salt marsh hay

[gardenymph]

For years, I have used salt marsh hay as an overwinter mulch. In the spring, I remove it from my beds and use for erosion control on a treacherous slope. I am now thinking about throwing it into my compost heap. Anyone out there know if it is good for composting?

Gardenymph
Northeastern Massachusetts

[IntrepidMeredith]

As far as I know, it should be just fine.

[KimmSr]

Ruth Stout used salt marsh hay as a year around, and very thiock, mulch in her garden. There is no good reason to remove it in the spring, but if you do then it should be composted.

[gardenymph]

Thank you guys for the info. Now I will just have to decide if I should leave it!

[Ayla]

Hi IntrepidMeredith
I'm new to this forum, but have noticed you are very knoweledgable. So I was wondering about salt marsh hay also. Is this a regional mulch? I'm in WV and never heard of it locally.

[IntrepidMeredith]

Thank you for the compliment! Mostly I just have a good selection of reference books, an aptitude with Google searches, and (most importantly) enough free time to look! Answers.com had this for a definition for salt marsh hay: "Hay made from the grasses that grow in coastal marshes, a valuable mulch since it contains no weed seeds and does not pack down as much as ordinary hay. Also called marsh hay." So, by definition, it will be available either in coastal areas or near marshy areas of the continental interior.