Super Effective Weed-Free Mulch From The Pet Store!
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- We need to mulch our garlic and strawberries so they are protected from the cold weather coming. The mulch will also help insulate the soil to reduce watering and stress from heat.
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I tried this, and didnt get weeds, but did get rabbits. I think the bedding I got had little brown rabbit seeds in it though.
A+ comment my friend...
#LOL
Lol
Greg Gasiorowski Along with squirrels and woodchucks !!
Hahaha we were thinking of mulching and paving the backyard but I was worried about the rabbits usually hanging around. Looks like I won't miss them too much if I do this!
I’m not trying to correct just want people to understand that straw is a biproduct of wheat not hay. Hay is the biproduct of pasture grass cut and dried. Just a heads up!
Thank you for your polite correction. I had straw bails, and hay bails, and my brain thought one thing but my tongue said another.
I was going to mention this as well, as I'm watching this video on my TV right now.
Straw is a byproduct of grains, and not just wheat. Oats and barley have straw as a byproduct as well.
When you bale straw, you're cutting the stems of wheat, barley or oats.
If I use hay then will wheat, alfalfa and grass seedlings can take over my garden? I thought the hay was at least a year old and you use it in Luke’s gardening method helps retain water in his beds when he puts it in the middle of his garden. ?
If you choose to use straw, the grain (wheat, barely, oats etc.) has already been harvested and the seed in theory should be completely removed by the combine during harvesting and you should have no issues. Hay on the other had is basically grass (wild, timothy, alfalfa etc) that has been cut and baled with no seeds removed, so the seed content of hay could vary depending on when it was harvested
Alfalfa is a Legume...but it appears as a grass which I'm sure is one reason for the confusion. Hay can be any type of grassy plant from clover to Timothy to pasture grass. It just has to be cut before it loses it's green which is the sign of a loss of nutricion.
For those who use straw...The bad thing about straw is that it is loaded with weed killer unless it’s from organic oats or wheat. Weed killer is used as a desiccant in addition to its intended use making all dried crops just soaked in it
So I'm a gardener who has relied on the idea that cedar is great for repelling bugs but deters other plants from growing (just look under a cedar tree in the forest--nuttin' growing there). So with your suggestion I had to update my research from the 1960s and learned it's okay. Thanks for bringing me into this century.
SQUASH LOVERS PLEASE READ THIS: On another video that someone posted about how to try to control the squash vine borer moth, a commenter said they used cedar shavings around their squash and it “worked every time”. I got so excited and commented that it made so much sense. Moths hate cedar! I said I was going to try it and I have. AND it is working! My zucchini looks beautiful and NO squash vine borer! One of my plants have at least 6 zucchinis on it and another even more! Just 3 plants is giving us enough fruit to eat several times a week! I’m starting more zucchini seeds and some yellow squash. For everyone one who gave up growing squash, zucchini and others in that family, get some cedar mulch for your plants! (P. S. I haven’t seen any stink bugs either!)
Update: 6/2/20. Still no SVBMs! Just delicious zucchini!
TELL ME MORE. I started my first garden this year and the only thing growing was my squash. It was 6 ft long and beautiful, then I found the little brats!!! I tried to pull them out but finally pulled out the plants. Now I want to plant pumpkins and Gourds but I’m terrified!!
@Calm Heart: How do you grow your zucchini plants, vertically or horizontally? I grew one in a container and used tomato cage to keep it upright, but then it got attached by the vine borer and killed my plant. It was my first time growing zucchini so I didn't know how to recognize the signs and symptoms at the early stage.
@rootsandrefuge
Grow them vertical as well with one steak in the middle and grow up like he recommends tomatoes with three steaks overall. OR I have mine growing next to a high tunnel. I so far haven't had a problem with pests but I did with blight until I went vertical so I am going to add the cedar to keep the bugs away and help with moisture.
