On today’s 2 minute garden tip, I share the hidden problem with using straw mulch. Straw mulch is the best mulch for a vegetable garden and for mulching fruit trees, in my opinion. However, fresh straw mulch can create problems. I explain how to use straw mulch for the best mulching results and show you what happens if you don’t follow this rule.
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ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8B
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©2 Minute Garden Tips
#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #mulch #mulching
35 Comments
What is your favorite mulch to use in your vegetable garden? Let us know in the comments below!
How to keep away rodents from the veg garden ? Permanently please
Straw is great..
Except now many farmers spray to kill the wheat so it all dies at the same time.. so can have residual weed killer on it.
I had no idea, thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the tip! My area has a good 2 to 3 months of rainy weather ahead so this would be a good time for me to track down straw bales 😊
Should I let them age directly on the ground, or is keeping them on a pallet or something ok? Also, do you shred the straw? I'm planning on cutting old bales up with a hedge trimmer so it's easier to manage as mulch. I have access to fresh/aged wood mulch from various landscaping companies in my town, I know wood doesn't break down like straw, but would aged wood mulch work better than straw? My beds are mulched with shredded leaves and grass clippings right now, should I keep that as mulch in the spring, turn it into the soil, or remove what hasn't decomposed? A few beds have wood chips/twigs/acorn shells, etc as well, so it will certainly not all break down any time soon…
My favorite mulch is a mixture of tree leaves,pine straw,and grass clippings. I let these age a bit before using them on my beds. My neighbors give me these items and theyre free to boot!
Is the straw that is sold for Halloween displays the straw that can be used? I have wanted to ask at my local farmers market, but i am always embarrassed.😅😅. They have it very cheap after Halloween, and i wanted to buy it, but i think it looks fake like plastic. Does all straw look plastic close up?
How do you know that the straw is pesticide free?
Ruth Stout
New favorite is thatch from my lawn. It’s free and surprisingly long lasting.
Close second is salt marsh hay. Any seeds won’t germinate in your garden. Although I am not sure this is available outside of New England.
This was excellent content
Oops! Next year!
Why not just use leaves? Collect free bags in your truck! OPL ! 😊
While I can appreciate how the wheat grass would be a problem in a vegetable garden I would view it as a boon in the context of the fruit trees. Living roots, particularly those of actively growing plants (as opposed to those of the dormant fruit trees) are immensely beneficial to the soil food web as they are constantly exuding microbe food into the soil, promote drainage, nutrient retention/cycling, and a host of other functions within the soil food web…I would personally treat them as a cover crop and leave them alone until they begin to flower and then terminate them and cover with fresh mulch ahead of the summer heat.
I know this video is to share information about straw mulch, but those LOADED citrus trees at the end stole the show, YEOW!
We learned our lesson! Wheat germinated in our veggie beds! It caused so much work
Duh. What an idiot I am. Thanks for the simple solution.
Testing for Contamination
To determine if your manure, compost, hay, or grass clippings are contaminated with Grazon, you can perform a bioassay test:
Fill pots with commercial potting mix.
Add a thick layer of the material you want to test (manure, compost, hay, or grass clippings).
Plant sensitive crops like tomatoes or legumes.
If the plants show signs of damage, the material is likely contaminated.
I priced a bale in NY and it was $35. That's too much.
Thank you, brother – great advice.
I prefer animal bedding ( wood shavings) way cheaper and easier to get than straw in my area,
Fire ants cleverly and inconspicuously took over one of my aging bales. Imagine my surprise when I picked it up for use lol.
Now I just roll them over periodically, which my chickens have learned to love.
I use hay and straw both. I usually get about 15 bales after the first cut in May and let it sit out to use in winter bed prep. I get more bales inlay summer/early fall for use in the Spring and summer. Like you, I have found this minimizes weeds/grass sprouting and greatly helps build great soil over time.
What about sprayed wheat? From what I understand, the poison can be a huge problem.
I collect whole leaf bags from neighborhoods and use it for mulch and infinite compost
I have had to stop using straw, unless I can run into some straw that I can verify was organically grown. The likelihood of getting something contaminated with glyphosate or persistent broad-leaf herbicides is too high. Leaf mulch chopped up with a lawnmower is a decent alternative.
I let my chickens have them for a while first
How do you find bales which have not been sprayed with pesticides and herbicides? I do not want to accidentally kill off anything
Good tip
Well it’s too late for my garlic. It’s already done. Thanks for the tip.
What's growing on? 🙂 Not much yet.
What are those fruiting plants against the house wall at the end of the video?
Used wheat straw in my 30×50’ fenced vegetable garden last season for the first time.
I used it on the common areas and walking paths and around my tomatoes. It was a huge success. It wasn’t cheap but it was cheaper than genuine unadulterated hardwood mulch which used in my raised beds.
In my area wheat straw rectangular bails go for $7 – $8 each. But given the effective spread it was slightly cheaper than the good hardwood mulch. I only had to touch it up a couple of times during the growing season. The few wheat seedlings and weeds that did poke thru were easily pulled roots and all and tossed into my composter.
Do you have a video about how you keep your citrus so short? Thanks for your videos.