Straw v. Hay

[the hay is green, the straw is yellow]

Hey y'all...

So I finally looked up the difference between straw and hay. Straw is, according to Eliot Coleman in 'Four Season Harvest', "the best brown ingredient of all [in compost]. Straw is the stem that holds up the amber waves of grain in crops such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye. After the heads containing the grains are harvested, the straw is baled as a byproduct." He goes on to say that the failure of compost is usually due to the lack of a proper brown ingredient.

I forget where I found this part about hay. I think it was some guy's farm page: "Hay bales are a food source. That is the first and perhaps most important difference. Hay is actually a plant that is cut when it is alive and full of grain. The purpose of the hay is to feed animals. Straw, on the other hand, is simply the stalks of standing plants that contain no grain."

Barbara Damrosch says in 'The Garden Primer': "Try to get a second, or better yet, a third cutting [of hay] that will contain fewer seeds." I guess hay (being alive) has a chance to sprout, but this shouldn't be a problem. It is the traditional mulch to lay on top of gardens, and it should be fine in compost. Plus, I love me an experiment! There will be so much heat in that pile that I'd be amazed if seed sprouts can survive. And if it's a rough, poor winter we can always eat it. :) I hope this was helpful.