I'd love to use this on my allotment, but my finances just wont allow, even for this extra expense =(. But I plan to use the Dried Leaves method of insulation, and, to stop them from blowing about, I plan to use some netting, that was left on my plot by the previous renter, who (apparently) worked the plot, completely by hand (no rotovators or anything other than hand tools) for 30 years, and was in his 90's when he finally had to give the plot up, and he kindly left me with quite a lot of useful items, for which I am very grateful to him =)
Been doing this for years, good to see I’m not crazy
My grandma's old trick: never throw out old bed sheets, keep them. Then when a cold snap is coming, cover up the babies with those. Drop them down and use bricks to keep the wind from blowing them off. Using that in tandem with mulch should work even better. If the plants are small enough that you're worried the sheet will flatten them, putting small sticks or short stakes to act as tent poles will keep the weight of the sheets off of the plants.
Wow! Cool beans!🙃
Thanks! I love advice from grandmas!!
I’ve done that, but I really like this better. Getting rocks to weigh down the sheets and trying not to smash the plants can be a pain. You don’t have to pick any of this stuff up!
I got lot of shhepwool that was suuposed to be burnt by the shepherds. I took it and mulched around my trees in winter. My trees are flourishing this year.
Did that just this year, good advice grandma!
Tractor supply sells pine savings in bales just like that. They have large shavings and fine shavings for $5 a bale. I always use that for my Onions. Works great!
Luke, I used animal bedding (large pine flakes) sold for horse stalls on some Amish Paste tomatoes to conserve moisture and it worked out very well. Had a really great tomato crop with very little maintenance.
Can i use the one its already been used by animals but is still quite clean and still light and fluffy?
I use cardboard with woodchip on the top, supresses the weeds locks in the moisture plus the worms love it! Woodchip can be often sourced free from a local tree surgeon.
You should make a video, too.
Yes Cardboard is good mulch
Do you have a pic of ? Do you cut up the cardboard first, or what exactly is the process?
@@Chet1333 just remove all the tape / staples from Cardboard boxes ( plain Brown ones are probably best) open them out & just lay on the Soil surface covering any Weeds Grass etc , then cover the Cardboard with Woodchips.
Please support your local farm supplier. We just had a farm supplier go out of business because of 2 new TS stores built within 6 miles of each other. The local farm supplier was in this area for over 40 years.
Just like Wally world.
Support local wherever you can!
@@MrFarva85 yes we will be at the mercy of the cooperation if we dont.
So heartbreaking...
I bet ts doesn’t carry all the stuff the ither guy had either
That's sad..😔
If you are in the northeast, the absolute best groundcover to use is saltmarsh hay. This is available at many nurseries and has zero weed content. What's even better is that it stays put, and takes a long time to break down. (helps keep the soil moist through the summer, especially if you lay in a soaker line!). The best solution I've ever found!
What a great idea about mulching raised beds. I have about 130 square feet of raised beds. My neighbor is a woodworker and is always asking me if I'd like some of his pine shavings. I, from time to time, take a huge bag of the stuff and put it in one of my two compost bins. Now I can get some cedar bedding, mix it with the pine saw dust and mulch my veggie garden. Great idea.
In NM where I live we have sand for soil. I have the best success when I use 1/31 sand, 1/3 peat and 1/3 wood shavings in the garden beds. We recently discovered that the Tractor Supply Store has wood shavings for 1/2 the cost of the pet stores. Just make sure to stay away from cedar shavings as a mix in the dirt.
I get those at my local feed store for 5 bucks and use them in my chicken and duck coop. I usually clean out the coop and put it in my compost pile, but have put the used bedding on my garden in the Fall to compost the hot manure and in the Spring there is nothing left but bedding.
I’m in Southern California- tried cedar bedding in my raised beds a few years ago and it kept my soil too dry for our weather. Here we need mulch that holds the moisture better, straw works great here
I was raised on a farm and our straw came from the oats. You stated that straw comes from hay. They are two different crops.
