YouGo: The Bale Bed Garden

The YouGo Garden consists of an array of raised beds framed in straw bales and filled with a high-carbon mix of by-products of the food system and landscape, fertilized with pee! We have grown lush and delicious gardens for the past few years, using this evolving method that was invented right here at the Soil Factory.

Thanks to Fisher StClaire, one of the 2025 WIP interns, who made this map. WIP is the Watershed Internship Program, organized by Discover Cayuga Lake. The map shows four of the Soil Factory’s beautiful gardens.

This picture shows an experiment we did in 2026, with the support of the NY Pollution Protection Institute. We used our usual YouGo bed mix (a mix of corn stalks, wheat straw and leaves). We compared urine and a conventional fertilizer as nutrient sources, each with and without biochar in the base mix. Pee was the best!

Forrest Meekins is the genius gardener who makes it all happen in the YouGo garden! She’s supported by devoted and talented interns and volunteers.

We have a dining table and play zone next to the garden so we can relax and enjoy life…