Same! I came here looking for part 2 😂 I keep telling my kids “you know you’re getting old when you get excited about vacuums, blenders, and gardening shows” 😂😂💜
I always loved plants, ever since mom plopped one in my room and I saw it grow a new one from seeds it dropped. Always fascinated me how you can eat smth, stick a thing into the soil and have a new thing grow. The taking care part is where it gets tricky for me tho😅
I don't trust straw for two reasons, first the price. We don't have any wheat or other straw producing fields in the area. We live in Colorado, and there is no local straw as far as I know, therefore it has to be transported from somewhere far, so there is no free straw either. Hay, on the other hand is local and could be found free. One of my local friends just delivered 30 bales, that one of the horse owners bought and payed for, but never picked it up, so it went bad. Perfect for my garden! Another reason, and that is bigger than the first, is that straw usually means big grain production and I have no doubt that it gets sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. I can easily see if hay is clean just by looking at it and seeing mix of grasses or even asking a hay producer about it. I vote hay with both hands! Weeds pull out so easily from hay layer that I wouldn't even worry about it.
I’ve using hay (or straw) in one of my gardens for several years. I do get a few weeds but they are very minimal and easily pullout because the ground is so soft. It is actually my most productive garden bed and I only water a few times just after planting until the plants or seeds take root. Even during to hottest, driest part of the year, I don’t water. I call it our Ruth Stout garden after her.
Some straw and hay may look similar but have different compositions, appearances, and uses. For example, straw is made of grain stalks, while hay is made of dried grass or legumes. Hay is usually made for animal feed. Straw is made for bedding, compost, mulch, erosion control, and more.
The straw in my area always ends up growing oats unless I let my chickens pick through it first. I use hay cut by a farmer who cuts it in a timely fashion, which is before it goes to seed. Cheap hay is often cut too late. Good horse hay that later had a storage issue and got a bit musty or moldy is my go-to. I get it for free or cheap because the horses can't use it if it isn't absolutely perfect, but many people don't store it perfectly and lose part of their stash.
I've used hay, pea straw, wood chip, shredded paper/cardboard, and wool dags (the really dirty bits of wool that can't be processed after shearing). I've had no noticeable increase in the rate of weed germination when using hay as mulch. The only time I had a big problem with weeds was after incorporating topsoil I'd removed,or wherever the mulch was less than half an inch thick.
I find it amazing that the biggest concern for hay or straw mulch is weeds. I used straw once to mulch and it ruined my harvest. One word...voles. They bed in the straw and feed from the garden.
Ok. L o n g time gardener here. Those wood bottoms will rot out in maybe 6 months, but its an experiment, right? Right. I think a thick layer hay 10" no less, will prevent rooting of seeds. Easy enuf to pluck those that do tho after a week of rain some sun, weeds will appear. I fall soak my bales under the eaves thru winter, ready for spring. Mushrooms may blow your mind. Otherwise pack loose poopy hay tight into big tubs and soak for about a week. Rot the unwanted volunteer seeds. Remove soaked hay, very smelly, apply to top of bed. Esp essential to soak if the hay has manure-chicken or pasture grazers. Dilute the leftover broth good, 3water-1broth and water in beds or moisten compost. The airy roughage is great topping for direct seeding lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots. Conclusion, I recommend soaking hay, spread 3"deep and before planting, rinse and allow a day to dry. Direct seed or seedling plant. Earthworms will move in overnight.
Hey man you can put garden scraps underneath those raised beds and mix it with some soil or manure. The bed will protect it from UV rays (which can kill some microorganisms) and the drainage water can serve to hydrate the pile. 👍🧑🌾
Be interested in your outcome. My mom does hay bale gardening and was really frustrated with the process when one supplier delivered straw instead of hay. Just had problems all season.
