Topic: Asleep in the autumn sunshine

[Marymary]

Lovely image.  :) Sure it was a mouse - last time I bought a bale of straw we got rats living in it so have stuck to buying smaller amounts. 

Agree SS you can never get rid of it from the car - always amuses people from work when I give them lifts - my car is more like a tractor on the inside. 

[manicscousers]

ours is more like a second shed  :)

[Common_Clay]

You have so much straw supersprout! Where do you manage to get it all? Doesn't it cost you quite a bit? And doesn't it take out a fair bit of nitrogen from the soil?

Sorry for the questions, never used straw before.  :)

[supersprout]

Hello cc you're welcome :)

Straw is £1.50 for a rectangular bale from the farm shop in Downham Market. I visit a friend there regularly and stuff six into the back of my van if I need to top up. That's why I use straw, it's cheap and easy for me to get hold of, and to shift around the plot. Hay might be better, but it's more expensive! One bale will fluff up to cover five or more beds - so yes, I've spent upwards of £50 on straw during the year on my two plots :-[ but I suppose some peeps spend that on a pot of face cream ::)

Spent hops, grass cuttings, leaves, leafmould, manure, compost (raw and cooked) and shredded paper go on whenever I can get them free. Offset £50 against no digging or hoeing, happy plants, crumbly soil, hardly any weeds, moist soil in hot summers, and a thriving worm population and it seems like a reasonable trade :D

Yes, any unrotted organic matter will use nitrogen from the soil to decompose, then give it back at some point. I've only been doing this for a year, but I'm gonna sprinkle Rooster (slow release organic chicken pellets) in March/April for any plants that might need a boost, and trust the rain to carry it through the mulch.

Rotavators, double diggers and mulchers all seem to get good results here, that's part of the joy of it all - each to their own - this way suit me well so I think I'll stick with it ;)

Once or twice a year I take the van for a valet, won't tell you what they charge me to get all the bits of straw out :-[ :P

[Common_Clay]

Thanks a lot for that supersprout, sounds like a great idea... if only I knew where to get cheap straw from around here, I feel pet shops would be more expensive.
  So do you absolutely never dig? All you do is put the straw on and that's it? What's the catch?!
 ;) :) ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

There isn't one. Once you've got the perennial weeds out, the only need for digging is to lift root veg.

[Emagggie]

CC, do you have a Livery yard or riding stables nearby? if you do, you could try asking them who their supplier is.Probably going to be your cheapest option. Or like me, scoop up the loose stuff from the floor of the storage area and bag it.

[Common_Clay]

Unfortunately neither... only place I can think of is pet shops, still probably expensive though.

[triffid]

CC -- if you've transport, there are some stables on Clamp Hill (Stanmore) ...

Might they  be worth a try?

[supersprout]

or near-ish straw merchants? If there's vehicle access to near your plot, they might deliver if you ordered a trailer full, and squarey bales are easy to shift and barrow :)

Bury Farm Fodder Store
Bury Farm, Edgwarebury Lane, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 8QS
Tel: 020 8958 2932 

LHH Animal Feeds
Sloemans Farm, Whitewebbs Rd, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 9HW
Tel: 020 8363 4638 

[Common_Clay]

Thanks for the posts... triffid, no, unfortunately not, though I remember the stables up in Stanmore, went to school near there!

Supersprout, thanks so much for the info... do merchants such as these usually only deliver in 'trailer full' amounts? And any idea how much that amount would cover and cost? Sorry to be a pain.  ;D (just don't want to call up out of my depth)

[supersprout]

hi cc, if the bales are squarey you can stack them and they will be even better to put on when they have rotted down a bit (if a little less picuresque). I'd ask how many on a trailer - I don't think you'd go far wrong with 50 bales, if you made e.g. a compost bin, that could take 25 bales, and if you have somewhere to stack them. One bale will cover approx. 15-20m2 :)

[triffid]

... and once you've finished the compost bin, here's another project   ;)

http://www.strawbalebuildingassociation.org.uk/g15.html

[Common_Clay]

Thanks supersprout, useful information.

Amazing pictures triffid - supersprout heaven!  ;)

[kt.]

Aint never seen a lottie using so much straw! Is it not a pain in the ar*e when planting and sowing? Looks neat and tidy though. Hides all the work i guess.
OH says I hide all the pots and pans come washing up time....  ;)

[supersprout]

same principle! ;D ;D ;D
it's a swop - hardly any weeding, watering or digging - for the occasional scooch - I know which I prefer ;)

[norfolklass]

this is possibly a very stupid question, but doesn't it all blow away in the first strong wind?!? it all looks so fluffy!

[supersprout]

I know, I wondered about that too norfolklass - so far so good ::) ;D
best to do it when rain's expected if you want to be extra safe?