Straw for garden mulch

[seedcorn]

Who else uses it and why?

For me it's 2 reasons, 1 it keeps the sand (my garden is on a sand pit) from burning the roots off/perserves moisture and 2nd when I pull weeds all I have to do is lay them on the straw and the sun kills them and they don't re-root.

 

[curly_kate]

We just started using it this year. For us, it's a cheap mulch that we'll just till in next spring.

 

[seedcorn]

For me by spring, the worms will have eaten almost 90% of it.

 

[digitS']

I like pine needles for mulch and for a compost ingredient. Some folks call it "pine straw."

Other gardeners may be concerned about the acidic nature of pine straw but my soil is somewhat alkaline so that isn't a concern. It is fairly high in nitrogen so doesn't rob the soil of N if it is worked in, at any time during the year. It makes great compost.

The mulch I use to hill potatoes is compost. When I tried to grow potatoes on the soil surface and covered with alfalfa hay, the results were disastrous! The voles move under that hay and destroyed the tubers.

I also have to be concerned about slugs. Last year, the slugs were outrageous! There was no mulch on the tomatoes but they were fairly near a rock pile, tree and grass. That area must have been slug heaven! There were so many tomatoes that were slug damaged . . . I suspect that a garden on sandy soil would have lots less problems with slugs.

Steve

 

[lesa]

I didn't realize the big difference between straw and hay. Planted a virtual hay field in my garden.

 

[thistlebloom]

I use straw as weed suppressant once the plants are up and growing well.

In the fall I'll usually rake it back to till compost in, then pull it back over the tilled bed to protect the bare soil. Whatever is left out there in the spring goes in the chicken pen for scratching around in.

Right now I have a bale I just popped to cover my nearly dead freezer burned peppers. Too little too late...

 

[peteyfoozer]

My straw has to journey a bit before it gets to the garden. It goes in as bedding for the sheep, goats and milk cow first, then from there to the chicken pen where they break it up, compost it and take all the seeds and weeds etc out of it. Then it goes to the garden. I get my money's worth out of a bale! :bun

 

[so lucky]

I use straw in the chicken house and in the garden. So I have straw plus chicken poop to the compost pile, then into the garden. And I have straw over newspaper in difficult areas of the garden; just straw in easier to maintain areas. Anyplace I want to cultivate in the future, I put straw and newspaper down for the season or year. When I'm ready to cultivate, it is rich with worms and much more friable than if I tried to work with live sod.

 

[plainolebill]

I used chopped straw to mulch my garlic and kale this winter. I didn't notice any difference in the slug population but it sure suppressed the weeds. Something to watch is breathing mold from straw that's been in the rain for 6 months. I wanted to pull the straw back from my garlic this spring so the soil would warm. I had to get almost to ground level to pull it from between the garlic stalks and into big plastic bags, afterwards I was coughing and sneezing for a week. Next time I'll leave it on and just turn it under after I harvest the garlic.

 

[ninnymary]

plainolebill, do you chop the straw further than how it comes in the bale? If so, what's the easiest, fastiest way?

peteyfoozer, how long do you leave the straw in the coop before it goes into the garden? I've thought of putting straw in my coop but the coop is opened (has wire cloth) and the chickens like to dust bath. I don't want to take that away. They do dust bath in their run, so they have an alternative.

Mary