I applied used pine shavings from my guinea pig over a dry summer here in Australia. The birds dug at it for juicy worms underneath and made an absolute mess. I'd cover mine next time.
Pine shavings also work best soaked with compost, preferably vermicompost before application. My fruit trees love it.
As others noted, straw and hay are two separate products. There are no seeds in straw - it's the stems of grasses that have had the seed heads removed (wheat, rice, barley, etc.)
Straw can carry a lot of seeds depending on the quality of the harvest job.
My straw was loaded with seeds even though they told me it was seed free and great for mulching my garden. Ticked me off. It caused me a big headache weeding brand new raised garden beds.
Our oat straw is excellent quality. No seeds at all. Cost $10 a bale though!
@@Peaceful-resistance1 Mine cost me just under $10 a bale. Couldn't find the receipt to return the unused ones I purchased so I donated them to an animal shelter.
@@lovegymnasts my guess, someone sold you hay for straw. They look similar. If there are seeds in a baled product, you can see it by sifting the product over bare ground or sidewalk.
This is wonderful! I am blessed to have a rabbit farm. Lots of incredible shavings/hay mulch with rabbit manure mixed in, so not only does it mulch, the "slow-release poo pellets" add nutrients all year! Everything on my 1/8acre farm is covered in bunny mulch.
Thanks for all your videos, here's to a GREEN 2018!!
I have 20 year old rabbit manure. Is it still good for nutrients?
I've totally done this! At the 99 cents store they sometimes have bedding for small animals like the big bags you have in the video. I can attest that ot works!
You can probably get bigger bags of the pine shavings at Tractor Supply for less money. I buy pine shavings by the bale at the feed store for around $5. It's gotta be at least 3 times more than what you have there.
I just went through most of the comments. calling straw hay really got people to start typing. LOL
I was just going to comment on that. LOL! Clearly I don't need to. 😀
I was getting ready to type too. LOL
i didn't listen to the video because i was reading the hay straw alpha discussion 😂
I followed this tip last growing season and it worked great for me. Thanks!!!
What were you growing when you did this? I just added pine and cedar shavings to my tomatoes, peppers and zucchini and now I'm worried it was a bad idea.
@@TypingGirl How did it go?
Both straw and hay can be called “forage” but there's an important distinction between the two. Straw is a by-product of seed (or grain) production. For example, a farmer who grows wheat will harvest the grain; the dry plant that remains after harvest is straw.
There are pros and cons to using wood chips (flakes-pine or cedar). Before wood fully breaks down it can bind with the nitrogen in your soil and keep it from being used as needed by the plants. To prevent this, remove any unbroken down pieces before top dressing with compost or working the soil in any way. You don’t want those larger pieces in your soil. After working your soil and replanting, add a another layer of wood chips as mulch.
I appreciate how detailed yet simple your explanations are. Really helps to demystify gardening. Keep putting out these informative videos.
Thank you Luke. I had not realized I could use this. I am thankful for ya.
I am in Indiana, I usually plant garlic around November. After planting I put a short fence around inside of bed & fill with close to a foot of straw. It diminishes in height over winter. Garlic grows up through it in Spring & is well mulched for weed prevention & moisture retention. Rarely do I have problems with weed seed with straw.
I use hemp, looks similar to bedding, smells great. I use it also to mark all the area and lines where I planted seeds.
We plant garlic in the fall in Kentucky. We cover the bulbs with a think layer of straw. The bulbs sprout before Thanksgiving and live alo through the winter with no problems. Love your videos. Thank you
Bag your grass clippings and spread 8-10'' deep around your plants without it touching them. I have been doing this for over 30yrs and works perfect with not a single issue.
august Me too,
It is good if you have enough for a thick layer and clean grass witout weeds.
Me too. If you you don't use chem.fert. on your grass your good to go. Rake. Pile. Cover. Put near the garden. IT'S FREE.
