Hi Jordan, this is perfect, the question I forgot on Thursday was about the use of straw!!!!! Love this. Cheers, Tracy
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Oh awesome!! yeah I am becoming a big fan of it that's for sure!!
@Wolf-xu1fj6 ай бұрын
Some people mix the straw with the soil too, I bought a bale of straw from a craft store, I am going to mix it with soil and plant a rose bush in a container. What do you think?
@Ron-eq6cc5 ай бұрын
For me in the PNW straw is a haven for slugs. My experiment this year is using less straw.
@juliettedemaso75886 ай бұрын
Straw has been a game changer in my gardening. I cannot believe how much less I need to water, plus it breaks down so beautifully into soil. It grows beautiful mushrooms too! I won't ever garden without it again. Including in the flower beds.
@cathykostenchuk69516 ай бұрын
Great timing for this video! We have been having discussions about this exact topic! Thanks
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Yeah I am applying it to more and more areas as the season rolls along, so definitely would say I am a fan!
@LizThompson-ds1fl6 ай бұрын
I’m using straw for the first time in my community garden plot which I can’t get to every day (sometime days). It’s been great in the extreme we’ve had. Plus the weeding is so much easier. Bindweed is still an issue but the usual weeds are much less.
@DavidThornburn6 ай бұрын
Love straw, works for me big time. I started last season and saw all the benefits you mention
@GEOPH26253 ай бұрын
I've had a lot of issues with emitters clogging after one year. I switched to ones that you can disassemble to clear out the mineral buildup.
@mcanultymichelle6 ай бұрын
Finding straw or hay, that has not been grown with glyphosate it’s really tough to find
@MyFocusVaries6 ай бұрын
Some garden supply stores sell organic straw. E.g. In Vancouver BC, Jons Plant Factory
@GardenFaerieBotanicals6 ай бұрын
I agree!!
@juliettedemaso75886 ай бұрын
In the US I purchase EZ Seed straw. It's awesome.
@mcanultymichelle6 ай бұрын
@@juliettedemaso7588 thanks I’ll look into that
@w.dossett33326 ай бұрын
I was thinking about the same problems here in the uk. Straw that is chemical free
@jockdasher61516 ай бұрын
I like straw for mulch but... Stinkbugs love hiding in it. When I try to pick them off my tomatoes and peppers they tend to drop down into the straw and disappear. Pretty sure that's where they multiply and start their young. I've tried spraying organic insecticides on the straw mulch to eradicate them but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Squishing them with my fingers has been my best defense, but only if they don't get away, drop into the straw mulch and disappear.
@agn8556 ай бұрын
In a pot I've used a thick layer of granulated lava stones instead. They are heating up (tomatoes love heat) prevent other plants from sprouting, snails hate them and bacteria won’t get sprayed on the tomatoes like on bare ground while watering the plants. HTH
@sentra66614 ай бұрын
you are realy good mate, many research stuff extremly usefull even for pro's. Thank you !
@SudhirN-jc6dx4 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing.
@cherylhowker17926 ай бұрын
Here in the uk I have found it helpful for keeping weeds at bay and for less watering, as I don’t have irrigation- it’s extremely expensive from what I’ve found. So I water by hand, but this means that we use more water to get what we want I believe. I find that the straw helps retain moisture and give it back to the soil once it’s dryer. I also find it helps stop evaporation- so I have to water less, so uses less water. I don’t know if it keeps things cooler and so doesn’t help in the tempered climate…. But tbh that would just make me think about what I’m growing and if it’s worth growing…. Ie tomatoes- I grow for family I don’t eat them… so wouldn’t bother me not to grow them. Melons haven’t done well so far, but we never know how it’s gonna go. Maybe they need to be under cover again- so I would need to sort a better undercover area if I wanted it badly enough. Again is it worth it
@Nocare896 ай бұрын
It's crazy how much of a difference a mulch makes. I mow the lawn and that covers most of spring into summer. By then I can start utilizing the pods discarded from seed harvesting. That pretty much lasts until fall when the leaves are available. Then I can finish with compost over winter that I worked on all season. I'm running an even cheaper setup than you. Sometimes wish I could buy straw or wood chips. Weeds will come up but will be minimal. You're going to have a lot more spiders and earwigs though. Also can be good hiding spots for slugs early in the season when its most important to snuff out weeds. Those will be around anyway.. just pluck them in the early morning for a week and you're good.
@jenjoy43536 ай бұрын
One problem I found with using straw was that it was breeding ground for wood lice, ie slaters
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Ah interesting, good to know! I haven't had any pest issues yet but I'll keep my eyes peeled on it for sure!
