If you are new to gardening, then it’s imperative that you drop whatever you’re doing and read this article NOW!
Okay, it ain’t THAT serious. But if you want success in your garden, then it is serious enough!
Adding straw to your garden, especially if you live in the south like I do is always something you should definitely consider if you want to have success in your garden and keep your soil soft. Straw helps the soil to stay moist but also prevents certain types of rots and molds from harming crops such as tomatoes. Best of all, straw is cheap! Usually about $7 per bushel.
Before you apply it, I suggest doing the following.
1. Weed your garden!
Although mulching can help prevent future weeds, having mulch over the weeds really isn’t going to deter their growth too much. For that reason, I highly recommend both weeding and hoeing the soil before even thinking about putting the straw down. By weeding, I mean don’t just mean breaking off a piece of grass, I mean yanking that sucker out by its roots like so.
After you’ve done that, proceed to step 2.
2. Use Dat Hoe!
No, I’m not talking about a prostitute or Ariana Grande, I mean an actual hoe.
Use a hoe to shave off the excess weeds and chop dirt clods until soil is fine. You don’t want too many clumpy buggers runining an otherwise decent garden so it is best to make sure that the dirt is close to be clump free before applying the straw. Once the soil is worked, proceed to step three.
3. Spread Straw On Garden
Easy huh? Honestly, don’t worry about being perfect with it. Just make sure you cover enough of the ground with the straw and get around the plants to protect the base and the roots. Seriously, it’s a plant and not a baby – these things survive being outside during thunderstorms so I doubt a bit of straw is going to hurt them. Use common sense though and don’t bury the darn things under it though. Once finished, it should look similar to this:
There you have it! Doesn’t take too much work and will save you tons of headache in the long run. Have fun and happy gardening! If you liked this article (or even just my lame, campy dad humor) give it a share!
Thanks and God Bless,
– TDM
Further reading: http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/straw-turns-gold