Straw

[Moonbutton]

I have heard that at this time of year it is a good idea to put straw around some of your plants. What plants and what type of straw???

[Andy Hamilton]

You can use almost anything to cover plants, it does not have to be straw use newspapers, plastic tarps or hay. If there is definetly going to be a frost then cover the whole plant before sunset to trap any remaining heat.

You could also try using a clotche, I cut the bottom off a pop bottle and put it over my parsley and it is saying alive all ready (hopefully) to florish next year.

[Dave]

You can use straw to keep the weeds down, I've just put some around my blackcurrents.

[Wombat]

I use straw for this as well but find that some persistant weeds (eg Oxalis) get through, so I put down a layer of 3-4 sheets of newspaper first.

If you use lucerne hay (more expensive) it does provide nitrogen for the plants when it breaks down.