@TeasLouise6 ай бұрын
Not using it any more. Not since Dow's persistent broadleaf herbicide- Grazon. It's infesting compost and straw/hay.
@ElmwoodChris6 ай бұрын
Great video!! Can I ask what you think the end of the year will look like? Will you be removing the straw from the beds or will it get incorporated in to the soil for next year? You had me sold at less weeds but I’d be interested to see what the next step is when winter approaches etc.!
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Great question! I'll likely pull it off, put it into my compost, and put leaves down on the beds through the winter. And then at the end of the winter I'll pull the leaves off, put them into the compost, and put fresh straw on for that season. Everything that ends up in the compost will end up back in the beds once fully broken down as actual compost
@ElmwoodChris6 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for the response :)
@Wolf-xu1fj6 ай бұрын
I think it would be more beneficial if you mixed the straw with the soil in the beginning, and use mulch on top for keeping the soil moist.
@avkale2 ай бұрын
could you do straw vs leaf mulch. i have abundant supply of free leaves. i have been using them to keep evaporation from surface down. Colorado is very dry. Have not done with/without experiment
@jimeburg48283 ай бұрын
Did you notice an increase in slugs where you made a covering of straw?
@linreuther64535 ай бұрын
After I harvested my garlic this summer, I pulled back the straw mulch at one end of the bed and found the ghastly jumping worms. Could they (eggs or whatever) have come in on the straw? I am freaked out now! (The garden bed has a 12”high wooden border around it.). Thanks for any thoughts and advice.
@anujbhatia33376 ай бұрын
Would you mind doing a test with natural wood chips compared to straw? I feel that one is likely able to retain even more moisture given the mass and is way more easily accessible to folks.
@wilsontaylor2346 ай бұрын
I have used both wood chips and straw at different times in my vegetable garden. Wood chips break down much slower and do not keep the soil as moist (unless they are about 4-6 inches deep). Straw breaks down faster and feeds the soil. It will absorb moisture that falls on it and slowly releases it to the soil. As noted in this video, 2 inches of straw will insulate the soil, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
@agn8556 ай бұрын
Woodchips are fine to surpress weeds, with the side effect that it changes the acidity of the soil, which is fine if you’re growing trees 🤪 So, mowed grass/straw/… that is the natural companion of your vegetables won’t change that aspect drastically, which is beneficial. Besides the fact that woodchips are adding fungal, while straw will add bacterial stuff. HTH
@lauraschwartz10776 ай бұрын
So my issue with straw is that it is potentially sprayed with weed killer which happened to me. After mixing it into the soil to decompose at the end of the season, i noticed that my new crops the following year did poorly. So no straw for me unless i know for sure where it came from.
@redfields50705 ай бұрын
Where do I buy straw? I know where to buy grass and hay for animal feed, but straw?
@brianseybert1926 ай бұрын
Two issues I have with straw, one impossible to find "organic straw, and the jumping worms will use it as a food source. The straw was 2 years old in hopes to degrade any persistent herbicides, no herbicide issues, but found JW's using it as a food source. I recently replaced the straw with dried grass from my lawn, hoping the higher nitrogen content of the grass is not as attractive as the straw to the JW's. The most attractive mulch for JW's is leaves, shredded or not, had to stop using last year. Chopping and dropping comfrey, so far has not attracted the JW's in any large numbers. Best mulch to reduce JW's so far the garden, my perennial mulch of thyme and oregano. Stay Well!!!
@donnaathey63606 ай бұрын
I was told to use alfalfa instead of straw Would you know what the difference would be ?
