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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] composting hay

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  • From: Roots Farm & Karen Sutherland <rootsfarm AT cwdom.dm>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] composting hay
  • Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:14 -0400

Why not just sheet compost it, Ruth Stout style, basically laying 4-6 inch "books" of it across your planting surface.  I turned 2-3" of horrible clay over broken shale into about 2' worth of gorgeous loam on my large western MA zone 5 garden.  I also added oak leaves every Fall, basalt rock dust once and limed once or twice and manure every few years.  Have to rake hay off to let soil warm up in spring but soil underneath is soft and teeming with life.   After planting and soil is warm, just lay it back between the lines or plants.   Most weeds can't make it through this barrier; those that do are usually easy to pull and if hay is cut before grass is seedy, less and less weed seed is left in soil.  Voles can be a problem with this method and, in wetter climes, slugs/snails may need to be controlled.  In tropical climes, a thick sheet compost/mulch gives shelter to biting ants and centipedes as well as to more welcome critters.

Best wishes,

Karen
Roots Farm
Organic Produce
Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs
CockraneDOMINICA
767-449-3038


On Jul 27, 2009, at 3:21 PM, Richard Robinson wrote:

I'd be interested in suggestions for composting hay. I bale several hundred bales per year, and would love to turn it into good compost, rather than store it and sell it and buy compost with the proceeds. The hay is mixed grasses, with little legume content. Any ideas about what to mix it with, how to handle it, caveats, etc? Would hay with lots of clover in it make hot compost without amendments?

thanks, Richard

--
Richard Robinson
http://www.nasw.org/users/rrobinson/

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