Hay can be any solid-stem grass crop that is mowed green and baled. Alfalfa is one type, orchard grass another, lucern, clover, oaten, bermuda, timothy, etc. are all types of hay.

Straw is any any type of hollow-stem crop that is mowed (combined now days) brown, threshed, and then baled - wheat, oats, barley, etc. So in a manner of speaking, hay IS the crop while straw is the LEFTOVERS after the crop (wheat, oats, etc.) is harvested.

I use hay to mulch the gardens because we mow and bale our own and have plenty of it. Some don't like using it and prefer straw because there is less seed usually in straw. Spring mowed hay can have a good deal of grass seeds in it but the later mowings are fairly seed free.

Dave

The Ruth Stout method of no-till gardening considers hay as one of the best mulches for the garden, primarily because it was readily available to Ms. Stout and because she felt it contained more nutrients than other mulches she could use. But the principle is to cover the ground with a deep layer (12" or more) of organic matter, deep enough that most of the seeds at the soil level won't germinate. In that case, the amount of seeds in the mulch doesn't matter much. Any that do germinate are easy to pull out.

I've seen a field at an agricultural research station that was mulched exclusively with a deep layer of hay and it was absolutely beautiful. The soil during a drought was deep and rich and moist, and the tilth was excellent even though the native soil was sticky clay. I've used straw to do the same thing but I also fertilize my patch.

Actually I am reading the a book by Ruth Stout, which is what promted the question.

Although I live in farm country, there aren't many around here that have hay. Most of them are grain farmers, no animals. I don't know where to get hay! But I do have a large number of trees in my yard, that produce mega amounts of leaves, which I have been using as mulch (chopped) for ages. I don't have enough to pile up 12" deep though.

I will have start asking around, see if anyone here has hay for sale. And I am going to talk to the guy who maintains the cemetary a 1/4 mile down the road. I noticed last year he just dumped all the leaves over the side of the dike. Maybe I can have him put them into my little trailer or something.

Gardening is always sooo much fun!
Jenny P

Hay is a grass that is cut, cured, and used for animal feed. Hay could be almost any grass and I have used cut and cured quack grass for hay.
Straw is the residue from harvesting grains. Straw does not have any food value because it is allowed to ripen the seed heads, the grains we eat, and all of the energy that goes into that seed production uses all of the nutrient reserves of the plant and the stalks that are left have very little food value.
Hay will be a greenish color while straw will always be brown in color, no chlorofil left in the stalks. Sometimes you will see hay that has been left out in the weather turn brown on the outside and often that is thrown away and not fed to the animals. Some of the grasses, alfalfa for example, will have a higher protein value than others and is often more desirable for a food source than say timothy or quack grass.

g'day jenny,

hay is pretty much any fodder that is cut and baled for the use as animal feed. in your area you might be able to get straw bales easier as you are in a grain growing area, straw doesn't have the nutrients that hay has.

you need to look for a farmer who is growing fodder for cutting and baling we find the grass hay's easier to get over here and oft' cheaper. also we look for spoilt hay as this is the cheapest all this means is the hay has been wet and is no longer suitable for animal fodder.

currently we can easily access sugar cane mulch, so we use that, fodder hay is up to 4 times the price so that makes it unaffordable.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

This wouldn't work for a city lot. Or maybe it would, just a matter of scale and plant choices. Out here in the country I get several cuttings a year from the bluestem and other native grasses that I let grow in the "natural" areas. I cut it by hand using a bread knife. That sounds like a lot or work, but it's sort of nice to mosey around with the garden cart and a cup of coffee in the mornings before leaving for my "day job". I quit when I get a cart full, and just put it down green wherever the mulch looks thin. I let it get at least a foot tall before I cut it, so I can fill the cart pretty fast. With the hand-cutting I can avoid some of the most obnoxious weeds. I'm letting all the prairie grass go to seed now, so I can have even more next year. Some areas will get mowed short, and seeded with native wildflowers this fall. Some will be left tall for the wildlife. Mowing or burning every so often keeps the tree seedlings from taking over.

The bluestem is 7 or 8 feet tall now. I think the neighbors hate me, what with their manicured beds, swimming pool surrounded by tropicals and the like. I think mine is prettier anyway. If they ever say anything I will remind them that they are in violation of the neighborhood restrictions, namely keeping livestock on the front third of their property. Does one miniature horse count as livestock?

Jenny, your definitions of hay and straw are right on.

Hay is food, straw is bedding.

Hay is usually alfalfa, like you thought, but it can be any grass or feed crop.

Straw is the remains of a crop after the grain has been harvested, usually I think of wheat, but it can be any grain crop.

I would use straw rather than hay for mulch.

And not to confuse the issue, but some grain stores may sell something they call "Bedding Hay" which is just really low quality hay not suitable for feed. I use it sometimes because it's cheap and the plants don't seem to know the difference. I can't believe what they are charging for straw here in the Northeast these days - $12 per bale! All the farms are getting converted to McMansion subdivisions I guess. It's sad.

In my opinion you can use either hay or straw. Straw has the advantage of not turning gray and yucky looking. Hay has the advantage (at least in theory) of having a higher protein content and thus providing nitrogen. Both may carry weed seeds - more so in hay - but if you pile it on thick enough those seeds will never really germinate and take hold. I haven't really noticed any difference in plant performance with hay versus straw so I say buy whatever you can find and/or whatever is cheaper.

-Diggity