I get the hay and manure some times from the rings out in the pasture, I think it is pretty good stuff, but I let it set for another year and test with bean seed anyway. I have a small area just for that. I posted a picture of the area a few days back. Samples of all my mulch have been taken and test ok with the bean seed, tomatoes, or whatever I wanted to test with. I test anything that comes from the feed through or hay ring (the fellows renting the pastures buy a lot of their feed and I don't know where it come from).

They seem to be happy with me cleaning around the rings, last year I got 3 loads.

Larry

Larry answered your question about the hay real well. I just want to add a caution. A few years ago maybe 3-4 I had a farmer give me some wheat straw. I learned two lessons. He had sprayed part of it with a mix of weed killers including roundup before harvest to knock down the weeds in spots and also the field had bindweed. I had problems with both but luckily it was confined to a few areas and I have recovered now. So knowing your source if possible is very important. One reason I would hesitate to buy from a farm store ect. I'm blessed in that it is fairly easy for me to find out if I just ask. And I know how the alfalfa I feed is treated. So I never test it. But if in doubt test it. And also let the plants grow. With the straw the seeds would germinate but then not grow well and I guess depending on how heavy the mulch was I worked in would either die or be anemic looking. So just because they germinate doesn't necessarily mean the straw/hay is clean. Jay

Merely ask yourself this question: how will I feel if I don't test it, the hay turns out to have herbicide reside on it, and I contaminate my garden soil? Am I content to risk having soil where plants will die for the next 1 to 4 years? How upset will I be if I have to make a new garden spot in a new area so I can keep growing a garden until the herbicide-contaminated soil is usable again?

Testing is always worth doing.

However, if I have left hay piled up in a spot for 3 years, and the weeds have grown well around it for 3 years, that is enough of a test for me. Your mileage may vary.

Dawn

I thought it was a decent test. Just wanted another opinion. My husband measured my rows and got them too close together. I will either have to hoe it all or watch the grass grow if I don't mulch it.I figure it is better than thestraw