Mauthner:

Straw is usually the stalks of harvested oats, and many oat seeds remain in it. With some rainfall, these seeds will germinate and cause outbreaks of oats. These are not deep-rooted plants, and they are easy to pull, but yes, in a strawberry patch they can be considered weeds.

Straw bales should not be left outdoors in the weather, since once they are soaked they hold moisture and will rot fairly quickly. Placing a tarp over the bales could help. Once the straw is spread, it is able to dry out and decomposition slows down.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

You don't want to use straw for strawberries unless it's especially for mulching and was harvested before seeds set. Contrary to Don's advice, I actually let hay get wet and start to rot before I use it as mulch so seeds will be rotted or already sprouted and dead.

You can use shredded leaves, seedless mulch hay, salt hay or pine needles. The trick is to wait for first really cold weather when ground freezes. If you mulch too early you rot the plants. It's the heaving of freeze and thaw that does most damage to the plants. Floating row cover is the best way to protect blossums from frost, IMO. I don't even bother with anything else anymore. My soil doesn't suffer much from heaving.

I hate having a lot of weeds in my strawberry bed so don't use anything that will make weeds worse.

mauthner: I use leaves and heap them on about a fluffed up 18" deep as they will settle over time, especially with a snow load. The winters here can be very windy without snow cover, as such, I have resorted to covering the leaves with a strip of bird netting to hold them in place.

The major drawback to leaves is having to remove them in the Spring as they are matted. The matting can lead to rotted plants if too much moisture is around. Furthermore, the matted leaves hinder getting fertilizer to the root zone after the plants (June bearers) are done fruiting unless you drip fertigate.

My matted leaves from the strab. patch go to the compost bin awaiting grass clippings and the start of composting season.

One of these years, I too will spring for some heavy row cover.

Michael

I think the rotting occurs when the mulch is either put on too early or removed too late. I don't think it should be used to protect plants from frost and should be off plants as soon as ground thaws in spring. Ground under mulch will still be frozen if you timed everything right.