands-on practice. Reply directly to this email by May 21 at 5:00 PM to lock in your registration and claim your bale to practice on.
Let's drop the shovels, forget the weeds, and grow with purpose this season!
Warmly,
The Team at Midland Garden Club
Rooted in Midland • Growing with Purpose
Event Venue
On Eagles Wings Inn Ll, 4160 E Hubbard Rd, Midland, MI 48642-9754, United States











