Using Hay and Grass as Mulch to Grow Food
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- For my returning video I really wanted to talk more about our use of grass and hay as mulch, and answer a couple of common questions to do with grass seeds. In this video I cover the benefits of using grass as a mulch, and how to maximize it for the best results as well as examples of what we have done in our garden for the past 3 years. In many places, grass is so abundant, therefore it makes complete sense to make the most of this fantastic resource.
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My name is Huw Richards, I live in Wales, UK and I am a teenager who loves vegetable gardening. Unusual right? I love to teach people around the world about growing their own food organically and my end goal is to get as many children as possible to have the experience of growing food which I believe is one of the most important things a child could learn. If you're new to HuwsNursery then please hit that subscribe button (and also notifications) so you can learn more about growing your own food inexpensively :)
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On trash day, I drive down the streets of mature neighborhoods with mature trees -mostly oaks- and pick-up bags of leaves. I use them for compost and mulch. Great free resource.
That is the best way to do it! :)
Got a mature oak in my garden which i use like that also because its pollarded free pea sticks.:0
Oak leaves are a little allopathic.
Best leaves (aka gold standard) are silver maple.
But oak will work if you double mow them to make smaller pieces and let them sit all winter.
Liberty Garden Huw. Love your presentations. I do have a question about the acidity of the oaks. Maybe I have bad info?
@@jimwilleford6140 Oak leaves are somewhat acid but the main problem is that they are a bit allopathic (similar to walnut trees but not as bad).
The old Ruth Stout gardening method. Keep the ground smothered in hay. Have been doing it for about 50 years. Good job explaining it, Huws. :-)
Thank you so muhc Jean! :D
Jean Muehlfelt Love the way you said "keep the ground smothered in hay!" It absolutely works wonders. Have been using Ruth Stout's method for 5 years now and can say I'm glad she wrote the book Gardening Without Work. It has saved my back and given us great harvests compared to bare soil gardening.
And great to see Huw keeping it out there!
Jean Muehlfelt Agreed!
Here in the northern regions of Australia, costs and availability of hay, straw and other mulching possibilities are limited in that we rarely have an Autumnal leaf fall so we have had incredible success using sugar cane mulch.
Three years of cane mulching (rough cut and dry) mixed with fresh cut grass from suburban areas (green grasses UNDER cane mulch) have developed 8 inch deep soils that have made our neighbors jealous, grown vegetables and ornamental flowers in abundance and made our front yard (in suburbia) a place where vegies and flowers are occasionally stolen and many people actually stop by to discover how.
Your input in the original ideas for this were part of the inspiration for our suburban experiment so thank you.
We Farmers don’t tell the secret.But God blessings you guys help us the easy way.
I'm so happy I watched this video. I can find hay not straw. I get the hay, spread it and covered it with some landscaping cloth I had. I heard from everyone how I just ruined my lawn and the garden would be overrun with weeds. I removed the ground cover and planted my seedlings with potting mix in the hay. I mulched the top with my grass clippings and everything has been great.
just put cardboard and or several layers newspaper on the ground and mulch over that with hay and or straw and watering well. no digging, no pulling weeds or disturbing the topsoil, if necessary i trampel down the tall weeds before putting the cardboard and or newspaper on. i plant directly in the mulch with some potting soil in the plant hole, and or for direct sowing put a layer of potting soil and or compost on top of the mulch, sow the seeds , cover with some potting soil and or compost if needed, water well and cover with row cover if necessary to protect from birds , frost etc. chicken manure pellets helps breakdown the mulch and feed the soil. bless you Ruth Stout!
Good to see you! I've been looking forward to your videos. This is a good one 😊
Thank you for specifying the benefits of hay over straw. Meaning the agreed nutrients. That is exactly what I thought that I was seeing. Great job.
Very good video. I would like to make one comment on the lawn clippings. Here in the US, many people use herbicides to get ride of dandelions in their lawn. That herbicide can wreck havoc on your garden area. So make sure you ask the people you're getting clippings from if they use any herbicides or pesticides on their lawn. :)
I love your methods. I’ve been inspired to do a garden this year for the first time, thanks to you and Morag Gamble. Thank you for all your great ideas.
Feeling super inspired, many thanks for your amazing content! We watch you with my toddler and you definitely have 2 super keen fans in Latvia 🤣 happy gardening and sending you lots of love 💚
I really appreciate this video. I live in a large city with a small garden. I have considered buying some wood chips, but there are so many people putting out bags of leaves for the city to pick up that I could use. I asked a neighbor for hers and she has been so good to share. I have also shared some of the vegetables from out garden with her, which helps her as well.
