More Hip Than Hippie #285 - Straw Bale Gardening

Straw bale gardening is a form of container gardening that's used successfully all over the world.

Who knew? You can grow veggies inside a bale of straw! Joel Karsten wrote the book on the subject and gives the Hipsters the quick 'n dirty scoop on this eco-friendly gardening method. Also, Val's bike breaks down before she does, and Dori's daughter sits in on the show to get a fresh set of psychological scars.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: In honor of the upcoming Royal Wedding, we tipped a pint or 2 of Fuller's London Pride. This understated medium-bodied ale is jolly good indeed.Dori: 5 hips; Val: 5 hips

Chocolate: Despite its pleasant mouth-feel, Chocolove's Almonds & Sea Salt bar was just too heavily molested. The love poem was a nice touch though! Dori: 4 hips Val: 4 hips.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! The only thing greater than a cool new product is one with a heartwarming story to go with it. The Reusable Sandwich Bag Chalkboardis the brainchild of an 11-year old entrepreneuse named Alex, who has a bright future in front of her!
• No Daddy. Not a fan of senseless slaughter? Migrate your web domain from GoDaddy to Venovix or Canvas Dreams to protest GoDaddy's CEO hunting an elephant.
• Hoppy Birthday Rob! Val gifted the hubby with a pair of Hop Tulip Imperial Pint Glasses from Sierra Nevada Brewery.

Hip News

• The need for weed. Canny engineers in Canada (eh!) developed the Kestral hemp electric car. Don't drive too fast, you'll get a weeding ticket!
• A-Pole-calypse. Climate scientists report that the Arctic ozone hole is larger than ever, setting a new record this year.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Green Thumbs Up!Listener Ashley shares her tips for gardening with repurposed items:

1. Plant seeds in yogurt cups and egg cartons

2. Transplant seedlings to old bottles & containers

3. Support the seedlings with used chopsticks

Challenge yourself to find new purposes for everything before tossing it out!

Straw Bale Gardening

Straw Bale Gardening is essentially another type of container gardening. The twist? Your container turns to compost as your crop grows! Best of all, this method works anywhere in the world. Joel Karsten of Roseville, MN wrote the book on the subject and gives the Hipsters the quick 'n dirty scoop on straw. (Hey, it ain't hay!)

• First of all, learn the difference between straw and hay.
• An avid gardener and trained horticulturist, Joel encourages Straw Bale Gardening on his website and Facebookpage. The photos are great!
• Check out Joel's handy book, Guide to Growing a Straw Bale Garden.

Listener E-mails

Sign up for the Greenfeet newsletter so you can get in on a very very very special Earth Day offer!! Join the More Hip conversation by sending us an email at hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our blog!

• Alyssa in SoCal is contemplating college and has set her sights on CSUChico! The Orion is part of the award-winning journalism dept. You can volunteer at the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundationwhile you're here.
• Melanie in Chicago wonders if Green Planet plant-based plastic water bottles are as green as they seem. Josh provided the answer with this informative article by Beth Terry at My Plastic Free Life.
• Lisa in New Jersey wants a natural tooth whitener; we recommend Uncle Harry's. Here's a little info about the hazards of too much fluoride.
• Stacy in Los Angeles wonders if Scanpan nonstick cookware is safe. Unlike Aeturnum, the surface can still scratch and flake.
• Melinda in South Carolina found a fun tutorial for turning recycled plastic bagsinto totes.
• Amy in San Diego decided to eliminate soy from her diet after reading The Whole Soy Story. She's a believer in The Paleo Solution by Chico's own Robb Wolf. Hmmm, future guest on the show?

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for Earth Day or any day!

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow Val on Twitter: GrnDiva, at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.