jmcologgi
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Mulch question...HELP!!!

I'm a second year veggie gardener and struggling with the whole mulching concept. I've heard and read that wood mulch is not good to use for many reasons. However, out of desperation I'm about to turn to it because I can't find anything else. Where is this straw or seedless hay that everything raves over? I don't have availability to grass clippings or leaves. Can anyone help me find straw or tell me that wood mulch is not so bad? :?:

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soil
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as long as the wood chips are aged well you wont have problems.

the reason some say not to use it is because if you use fresh wood chips, naturally they are going to want to decompose. in doing so they( the fungi and bacteria) will need nitrogen, and the quickest place to get it is from the soil where your plants are growing( if you apply there) aged chips don't have that effect, and aged enough they can add nutrients and life to your soil.

jmcologgi
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Well that's a relief! One more question, can I assume that mulch from the box stores (Lowes, Walmart, etc) are "aged" mulch?

rkunsaw
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If you are getting your mulch from a store you could get bags of compost instead of wood chips.Or if you like the look of the wood chips,put a couple of inches of compost then the wood chips on top.Also some of those stores will have straw,or find a feed store or nursery in your area.Ask around.I found a place to buy compost by the truckload by asking when I was getting a haircut.

sjohnson9206
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You live in OK.... there should be tons of straw there. Check out Craigslist, you might even find a farmer that will deliver it for you.

I got my aged wood mulch from the towns recycling center... $10 per 2 yard scoop.

garden5
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Yeah, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a bale of hay. One thing you can do is look in your phone book under "animal feed" or "livestock feed" or you can just take a drive out, into the country, find a farm, and ask the farmer if you buy a few bales off him or ask him where he gets his hay/straw.

Good luck.

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soil
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I would suggest finding another source of mulch other than buying bags at the hardware store. if you can find a landscaping place chances are they will sell mulch in bulk by the yard(you might need a truck), and far cheaper than if you bought it in bags.

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rainbowgardener
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I bought a huge bale of straw (not hay, probably cheaper), that will last me all season for $4 from a local Feed Mill.

malkore
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Location: Lincoln, Nebraska

all the local nursery's, along with Earl May and ACE hardware sell bales of seedless hay for $4. it can't be that hard to find (unlike greensand)

garden5
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You may even be able to find some hay/straw (probably straw) at a Tractor Supply Store if you have one of those nearby.

jmcologgi
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Thanks everyone for the help, I found some straw today! I kept making calls and found some cheap bales at a Farmer's co-op. Now I can't wait for tomorrow to put it all down. Then on top of that, one of my husband's customers GAVE me a huge truckload of mulch. So now I'm definitely set. :D :D :D

jimmykx250
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Location: Northern illinois

One cheap and really effective way to mulch in the garden is to lay 2 or 3 layers of newspaper down (no glossy papper) then mow your grass and cover the paper with 2 to 3 inches of grass clippings. I did this last year and no weeds. Worked great for me. And it's free!

garden5
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Congratulations! I knew you'd be able to find some :wink:. Happy mulching :D.



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