We have an endless supply of grass and pile it up into a huge stinky pile. Don’t you get weeds from the grass mulch?
@@fwebster29, No weeds from the grass mulch and my yard has tons of weeds because I don't use any chemicals at all. I use the clippings as soon as I bag them, that way they don't stink. I usually will do two layers.
Luke, You are mistaken about straw, at least in my area. I live in wheat/barley land and after the crop is harvested, they cut the stems of the plant and bale them. That is the straw. It doesn't have any seeds on it because the seeds were harvested as the crop. There is an issue of the spray that was put on them. But no seeds.
We get wheat straw where I live, occasional seed, just let it grow to about 6" and then cut it at the bottom and it doesn't grow back. Not an issue, I left what little wheat straw seed germination I had in my raised beds all winter and cut it before planting. It gives the mycorrhizae something to do all winter. Straw seed doesn't spread after the fact either unless you let it grow to seed...
Correct. Hay is grown from alfalfa and fed to livestock. Straw is from barley or wheat after they harvested the seed
I live in Oregon and sometimes not all areas of the crop come to harvest at the same time. When they bail the straw seeds of the crop are trapped to grow later. I have shown in my second video. (I only have two garden videos so far.) But the nice part is, straw is made out of annual grasses so once you kill them they won't come back unlike hay.
Not all hay comes from alfalfa; there are many sources you can turn into hay... Dried grass being the easiest
Dolly thanks for sharing that. I was wondering what the difference was and just hadn't ever googled it yet 😉 Now I know 💙
Again, I learned something very educational from your channel and I would Never, in a million years, thought of using animal bedding for this. Thank you so much for the great information!!
Amazing to see your channel grow so fast. I think you were at 100k subs when I started watching. I’ve probably only missed a handful of videos in the last 1.5 years. You guys are the best! I bought most of my seeds from you and they all germinated great. Thanks.
Neat. I just saw this stuff at my local Tractor Supply and was wondering if it could be used. Now the CZcams algorithm is reading people's minds and not just listening to you lol.
THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME. Never mentioned it or anything besides a passing mental note. Creepy
I use pine shavings for my 3 chickens' bedding. It absorbs some of the moisture from their poops, too. I then use it like you do - mulch in the garden. Works great!
I'm using a dye free cedar mulch of my raised beds this year. I'm just over one week from sowing. Everything is coming up. It is currently May 24 2021. And I live in Northern Michigan. Happy growing!
I can't imagine you have the time to read and answer all the comments you must get, but I had to write one anyway. I'm not new to gardening, but I'm very new to the Back to Eden style of mulch in place. Several of your videos have inspired me. I love to just see you guys in action. It was especially nice when it was winter here in Oregon and I had garden fever with all my new knowledge. I'm videoing my journey, but before I get to far along, I just wanted to share my appreciation. Keep teaching us. Love it! Thank you.
Straw is a by-product of oats. Hay is a by-product of Hay says oat farmer Chessie. Another good source of mulch is a local saw mill (I just messaged mine) or a tree-in-yard cutter. I trade veg for wood chips.
Early season trick I stumbled upon: using a very dark colored mulch absorbs more solar radiation, heats things up a bit faster. But any mulch is better than no mulch, by a lot. I've seen all-natural black colored landscaping mulch at stores that I used in a pinch once and it worked great. It lightens over the season but you only really need it to be black at the start of the year. Not as cost effective as the animal bedding though.
Also props on mixing the two.
I guess people don't read any other comments so many corrections on the straw and hay. Thanks for the info.
You could bag your leaves with a lawnmower and use them for mulch. This will shred them a bit and keep them from blowing around. This will direct compost in the garden, save you money, and you can use your nitrogen based compost ingredients to compost other brown waste
Thank you for this suggestion. After many years of not having a garden this Spring I am beginning one, love the shavings idea.