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
The most important part is just to make sure there aren't any seed heads in it. So regardless of if it's alfalfa or straw just double check to make sure there aren't any seed heads in it
@7hilladelphia5 ай бұрын
So long as there's no persistent herbacide in the straw growing process b4 you bought it.... wrecked my garden one year that was a drag. Chemmy straw and chemmy horse manure
@sandraanderson2176 ай бұрын
I’m in Atlantic Canada… my slugs are Everywhere! They are huge, the size of your thumb. Im afraid of using any type of mulch. Im out every morning and evening picking them out of my gardens. I’ve tried beer, course sand, nothing works. The slugs are getting more veggies as I am😢
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Try putting copper mesh around the base of the plants they're attacking. Somethign like this: www.amazon.ca/Copper-Knitted-Blocker-Rodent-Stopper/dp/B0BLXQ2G1P/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2AM48P1XXB6VU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NRwSl1ND-YXB0JG7uSfWDNS-ViIk4D9ARcuoQJn9SoB1JC6jAUwZbi8KUf0EJwwWYCHH8L-rtecpbVcIuTvNKZdNrtUT61ce_JaMrf60-7U5VRrM3fDRDdl-WJUqzaQPBfIVh02CUPiuUOjAdtN7IXiugnAS0jIyHaT8HGn1ZCcMQ2kVXH8KAHuQ5DoCJfuh7TW745p39sqH0aDbuRBeGJVvECXMM-ABneuijgbH0MAQYp6D9SC7eZ1UfcCKuNPnBJvVzC9d4qtluoYrgV3NvJiJ8wskNzW6EMKI9iFKfgE.w80IRKnrgDnXhE-MamvuQg-70rQd8Nm1dd-r_YwQTuM&dib_tag=se&keywords=copper+mesh+garden&qid=1721491499&sprefix=copper+mesh+garden%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
@MyFocusVaries6 ай бұрын
I use an organic slug bait. Slugs on Canada's south west coast are also monsters.
@wilsontaylor2346 ай бұрын
I have found that spraying diatomaceos earth around the base of the plants will significantly slow them down, but it has to be re-applied after a rain or heavy watering.
@barbludwig57116 ай бұрын
Use dried egg shells. I keep them in a heavy duty plastic container and then break them up, keeping in mind that you want them to have sharp edges, smallish like diamonds. Sprinkle all around all your plants and if your slugs are heavy, make a circle around the plant at the base. The sharp edges will slice into the slugs, BOOM. I live in between Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio and appears to be working.
@MyFocusVaries6 ай бұрын
@@barbludwig5711 I used to think that worked, but many studies have shown it's not effective and may actually attract slugs. Check out the Laidback Gardener blog article about slugs and eggshells.
@xaviercruz47636 ай бұрын
Jordan please do count the weight of basil 🌿 harvest to know for sure the non straw basil is not just taller because of etiolation because it’s driving itself to seed quicker because of dryness and it because it’s actually growing heavier and bigger
@mamache20286 ай бұрын
I dont think i will use straw to my strawberries again because slugs use it to get cool underneath, and with that i have bad strawberries harvest the year. The worst ever because they eating most of my strawberries like 80% of them. 😢
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Try popping the strawberries onto chicken wire - this has worked super well for me!
@mamache20286 ай бұрын
@@MindandSoil Thank you for the tips. will definitely try that one.
@shellywerner45096 ай бұрын
Be very careful with straw. Often times it has been sprayed with chemicals. I used straw, brought from an animal feed store, about 4 years ago. My vegetable garden has struggled ever since. No or little fruit, tomatoe leaf curls and seed plants sprout and then die out. Always check your straw for its treatment before it came to you, not even sure if that is possible. Where do you buy garden straw? Just my thoughts and experience.
@MyFocusVaries6 ай бұрын
I bought straw grown for use as garden mulch from a garden supply store. I absolutely would be worried about a non organic source
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
Great point! Thx for sharing!
@ddhqj20236 ай бұрын
Straw is great unless it was harvested late and the 'grass' had time to set seeds. My bale this year was a late cut and now I'm trying to pull wheat grass out of every row. Pain in the butt.
@billlund27556 ай бұрын
I have been a big fan of using straw mulch over the last few years but I did have some issues with slugs last year. I believe they were living and hiding in the straw mulch. So far this year have been selective on my straw usage and keeping it away from the plants that were eaten. Seems to be working but that said every year is different for pest issues. We got hammered by flea beetles last year and this year I have not seen any around.
@Gundumb_guy5 ай бұрын
No offense but this really seems like a “no sht bro” moment! 😂 of coarse the straw helps retain moisture, how could you ever of doubted it!? Good video though 👏👏
@bretleversha2 ай бұрын
Mulch, no weeds! End of.
@indiefan236 ай бұрын
Why would you be against mulch? Especially the best mulch. So wacky. You've gotta be the first person to doubt mulch in the garden and think it's a gimmick. Straw is flat out garden gold. It just has multiple benefits and no draw backs. You have not even realized yet that it's slowly breaking down and feeding your soil yet.
@mommabear25445 ай бұрын
In some areas it is sprayed with pesticides. When you are growing food that needs pollination, that's counter productive
@innerjon6 ай бұрын
A-r-u-g-u-l-a
@genevievegreene15956 ай бұрын
I guess you don't have African snails in your part of the world
@MindandSoil6 ай бұрын
I don't think so!
@SC-qk2hc6 ай бұрын
Straw is too much work and messy. There must be a better way.