Lucky Ladd Farms announces the opening of Tennessee's largest straw bale garden. The garden officially opened (today) Wednesday, June 28th and offers family-fun pick-your-own experience or visitors can purchase fresh vegetables in the farm's country market.

With the growing interest in the family farm experience, Lucky Ladd Farms began experimenting with growing vegetables in straw bales in 2016. Instead of pesticides, the farm has learned how to use beneficial bugs and certain types of flowers and herbs to control and eliminate destructive pests essentially eliminating the need to use any kind of chemical.

Through the use of straw bales with proper conditioning, the garden uses little to no soil and makes harvesting produce a breeze. "I call it a "no stoop" garden," says Jason Ladd, the farm owner. "The bales lift the plants high enough you don't have get on your knees or bend over. Best of all, no weeds!"

For families wanting to get a weekly share of produce, the farm has created a "Harvest Club." Members can purchase a summer season share and get vegetables every week through the end of August or if a family wants to buy a share week-to-week, they can do that too by simply making a purchase online. Lucky Ladd picks and prepares the produce and members can pick up their produce on Friday or Saturday. More details on the club can be found online at luckyladdfarms.com/harvestclub.html.

Lucky Ladd Farms, also known as Tennessee largest petting farm, is a leader in Tennessee's agritourism business with over 100,000 people visiting the farm every year and thousands of students coming to the farm on educational field trips. During the year, Lucky Ladd's hosts several flagship festivals such as their Easter Celebration in the spring; Kid's Construction Days, Watermelon Festival (July 22) and the Sweet Corn Festival (August 19) in the summer and their annual Family Fun Festival (September 20 through October 28) every fall.

The farm's popularity has been recognized by leading magazines, websites and peer groups being named by Southern Living Magazine as "One of the top 5" pumpkin patches in the southeast. Lucky Ladd's has been voted by KidsOutandAbout.com as a "Nashville Favorite" three years running and received the prestigious "Best In Show" award from the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA).

Lucky Ladd Farms will be offering a class on Straw Bale Gardening on Saturday, July 29 for those interested in learning about how to start their own straw bale garden. The farm is open Wednesday through Saturday in the summer from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.