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Del, I use anything I can get for mulch in my garden, and it has really improved the soil tilth.  This summer I dragged home some hay from a couple of broken bales in the in nearby hayfields.  We were in a terrible drought and I hoped to get my garden through till the erratic pattern we are in swung back to the wet side. We just had nearly 4 inches of rain last week and the hay mulch is already beginning to rot in.  You will be glad you used the hay, but keep in mind that it will probably encourage voles.  If your trees already have some protection, you will be okay.  Did you know that skunks like to dig up nests of baby voles in the spring?  It's one of their major spring foods.  Donna