Grow Your Own Magazine

What ways can straw be used in an allotment? I have access to a large round bale donated from the field next door by the Fire Brigade to stop the kids setting fire to it!
I thought about bagging it and using it in some way in the allotment
As I have light soil I was wondering if I could dig it in in the winter digging to improve soil structure?

You can use straw on your allotment for protecting your strawberrys on your strawberry plants and you could put some in the compost bins
I personally wouldn't dig it in but when planting your potatoes next year put some under them before planting as it will hold moisture

If you can chop it up or shred it, you can add it to your compost heap after a thorough soaking. Unshredded it is a bit more difficult as it tends not to rot down as easily and indeed can 'thatch' the heap and stop water getting into it.

Hi Snadger,

I buy straw for my strawberry plants. Every time I go to the pet shop I get asked what pet I have - they all ways look at me like I'm potty when I tell them 'Strawberries'

I put the straw between the plants to help keep the slugs at bay and also to keep the strawberries from getting dirty on the soil. I left it around them over the winter - not sure if it helped but I did it!

Best way to get it to break down is to put it in a chicken run! Brilliant compost and if put on the empty beds in Autumn is lovely come Spring!

Or put it between layers of grass in your composter to stop it going soggy

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www.poultrychat.com

Yep, straw and chicken manure is a marriage made in Heaven !
I believe you need to be careful what type of straw it is you use with strawberries though, damp straw in particular can cause mould.

Must get some chickens then!

You wont be sorry! Great things chooks!

you can use it like a mulch for weed repressing too. but with nitrogen rich chuck poo and grass makes great compo.(class it as your brown layer.) we get grass from everyone we know who has a lawn, rellies, work peeps ect. (obviously we dont do lawns, what a waste of growing space.) we even mow them in exchange, too much duck and chuck poo not enough kitchen waste you see. our compo is to die for tho, and we rarely have to buy in.

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

I hope to transplant some strawberries this weekend and may use some there.
Does it not blow all over the place? I think I read in GYO that it can be used around beetroot left in-situ! Might give that a try as well. Will make my allotment easily identifiable "Mines the one with the piles of straw around it"