I was so glad to log on and see you had uploaded another video. I'll echo the sentiments - welcome back! :)
Awh thank you so much!!!
Very informative! Glad you addressed the hay-seed issue.
I have been doing this by instinct in my first serious year gardening in Bulgaria so you have just confirmed I am on the right track, also protects the soil from drying out.
Yes. One of the best videos I've ever watched about gardening. :)
I admire your efforts by sharing your information. I will try your way next time on my backyard. I will let them grow and less cutting.
My first time on here and i love what you do with the mulching as i do the same here in America and the CLOVER is the best plant for your soil to enrich it and true it has plenty of minerals for the body my favorite is red clover
I get grass clippings and leaves. I run the lawn mower over the leaves and use them as mulch. This year I put whole leaves as mulch in my front yard. I may cover with wood chips, maybe. It's working as I am growing wild mushrooms.
Excellent video. I have been using hay, straw and grass for many years and you are right, if you pile it on you shouldn't get a lot of weeds. Thanks
Great info man, you've given me some great ideas for my garden mate. Cheers
+1 on this technique. I've always used grass clippings as mulch in my garden. I use the bagger when mowing every 3rd time I cut the lawn and get a nice sized pile from our 1.5-2 acres. I just keep building it up on the beds and walkways all spring / summer.
It decomposes almost completely over fall/winter and I just lightly turn it in where I plant in the spring. My soil has been slowly improving each year, too
I'm increasing my efforts this summer and will be using both grass clippings and shredded / partially decomposed leaf mold in an effort to boost the soil significantly more.
Thanks to watching the Ruth Stout Method video from ‘ Back to Reality’ i have embarked on using hay to compost and grow our food in.
Absolutely love these methods.
Thanks for addressing the seed/weed concern; that would have been my first question. :)
Thank you so much for this great information. I am starting a new area and am going to try your way with the hay. Enjoy your videos.
Mix your hay with wood chips and you'll have the perfect combination for composting.
needs coffee grounds to offset nitrogen draw down.
@k johnson The woodstuffs need Nitrogen for proper composting. Epsom Salts can help some but I think that adding coffee grounds (free from the coffee shops) might be a better additive to aid in composting. Another alternative would be blood meal (N-rating of 12).
Comfrey leaves are a great compost activator too. Borage leaves can help as well.
@k johnson problem with egg shells is that they can take a year to break down.
Gypsum might be better and won't alter the pH.
@k johnson Bananas provide needed Phosphorous to the soil.
Bananas are also radioactive too!
@k johnson Ive always heard it's best not to use acidic things like oranges because worms dont like it but I could be wrong
Love those stone buildings -. Great gardens
Wonderful video. Simple to the point and informative.
Thank you
Excellent information clearly presented. Thanks for putting this up for us.
Happy to see you are back!!
I've been considering hay, since I have a lot grass. So thank you for this video, I'll look no further ;)
Wonderful! This is really inspirational. Thank you.
What a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing, I really appreciate it.
I like your talk, thanks for sharing the useful information!
I just came across your channel and absolutely enjoy it. It is very practical easy. I am Tammy all the way from Malaysia. Keep those video coming! God bless!
Hi☺ Glad you're back🌷
Good video Thankyou, nice tip about leaving bales out for one year before planting into them. Wales looks beautiful.
You are a very smart kid. I noticed the big difference with hay regardless I used all my plants once they died or out of season to provide nutrients to the ground, of course the sick ones or with diseases goes to the trash. Man you have to love garden if u want to make it work.
I live in Indiana, United States, and have dense clay soil. I was trying to figure out how the heck I was going to grow anything in this awful clay/dirt. I started experimenting with a straw bale garden last year, and the results were great! When I moved here there wasn't any garden at all. After 1 year with the straw bales, I got an incredible harvest last year, from the straw, after conditioning them, mostly herbs. The tomatoes didn't do as well in the bales. This spring the bales had all broken down, and we have WORMS finally! Also, seeds from last years garden self sowed and are growing like crazy, versus the same species of seeds that I have growing in containers with store bought potting mix. The difference in growth is incredible. Straw is more readily available for me, than hay, but I would use hay in a minute, if I had some. To start my NEW garden, in bad dirt, I put down a layer of cardboard, then put the straw bales on top. I conditioned them, loosely using the straw bale method by Joel Karsten. I found that you don't really need to follow his method exactly. If you get hay or straw bales in the fall, let them sit through winter, they are ready to be planted in the following spring. When they break down, you have a happier ecosystem. Keep mulching, planting, repeat. Your dirt will turn into healthy soil in no time. And the weeding is barely worth mentioning. It's so easy! You're building soil that gets better every year. Search for Ruth Stout Gardening, and you will see one of the pioneers of this method. It is fantastic! I love to experiement. Right now I am experimenting with burying buckets of compost in the garden, with holes drilled in them, so worms can get in, eat, then leave their castings. Worm castings are an excellent fertilizer for your garden, and they till the garden naturally for you.
