| Author |
Garden Gate:  My big wonderful pile of wood chips!!!  |
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 19 2013 : 3:24:04 PM
|
I had called the electric company hoping for fresh chipped mulch from when they cut limbs and trees down and grind them up. I guess you could call it raw mulch. In the video Back to Eden he uses raw wood chips to help suppress weeds and help in gardening.He never tills anymore he just parts the composted chips and plants. Never tilling again.... I would love to never have to till again that would be totally awesome.
I had called the electric co. yesterday and figured it would be a long time for them to bring wood chips. This morning I heard this truck at the bottom of my driveway and they had a load of chips!!!   I couldn't believe my luck. I am so excited about my pile of chips. I know this sounds kinda crazy but I keep going out and looking at this wonderful pile and it smells like fresh leaves. This evening I am going to start putting it in the garden one wheelbarrow at a time. I hope I can have a Back to Eden garden just like Paul in the video. Its a kinda permaculture practice that many people are using. Anyway wanted to share about my wonderful load of chips.
The electric guys probably thought I was crazy because I was so excited over a load of fresh mulch. I felt like I won the lottery.
Here is a picture of my pile and the little garden its going into.
Oh forgot to say that the chips were a combo of popular and maple. I hope thats a good tree to make fresh mulch with.
 .JPG)
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Jun 19 2013 5:29:34 PM |
|
|
lovinRchickens
True Blue Farmgirl
3442 Posts
Kelly
Pipe Creek
Texas
USA
3442 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2013 : 4:21:41 PM
|
Linda
You are going to love it. I have done the back to Eden gardening format for just over a year now. The mulch works wonders keeps soil moist longer, weeding what few there are is so easy and your soil will look so much more alive. No more tilling or turning just plant and watch it grow. I still have to water, living in Texas it's never ending but it is much less now. I would love to never water as the video shows. Have fun getting the mulch out and it will look so pretty. Let us know what you experience in doing this.
Farmgirl #5111
Blessings
~Kelly~ |
 |
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2013 : 5:19:48 PM
|
I hope so Kelly and thanks so much for the encouragement. Hoping to get the same results as you have.I wish I had known about this years ago. It makes so much sense and thats why I posted about it. I want other people to know about this way of growing food and wanted to share my excitement.
I bet it has made a difference where you live. I know Texas can be so dry. Maybe after a few more years of putting layers on maybe you won't have to water anymore. That would be fantastic.
I have just put 5 wheelbarrow loads down. I came in to get a glass of ice tea. I have to stop now and milk and do chores. But tomorrow after chores I will be at it again cause it will be cooler in the morning and its not suppose to rain. I can't wait to get it all down.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
lovinRchickens
True Blue Farmgirl
3442 Posts
Kelly
Pipe Creek
Texas
USA
3442 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2013 : 5:38:57 PM
|
It really is a lot of work to get it all spread out, but well worth it. Sounds like your getting it done pretty quick, and you garden is really nice looking. I too wished I would have known long before, but was glad to learn it. I ordered the video and have gone back to reference several times. It really is such good info and all makes perfect sense.
Farmgirl #5111
Blessings
~Kelly~ |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2013 : 6:10:22 PM
|
The picture of the garden I posted was after putting down garden fabric with the stuff I got out of the goat barn layed down in a thin layer on top to hold it down. I spent 2 weeks cutting and fitting it between plants to try to keep the weeds out working on it a little each day.
Then I watch the Back to Eden video and now I am gong to rip up all the garden fabric and replace it all with chips. I wished I had seen the video actually a few weeks ago and would have saved myself alot of work. Oh well at least the weeds under it are dead so hopefully the wood mulch will work better for it. Once I get it all done will post an after picture.I would love to see a picture of your garden. I bet its really nice.
If I get more mulch I thought about trying to mulch a steep hill by our driveway that I try mowing and weedwacking. Its kinda dangerous and wonder if the mulch would be able to stay put. So back to researching to see if anyone has done this on any kind of incline.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Jun 19 2013 6:40:56 PM |
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2013 : 6:46:09 PM
|
Linda, that is a lot of chips. I am jealous! I'm going to call my electric co. and see if they can bring me some. Or if I see the guys who do the trimming, I'll stop and ask them. But take it easy on your hands! You have plenty of time to do this. I am so hapy for you!!
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 08:23:58 AM
|
Well I am done with the garden. I am one big sore mess but happy in my heart and soul that its in the garden. I still have half a pile left and have other places I am thinking about putting them. But I am going to take a day or 2 off to recover.
