mulching the vegetable bed

[latebloomer]

I'm wondering what others out there are using as mulch in the
vegetable garden. I don't want to use our grass clippings because of
weed seeds ( our 'grass' is really a smorgasbord of things). I've
read that spoiled hay and straw are good. Does anyone know of a cheap
local source?

[Norma Megill]

Pine straw is excellent.

Norma B. Megill
Business Manager
Holiday House of Portsmouth, Inc.
Phone: 757-397-6352
Fax: 757-399-2356

[usefulgardener]

I've done well by asking some of the local feed and hay suppliers if
they have any "bad" hay (they will adore you after any hurricane) and
most have given it to me just to get rid of it. I also get spoiled
hay from horse farms near me who, again, are happy to have it gone.
BUT! BUT! Remember that all hay and straw, unless you are paying a
premium for "clean" straw are going to have seeds in them. Same, for
that matter, with manure. If you compost it - really compost it, with
a high heat developing, the seeds can be killed off. No guarantees.

What's the most important thing to remember about grass clippings?
Besides the fact that fresh clippings will begin to ferment if packed
down around plants, generating heat and promoting fungi, always be
very, very careful to be sure that the clippings you receive and use
are not from lawns that have been treated with any of the weed-and-
feed chemicals. They ARE residual and they will damage your garden
plants which are indistinguishable to the chemically-minded from any
other broadleaved plants, that is to say, weeds.

Don't forget shredded paper and newspaper, brown paper bags, etc. I
know gardeners who swear by them.