Using Straw Mulch: Age Wheat Straw Bales Before Use Or THIS Happens!

In today's 2 minute garden tip, I show why you must age wheat straw bales before use when using straw mulch in your yard and garden...or else THIS happens! Wheat straw is my favorite natural mulch to use in my yard, but it should be aged before use to avoid a potential negative side effect.

My experience has found wheat straw mulch to be the best mulch for your garden, fruit trees and yard for its superior suppression of weeds and moisture retention. However, a potential side effect is wheat seed germination from leftover seeds in the wheat straw bales. This straw mulch tip will prevent the germination of leftover seed in your yard and garden. These wheat mulch tips also go for hay bales, too, because hay often contains more seed than straw bales.

If you have questions about how to use mulch in your garden and yard, need help growing a vegetable garden or growing fruit trees, want tips for gardening for beginners, want to know about the things I grow in my garden, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and "garden hacks" like this, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and "how to" garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!

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Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8A

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©2 Minute Garden Tips

#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #mulch #wheat

[GrowingUpJersey]

I mulched my beds in the fall with a few bales. Come spring, the beds were covered in wheat . Not too much of a problem, it pulls up easily and toss in the compost. or use it for more mulch during the growing season. It also kept a lot of the annual weeds from growing.
I let a patch grow and harvested the seeds to see what it takes to make flour.

[momolpet]

I pick up decorating bales after Halloween from town folk and put them in the poultry yard. Poultry loves them and then it's good for the garden

[Rumade]

This is why I only mulch with chicken straw. Any loose seeds have been eaten by the chickens, and their poop helps fertilise whatever I'm mulching! I used chicken straw for no dig potatoes this year and despite a drought, they did wonderfully.

[danield]

Layed out 15 bales of rye straw strait from the farm into my 3 veggie gardens. Saw all the seed heads in there and didn't think much much of it. It all germinated after about 2 weeks. It was bad.
Just got done today after 12 hours of removing ALL OF IT and used EZ Straw instead. I bought mine from menards but it sold and home depot, lowes ect. That stuff is nice. No seed heads or weeds. Ive had it in my raised beds for 2 months and no weeds.

[mariap.]

Hahaha!!! Loved the little Dale cameo and your "wear goggles" sign.
Thanks for sharing. Love 🐕❤️🐕💜

[michellessouthernhomecooki]

Ok Mr. Lol. I watched you use the straw in a video about a month ago and went out and bought my bale and used it. You didn’t mention aging it in that video but I’ve learned now. lol. No worries. I’m just plucking them out as I can. In a large raised bed. I’m going to continue to age this a few months and lay it down between my row of grow bags and my raised bed garden and hit it with the vinegar. Love watching you. ❤ take care! - Michelle from NE North Carolina

Adding to content that I love your sweet baby and his addition to your show. ❤

[Michael-zbuw]

Exactly what I want on my garden path.. we basically live on a sand doon..looking for a root system to hold the sand together

[s.]

Wish I watched this before...now there's a ton of grass in my garden

[daisycutterx]

Thank you sooo much!!! You saved us from making a costly mistake, ❤

[SirSkippy]

I spread it out over a sizable area I have covered with black plastic, within a week or 2 all the seeds germinates and quickly dies from having no water and the plastic absorbs heat and quickly dries out the sprouts! When I use it I just load up a wheel barrel and take it to where I plan on using as mulch!

[richardrubin]

I spend the money and use a heat treated cut up straw product from Lucerne Farms. I have had no problems with weeds

[metalcatmom]

Many years ago, I bought a couple of bales of straw to try to use to grow tomatoes. A couple of weeks later the bales looked like Chia pets 😆. As a result, I no longer use straw to grow tomatoes.

[thesarge-]

I can tell you from experience that using Hay was a bad idea. I used a thick layer of Hay as mulch for my garden a few years ago and have been fighting aggressive rhizome grass ever since. I have finally had to give up on my 40’x40’ garden because the grass was too aggressive. Use caution using straw or hay.

[fenrirgg]

I can use fresh cut grass as mulch and nothing sprouts, because I live in a desert and the surface of the soil is dry as Mars in a day or two under the sun. Just today I cut a bunch of African grass (I think is Bermuda grass?) and used it as mulch. I really don't think it will sprout there 😅

[congrats]

Thanks for sharing! Loves the wheat greens 😍.

[susangrace]

What about the herbicide used with wheat production???
Could kill your garden plants...

[eric]

Wrapping and allowing it to process/ferment the way farmers do is very effective.

[ekscentar]

Hay and straw are not one and the same. Only straw should be used for mulch. It is best to wrap such straw in two large garbage bags so that it is not scattered everywhere and place it in a dry and dark place. I have an old house where I keep straw, but a barn is even better, and it can also be in the garage or basement, if you have nothing else. Wrapped in bags, it can stand for years.

[jonthornton]

Is Pennington wheat straw bag bale straw from Lowes safe to use for mulch in my raised beds and containers TIA

[randyman]

If the wheat is growing in the bales then it must be free of any harmful herbicides like grazon, correct?