We use the spent hay from under our goat feeder for mulch a lot. Or just from cleaning up from around the vapes but the stuff around their feeder is the most "enriched" and seems to boost soil health enough that I can do some really intensive "chaos beds" with tight plant spacing (which may also help to crowd out the weeds more also)
I used hay to cover plants during a late season polar vortex...I introduced a huge amount of grass burrs / stickers...I have had to abandon the area...I may cover the area with black plastic to try and cook the remaining seeds
One thing wood hates more than water is dirt. You need to put a liner into those containers otherwise you'll get another year of use before the bottom rots out. Just friendly advice.
In my experience, straw always has seeds that sprout and in the end, I've got wheat growing in my garden beds overtaking the vegetables I had planted. Weeding the wheat defeats the purpose of using straw as weed-suppressing mulch. I can only imagine the same scenario with hay.
you mean there's people on the internet that actually know the difference between Hanes straw?!! it blows my mind how many people don't have a clue the difference between the two!
one big surprise for me with people and raised beds is that so many people will disconnect the raised bed from the ground, which strikes me as odd, as by allowing the soil in your raised bed to connect to the undisturbed soil below it, you allow the miccorhizal networks to connect to the plants in the bed, you allow the worms to work their way up and down, and for the natural microorganisms to use your bed as habitat, and for some moisture to be shared with the ground as well, this all increases the fertility as does the depth of the good soil. and soil may grow deep downward thanks to the life that thrives in these deep soil environments. the worms like the deep soils and there are worms that can not exist without them, I have observed that soils can grow as deep as 6 feet downwards when creating habitat above undisturbed ground, in my case, it was a large hugulkuture that shrank and dissapeared over the course of a decade, but the soil grew down 6 feet, in what was previously one inch of top soil over an unlimited amount of clay, so many organisms were drawn to this environment which allowed them to do the work to create living growing soil. I highly recommend experimenting some more, and keeping this in mind as it is a sure fire way to invite organisms like worms and fungi who will fertilise , aerate, and connect to the internet of plants and trees, even those that can be far away via a fungal network . in any event, keep up the great work, we all need to grow as much food as we can to reduce our dependence on the production of others, lower our costs, and eat better at the same time. Thanks for making these videos as they may inspire others to do the same. Cheers
@BackToReality would you be willing to share the how to, and measurement on those raised garden beds. Maybe even I can afford some if i can build them myself 🙂
I do straw but i put down a layer of newspaper under the straw, wet it down and then apply the straw. I didnt see this method used but its what i do. Think its the best way myself.
Ive been using hay around my fruit trees in hope that itll grow a cover crop as well as being a mulch haha. My soil is awful and wasnt growing anything in thise areas to start with
I never have anything coming up through the hay I use to mulch, deep or not. I can put 5 fat pieces of straw and two days later craps shooting right up in it. I get the hay from the round bale that's set out for the donkeys. They pull it out and kind of make a mess everywhere around where it is. No weeds start coming up from the hay there either. 🤷♀️ I don't like how thick straw acts when I use to mulch. It gets slimy and moldy and ugly looking
I'm over here stuck on the first few sentences. Lol he said hay often contains "weed seeds." So it threw me off 😅 I was expecting to legit see weed growing from this hay 😂. Then I realized he was just talking about regular old weedS. That missing S at the end really threw me off 😂😅
i don't see a reason why straw would contain less. sure, it's cut short, but a lot of weeds like quackgrass crawl on the ground much shorter than the cut straw did when it was alive
Weeds are anything growing where you don’t want it.. otherwise it’s forage for chickens, cows , goats , and sheep plus food sources for pollinators and birds the litter makes the earthworms happy and the soil biome too otherwise you have dirt that likes to wash off the land in a storm event 😊
Oh no, sorry to hear that! Out of curiosity, do you recall how thick your layer of hay was? Did you till it into the soil at any point? And when did you first notice the quackgrass (for example, was it right away that season, the next season, etc.)?
Nothing yet... However, this is an ongoing experiment, so we likely won't know the actual results for a while. We'll post a full length video at the end of the season (and any interesting observations that come up between now an then)
I can tell I’m getting older because this is the kind of content I now find thrilling.
I'm a mummy then
Yep....me too!
