straw bales

[lottie dolly]

we have been offered some straw bales,aprox 50 bales,first come ?,and wondered if i was to spread it over the ground then cover with mypex or black plastick,would it have rotted down in time for next spring,the soil is a little claye,i know the wormes will do their part,and would any male,u know what,be of any benefit sprinkled over before it's covered,thanks for any advice.

[Kristen]

I would favour composting them first.

You will need to get them wet, and some Pee will definitely help, but ideally they need mixing with some green material to get them composted. If you have a head of grass clippings you've been building all summer the two mixed together should be good.

Put farmers plough the straw straight back in (well, they chop it smaller than what you have in the bales), so no big problem putting it straight on the beds, but a thick layer will stop the first breaking down the tilth - I have heavy clay soil and like the frost to help me!

[PAULW]

DOLLY
Use them to mulch you spuds, plant the spuds draw up the ridges then cover with the straw keeps them weed free and holds in the moisture and rots down while doing it, it is also brilliant under brassicae's for keeping the weeds down

[Jardiniere]

There was a whole thread on straw bales earlier in the year ...about using them to grow things in - directly.....if you use the search facility you should find it .......i think there there was a link to some web site or another...worth a look.

[Snadger]

Supersprout, God rest her sole was an inspiration to me!

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ment_5573.html

Based on an older idea by Ruth Stoute who wrote numerous books about mulch gardening

She had one stock answer to every question asked of her "Add more mulch!"

[Demeter]

That's definitely worth a thought!

How much straw do you need to get though, to cover the plot deeply enough? Any idea what straw costs? How many bales would I need?

I saw a sign the other day advertising straw at £2 per bale. And a farmer friend might be able to let me have some straw for free but I need to find out whether it has been Forefronted first as he thought it might have been and obviously I don't want to put Forefront all over my plot!!

[SarzWix]

I have a bed which I covered in about 4inches depth of straw last winter, then put a layer of horse muck over it, then covered it in mypex. I planted through holes in the mypex in spring, and it's worked really well. If you lift up the plastic, the straw has started rotting down, it's full of worms & centipedes, and a frog has taken up residence under a corner of the plastic (which is keeping the slugs down) I'd thoroughly recommend it!

[lynda66]

if you run the lawnmower over the straw. it will chop it up finer if adding to compost, so it will break down quicker.

[Two_Sheds]

I'd like to make a raised bed for my pumpkins out of straw bales.

Or, wow - an African hut. What a fabulous shed for the lotty! Welcome to http://www.strawbale-building.co.uk--A strawbale building info site

[Two_Sheds]

here's an article about straw bale gardening: Gardening: blood, sweat and HLM - Telegraph

[lottie dolly]

thank you all very much for the input,have found out that it's actually hay,and had it on very good authority not to bother as it's full of seeds,so have decided not to bother,just thought seeing it was free,but have got enough weeds now lol,i did do a search before i posted my thread but could not find an answer to the question i asked,have now got my answers thanks to you all,
two shed,thanks,it is something to think about in the future,i like the idea of a hot bed,we have yet to build a polly tunnel/green house,to much else doing at the moment,a project for the winter may be,

[Skotch]

I started this thread a while back now: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...raw_18911.html

When I last looked, the results were disappointing - coould be I started late, didn't add enough activator etc etc. However, the straw has composted down nicely and will be used as a winter mulch (compost heaps already piled high)

Skotch

(BTW, which Lottie site in Leicester are you on, Dolly?)

[lottie dolly]

hi skotch,belgrave ,what is btw please,seen it before but no understand.

[Demeter]

hi skotch,belgrave ,what is btw please,seen it before but no understand.

btw = "by the way"

[lottie dolly]

thank you demeter