Straw Is Amazing For Your Garden, IF It's Safe.

Been trying to find good straw in my area for over two years. So far no luck.

I know it is 8 months since you posted this, I did try straw bale gardening a few years ago. It was a big FLOP. MAYBE I got hold of bad straw, I don't know. I have no interest in doing it again. I do try to use a variety of mulches including leaves (I have loads of trees here), and sometimes straw for a mulch, and wood chips.

Are those large purple flower plant lavender?

Great video, we bought straw for Derbyshire Place community garden. We spread it and 5 days later 90 % of the broccoli bed died. I immediately removed it all. I replanted and we're harvesting brocolli now. We donated it to Hope Place Homeless Shelter. By the way, what are the beautiful blue flowers behind you in this video?

If I grow buckwheat as a cover and then cut it down and dry it after removing the seeds, will it be similar to the straw? Super curious

You have a really nice way of explaining things. I am learning a lot from you. Keep it up!

would it be ok to put down wood chip mulch and then a layer of straw mulch on top of it. I don't grow vegetables just roses and azaleas mostly. I want to brighten up the mulch a bit. thanks, your video was great.

I just found out about this today, in several videos. OMG, I wonder if this is why my garden has struggled over the past few years?! This really angers me - nobody is telling us that they are poisoning our straw, and therefore our manure - now we have to test for poison instead of assuming it's organic! Thanks for sharing this, and spreading the word - I am so angry right now, this chemical society we live in now, just needs to stop!

What about EZ straw? I’ve been using it for years and it seems to be okay, but now I’m actually worried about it. Also, lately I’ve been using Pennington straw. However, their website says it’s all grown organically and does not use any herbicides or pesticides.

Great video, wanted to ask if there’s a place here in SD you recommend to buy bails from?

Thanks

what a beautiful space - great work!

The last 3 years I have used only straw for mulch in the garden and my containers. I have a plastic fence material to hold it down when the wind blow in the spring. My plants have done very well using the straw. Years previously I used leaves and or compost. The straw holds moisture better.

Great video! I just subscribed. Your gorgeous Pride of Madeira makes me miss California.

I wish I had found this earlier. Came across a free bail from a pumpkin patch and have been using it, specifically in a potato patch. I'm going to try this test but I'm already a month or two into these potatoes. They seem to have sprouted fine and don't appear to have any deformities as you mentioned. Maybe that's a test enough in itself?

Hey Jacque, I'm in San Diego as well what feed store did you go to?

I use all my grass clippings in my gardens or around fruit trees along with mowed chopped leaves and pine straw.

What about using pine shavings as mulch? I have chickens and when I clean out their bedding I been repurposed the old shaving as mulch.

I wish you would not say that glyphosate breaks down fairly quickly in soil. It has a persistence that varies depending upon many soil and weather factors. Besides being toxic as a herbicide, it also drastically and negatively disrupts the soil biome, all the beneficial microorganisms that our platns depend upon to thrive. Additionally, as glyphosate breaks down, another substance, AMPA, is created, which is dangerous in the same ways, and persists longer.
I know you are not advocating the use of glyphosate, but thinking it breaks down according to their label "plant by" recommendations can be harmful to the gardens of your viewers.
Thanks for all your great content. I've learned a lot from your channel.

I got mine from a feed store and it was in a scarecrow for a decade, I unstuffed him because I need him compact while I am going through things to get rid of. Would that straw be safe?

The only people who mulch with straw twice are people who forget how horrible it turned out the first time. DON NOT RECOMMEND

I wrecked my garden beds with contaminated grazon straw last year.

I just want to know what is the name of the bush with the purple flowers? They almost look like butterfly bush but the leaves look a bit different. Please tell me id like to get it. I live in zone 6a with clay soil

I switched from straw to shredded cardboard. I bought a heavy duty paper shredder that will take multiple sheets and I cut up all our recycling cardboard and feed it through. The cardboard mulch looks great, holds the moisture really well, it’s free and zero weed seeds. I love it!

I'm using straw for the first time this year because it's auposed to help with bad molds . I hope it works . I just bought normal straw . It still has a few seeds heads but i can pull them out when they grow .

toxic? only if its full of seeds! I am a former rancher-

Great and super helpful!

I have a bunch of wood chips. Would you suggest using a nitrogen liquid fertilizer like fish fertilizer?

I have a bunch of wood chips. Would you suggest using a nitrogen liquid fertilizer like fish fertilizer since wood chips contain a higher amount of carbon?

Do you still endorse Gardenstraw now that they no longer offer a certified organic option? I bought a bag of the non-organic version this year, but only because I couldn't find the organic anymore, and their own website doesn't even carry it.

