Hay vs Straw

Although for the most part, I use the terms hay and straw interchangeably, I do know that there is a difference.  This was brought to the forefront of my mind the other day when I was getting garden mulch.  Since we have baby chicks, I figured to use the hay/straw as bedding for the chicks as well as mulch for the garden.  The good folks at the feed store suggested straw for our fine feathered friends since it was cheaper and the birds wouldn’t care either way.  When I asked if it was as good as hay for garden mulch, they didn’t know.  I bought the straw and then did some research.  It turns out that there is no consensus on the matter. 

Hay comes from cut grass and is purported to litter your garden with grass seeds, potentially making weeding a nightmare for the foreseeable future.  Straw, on the other hand, comes from cut grains stalks, with the seeds (grain tops) mostly removed.   Hay is often used for feeding animals, thus is more expensive in most areas than straw.  So far, it seems like straw is the winner in this debate – but wait, there’s more! 

It turns out that hay contains more minerals than straw and will add nutrients to the soil as it decomposes (http://learningandyearning.com/2012/04/02/using-hay-vs-straw-in-the-garden/).  Several pages I scoured (including the link referenced above) suggested leaving the hay sit for a season before using it.  Buying year old hay from nearby farmers or just planning ahead can help with that.  It was also suggested that the hay be used as bedding for chickens, before being added to your garden.  That way, the chickens eat the seeds and supply a little extra fertilizer. 

Then there were the practical pages that suggested you use whatever was the cheapest.  Either will help with moisture content and controlling soil temperature.  One page even suggested that if your hay sprouts, add more hay to choke those seeds out!  So there you have it.  If you’re mulching on a budget, straw is most likely the way to go.  If you’re mulching to keep the weeds at bay, straw is most likely the way to go.  If you want to add more nutrients back to your soil and have either chickens or time, you may want to go with hay.