I can't count the times someone upset me and my parents would say, "just let it roll off your back, it's not worth letting it upset you or making you say something you may regret".
Just got into woodworking and I seem to have an endless supply of this stuff... Don't have a garden on the new place so ended up dumping a bunch around a pine tree....I wonder if the pine tree was a bit disturbed by this
Haha
I’m a woodworker also, you got to be very careful how much sawdust you use around your plants, I learned the hard way! Too much sawdust blocks oxygen getting to your plants and kills them. Sawdust will cake together and pretty much block everything from getting thru it! Sawdust and this wood mulch is not the same thing! Be fore warned and save yourself from making my past mistakes!
I used this in my strawberry and tomato's last year works great.
I love how you mentioned aeration. I would not have thought about that. Thank you so much for this video!
Wow, and I'm cold at 60 degrees tonight here in Texas! A lot of what you grow there won't grow here, but you still have great ideas. Spring has done sprung, and we are heading into summer. Thanks for your advice!
Hi there, Luke - great info! I am going to do this today. FYI - straw is not a byproduct of hay, it is a byproduct of grain. Straw is the stems/stalks of wheat or other grain. Until next time, have a fabulous day!
Wood mulching and happy to explain the benefits of less weeding, watering with more consistent moisture, fertilizing and insulating from either being too cold or hot... Someone might be getting back to Eden, Luke might try planting vegetables in his woodchips next.... I think at least one tomato grown in woodchips with trifecta would be a great idea to show in comparison to just compost.
I did this last year and worked great! I was very happy with it.
In the UK we get frost up to the end of May. Late May and June is where most UK Gardner's plant out.
I think we are headed to that time frame here in the USA this year.
I mulched with straw last year and, yeah, sooooo many weeds.
Me tooooo even in places I've never had them before lesson learned!
I love using pine bedding as mulch. It works great between rows to keep weeds down. Doesn't have to be too thick and it layers together and stays put. Fairly cheap. Decomposes well. Worms love it. Breaks down great overwinter for the next year. I use the stuff all over the place. I do mulching and smothering with straw and leaves and actual wood chips, depending on what I am doing. The pine is acidic, but neither the needles or the wood will significantly change ph. As they decompose, the ph actually goes more neutral. I mulch my strawberries with pine shavings and they absolutely love it. I do cover the strawberries with straw come winter time for a little extra insulation. Gets pretty cold in MN sometimes.
I just finish putting up my garden beds. It’s so muddy where I put them because there’s no grass. We were trying to use material we alReady had, so I put stone. We have a lot of bags of stone and still have 3 bags left. It looks so pretty now, I can’t wait to start panting
love using the pine, looks amazing on the raised beds; never thought of mixing it with cedar but I do have a chipper/ shredder I use to mulch tree service chips into nice much for putting around plants.
Great tip on a very affordable and practical mulch Luke. I'll be trying it out on a few beds for sure!
I used leaves on one of my raised beds 2 years ago based on one of your videos. It worked so well over the winter to suppress weeds and encourage worms to stay that I sought out leaf donations from my neighbours. Had lots for all beds, fall compost, vermicompost bins and some leftovers for spring compost bins. Since we are still expanding our backyard garden space, I think I will be encouraging donations with veggie samples. The cedar chips will smell great after a rain.
Valerie Howden Leaves are garden gold! I save and shred all my leaves, and use as mulch. Over the last 10 years I have converted my garden soil from heavy clay, to rich black fertile soil. I also get wood chips from the city and use them ON TOP of the beds as well. I ask for the woodchips, after the leaves are on the trees. It helps with decomposition.
Valerie Howden The city collects our leaves, though it is our responsibility to rake and bag them. I spend a. couple of mornings in Fall, gathering up to 150 bags,, and make leaf mold, to apply the next summer. Incredible stuff and free,
I've used this type litter for mulch before. It seems to really be a good weed deterrent. I got bigger packages of it at the tractor store for horses. Takes quite sometime to break down. I grew some great purple potatoes in the bed I used this in. I will be using this again in some of my beds.
