straw as mulch??

patty_b · May 16, 2011

I have used grass clippings and dried leaves as mulch for the tomato beds in the past, but thinking this year the straw will be easier to obtain. Will I be adding more weeds to the garden? Does the age of the straw make a difference? Thanks, Patty

Noreaster · May 16, 2011

Patty B.

My advice, after having done it 2-3 years......DON'T DO IT !

It looked nice, kept weeds out, protected leaves from dirt spit-ups during rain or watering. Got bales fresh from local farm.

BUT.....the straw seeds became straw in HUGE amounts growing in the beds. Had to stop. It was sorta like a weed of it's own.

Since then, I now use 6 mm black plastic laid over each bed, with holes cut out for tomato plant. Once in, place black mulch all around the stem.
And THAT keeps out the many weeds wanting entrance to the soil as well as preventing rain splashes hitting leaves.

I remove the mulch before tilling soil in following spring, and replace with new mulch once new seedlings are planted.

recruiterg · May 16, 2011

I use straw in my beds every year and have had very good results. The product I use doesn't re-seed though.

FILMNET · May 16, 2011

Salt March Hay is the best, if you can find it, no seeds lasts a few years

b54red · May 16, 2011

I'll have to agree with Noreaster. The seeds from straw are as big a pain as weeds sometimes and if you don't pull the new hay when it's young then it can be a major problem.

A good friend of mine buy his hay at least a year ahead of when he will use it and breads the twine holding the bales and just leaves it out in the weather until most of the seed have sprouted. This works pretty good but you need a space to have the bales sitting around for a year. The cost of hay around here has gotten very high which is another negative. On the plus side it is nice looking and the worms love it. It also does a decent job of keeping the soil moist if a thick enough layer is used.

I really liked grass clippings when my two neighbors provided me with their good clippings but now both are using mulching mowers and I have very little grass fit to use. Another really good thing about grass clippings if no herbicides were used on them, was they tilled in great adding organic matter to the soil.

I'm trying cypress mulch this year; but it is a little more expensive than hay and so far it is working really well.

May 16, 2011

I'm playing with straw bales like this! This is how they looked last fall when I placed them.

This is how they look now.

Since all the wheat seed germinated in the winter, they should make great mulch this fall or early next spring.

Ted

Worth1 · May 16, 2011

Patty there is a big difference between straw and hay.
If you use wheat straw ran through a combine you are ok.
If you use good quality hay you are ok.
Good hay is hay that is cut before it goes to seed and hay that is not contaminated with weed seed such as Johnson grass, beggars lice, grass burrs, crab grass and such.
Many people sell hay here on the side of the road and it is contaminated with everything i mentioned above and more.
Sometimes that is all it is, is weeds sold for hay.
That is what you have to look out for.

If you chose to do so a product called preen can be used after the plants are sprouted this will help keep the weeds down.

Worth

SmartAlex · May 16, 2011

Straw is the stalk of a grain plant (oat, wheat etc) and shouldn't have any seeds in it. At.All. Unless it came from a VERY weedy field or actually grown as "oat hay" to feed livestock. You might get some oats or wheat from straw, but it will be pretty minimal.

I don't use straw mulch because I read slugs like to live in it and I have enough of them already thankyouverymuch.

I have used old hay (after I raked it off a lawn reseading as partially decomposed stalks) on my squash beds and had nearly zero weeds.

organichris · May 16, 2011

Ted, what's that growing in there with your maters?

Worth1 · May 16, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by organichris

Ted, what's that growing in there with your maters?

Looks like Swiss chard.

Worth

May 16, 2011

Someone give Worth a dollar. He got it. Tumbling Tom tomatoes to drape over the side of the straw bales. Swiss Chard down the middle; and spinach on the outside. I was wanting to see what would grow and all are doing well. We are eating the chard and it is good considering where it grew.

I do think the straw will make good mulch or even compost when I am through growing in it. It should really be decomposed well and full of microbes by fall.

Ted

organichris · May 16, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedln

Someone give Worth a dollar. He got it. Tumbling Tom tomatoes to drape over the side of the straw bales. Swiss Chard down the middle; and spinach on the outside. I was wanting to see what would grow and all are doing well. We are eating the chard and it is good considering where it grew.

Ted

Nice set up. Very unique.

kath · May 16, 2011

Tomatoes and worms love a shredded leaf mulch if that's something you can find easily. We shred and bag it in the fall and use it for potatoes, tomatoes, etc. in the spring.

brokenbar · May 16, 2011

In Wyoming, all we had was barley straw as the Mormon Farmers there grow malt barley for Coors and Budweiser (this could lead to a rant on my part about hypocrisy but I will spare you

) Barley straw is left after the barley has been combined off so very little seed remains. I used it in all of my gardens and had very few seeds germinate. They are germinating on the top of the soil so the slender grass-like growth was extremely easy to remove. Oat straw is heavier and seems to have more seeds. My only complaint about straw is the job of pitchforking it into a pile and burning it (my soil in Wyoming benefited from the resulting ash) After a wet winter, it is heavy, stuck to the ground and slimy...

davespitzer · May 16, 2011

I use rice straw which is locally available- missed seed ends up on the ground and left behind when the straw is cut, so few 'weeds'. Wheat straw should be the same, no? But, I start with a thin layer and build it up so the vegie starts can keep above the straw. I nearly wiped out an onion bed by piling on mulch once, taught me a lesson!

