Quote:
Originally Posted by svalli
I have 1 meter wide black plastic over the beds, which works as summer mulch. This is now 3rd season for the same plastic sheets. I'm planning to use the woven stuff, when these sheets get too worn to be reused.
I was looking for straw, but the smaller bales are quite expensive and the grain crops have been bred to have so short stems that those are mostly mulched directly to the field with harvester and not baled at all. I am also a bit worried, if baled straw could have residue of broad-leaf plant killing herbicides. I am not sure, if my worries are totally groundless, but reading about the aminopyralid contaminated gardens has got me to be more cautious.
A company in Finland sells mulch made from industrial hemp. That should work well, but it is also quite expensive to get. I would like to grow my own and shred it with the wood chipper to get mulch. Maybe next spring I will try to get seeds to plant a small patch to try it.
Sari
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I am wondering about using Halloween decoration bales because of the potential for contamination too.
I'm also not using bagged leaves left out for municipal collection because of possible contamination from treatment for emerald ash borer which has migrated to my area.
One of the bales is actually sprouting grass while I muse over this. Not a great weed barrier, but the price (zero) was great.
- Lisa