I just used this method on a windy day. I had to wet down the bedding as I worked. This allowed me to pick up big chunks of bedding with one hand and put them in place.
I see this video is from a few years ago. Are you still using this method? Has it worked as well as you thought it would? Any drawbacks? Is this appropriate for all of your plants that need a mulch layer or is it better for specific plants?
In the UK we get frost up to the end of May. Late May and June is where most UK Gardner's plant out.
My local Govenment dumps wood chip next next to my garden. Ìv mulched most of my beds including the strawberries.
Great idea! I have containers and did not need a whole truckload of mulched yard waste from my city, but didn’t want to buy bags of dyed mulch to put on our food. Time to head to Tractor Supply! Thank you!
I love how the ads pop up for Roundup on a weed free garden video....NOT!!
They need customers to buy their product to pay for the lawsuit they lost concerning glyphosate.
The northeast is going to get another cold blast in a week. It is very hard on the farmers. I love your very practical videos.
Ive heard ceder is also a pest deturent and good for dealing with fungas knats, makes it so they suffocate and can't fly out, especially in pots.😁
As a byproduct of wheat, straw is often sprayed which defeats the organic gardeners method. This is such a great idea! All our leaves blew away before we could bag them last fall.
Melissa Nowak yes, straw is flooded with toxic things you really do not want in your garden/ around your food
I've been straw bale gardening for years with great results. My plants love it.
I have only recently turned to CZcams for others answers to my questions. Thank you for this video. I can’t wait to try this mulch method. I have always wanted to use pet cedar for all my mulching, and never tried it.
I'm definitely going to try this. It's really convenient and I would also think the cedar would help to repel, at least a few, insects.
I’m trying cedar bedding as mulch for my container garden this year. Thanks for the idea!
I seriously just put my young chicks out in a new garden spot in a portable cage to scratch the dirt and fertilize the area. I put out the pine chips with them to help them have bedding. What a win win. I plan to lay compost with it also before I plant.
Straw is a by-product of grain growing (the dry stocks of things like wheat *after* the seed heads are removed), hay is grasses (and things like alfalfa) cut when still green and dried as fodder. Hay can have a lot of weed seeds in it, straw (unless something has gone wrong) doesn't have much in the way of seeds in it, though it can have some. More importantly straw can have herbicide residue in it aimed at broadleaved plants, like most garden crops...
Love it! I did this this year and not only is it so pretty but it’s def helping my pots hold moisture
Straw is the stem part of cereal crops after the seed heads have been harvested. One year long ago, we replaced our lawn and used straw as mulch to protect the grass seed, and grew a fine crop of oats ! Lol!
I will tey muxing the two shavings.
I have used Pine Shavings for mulch in the flowerbeds and also to cover the walkways. No weeds. Ans, I use Cedar Shaving in the Kitty Litter boxes as well as in the designated Rest Area for our German Shepherds. No messy yard. One stop clean-up. Cats and and dogs love it, and no lingering bad odors.
Straw is a byproduct of wheat. Hay is dried alfalfa
I've never covered strawberries and they do just fine.
Where are you located?
I use the bedding from my hamsters, My plants love it.
I walked into my room and smelled...hamsters? No, it was the new cedar cachet’s I had put in the dresser. Olfactory memories.😊
Pine bails work great for my city chickens. 🤘
Great tip. You can get both fine and course pine at Tractor Supply if you have one near you.
Definitely gonna try this...I usually add cedar mulch behind my Hedges to keep bugs away from my house:) but this year for my Strawberries;) Thanks! 🍓 It also smells so good wn entering my porch!