Thank you from Houston, Texas in the USA! A great day to you.
it's really a great suggestion. I love gardening!
Thank you for how well you explained.
Very helpful in hot climate or during fog time...thank you for sharing this valuable info.
Thank you for this information. it's given me confidence to use hay in the garden
Wooh that's awesome to hear!
Very good programs. Good quality production dialog and presentation!
Awesome, I've got hordes of old hay, and a bunch of squash that need planting. Definitely going to try it!
I built compost piles all winter with free hay, straw & leaves I collected and brought home. My chickens helped activate it. It was all done in 100 days and I've added them all to the garden beds.
Now I'm going to try your plan since my neighbor says I can have all her clippings.
4:15 The answer to my worst problem in the yard. Thank you!
Nice to have you back.
Brilliant as always Huw
Thank you Paul :)
Super video Huw. Good to see you back. Missed your channel over the last few months.
Thank you Mark! Really appreciate it :)
I love the way he says grass and autumn and year...love that accent.
Good explanation I love the way u talk and explain clear well done 👍
Grow food and take care of veggies are great meditations.
Absolutely!
Thanks for sharing your video Huw. Always appreciated your approach and your content. Hoping your have a fantastic day.
Thank you so much Tim, I really appreciate it.
Hi, I'm from Vietnam, It's nice to watch this video. you have a stunning farm!
Your video helped me a lot, we are currently laying out a vegetable garden and our grass clippings have not been used yet. Thank you
So nice to see you. Great video.
Thank you so much
This type of gardening is a lifesaver to an older gardener...me!!
Hey I love watching you. Very smart and knowledgeable. Peace from NYC
Can't talk long Hew, I'm off to my garden. That is how much you have inspired me. I have one problem, I like your voice so much, my phone is covered in dirt all the time. You are lovely. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Regards Sherie Rodrigues
Brilliant as always Huw! Like your signature 🎶 tune 😊
Nice vid!
Thanks for the tips, am going to try it myself.
Good video! I have lots of hay from the nine guinea pigs I look after...usually it goes on the compost heap but I may try using it as a mulch as well. Cheers, xx
Thank you for the video! From USA California!
What a nice video. You did a great job. And the drone view, loved it!!!! The garden is looking amazing, and you look very handsome! We missed you!! Tell us about the exams!!
Thank you so much for your kind words :) The exams went well thank you, however I won't know the results until august :)
Lovely video, Huw. That’s a very interesting idea. But what about slug proliferation? That’s the only thing that worries me. Would be very interested to know how it went for you on that front.
@@eliev7844 geese might help
Thank you! Most helpful, as always 😊🌱
Thank you.... I can't wait to try this method out
Awesome! Looking forward to the free mulch material video you mention at the end :D What a great idea
Thank you very much! Should be a fun one!
Thanks for your reply. I am based in South Gloucestershire, not too far away, so I guess similar growing conditions to you. Best wishes Andrea
Thank you sooo much darling . Bless you always .
Really cool video !
Personnally i mulch with hay and it works really well, always had good soil and no weeding to do !
Awesome! Thank you for watching :)
Living in the desert, straw & shade cloth is an absolute necessity. Yesterday peaked 120* for a bit 🥵🥵🥵
Love learning from you in Northern Nevada USA 🇺🇸🍅🌱🥕🫑
I created 6 raised garden beds this year. I am following your advice on the potatoes using straw. Everything is growing great. I was thinking of adding hay to my tomato beds. I think I am going to do that tomorrow. Thank you so very much.
Awh that is awesome to hear! Good luck with it! :D
Great info. Thanks from the Philippines.
