I'm wanting to make the spaces between/among my seven 2x6 raised beds into straw paths. My question is -- how do you keep the straw from winding up all over the place? Won't the wind just take it everywhere? I've never used it before -- I just need to know this before I go buying a bunch of straw. Any experiences? Thanks!
Also, where in the world do you buy straw?
path question
A few years back we had our house sided in the winter and I bought several bales of straw to cover my gardens to protect them from the workmen walking on them. We got it at a farm supply store. I don't know how to keep it from blowing around except that it doesn't blow when its wet or frozen, probably not a solution for you.
Brigidlily,
Straw now only blows around, but is such a nasty color when you first put it down, but after you walk on it and then it rains or gets wet, it turns a really nice brown and will stay that way for a year before it needs to be replaced -- well, topped off with more straw. Once it turns brown, it won't blow away, so when you first put it down, water it and walk on it and it will stay put. (more or less). My personaly opinion is that the trick to straw is to put it down good and thick -- thicker than you might imagine. You buy it anywhere they sell animal bedding (horses and cattle, not gerbils LOL!) such as a feed store or if you have them, the farm bureau coop.
When you get it, you'll see it is packed in layers going the short way and you can pull off one-inch thick sections very easily. It isn't as artistic as pulling it all apart (fluffy), tho, but it won't blow around and you won't have light pieces floating around like you would if you tried to put it down fluffier.
The soil underneath the decomposed straw is soooooo wonderful that you might be tempted to moved your raised beds over the straw!
The other thing they use around here is chips from a tree trimming company or a power company that trims trees near the power lines. They will dump for free. The trick here is to get them in winter, not summer so there is less green stuff in there, but I'm not sure how that translates to Texas where I think things are more evergreen then they are here in the midwest.
These will last a good long time if you put them down pretty thick, but will rob the soil of nitrogen around the edges of your raised beds. (So you add more nitrogen, it's not a huge handicap. I had them in a woodland garden around hostas and they were fine, even though they require more nitrogen than other things.)
Either way, it's good stuff!
Suzy
Thanks, guys. So I'll call around to feed stores, and if I can get it, I'll keep it wet. I may spray with RoundUp before I put it down.
And when I do the nekkid-in-the-back-yard rain dance, I'll dance on the straw!
Brigidlily ~ have you considered pine straw. Far more common and most folks would be glad to let you rake it. It also doesn't blow around, allows water to filter thru and is a nice color. Just a thought.
Oooooh, Pine Straw!!!! I vote for that if you can get it.
Do you know it is $15.00 a bale here and a bale is 1/4 a straw bale in size? We don't have the kinds of pines that drop it here, and now that gas has doubled in price, I imagine we won't have it available at all.
Suzy
Beware! with gas prices it might double in price too. LOL