I used the pine on my strawberries and was going to use straw on my garlic till it sprouted grass. Glad to have caught this video ... to the hardware store tomorrow to get the cedar and will be mulching my beds this weekend . I love your videos and my garden just keeps getting bigger thanks for sharing your knowledge 😊
I've been wondering about this and now you've answered my question! Thanks Luke! Wish I could send some warm Arizona weather your way. Hang in there!
Tell me you’re from Michigan without telling me you’re from Michigan: Wearing two layers and pants and saying it’s warm outside! Lol!
Real though, this is a great tip four people in the Midwest, thanks for the info!
Straw isn't a by-product of hay, It's the stalks of grains. Hay is grasses grown for animal feed.. The problem with wheat straw is that many farmers use Roundup to kill the wheat so it can be harvested, so that's a concern for those trying to garden without chemicals.
Dosent pine make the soil more acidic? I have heard pine is what blueberry growers use for mulch because it helps acidify the soil.
Only acidifies of worked into the soil
He discuses this in the video
6:20
Hay and straw has seeds and weed seeds plus mold!
I can really tell that your plant diet is successful. I bet you’re feeling really good. Good ideas in this video!
Pine shaves are extremely variable, some bags are nice size shavings and others can be mostly saw dust.
Could always have some extra woodchips on hand that you can usually find free to mulch your beds with and if you wanted removed at any point could move them on top of your woodchip path
John Doe this is true, I just liked the idea that they would break down and be completely broken down by the late fall.
You know what I like to see you building a bench out there by the garden city setting where you said that that be comfortable having a bench in your garden need to build one I think you’ll like it I am building one for mine
If the logging is done on tree farms, often glyphosate has been sprayed on the trees/soil. I'd much rather have paper chemicals on top of my soil than glyphosate.
I live where logging is the cash crop. In fact my grandfather owned a very large and successful logging company his entire life. There's zero chemicals sprayed on the tree's. what happens here is either private land owners get their land logged once and done. But there's not really anything considered "tree farms" in terms of pine. Wood companies here own massive amounts of land broken into thousand acre "tracts" that they log roughly every 5-10 years. Once logged already started mini pine trees are replanted. They then lease these huge tracks of land to hunting clubs and that's that until they reach a certain size and they are logged once again. Once they are done with the land they usually start selling it off in 10 acre lots. I've never seen any tract being sprayed with anything, ever, and I've lived amongst these pine tracts my whole 37 years on this planet.
And if this was commonly used, you'd still get those chemicals in paper because paper is made from wood. In fact that's what 90% of pine is used for. Pulp wood is king here and so are our paper mills.
This is great! My daughter has a bunny and I use the pine bedding for the rabbit, then I throw all the dirty stuff from the cage on top of my garden all winter and in my compost.
Alrachid yeah rabbits are the best I used to have them and I would make manure tea from the poopies also something people don't know is that rabbits are territorial so when you have your own rabbits and you use their fresh poops around your garden it keeps other wild rabbits out from coming in and eating your stuff just replenish it when you get a lot of rain cuz it breaks down and just keep doing it like every other week
Two effective mulches - weed free. I use "Easy Straw" - small compact bale - chopped straw with glucose sprayed on to "fix" the mulch so it doesn't blow away. It's used for seeding lawns. My fall mulch that I cultivate into my beds is the pine shavings from my deep litter chicken coop. It's loaded with droppings that super charge with nitrogen my beds. So I use Easy Straw during growing season and pine shavings/chicken manure as fall regeneration of soil that cures over the winter. Both add compostable organics to the soil and provide drainage.
Good advice because I need to grow grass
Some weeds are edible. I figured out how to improve my soil around the strawberries is to leave the leaves on them in the Fall. Course the leaves are small. From a Honey Locust tree. To keep them from blowing away, I laid dead branches on them. Evidently it worked. This Spring have been pulling up yellow clover type plants. Much easier to pull.
I live in Georgia. Been warm here for 3 months now
straw is not a bi-product of hay, hay comes from grass, straw comes from oats or wheat stalks.