At this moment I hardly see a weed because the ones that were there I pulled up or sufficated the little ones with the raw mulch. Its kinda cool walking around on this stuff. No more muddy feet!!!or knees!!! This has been alot of hard work but also kinda fun. I am learning new things all the time and this is one of the neatest things I have learned about in awhile.
Will post a picture later. I am just to tired to mess with it right now.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Jun 21 2013 08:28:00 AM |
|
|
|
Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1403 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1403 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 09:19:26 AM
|
Your garden is beautifully laid out and so very neat. My compliments to the gardener!
Betty in Pasco |
|
|
|
Katlady93
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
Charlotte
Denmark
SC
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 09:27:16 AM
|
one of the small towns around here grinds the windfalls, trimings, etc into a big pile in front of the county garage. you can go get as much as you want. i think i prefer your luck Linda, having them just bring a big pile to you. one less step to get it where you need it. your garden is lovely. so full of good fresh food.
have you considered native plants for your hill?
Some dreams are worth the risk it takes to make them real.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon. |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 1:11:44 PM
|
Here are a few pictures of the pile and garden after the raw mulch. They didn't come out to well. I think its so bright outside right now the pictures kinda looked bleached out.The sticks laying between the rows are tobacco sticks. We pound those in when the tomato cages get to heavy, it helps hold them up. I had put them between the rows so I could mow the grass.
   
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Jun 21 2013 3:01:16 PM |
|
|
|
nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2881 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2881 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2013 : 3:22:13 PM
|
Lookin good my friend!! It is 6:20 here & no word from the tree trimmers tonight..
The chipper was delivered, so we shall see how the weekend goes.
"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R. |
|
|
|
mrssarahhall
True Blue Farmgirl
1272 Posts
Sarah
Longmont
Colorado
USA
1272 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2013 : 11:38:42 AM
|
This looks great, and like a lot of work! I did the same thing in my garden this year, my city has a mulch program. They come through and collect limbs on the curb twice a year. At any time you can go to the recycle center and pick up as much mulch as you can carry and then go back for more if it isn't enough. I am already able to tell that I don't have to water as much as I did last year, but I definately still have to water, Colorado is just so DRY. I am seeing some weeds coming through, but they are the ones that seem to be able to grow through anything. Still, there are less than in the past and perhaps I need a thicker layer. Hope that it is going great for you so far!
Sarah
Farmgirl # 5223
All good things are wild and free- Henry David Thoreau
A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are a little cracked. |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2013 : 2:40:53 PM
|
I am finally done with that massive pile of raw mulch. Hubby put up cedar logs around the edge of the garden so we could extend it. We are on hillsides and this way the mulch won't wash away. He did a super nice job.He used cedar that had been blown down by the storms. They were pretty big trees.
He and my son helped me finish moving the mulch and we had some left and just put it at the end of the woods to use later.
We have been getting tons and tons of rain and whats nice is no more mud to walk though now. Its really nice and since the rain the garden has really started taking off and growing and getting super green. Its must be the mulch tea working its way down.Its will be really cool to see how this all works out and kinda a fun experiment that I hope contintues to work.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2881 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2881 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2013 : 3:12:09 PM
|
That is super cool Linda. I wish my electric company would come through. In the meantime we are chipping away; we have had about 10 huge tubs so far, but not enough to cover our big garden, just the raised beds. & man oh man, the big garden is LOADED with weeds, but still looks great from all of the rain & the manure/paper combo we put down. I am DYING to get those chips spread though.
Kudos to Eric for helping expand your garden; that sounds so cool. I miss getting grain from you; that was my excuse to visit too!!
"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R. |
|
|
|
oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2013 : 3:59:51 PM
|
our local tree triming companys do the same thing, I'm on all of their lists, they deliver it free, and as much as you want, my drive is dirt, so we also use it on there to help with combating erosion, just make sure you don't smell chemicals on the chips, and of course in my flower beds and veggy gardens, and also in my orchard, just love it...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2013 : 4:38:51 PM
|
Linda - Lisa (Nubidane) told me about your post about the "Back to Eden" video, and I was so excited! But seeing this? You're my gardening inspiration and hero! You GO girl! I had no idea that you could ask for this from the utility companies or tree trimming services! That is SO exciting! I have trouble getting our yard guy to leave grass clippings for me! LOL! I am definitely going to look into this locally! Thank you!! I showed my hubby your garden and told him how you don't have to till anymore and he was very impressed and excited about it, too - thank you for sharing this information! (Thank you, too, Lisa!!!) Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jun 30 2013 : 6:24:13 PM
|
Hey Lisa the doors open anytime....just give me a holler. 
