Straw or hay for mulching

[Tania]

I am thinking about using straw or hay for mulch, but as I've never done it before, I am not sure how much I need.

I a local feed store they sell 60 lb straw bales ($13) and 92 lb alfalfa hay ($23.50). I have not shopped for better prices yet...

Do you know how many sq. feet 1 bale would cover?

Any other advice re this type of mulch is also much appreciated.

Thank you so much for your help!

[dipchip2000]

Tanis

Last year I used 4 bales of straw to cover and mulch a 30X40 tomato bed about 4inches deep. It worked great and almost eliminated all weeds and grasses from the bed. I am going to use it this year in my new raised beds and probably make it a little deeper, maybe 6in deep. Hope this helps

ron

ps
straw bales here in okla are $5.25 a bale

[TomNJ]

I have been using a spoiled feed hay mulch for many many years. Around here a long bale of spoiled hay is only $5. Spoiled hay (exposed to water and not suitable for feed) can be moldy, so a breathing mask is recommended when spreading.

Many people prefer straw to hay since it is less likely to contain viable seed, but I have never had a sprouting problem with spoiled hay. This year I got some straw for free from a local farmer (in return for buying and planting his garlic) and it works very well. One advantage for hay is it is higher in nitrogen and will break down faster when turned in at the end of the season without taking nitrogen from the soil. Of course a little nitrogen fertilizer neutralizes this advantage.

WRT coverage, I use one bale for each 125 square feet which gives about a 5-6" depth and compresses down to 2-3 inches over the season. This prevents just about all weeds and greatly reduces watering. It also stablizes the moisture level in the soil, which reduces the potential for BER, and a deep mulch attracts worms as well.

TomNJ

[PaulF]

All the above sounds good. What I also do to help with weed control is put down several layers of newspaper before adding the straw. I use straw because of the weed seed thing. If you have a newspaper nearby you might ask for endrolls that many papers get rid of anyway. Much easier to roll out the paper than to unfold a lot of old papers.

The paper will last the growing season and then can be tilled under. Ink is soy based, but there may be some residual chemicals, so unused newspaper is best.

[tuk50]

I use a lot more of both, but TomNJ's climate is closer to yours than mine. I have about 2000sq ft and last year used 20 bales. I irrigate daily during june and july when the temps are over 100. This will make a 6in layer disappear by aug. and I will usually keep a light layer going every month. I buy mine during the summer when prices are at lowest and let it set out till its needed the following year. It works well putting slabs down between rows for paths and using it loose around the maters and peppers. We have horses and I just pile the poop up in a pile all summer and last week we spread it out over the remains of the garden and I'm going to try no till this spring (first time).

[henry]

Just a warning on using straw to mulch garlic it may contain [wheat curl mite] which is a problem for garlic growers.

Henry

[Ruth_10]

I like straw for mulch. I occasionally get some wheat sprouting, but it's easy to remove. A bale of straw here is nowhere near 60 lbs. More like 15 lbs. I can lift one easily, so it's not that heavy. I use layers of newspaper under the straw. For my 700 sq. ft. main tomato patch, I used about 5 bales of straw with 4-5 sheets of newspaper underneath.

People who can get their hands on spoiled hay use it because it can be cheaper than straw. I assume most of the weed seeds sprouted or molded when the hay got exposed to the weather. Otherwise you can introduce a lot of weeds with most hay.

[Mudman]

Tried hay a few years ago and added about a dozen new types of weeds to my garden.

[recruiterg]

I use straw. It works great. I just turn it into the soil at the end of the season and it composts quickly and adds an organic element to the soil.

[biscgolf]

tomnj was spot on on all counts...
we sell straw for $3.50 a bale from our farm.

[Douglas_OW]

Ruth Stout is often cited as an authority on this topic.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...arden-Hay.aspx

http://organicgardening.com/learn-an...th-stout-style

For me, the cheapest straw I can buy is $7/bale. Hay is $3-4/bale.

craigslist.org almost alwys has listing for "Mulch Hay", usually $1 or less per bale, or for free for you to pick-up. I don't know if that is any help to you.

Jim

[chiefbeaz]

I have been using wheat straw for mulching for the last five years and have had no problems. My rows are about 130 foot long each and It takes about 1 and 1 half bales to cover the row. Straw in Tennessee cost about $3.50 a bale .

[GIZZARDFARM]

i use wheat straw on my entire garden got a large farm buddy who cleans out his straw barns in early spring brings me dumptruck load of busted bales for free, i pile it around everything and cover my walkways through the garden with it, ususaaly 5 or 6 inches deep..

[delltraveller]

Does anyone have concerns about herbicide residue when using straw or hay?

[Sundrops]

I use a combination of wheat straw, alfalpha and leaves. I collect about 300 bags of leaves in the fall along with a large pile of shredded leaves that my neighbor brings me. I mulch my whole garden (60' X 100') every year with all of the above, in whatever quantities I can get my hands on. I am lucky in that I have a neighbor who has a whole building full of broken bales of alfalpha. He is from Poland and refuses to sell anything. He likes to barter so in exchange I take him stuff from my garden. He's a great guy and loves to barter.

I haven't tilled in 4 years, keeping the soil covered with some kind of mulch year round. I have not been bothered with harboring pests or disease of any kind by doing this. My ground is fed by the decomposing mulch and I like doing things this way. It seems to be a lot less work.

Additional benefits of mulching is moisture control. Because my garden is too far from the house watering during the summer is not an option. I have found that all of the leaves, alfalpha and such keeps the ground from drying out and I don't worry so much about my garden being stressed.

Ruth Stout was one smart lady.