Shredded paper as mulch

I read about using it instead of straw around strawberries and was tempted myself.  

I have used it as part of my lasagne bed building exploits, but must admit I am always worried about it drying out and blowing everywhere if it isn't covered by compost/soil or manure.

I always keep at least one black sackful next to the compost heap and add a few handfuls whenever the heap starts getting a bit wet from kitchen scraps, etc.

I was in the garden centre on Sunday, I asked them if they had any straw for my strawberries, they didn't but they did tell me straw is not a great idea as it hold moisture and so can rot the fruit, would this not be the same issue if you used paper with the strawberries?

For strawberries they told me the best thing to use is gravel, this makes sense as it hold no water and is easily and quickly dried when the sun appears, also I had a load of gravel at home that needed using so a perfect solution for me

Could you not just burn it maybe and request he does not bring any more home or maybe only 1 bag in a blue moon?

If you are feeling particularly arty you could mash it to a pulp and make some new paper from it I suppose, no doubt you will have other things to do though on the lotty

I have a few too many courgettes on the go, so have decided to experiment with the paper shred dings as a mulch.  The courgettes are in pots on top of the water butts so a fair way for the slugs to climb. I've left a reasonable depth on the inside of the pots so hoping this will be enough to keep the paper in the pots rather than around the neighbours garden if it dries out.

I'll keep you posted...

In the meantime, I've redirected OH to the other "useful" things on my skip diving/frugal gardening list so no more paper for a while 

And PembsPanther I'm liking the idea of some papier mache pot making

I used a load of shredded paper in the base of four raised beds (1.2m wide X 1.2m long X 1m high) i built. Worked a treat a I covered it with compost.

Re: gravel - slugs like to hide underneath stones where water and damp accumulates in the day.

Straw doesn't stay wet - water runs through it so it would be the perfect strawberry mulch.

Shredded paper I would put in the composters mixed with something green like your lawn mowings.

You make some excellent points there, funnily enough although the garden centre did not have any straw they did have a big selection of gravel, however I have dealt with the owners fro many years in other business so do class them as friends but you never know.

I have only so far mulched half of them with gravel, I am going into town tomorrow so as a little experiment I will call into Wilkinsons and get some of their pet straw and mulch the other half with this, I will then see if there is any difference over the season.