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Is the straw that is used for halloween decorations good for using on top of garden over winter and?

tilling under in the ground in the spring? To break up clay soil and hopefully improve it? Or on top of grass and mowed over as a sort of mulch/fertilizer? I have been finding a lot of it thrown away in dumpsters and "rescuing it"...I don't know if it is expensive to buy, but free is the cheapest of all...guess I am becoming a hoarder...hard to quit dumpster diving when you find usable stuff...and lots of pumpkins for the seeds...also addicted to craigslist "free " stuff and curb alerts...LOL..Help! I can't stop!! growing some alfalfa with the straw wouldn't be bad...I could use it as grass in smoothies and seeds in sprouts?.... I put a couple of bales on the side lot of grass in the condo area and they mowed over it...hope it will help the grass..now tonite I got 4 more bales and put in my back patio...I had to use a small step stool and climb into the dumpster to get them out..but I hate to see stuff wasted... Actually it doesn't smell like straw, it smellls like beer...maybe someone was drinking while celebrating Halloween?

Public Comments

1. yes a good insulater,& next spring turn it over when spading thr garden ,it keeps the soil loose
2. Take a sniff. If it smells like straw and is the right color it is good mulch. If you have a mulching mower it is good for the lawn also.(they could have used preservatives and dyes)
3. it will help soil texture.
4. Halloween decoration straw is the exact same straw that you buy at feed stores. It's a good mulch, and will compost into the soil, will help with the soil texture, but won't really add that much nutrients... You'd need to buy hay if you're looking for nutrients, which is usually more expensive. However hay should be fully composted to kill off the seeds, unless you want to grow a patch of alfafa.
5. The problem with most decorating straw is that it has been chemically treated with what i don't know.......so it's your call! Yes it will work as an insulator and is biodegradable.