Adding Straw mulch

cjp1953 · June 11, 2019

I went out and bought a couple bales of straw to use for mulch and keep the moisture in the ground but this morning the temperature got down to 48 degrees.Soil temperature is now 58 degrees.It's going to be sunny and 75 today,I'm hoping it warms the soil back up into the mid 60's before I add it to the garden.I did spread a layer of Alfalfa pellets just before it rained to start the breaking down process,The worms are going to love that but it's been a very wet spring.

June 11, 2019

Straw was the mulch of choice in my New England garden and yes, worms absolutely loved it.
Plus it was inexpensive and only needed renewing once or twice over the growing season. The trick was to keep field mice from nesting in the spare bales, lol.

cjp1953 · June 11, 2019

I have the spare bale in the garage covered with a tarp.Yes I agree but as long as they stay in the garage and not the house I can live with that.lol

PaulF · June 11, 2019

A layer or two of newspaper covered by 6-8 inches of straw is my mulch of choice for the garden. After trying many other styles and forms of mulching, this is the one I have used for many years. At the end of the season it all gets tilled into the soil to add to the organics.

cjp1953 · June 11, 2019

I mow my straw down before I plant my winter cover crop in the fall.I also do no till.

jtjmartin · June 13, 2019

I just picked up some straw. Usually I gather enough oak leaves but all the extra rain this year caused rapid decomp.

A bale of straw here in Virginia at Lowes/Home Depot runs around $6. What are others paying?

brownrexx · June 13, 2019

I buy mine from a local farmer fro $5 per bale and I try to pick up free ones from decorations after Thanksgiving.

PaulF · June 13, 2019

Local source $5/bale; hardware store $7/bale.

jtjmartin · June 14, 2019

I'll keep an eye out for local - and also post Halloween/Thanksgiving. Thanks.

brownrexx · June 14, 2019

I got a HUGE commercial bale for free this year. It was formerly used for target practice with bow and arrows. It doesn't matter if it has been wet but this one was packed so tightly that is is dry in the middle.

20190328_102029 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

habitat_gardener · June 18, 2019

I paid $4 from a farm but it’s $7 from someone in my neighborhood who brings a trailer full for anyone who wants them. It’s worth the extra.

cjp1953 · July 1, 2019

Added my 3rd bale today as it's composting down really well.I had spread alfalfa pellets down then added my straw with the first two bales.But I have to say bales are not as large as they were 15 years ago when I first started doing it.

My son in laws stepdad runs a horse farm and gave me a bale yesterday and it did seem larger than the other 2 I bought.

upcountrygirl · July 1, 2019

Our problem has been the opposite. One extreme heat wave has already wiped out half of the tomato plants. We're a couple of days into another one and lots of the plants don't look too good. We also haven't had any rain in over a week. The ground is hot and hard. Do y'all think a good watering and then laying down mulch would help the plants to live and produce if we're in for a abnormally hot summer?

jtjmartin · July 1, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by upcountrygirl

Our problem has been the opposite. One extreme heat wave has already wiped out half of the tomato plants. We're a couple of days into another one and lots of the plants don't look too good. We also haven't had any rain in over a week. The ground is hot and hard. Do y'all think a good watering and then laying down mulch would help the plants to live and produce if we're in for a abnormally hot summer?

Yes, a heavy mulch will do wonders for your soil and plants. I keep my soil covered all year long. The only time it's left uncovered is for seeds to sprout.

I use a lot of oak leaves but have also used fresh wood chips, mulch, pine needles and straw. They all work well.

I encourage you to search for what Bill (B54red) writes about keeping tomatoes producing during high heat. I've learned a lot from him about bleach spray, grafting, lean n lower, pest management.

kilroyscarnival · August 6, 2019

I found there's pine straw (baled pine needles) available near my area for about $5 per bale (27" x 13" x 14".) I was thinking of using some of it as the frame for some small raised beds, and other as mulch. I was worried that there might be something wrong with using pine needles, but I read elsewhere they're not too acidic. I guess a pH tester is on my wishlist too.

June 11, 2019	#1
cjp1953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio Posts: 818	Adding Straw mulch I went out and bought a couple bales of straw to use for mulch and keep the moisture in the ground but this morning the temperature got down to 48 degrees.Soil temperature is now 58 degrees.It's going to be sunny and 75 today,I'm hoping it warms the soil back up into the mid 60's before I add it to the garden.I did spread a layer of Alfalfa pellets just before it rained to start the breaking down process,The worms are going to love that but it's been a very wet spring.

June 11, 2019	#4
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,295	A layer or two of newspaper covered by 6-8 inches of straw is my mulch of choice for the garden. After trying many other styles and forms of mulching, this is the one I have used for many years. At the end of the season it all gets tilled into the soil to add to the organics. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

June 13, 2019	#8
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,295	Local source $5/bale; hardware store $7/bale. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

July 1, 2019	#12
cjp1953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio Posts: 818	Added my 3rd bale today as it's composting down really well.I had spread alfalfa pellets down then added my straw with the first two bales.But I have to say bales are not as large as they were 15 years ago when I first started doing it.My son in laws stepdad runs a horse farm and gave me a bale yesterday and it did seem larger than the other 2 I bought. Last edited by cjp1953; July 1, 2019 at 06:55 PM.

June 11, 2019	#2
PlainJane Guest Posts: n/a	Straw was the mulch of choice in my New England garden and yes, worms absolutely loved it. Plus it was inexpensive and only needed renewing once or twice over the growing season. The trick was to keep field mice from nesting in the spare bales, lol.

June 13, 2019	#6
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I just picked up some straw. Usually I gather enough oak leaves but all the extra rain this year caused rapid decomp. A bale of straw here in Virginia at Lowes/Home Depot runs around $6. What are others paying?

June 13, 2019	#7
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I buy mine from a local farmer fro $5 per bale and I try to pick up free ones from decorations after Thanksgiving.

June 14, 2019	#9
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I'll keep an eye out for local - and also post Halloween/Thanksgiving. Thanks.

June 18, 2019	#11
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	I paid $4 from a farm but it’s $7 from someone in my neighborhood who brings a trailer full for anyone who wants them. It’s worth the extra.

July 1, 2019	#13
upcountrygirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: south carolina Posts: 562	Our problem has been the opposite. One extreme heat wave has already wiped out half of the tomato plants. We're a couple of days into another one and lots of the plants don't look too good. We also haven't had any rain in over a week. The ground is hot and hard. Do y'all think a good watering and then laying down mulch would help the plants to live and produce if we're in for a abnormally hot summer?

August 6, 2019	#15
kilroyscarnival Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 614	I found there's pine straw (baled pine needles) available near my area for about $5 per bale (27" x 13" x 14".) I was thinking of using some of it as the frame for some small raised beds, and other as mulch. I was worried that there might be something wrong with using pine needles, but I read elsewhere they're not too acidic. I guess a pH tester is on my wishlist too.