Same! I came here looking for part 2 😂 I keep telling my kids “you know you’re getting old when you get excited about vacuums, blenders, and gardening shows” 😂😂💜
Me too! I love those beds and now I have to make them.
I always loved plants, ever since mom plopped one in my room and I saw it grow a new one from seeds it dropped. Always fascinated me how you can eat smth, stick a thing into the soil and have a new thing grow. The taking care part is where it gets tricky for me tho😅
Your experimental approach to gardening is a total delight to this scientist/gardener! :)
I don't trust straw for two reasons, first the price. We don't have any wheat or other straw producing fields in the area. We live in Colorado, and there is no local straw as far as I know, therefore it has to be transported from somewhere far, so there is no free straw either. Hay, on the other hand is local and could be found free. One of my local friends just delivered 30 bales, that one of the horse owners bought and payed for, but never picked it up, so it went bad. Perfect for my garden! Another reason, and that is bigger than the first, is that straw usually means big grain production and I have no doubt that it gets sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. I can easily see if hay is clean just by looking at it and seeing mix of grasses or even asking a hay producer about it.
I vote hay with both hands! Weeds pull out so easily from hay layer that I wouldn't even worry about it.
Hey I’d rather use hay and have weeds grow amongst my veggies, than to use straw and have no veggies at all and only weeds left behind
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I’ve using hay (or straw) in one of my gardens for several years. I do get a few weeds but they are very minimal and easily pullout because the ground is so soft.
It is actually my most productive garden bed and I only water a few times just after planting until the plants or seeds take root. Even during to hottest, driest part of the year, I don’t water.
I call it our Ruth Stout garden after her.
A fantastic experiment... Can't wait for the outcome!
Some straw and hay may look similar but have different compositions, appearances, and uses. For example, straw is made of grain stalks, while hay is made of dried grass or legumes. Hay is usually made for animal feed. Straw is made for bedding, compost, mulch, erosion control, and more.
That's cool. And way more result oriented than fight about " who is right" online!
Well done😎👌👍
Your raised beds are gorgeous!
I’m here for when the results come out. Love you videos. :)
The straw in my area always ends up growing oats unless I let my chickens pick through it first. I use hay cut by a farmer who cuts it in a timely fashion, which is before it goes to seed. Cheap hay is often cut too late. Good horse hay that later had a storage issue and got a bit musty or moldy is my go-to. I get it for free or cheap because the horses can't use it if it isn't absolutely perfect, but many people don't store it perfectly and lose part of their stash.
Can you post an instructional video on making those raised beds?
Whoa! I need to find your long form vid on the making of these elevated beds (if there is one). Too good!
Wish I could slowdown playback
I use both wheat straw and Timothy hay in my garden, mostly after it's digested by rabbits and turned by the chickens.
Goodness, i have never subscribed after seeing just one short but this experiment is reason enough!
We use hay also, works awesome
I've used hay, pea straw, wood chip, shredded paper/cardboard, and wool dags (the really dirty bits of wool that can't be processed after shearing). I've had no noticeable increase in the rate of weed germination when using hay as mulch. The only time I had a big problem with weeds was after incorporating topsoil I'd removed,or wherever the mulch was less than half an inch thick.
I am so damn old and proud of finding these kinds of content.
I find it amazing that the biggest concern for hay or straw mulch is weeds. I used straw once to mulch and it ruined my harvest. One word...voles. They bed in the straw and feed from the garden.
Straw bales, in our area, are available around Halloween and it is mowed down wheat (with enormous amounts of attached wheat heads).
We use hay up here , North of Dallas. Keeps soil moist and cool. I do in ground gardening.
Hay and straw can both have weeds! Just use what ever looks cleaner. You ought to till it in the soil if the late fall when everything is done
We use hay too. On a 1/4 acre No till garden
I love science. Thanks for data instead of opinion
Staying tuned for this experiment!
