from my point of view for question 2, whether the hay has dried on the stalk or whether it has dried in the sun with inversion, it should not make a huge difference, at least in the case of use in phenoculture. Soil organisms are not that difficult, and the "physical" effects of a blanket are as important as the "chemical" effects. In short if it was me, no hesitation.
So that's an answer that suits me. It seems to me that I therefore gave too much importance to the aspect "life of the soil" compared to the aspect "cover".
On question 1, I don't have an answer of course, but I think I remember that Ahmed has already shown this to us in photos, but where? On the other hand I have a question: you plan to treat a new surface or a currently cultivated garden? Because if it is a new surface, in my opinion you can now start to spread your hay, it would be silly to bundle then unpack. Obviously 5km it starts to be long and you will have to make more trips if you cannot compact it strongly, but it also depends on the surface you want to treat. To have....
Good luck.
We plan to rent the plot which adjoins the one we already cultivate in "traditional" (if you pass me that term).
It was cultivated in 2016 and left fallow, which produced a "forest" invaded by very tall weeds (more than 2 meters) with thick stems (1cm diameter). This plot, like the current one, measures approximately 100 square meters (5 X 20).
For the pickup, I was on technique, but is it worth it (cost)? Cf.
http://hippotese.free.fr/blog/index.php ... 20manuelleIndeed, perhaps by accepting a few trips from this meadow, a lot of raking, that "could do it".
As for starting coverage now, is it time in July? I had (maybe misunderstood) that it was better to wait for the ground to cool down. By the way, should I mow these weeds, leave them in place?
Goods.