Hi! I’m completely new to hugelkultur and gardening in general. I have so much to learn, it’s a bit overwhelming. We just bought 25 acres that also came with an alpaca. (We bought 2 more, so now have 3.) I was reading how good alpaca manure is for gardening, but then ran across some information regarding Grazon (aminopyralid). The previous owner was baling the back 10 acres and had sprayed the area with Grazon last year. He was feeding the baled hay to the alpaca. My research leads me to believe that most all hay or straw that is baled and sold in my area, as well as most other surrounding areas, has generally been sprayed as well. So, now I’m unsure what is safe to use. I would love to try a hugelkultur bed, as we have tons of dead wood lying around and a huge dead tree that needs to come down. But have read so many horror stories of Grazon contaminated straw/manure destroying peoples’ gardens/soil. Does anyone have any advice? Is there a substitute for straw on top of a hugelkultur bed? Any help greatly appreciated!
