Straw bale gardening was the program for our September meeting. Eric Schavey, ACES Regional Extension Agent in Commercial Horticulture, taught us the 10 day process to prepare a straw bale for growing vegetables, herbs and even annuals. The items needed are the straw bale, ammonium sulfate, water, fertilizer (8-8-8) and lime. Transplants work best for this type of gardening. Eric was a great speaker and we really enjoyed his presentation. He even left all the items used in his presentation for door prizes!
Photos by Diane Clapp and Audrey Giles
![September program speaker Eric Schavey](http://mg.aces.edu/chilton/wp-content/uploads/sites/84/2021/09/36AA1D22-7149-4837-9417-C880ABF2C319-1920x1920.jpeg)
![Members enjoying fellowship at Sept. meeting](http://mg.aces.edu/chilton/wp-content/uploads/sites/84/2021/09/278B677D-2A55-4F48-B7FA-C8A8780F5FA7-1920x1920.jpeg)
Bottom- Jimmy Knowles, Jerry Farmer, and Alan Reed