Ok. L o n g time gardener here. Those wood bottoms will rot out in maybe 6 months, but its an experiment, right? Right. I think a thick layer hay 10" no less, will prevent rooting of seeds. Easy enuf to pluck those that do tho after a week of rain some sun, weeds will appear. I fall soak my bales under the eaves thru winter, ready for spring. Mushrooms may blow your mind. Otherwise pack loose poopy hay tight into big tubs and soak for about a week. Rot the unwanted volunteer seeds. Remove soaked hay, very smelly, apply to top of bed. Esp essential to soak if the hay has manure-chicken or pasture grazers. Dilute the leftover broth good, 3water-1broth and water in beds or moisten compost. The airy roughage is great topping for direct seeding lettuces, spinach, beets, carrots. Conclusion, I recommend soaking hay, spread 3"deep and before planting, rinse and allow a day to dry. Direct seed or seedling plant. Earthworms will move in overnight.
Amazing, I will love to see this video!
Still love my sawdust and shavings but the experiment is the best way to know for sure!
I just covered some of my garden beds with grass clippings to save on buying straw. She'll be right ,mate 👍
I like your statistics mindset. That's how my brain works too.
Hay and straw is actually a really good use for your garden. It provides moisture control, water retention
This is great! Look forward to results ❤
Hey man you can put garden scraps underneath those raised beds and mix it with some soil or manure. The bed will protect it from UV rays (which can kill some microorganisms) and the drainage water can serve to hydrate the pile. 👍🧑🌾
I've used hay for years as I bale hay. Gotta watch the crab grass or Johnson grass.
Be interested in your outcome. My mom does hay bale gardening and was really frustrated with the process when one supplier delivered straw instead of hay. Just had problems all season.
We use the spent hay from under our goat feeder for mulch a lot. Or just from cleaning up from around the vapes but the stuff around their feeder is the most "enriched" and seems to boost soil health enough that I can do some really intensive "chaos beds" with tight plant spacing (which may also help to crowd out the weeds more also)
Love the experimenting!
You Canadians are all alike! Way cool!
Can't wait to see the results. 😊
I love your raised beds!! ❤❤❤
I used hay to cover plants during a late season polar vortex...I introduced a huge amount of grass burrs / stickers...I have had to abandon the area...I may cover the area with black plastic to try and cook the remaining seeds
I like sugar cane mulch but we've used old hay plenty of times. Weeds don't really bother me too greatly it's all party of the process
New to the channel, Love the name
One thing wood hates more than water is dirt. You need to put a liner into those containers otherwise you'll get another year of use before the bottom rots out. Just friendly advice.
Love the beds! Great video. ❤
I really like the planters
Scientific method!
In my experience, straw always has seeds that sprout and in the end, I've got wheat growing in my garden beds overtaking the vegetables I had planted. Weeding the wheat defeats the purpose of using straw as weed-suppressing mulch. I can only imagine the same scenario with hay.
As a grower i can tell you hay is the best compost for your plant they create fungus that actually feed the plants. I swear by it
you mean there's people on the internet that actually know the difference between Hanes straw?!! it blows my mind how many people don't have a clue the difference between the two!
Would like instructions on making those raise beds.
do plants need the energy from the ground to thrive ? looks neat anyway
one big surprise for me with people and raised beds is that so many people will disconnect the raised bed from the ground, which strikes me as odd, as by allowing the soil in your raised bed to connect to the undisturbed soil below it, you allow the miccorhizal networks to connect to the plants in the bed, you allow the worms to work their way up and down, and for the natural microorganisms to use your bed as habitat, and for some moisture to be shared with the ground as well, this all increases the fertility as does the depth of the good soil. and soil may grow deep downward thanks to the life that thrives in these deep soil environments. the worms like the deep soils and there are worms that can not exist without them, I have observed that soils can grow as deep as 6 feet downwards when creating habitat above undisturbed ground, in my case, it was a large hugulkuture that shrank and dissapeared over the course of a decade, but the soil grew down 6 feet, in what was previously one inch of top soil over an unlimited amount of clay, so many organisms were drawn to this environment which allowed them to do the work to create living growing soil. I highly recommend experimenting some more, and keeping this in mind as it is a sure fire way to invite organisms like worms and fungi who will fertilise , aerate, and connect to the internet of plants and trees, even those that can be far away via a fungal network .
in any event, keep up the great work, we all need to grow as much food as we can to reduce our dependence on the production of others, lower our costs, and eat better at the same time. Thanks for making these videos as they may inspire others to do the same. Cheers
@BackToReality would you be willing to share the how to, and measurement on those raised garden beds.
