Mulch creates a microclimate over your soil by essentially acting as a blanket to protect it from the harsh drying effects of the sun and wind. We just don’t have the climate for mass cereal crop production. Organic mulches not made from hay include straw, pine straw, and wood and bark. To do this at first collect in advance how many bales (hay) you need next year to mulch your tomato field. Understanding these differences may help in your decision about which material better suits your gardening needs. Thank You! Once it snows/rains, it will spoil & it’ll mold in the middle or side of the grass hay as well as spoil on the bottom. A common question I get asked is “what bale is best to use for my garden?” This is what I have discovered over time: Lucerne: Lucerne bales are great to use as mulch on your conventional garden beds. If the straw is too long a couple passes over it (in a separate location) with a lawn mower is a quick fix. Straw and hay are other examples of organic mulch that decomposes very slowly. They are best used on areas where the high nutrient content can be utilised best, such as the vegetable garden, and any remaining after the growth season can be dug in. Using straw/hay in your garden will introduce weeds. When hay decomposes, it adds significant nutrients to the soil to increase its fertility. If the hay gets wet and starts to compost itself, it really doesn’t matter. A garden mulch option that you don’t often hear about is living mulch. Suppress weeds between your garden rows using nothing more than straw or hay. It is much more likely to have the long lasting chemicals of the pyridine family on it. You should choose the location wisely, taking into account the sunlight, type of soil, and climate. Most mowers mulch the clippings as you cut but even short clippings can be raked up and used unless you cut too often to make it worthwhile. Robert, Seems we do pretty much the same thing. This is just my experience. Hay or straw can also create problems depending on the type you buy. Hay left over from a previous year is often considered garbage by farmers who want to feed their animals the most recent and more nutritious hay. They are picky eaters (believe it or not ), they eat about 33-50 % of the hay and toss the balance aside from the hay rack. This is transferred to poultry coops for nests and bedding material. I also use straw bales to build a very simple cold frame. And the number of casual horse owners around where we live make sure that straw is always available since it’s a great bedding material. Bagged Mulch. I live in Halifax and travel around the province regularly for my job. You can keep reusing the mulch until it breaks down completely. When time allows, I’d love to see your homestead. It is very important to get hay that has been dried to the optimum level, so that it’s not crumbly but is dry enough to discourage mold growth. Hay is also sometimes used as garden mulch, but it does contain seeds that can sprout and cause unwanted weeds. The other kind of hay we have locally is salt marsh hay which is usually sold specifically for gardeners since it doesn't rot as quickly as regular hay and makes good winter mulch. You also mention “long grass clippings” as if shorter clippings are not useful. After all, we want our gardens to feed us for many years to come and to be places where we can teach our children and grandchildren the mysteries of growing their own food, too. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Straw or hay bale gardening is not to be confused with using loose straw in your garden for mulch or compost. Hay is a crop that is grown and harvested as … One odd way to kill weeds easily is to acquire outdoor carpeting made from tires. Wish me luck and be careful with the hay/straw. Pea straw. I hadn't yet learned that you have to visually inspect the bales for seed heads, and picked up a batch of hay that was labeled as 'straw'. Use your compost as mulch. Straw or hay for garden mulch improves the soil and protects your plants from drought stress and weeds. Using straw on garden beds is a low cost … Strulch ® is a light and easy to use garden mulch made from wheat straw for organic gardening. Planning is a huge part of having a successful and productive garden over the long term. The only exception is, the goat bedding doesn’t go to the chicken coops. Here is a list of some great ways to use hay as mulch in your own garden. I think that’s what Amanda was missing. When I setup my bed I put 3 parts topsoil to 1 part compost. Wouldn’t that also apply to using it as mulch for strawberries? GardenStraw is an all-natural biodegradable garden mulch that reduces watering, weeding, and damage to your plants giving you healthier plants and saving you time and money. Cons to mulching with straw or hay are slugs and snails. Look for a supplier that sells guaranteed weed-free straw. The quality can vary hugely depending on the skill of the farmer making the bales and the quality of his hay fields. Tips in using Pine Straw and Mulch. (This is an updated version of an article that was originally published on July 20, 2015. The Secret to Easy Gardening, Mulch for No WEEDS! It also works well as a mulch in garden beds. A good mulch also helps the soil to remain cool and moist longer in summer and can insulate the soil in colder weather. I know that in my own garden, I’m constantly doing the opposite, because every year my garden seems to grow a new supply of rocks.). This article is well written and informative. This is less likely with straw because the straw has a lot less nutrients for the bacteria to get started in the first place, the nutrients having been transferred to the grain by the plant and maybe leached out of the dead stem cells by any rain before harvest. The mistake most people make is using compost - such as mushroom compost, garden compost or a cubed pea-straw-based product - as mulch. So, does hay have a place in the garden? Usually a big machine called a combine harvester will come along into the field. As hay decomposes, it is broken down by various bacteria and other organisms that all use nitrogen, just as we discussed for the decomposition of straw. I plant seeds, and as soon as I see them germinating, move the straw back up to the plants. I would think raw but aged would work just as well if not better. Hay and straw are great to help build up your soil because it decomposes fast. So long as they can still be put on a trailer. Horse hay is the highest quality one can find. Sort by: Top Sellers. Click the link below to read Lisa's fantastic article and get her perspective on using hay and straw in the garden! It’s not overly dry hay that overheats it’s wet or green hay, and that can be because of loose bailing but more often by not letting green cuttings dry out enough before you bail. 1. GardenStraw is an all-natural biodegradable garden mulch that reduces watering, weeding, and damage to your plants giving you healthier plants and saving you time and money. Hay generally doesn’t harbor mice, because it’s too dense. Seeds in the hay rot under the carpet. I’ve used wood chip mulch, hay mulch, straw mulch, and pine needle mulch, and I talk about the pros and cons of each type of mulch here. As the temperatures warm, you can gently remove it, turn it into the soil or let it break down naturally. 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