Tina the mulch they brought was all raw shreaded up trees and branches lots of green stuff.Nothing sprayed or processed all raw.
One problem I had was after about a week or more when I went to finish relocating the rest of the pile it had started getting mold spores in it. I thought it was steam from how hot the pile had gotten. When I was putting it around my bushes I inhaled it and got into real trouble last night breathing it was a long rough night. I realized what had happened and I am deadly allergic to mold. My friend Laura met me in town and I got a few albuterol pills from her and its helping for the moment. Tomorrow I will have to go to the doctor. I am a real mess from the mold. Hard lessoned learned and this won't be a cheap one.
Nini I just put this stuff down so I hope I don't have to till. Thats the goal and I hope it works out like Pauls garden. Just be careful because when this pile sits for a spell its does ferment and mold does grow when it can't get air.The stuff I put in the garden is fine and I don't see the problem its just the stuff that sat for awhile and it didn't get mixed or get air. So I am learning as I go.
Goodluck everyone with your gardens. May your garden be fruitful and the pest be few.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Jun 30 2013 6:25:10 PM |
|
|
|
kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2013 : 07:38:27 AM
|
Linda, I am going to be getting a huge truckload of Mrs. T's old oak tree chips in the next few weeks! I am so excited to get these. I'll let them sit awhile before I use them where I want them to go. And several truckloads of firewood!
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
|
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jul 07 2013 : 07:58:19 AM
|
Kris so happy for you. I had read on your blog that her tree had went down. How lucky they are going to shred it up and you are going to get it all. That will be a super nice pile for sure.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2013 : 09:42:34 AM
|
Linda! I just called the electric company this morning after receiving a postcard notifying us they would deliver a load of wood chips after performing tree service in our area! I am SO excited! The Forestry Service is going to call as soon as they have a load available. Any pointers? How are things working for you? I am a bit nervous - I think that this load would probably cover a good bit of our yard! But, we are planning to do work in our front yard this fall, and this will help curb expenses tremendously. I also want to use them in my veggie garden. I know you experienced a little bit of mold - did it go away? How did that affect your plants? Did you have any "different" kind of pest problems that I should consider? My gardens are super close to my house. This may sound silly, but, what about carpenter ants and termites? Did the good pests still come to visit your garden, too? Did your plants do better with them this year?
I'm just so jazzed. I can't WAIT for them to call! My hubby was all for this as soon as I brought it up - free and delivered? Oh yeah! BUT what really got him was the idea of a no-till bed. Wow! I'm so glad you told us about this; otherwise I may have ignored that postcard all together! And thank you for sharing your experiences with us! I am just going to soak it all in!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2013 : 2:03:43 PM
|
Oh Nini, I am so sorry I have not visited this thread in a long time. The mold issue was mostly from all the darn rain we had and we had more then we needed. It was a white mold and it was even in the yard on the grass. As far as pest still had the same ones especially those darn squash bugs.......boy did I ever have them. I got tired of looking for their eggs everyday. It became overwhelming and I just quit fighting them and my zukes finally died from them. I did plant cucumbers and this is the first year in many years that we had some to eat. They were really good.I will try them again next year.
I do like having the chips and would like more. We went through a small dry spell and the chips kept the moisture in pretty good. You do not have to worry about termites or carpender ants. They like wood they can tunnel through and chips aren't really a good place for them to do that. I still have sweetpotatoes in the ground and have not dug them up yet.The vines look super healthy so I am hoping they did well. Will know in about 2 weeks when I dig them up.
Remember my tomato plants started having blight before my chips arrived so I can't say they did better on that. My peppers produced well and I did get some beets and lots and lots of basil that stuff did great.
I loved that their was no mud to walk in after the rain. I let my garden go to pot when the weather got so hot.We were also running back and forth on long trips with my dog Toby for surgeries and chemo for his cancer. To be honest when that all started and the heat I kinda lost intersest in my garden for awhile. It kinda took the joy away from everything.
So I still think its a good thing and I hope to get more chips again to add. So far I have not been succesful with getting more. But I think over the winter as they break down more the garden should really start to improve.
I have pulled all the tomato plants up and still have some weeds to pull and so far the ones I have pulled have been easier to pull out of the ground. I hope to reclaim it and clean it up and let nature work on it during the winter.
