Hay Mulch Gardening

Question

1. This is my first year trying this method. I was told to use Straw instead of Hay because it won’t grow the weeds. Other than straw not having as much nutrition, is there any reason why this wouldn’t be a good idea? 2. If I did decide to use Hay (namely because I’m finding it hard to find straw ATM)…would the hay just grow surface weeds or would the weed “roots” seed right into my garden soil? The reason I ask is if I ever decided to remove all the Hay (which i dont plan to)…I wouldnt want it to have caused my topsoil to be overrun with weeds thereafter. 3. I have someone offering me about a dozen bails of hay for $15…only issue is that it has set outside all winter and is starting to rot. Is this ok? Or would it be a bad idea? I know decomposing hay is supposed to be great…but was wondering if being just left out all winter would also create harmful mold that I should be aware of? Thanks for your time! P.S. Please post answers on web site plus via email…just in case I can’t find the answer posted here after.lol Michelle

Answer 1

Using hay comes with many issues, including weeds that you will find very difficult to remove (your garden will become overrun).

Depending on the type of rot, you may introduce hard to cure infections to the soil as well. Hay is a very poor choice for mulch, since it comes with many more issues than it is worth. It would be better to not use anything at all than to use hay.

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