A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Ask Mr. Gremelin my emailed posts?

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I guess you could say I use the layer method of gardening to some extent. Some years I still rip it deep which pulls everything on top down some. Then I have to till some afterwards. Otherwise I'm getting more like the Ruth Stout method and was way before I even heard and read about her. I don't put any cardboard down. The thing I like about grass clippings is they lay better than straw in the wind. I usually apply them freshly mown and spread them thin so they will dry and not stink.
I've been around and involved in farming and ranching all my 56 years. The thing about hay and straw is kind, when it is cut, type, and how it is put up. I feel that is one reason you see so many different opinions on straw and hay. Here most if not all straw is baled behind the combine. So there is always some wheat seed in it. I've put down some now that had set in large bales rotting for 3-4 years and the bales were half rotted and still having more problems with seeds germinating than I ever have. Here the hay is mainly alfalfa which is great most of the times. As it should be cut before it seeds. A few growers that don't take care of their fields will have dirty hay but most don't. As long as what they have hasn't went to seed I'm ok with it. If it has I stay away. The other hays you find around here are what we call feed hay( sorghum ect), bermuda( Which is like using grass clippings if cut young and dried properly) and some are growing some grass mixes for horses(again avoid any that has went to seed). I don't use much feed hay as the stalks are two coarse usually. I have cleaned up the bottomw of stacks where it has rotted. My main point is everyones experience can be different depending on source. And many don't know their sources like I do and also haven't looked at as much hay and straw as I have over the years. I can usually look at it and know right off if I want to use it. Wheat and oat hay unless cut real young are two to stay away from as you can have lots of seed problems. If mulched heavlly it is easy to remove though. Just some of my thoughts and experiences on using straw and hay. Jay