Maybe even I can afford some if i can build them myself 🙂
Very cool test!
I do straw but i put down a layer of newspaper under the straw, wet it down and then apply the straw. I didnt see this method used but its what i do. Think its the best way myself.
Ive been using hay around my fruit trees in hope that itll grow a cover crop as well as being a mulch haha. My soil is awful and wasnt growing anything in thise areas to start with
I subscribed, cos tests are important 😂
I need a breakdown of that build please
why you use a square to mark the timber when youre cutting with a miter saw? Also, predrill holes before screwing to stop splits
He ment what he said...William, we're not living in the 1700 anymore! 😂
I love my xr brushless dewalts
Ooo, great idea!
What do you do with the space below the raised beds? Why even raise beds? Why not just have boards around a normal one? 🤔
How thick are you making the beds?
Perfect
How about mold? I'm thinking hay would wet and mat down better in ny high wind area, but would probably get moldy
What mulch do you use?
Uve had straw bales grow weeds too.
It doesn't. It suppresses weeds. I only use old hay from our ranch and it works perfectly.
I never have anything coming up through the hay I use to mulch, deep or not. I can put 5 fat pieces of straw and two days later craps shooting right up in it. I get the hay from the round bale that's set out for the donkeys. They pull it out and kind of make a mess everywhere around where it is. No weeds start coming up from the hay there either. 🤷♀️ I don't like how thick straw acts when I use to mulch. It gets slimy and moldy and ugly looking
I'm over here stuck on the first few sentences. Lol he said hay often contains "weed seeds." So it threw me off 😅 I was expecting to legit see weed growing from this hay 😂. Then I realized he was just talking about regular old weedS. That missing S at the end really threw me off 😂😅
i don't see a reason why straw would contain less. sure, it's cut short, but a lot of weeds like quackgrass crawl on the ground much shorter than the cut straw did when it was alive
I use prairie hay every year. If you use wheat straw you will grow wheat!
I think people are surprised you use hay instead of straw because of how exponentially more expensive it is.
I got a pumpkin from straw 2 yrs ago!
Weeds are anything growing where you don’t want it.. otherwise it’s forage for chickens, cows , goats , and sheep plus food sources for pollinators and birds the litter makes the earthworms happy and the soil biome too otherwise you have dirt that likes to wash off the land in a storm event 😊
Talk about good drainage.
Like…what kinda weed seeds, tho? 😁
I never had a problem with hay or straw or use either or whatever I have pine chips from the chicken pen..
Not where I am. If you don't have any seeds, the birds will bring you some.
This is a year old, where’s the update
My compost contains a lot of valuable weeds.
We used hay and now our garden is filled with quack grass.
Oh no, sorry to hear that!
Out of curiosity, do you recall how thick your layer of hay was? Did you till it into the soil at any point? And when did you first notice the quackgrass (for example, was it right away that season, the next season, etc.)?
I could just show pictures of where I hay having no grass now from all the weeds. 🤷♀️
I thought hay and straw are the same.
Following!
I use grass clippings, no weeds pop up
Also can just let the hay sit for a year
👍
So did anything grow. Context.
Nothing yet... However, this is an ongoing experiment, so we likely won't know the actual results for a while. We'll post a full length video at the end of the season (and any interesting observations that come up between now an then)
@@BackToReality Can't wait for the results
Nice
So smaet!
That wood is already rotten. That would last a couple months max
Straw will grow grass
Stinging nettle
Rain water has a lot of seeds in it too
0:15
Bro saying actually pretty seriously.
Without the outcome result being shown here, this video is useless!
Not really a good vid on how to build the raised bed with the legs. Not for a beginner.
'promo sm'