Let me know how it goes and I think you will be happy with them. Hugs and good luck.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Sep 25 2013 2:04:37 PM |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2013 : 10:21:23 AM
|
Linda - thank you! There was no rush, honest - I am still waiting for them to call! Last week, they were cutting down trees on our street, and I thought for sure they would be showing up at the door, but they didn't. So, for now, I'm just waiting and planning. :)
The squash bugs love to hide under any type of covering - leaves, straw, mulch. "They" say that the best thing to do in squash beds is to not have any ground covering at all, so this year I did a lot of companion planting with nasturtiums and other plants instead, and I used diatomaceous earth as well. All of that worked pretty well, but I think when our neighbors started using pesticides, all the bugs decided to mosey on over to our place, and then all was lost. They are an insidious bunch. I can't stand them. I went all out war with them this summer - I checked every single day and squished whatever I could find - eggs, babies, adults... Amazing how brave you become about bugs when they're devouring everything you work so hard for. I didn't get a single zucchini this year, but I did get a handful of yellow squash and a few others. The neat thing, though, is that the weather cooled very quickly this year, and once we pulled up the garden, we left some healthy-looking pumpkin plants in place. Right now, we've got about 5 massive "Cinderella" pumpkins out there, and a couple of smaller ones to boot! I don't know why, but the squash bugs haven't bothered them. I'm soooo grateful! :) And it's such a relief to know that there won't be a termite or carpenter ant problem with which to contend. I am pretty sure the wood spiders will be there, though. We have plenty of those - and wolf spiders, too. :( I'll just leave them be!
What are you going to do come spring - or even after fall plantings die back? Are you going to till at all? I don't know what to do once the chips are in place... We have a huge bin of compost in process, and I'd really like to use it, but am not sure how to use it with the wood chips, especially if we aren't going to till... I haven't had time to finish watching that video you had shared with us (well, I think Lisa shared it, but it was a video you had shared with her), so maybe I'd better go back and see what they suggest. I guess you're right, though - once everything is in place, we'll see what happens once Mother Nature gets busy. :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2013 : 10:32:06 AM
|
Nini I bumped up the thread for the Back to Eden video. I am going to pull the weeds up and hopefully just leave the chips where they are and not till. In the spring I hope to just rake them back and plant. I am going to watch the video again too. If you have compost maybe put it down first and then the chips. If not when you plant in the spring you could rake the chips back to plant and maybe cover with the compost and then rake the chips close to the plants once they sprout. With tomatoes all you do is move the mulch back plant and put the mulch back against the plant.Just make sure the roots are in the dirt.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2013 : 10:51:43 AM
|
Okay wanted to update the woodchips that I put in the garden early this year. The tomato blight had already put the hurt on the tomatoes before I put them down and we had tons of rain. The zukes did really good before the squash bugs won and the sweet peppers did really good and the basil went crazy. But this is the cool part of this experiment.
Today I started to dig the sweetpotatoes.I have grown them for many years and they do pretty good. I only have dug up about 6 hills so far and there was a good mess under each mound. Here's the amazing part. Normally the sweetpotatoes vine all over the garden and really cover things up. They vined again but more this time and some of the vines rooted into the mulch and made more potatoes in those areas. Everywhere they put down roots I would find extra potatoes. This is amazing because I have so many potatoes extra that I have never had before.They made extra besides in the mounds. I think it was the mulch.
I still have more to dig but I am fighting a sinus infection and I'm feeling really sick and dizzy.But wanted to let everyone know about this. It sure was a nice surprise and the skins are so pinky rosy looking. Some of the sweetpotatoes are 3 and 4 pounds and some are really cute fingerlings. I am really excited about the potatoes.Well gonna take a break and try to get a little rest.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
|
|
|
Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2013 : 4:39:27 PM
|
| Linda, what's your system with that black plastic sheeting? Do you just use it between rows? I've been to some farms where they hill up topsoil, cover with the black plastic all down the row, then burn holes big enough to set plants in. Mulch (hay sometimes) goes over that. I need to find some way to control weeds in my 16' x 20' veggie garden next year. Would love to have everything as organized as yours is! |
|
|
|
wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Oct 09 2013 : 6:09:29 PM
|
I used the black plastic weedblock in the spring between the rows with hay ontop but once I got the woodmulch delivered I pulled all that up and replaced it with the woodmulch only. I still have weeds but not nearly as bad.
Mine is not as organized as it looks. That was when I first put the mulch down but when the weather got too hot I didn't keep up with the weeds as well. They kinda took over and now I am trying to pull them all up. With the mulch down the weeds are easier to pull up.The weeds were bad where the rows of plants were planted not so much between the rows where the mulch was at.
This is my first year with the woodmulch it has only been down since June so its a work in progress. I need more woodchips but don't know if I will be able to get anymore this year.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Oct 09 2013 6:11:32 PM |
|
|
|
Garden Gate: My big wonderful pile of wood chips!!! |
|
My big wonderful pile of wood chips!!!