May 16, 2011	#1
patty_b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 487	straw as mulch?? I have used grass clippings and dried leaves as mulch for the tomato beds in the past, but thinking this year the straw will be easier to obtain. Will I be adding more weeds to the garden? Does the age of the straw make a difference? Thanks, Patty

May 16, 2011	#14
brokenbar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Of The Border Posts: 1,169	In Wyoming, all we had was barley straw as the Mormon Farmers there grow malt barley for Coors and Budweiser (this could lead to a rant on my part about hypocrisy but I will spare you ) Barley straw is left after the barley has been combined off so very little seed remains. I used it in all of my gardens and had very few seeds germinate. They are germinating on the top of the soil so the slender grass-like growth was extremely easy to remove. Oat straw is heavier and seems to have more seeds. My only complaint about straw is the job of pitchforking it into a pile and burning it (my soil in Wyoming benefited from the resulting ash) After a wet winter, it is heavy, stuck to the ground and slimy... __________________ "If I'm not getting dirty, I'm not having a good time."

May 16, 2011	#2
Noreaster Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northeast Posts: 260	Patty B. My advice, after having done it 2-3 years......DON'T DO IT ! It looked nice, kept weeds out, protected leaves from dirt spit-ups during rain or watering. Got bales fresh from local farm. BUT.....the straw seeds became straw in HUGE amounts growing in the beds. Had to stop. It was sorta like a weed of it's own. Since then, I now use 6 mm black plastic laid over each bed, with holes cut out for tomato plant. Once in, place black mulch all around the stem. And THAT keeps out the many weeds wanting entrance to the soil as well as preventing rain splashes hitting leaves. I remove the mulch before tilling soil in following spring, and replace with new mulch once new seedlings are planted.

May 16, 2011	#3
recruiterg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Edina, MN (Zone 4) Posts: 945	I use straw in my beds every year and have had very good results. The product I use doesn't re-seed though.

May 16, 2011	#4
FILMNET Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North Charleston,South Carolina, USA Posts: 1,803	Salt March Hay is the best, if you can find it, no seeds lasts a few years

May 16, 2011	#5
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I'll have to agree with Noreaster. The seeds from straw are as big a pain as weeds sometimes and if you don't pull the new hay when it's young then it can be a major problem. A good friend of mine buy his hay at least a year ahead of when he will use it and breads the twine holding the bales and just leaves it out in the weather until most of the seed have sprouted. This works pretty good but you need a space to have the bales sitting around for a year. The cost of hay around here has gotten very high which is another negative. On the plus side it is nice looking and the worms love it. It also does a decent job of keeping the soil moist if a thick enough layer is used. I really liked grass clippings when my two neighbors provided me with their good clippings but now both are using mulching mowers and I have very little grass fit to use. Another really good thing about grass clippings if no herbicides were used on them, was they tilled in great adding organic matter to the soil. I'm trying cypress mulch this year; but it is a little more expensive than hay and so far it is working really well.

May 16, 2011	#6
tedln Guest Posts: n/a	I'm playing with straw bales like this! This is how they looked last fall when I placed them. This is how they look now. Since all the wheat seed germinated in the winter, they should make great mulch this fall or early next spring. Ted

May 16, 2011	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Patty there is a big difference between straw and hay. If you use wheat straw ran through a combine you are ok. If you use good quality hay you are ok. Good hay is hay that is cut before it goes to seed and hay that is not contaminated with weed seed such as Johnson grass, beggars lice, grass burrs, crab grass and such. Many people sell hay here on the side of the road and it is contaminated with everything i mentioned above and more. Sometimes that is all it is, is weeds sold for hay. That is what you have to look out for. If you chose to do so a product called preen can be used after the plants are sprouted this will help keep the weeds down. Worth

May 16, 2011	#8
SmartAlex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Western NY Posts: 38	Straw is the stalk of a grain plant (oat, wheat etc) and shouldn't have any seeds in it. At.All. Unless it came from a VERY weedy field or actually grown as "oat hay" to feed livestock. You might get some oats or wheat from straw, but it will be pretty minimal. I don't use straw mulch because I read slugs like to live in it and I have enough of them already thankyouverymuch. I have used old hay (after I raked it off a lawn reseading as partially decomposed stalks) on my squash beds and had nearly zero weeds.

May 16, 2011	#9
organichris Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 630	Ted, what's that growing in there with your maters?

May 16, 2011	#13
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Tomatoes and worms love a shredded leaf mulch if that's something you can find easily. We shred and bag it in the fall and use it for potatoes, tomatoes, etc. in the spring.

May 16, 2011	#15
davespitzer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: East of Stockton, California Posts: 97	I use rice straw which is locally available- missed seed ends up on the ground and left behind when the straw is cut, so few 'weeds'. Wheat straw should be the same, no? But, I start with a thin layer and build it up so the vegie starts can keep above the straw. I nearly wiped out an onion bed by piling on mulch once, taught me a lesson!