Really smart approach
As a straw bale gardener for three years now, I've started creating raised beds which are first filled with mostly old straw from my previous year, and then a layer of soil (about 4") on top. They start out full at the beginning of the season and break down to about 3/4 full. I plan to put this year's broken down straw bales on top of the beds once everything is done and then just plant into the mulch next spring. Over the winter there will be a sandwich layer of 2-3 year old straw mulch, dirt and then 1 year old straw compost on top.
I will probably clear out some spots to grow spinach, kale, arugula and bok choy under a mini plastic dome green house. I expect the straw will do a good job of keeping it warm at least through December here in Michigan.
I also have 4 35 lb bags of Promix that I picked up at Menards for about $13/bag (cheap!!) I will use those to cover this year's straw next spring before direct seeding carrots and other things like lettuce and spinach over the top of this year's straw. If anyone is interested, I still see a couple Menards still have it in compressed blue bags in the back of the garden sections!
far more nutrients in hay. this guy knows what he's doing and talking about.
Great video - I was thinking of trying this on our new second plot, I think I'll give it a go :) thank you
I hope it works very well for you :)
Welcome back!!
Kompost i ściółkowanie 👍👍👍
Great to see you back. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you Ellika!
Definitely inspired Huw!! Thanks.
Thank you that answered all my questions
Hi Huw, i sm giving this a go in one bed this year with potatoes,but in other beds, using the bean straw i have as a addition. Thanks for additional information.
Hello from Russia! Great idea to use hey and grass as mulch! These ideas have become popular in Russia as well.
I prefer staw over hay and grass, I leave the straw out in the weather so it will start to decompose and then use it for mulch in the garden, grass clippings go in the compost bins for a nitrogen source to kick start the compost process. I collect about 200 bags of leaves in the fall for my compost bins. decaying straw and composted leaves are both very good soil additives and great for mulching.
Going to be trying this in the garden this season. Hay bales are cheap or free around here. Lots use them as snow barriers or yo insulate wells and septic fields over the winter and then give them away come spring. Had so many weed issues the first 3 years so this cant make it any worse.
Good to see you again :)
Thank you :)
Love the buildings on your farm.
Thank you, they are like 300 years old!
Thank you for your Wonderful videos. You have given me a lot of good ideas for my garden. Can't wait for the new video regarding collecting different materials from shops/businesses to use as a mulch. I know that coffee grounds are really good to use in the garden and have read that coffee grounds can be obtained from Costa and Starbucks. I'm not sure if this is correct.
This is a GREAT vid and yes the hay/grass mulch is the best as it does break down faster then the straw. Have been putting lawn clippings under lilac hedge for 30 years and man is that black and rich soil.
I can imagine it is beautiful soil :)
Now my battle is with the gophers (ground squirrel) as they are eating everything so looks like new raised beds with wire mesh bottoms. Glad still in early days of re-developing the garden.
When I went to horticultural college (Capel Manor, Potter's Bar), I was told different materials should be rotted/allowed to stand for differing amounts of time, because in the process of breaking down valuable nitrogen is absorbed out the soil around the plants first and is only later released back into the soil.
Fresh grass clippings around plants can burn soft stemmed plants, since temperatures reached by bacteria can be extremely hot (just put a hand in a pile of grass clippings left for a day. My dog likes to sit on the 'grass heap' I've made in my back garden because it gets so warm there).
Also, there is a danger of mildew spores forming in grass in damp climates. There is a mildew that can later lead to a condition called Farmer's Lung. This type of mildew is distinguished by 'white spots' that can be seen inside clumps of damp grass. If you wish to mulch in this way, don't disturb the grass afterwards or wear a mask if you need to move it about for some reason.
Debbie Henri how’s capel college is the the one in enfield
Great video and info, well spoken!
Wow I will try that also to my garden too thanks cutie for the nice info
Looking good Huw!
Cheers Huw. Mulching with grass clippings is a great idea. I'll try it with one of my beds to see if it keeps the weeds down. Take care. Nick
Good luck with them Nick :) Thank you so much for watching :)
Bro.,the information is very useful, thanks a lot.
I live in the Southern California desert, so mulching is essential especially in the summer time. I use cut grass, shredded palm fronds and chipped mesquite branches mostly. I did start a bed of alfalfa this year just for mulching. Three inches is the best to start, and just keep adding more each season.
Awesome! It must really help you reduce the need to irrigate!
Excellent video, thanks!
In Kansas you mostly have 2 choices. Wheat straw or prairie hay. With both you need to make sure it's cut before it goes to seed. I got some wheat straw one year and grew a ton of wheat! I now only use seed free prairie hay and it works fantastically.