Straw as Mulch. Pitfalls?

[raisedbedted]

Hi All,

Bought a bale of straw to put around the strawbs which are looking great at the moment.

That used about 1/4 of the bale so now I'm thinking about using the rest of it as a mulch.  I have seen photos of plots where its been used around beans etc.

What are the pitfalls - does straw contain weed seeds for instance?  Is it likely to contain chemicals?

I'm going to try watering as little as possible this year rather than getting in to the every other day routine and duelling at the standpipe with hosepipe in hand.

Thanks all and happy plotting.

Adrian

[raisedbedted]

[Sarah-b]

Hi there - I shoved a load of straw in the spud trench (under the spuds). Then realised the stuff was full of wheat seeds! However, this has absolutely not been a problem at all (yet?). A few seeds germinated, but they were easy to remove. Would be interested in other replies about using it as a general mulch - as I have been considering that myself.

Sarah.

[Mrs Ava]

Make yourself a scarecrow like our kids did!  ;D

However, I still have half a bale, so some will go under my squashes as they grown to keep them off the wet ground, then the rest I guess I will try to keep out of the worst of the weather for next year.

[raisedbedted]

What and drape the scarecrow around the base of the beans, perhaps with one leg up the canes and the head in the tomato plants?!

[sweet-pea]

Do people use grass clippings as mulch? 

[Kepouros]

You can use it as a mulch around most things, patticularly beans of all kinds, peas, potatoes etc. It probably won`t contain as many weed seeds as your own soil does, and used thickly will suppress the weeds in the soil.  It will also prevent the soil surface getting `beaten up` in heavy rain.  The drawbacks are that slugs sometimes take refuge under it, and in windy weather some of it will end up in your neighbours` plots.

As for grass cuttings, the answer is `yes`. A 2 - 3 in. layer, but not if you have used any form of lawn weedkiller lately, and check your lawn for any seeding grass or weeds first.

[Bun]

Would it be a bad idea to staw mulch my onions?  ???

[Kepouros]

I`m afraid that`s something I`ve never tried

[Merry Tiller]

usually use grass clippings to mulch my Runner beans but as with straw I wouldn't use it on anything prone to slug damage

[raisedbedted]

With regard to onions I think not as I know its best to keep the bulbs clear of soil because of rot - been there!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I use grass cuttings a lot. Great stuff; 2-3 inches to stop weed growth, or half an inch round your plants.