My research indicates that the store bought Timothy hay people buy for horses is also a great mulch. You can get these bails for like $20-$30

Do you know of a place in SD that sells organic straw bales? City Farmers or a tack store ? I’d love to know. I’m in Encinitas

Make sure the straw or hay HAS NO SEEDS!!! Or you will be pulling straw weeds for years

@Jacques in the Garden, If the straw has a bonding agent in it is it still OK for the vegetable garden? Love watching your videos.

Jaques, Help. What do you guys think about Kaolin Clay as a pest deterrent?

Bought a compressed cut wheat straw bale from Anderson Straw and then saw this video. I did some checking and wasnt able to find much online before I put it on my garden. I was not crazy about waiting a few weeks to test. I went to Anderson's site and asked if they used any persistent herbicides. They replied within 24 hours and assured me that the wheat straw was safe and they use an herbicide early on in the growing cycle and it is out of the plant after three weeks and they follow regulations that guard food production and the straw was completely safe and is used in gardens across the country.
I am confidently putting it on my garden today and will update if anything goes south, but I was stoked they actually got back to me so quickly. So kudos to Anderson for reaching out so quickly.

Odd question for you. What about straw that is sold as pet bedding? I would think that is safe but not sure. I know it would be smaller quantities but for just a few pots it may be the perfect amount.

Great class. Thanks!

Beautiful garden sir. I will tell ya this if you go out and find a Water/mineral dowser man or woman you will find water under your land. They wont this and our Gov wants us to all think we are going to run out of water but if you research the mining companies here in America you will find they ALWAYS hire a dowser and YES while they are harder to find you have to do some work to find them but you can. One came to a lake that dried up in UT and ppl were scared cuz that beautiful lake was gone that they had there very wealthy homes around. The Town didn't know what to do. A older man came forward and said I guarantee you there is a spring under this lake let me a look as I am dowser. He did it for LONNNNGGG time. Long story short the higher ups decided NO they wouldn't allow him to. He was going to do it for free. 2 yrs later they had tried everything in there power to get the lake back up but it dried up and again and again as they failed. One of the home owners around the lake said you know we did have that offer from the dower elderly man to find a spring that would bring the lake back... Everyone with houses was upset at the council members that lead this and just like that the dowser was called. He just so happen to be around still and said he would find them water. He went out onto the lake with his dowsing either rod or stick and sure enough he found a spring under the ground and he told them to dig here. Well they listened this time and just like that the lake was full of water again. WE ARE ALL BEING FOOLED that there is NOT enough water for us even in CA there are underground rivers every where and minerals that our gov would love to get there hands on to take out of many ppl props. That is why if they find minerals like gold silver iron copper and so on... they can take your prop from you without you and I even having a choice. Look this ALL UP Don't ever believe me. I didn't believe the person that told me and I looked it up and saw how FOOLED we all are with this not enough water bu!! they are indoctrinating us with. Ask this question to yourself why do the richest ppl in the world that own the mines in in America ALL HIRE DOWSERS to find there minerals water and so on.... I was pretty shocked when I looked it up as well. We are ALL being fooled by the monsters that run our country.

if you grow an organic lawn you have infinite free mulch

💚👍

this was really helpful... so if I have stunted plants its best to use a high nitrogen organic fertilizer if I dont have compost? I have this issue, I dont know what the history of my new yard is but many seeds grow very short and several perennials have re grown this year stunted. Jacques can you do a video about when to use blood meal and bone meal? what is the difference between them, how much to use and what issues do they each address?

You said roundup would breakdown and not hurt your garden. Are you testing for another chemical or some residual from roundup , how would you know if it breaks down . There are other chemicals that don’t breakdown but not sure that they are used on grain products? So what are you actually looking for

Is EZ straw with tack safe for veggie garden? Anyone been using for multiple seasons????

If your wheat crop was sprayed with glyphosate there wouldn’t be a wheat crop to be had to make straw. Glyphosate is only a pre-emergent chemical with no targeted residual property effects. Usually used as a first pass weed control known as burn off before the crop is planted.

How to prevent snakes and scorpions from hiding under the straw? Other than making a thin layer of mulch. "In hot climate"

Can you please timestamp where you talk straw vs wood chips

i watched a video in the spring, this person trusted the person she was buying hay from (for her cow) used the manure for her garden and in no time everything died, the hay had been grown with the herbicide. almost all her raised beds had to be broke down and refilled with fresh soil

Thank you for the info on straw. I was always curious but had never researched and used it. I feel confident I can try it now and not have a major catastrophe! 😊