| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| wooliespinner |
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.
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Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 1:14:31 PM
Oh my goodness, that's HORRIBLE! Thanks for the heads up, Linda! I really appreciate it!
Well, the guys are still out there moving and spreading, but they've lost steam. We really have too much, although I'd be perfectly happy to figure out what to do with every sliver of it. I called and emailed a whole bunch of family and friends a little while ago to offer them some. Hopefully someone will want it and come take the rest off our hands. The guys are giving me sneers and rolled eyes at every turn. LOL! Wish me luck!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| wooliespinner |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 11:59:31 AM
Nini I just thought of this. Be careful digging in the raw mulch after it sits a few days. It does get moldy before it breaks down.Our first pile I spent days working on it and by the 4th day or so I inhaled some of that moldy smokey stuff and ended up hardly being able to breath. I had to get a breathing treatment and pills to open my lungs up. I had a severe reaction to it.I thought it was just steam but it was mold.
Another thing I used a pitch fork to load it into the wheelbarrow and into my garden. But mine was not as finely chipped. It took me 6 days with out first pile and finally hubby and my son were able to help me with the rest over the weekend. The other huge pile at the bottom of our pasture it just sitting and composting for now.Take care.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 11:36:57 AM
It wasn't just one particular tree. Apparently they were cutting trees all throughout our town, so I got a great mixture of different trees, as you did. It really does smell good. I'm hoping that since my soil was so well amended to begin with, along with the fact that I laid down all the vegetation and then covered it all with the straw first will make a big difference. I'm going to add our compost when planting for sure. I did see that video, but I had caught what Mr. Gautschi had said when I was watching it the first time around - it really was a subtle comment, though. I can definitely see where people may have missed it. He really does use a lot of chicken poo compost. I have gone back and watched the a few times and taken notes, and I think maybe those along with what I've learned over the past few years will serve me well. Let's hope! :) I don't expect an enormous garden next spring, of course; I know the mulch will take time to break down. But our neighbor grew up on a farm and he said that this stuff they gave me is really excellent quality. It's chipped super fine and has lots of green, leafy matter. He thinks that it should decompose relatively quickly and then I should be set for the next 20 years. I don't know about that, but I'm sure I won't have to do much as far as amending the soil for a good, long while. (Maybe some pig poo compost and our home composted materials, though! We'll see.)
Right now I'm just praying the boys don't give up out there. They're exhausted, and they've broken two different types of rakes and a couple of shovels already, and they're maybe half way through the pile. I just wish I could help them. I hate sitting here and just supervising.
OH! This morning, when they dug in, it started to steam and look as if it was smoking. I almost had a heart attack! I know that compost gets hot, but I didn't think we'd have a fire issue until I saw the smoke. Thankfully, the neighbor (my son's buddy's Dad) was there to allay any fears and show the boys what to do. All is well now, thankfully. It's hardly a boring day today, to say the least! LOL!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| wooliespinner |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 11:00:38 AM
Yes mine had the leaves in it as well. Those will compost and add nutrients to the soil. I love to get the mulch when the leaves are in it. Its makes it a way better mulch.Did you know what kind of tree it was that they cut down and chipped. Was kinda wondering? I got many loads so there was anything from cedar,oak,walnut, sassafras,maple,tulip,and hickory. I loved the smell of the sassafras tree it was wonderful.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 10:09:37 AM
Linda - Just wondering... Did your wood chips have a lot of leaves and green debris in them? Mine looks like it's a healthy mix of both... And it's super fine chipped as well. I'm thinking it's going to be wonderful in the garden. I'm hoping. Fingers crossed. Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| wooliespinner |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 10:09:11 AM
Wow Nini I am so glad you got your chips finally!! Its alot of work but it sure helps. You still need to add other amendments like composted manure,leaves, grass clippings or whatever else you have. I thought his garden was doing good just because of the woodchips but he also uses composted chicken manure. I had missed that part in the film.
I had noticed my garden was not doing as well this year and realized it needed some composted manure. So I added composted manure tea and that helped. We have been in a drought and I only watered my garden plants 2 times and the woodchips kept the moisture in. So that was a great help. We are still in a drought but my kale and swiss chard are still doing great.
If you get a chance this guy talks about the part on the back to eden part of the film that many people missed like me. He is talking about adding composted manure. Here is the link. Hope this helps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfX525YOr_4
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Oct 02 2014 : 07:16:02 AM
I GOT IT! I GOT IT!! I got a HUGE dump truck full of free mulch/chips yesterday! Long story short, there was a tree service cutting branches from my neighbor's tree. My son went out and asked if they wanted to get rid of the mulch, and they said I could have every bit of it if I wanted! They dumped the whole load in the alley behind the garage, so the guys and our son's buddies were out there moving it until the Pirates' game last night (of which we will not speak). There is still a humongous pile out there so our son and one of his buddies are working on it today. I just want to get it in the yard and then play! It's killing me not to be able to help them... I'm still not allowed any heavy lifting with this pacemaker! UGH!!!
So, our garden was already tucked in for the winter. We had cut down the dying vegetation, laid it quietly on top of the soil, leaving some of the vegetables on the vines so the seeds will set in for next spring. Then we covered the whole thing with straw. Now the boys have put a good two inches or so of wood chip mulch on top, and we're going to tackle the rest today. I think we'll be in good shape come spring. We're not adding any more animal manure this year because we were told that this could actually be bad for the garden due to the natural salts it contains. It was suggested to us that you should only do that every three years or so. However, if I can get around to coaxing my husband into allowing me to have a couple of rabbits (which we can pull off as pets instead of small livestock here in town), then I'll plan to use that next year for sure! When I go to plant in the spring (if I need to, because most of the garden will now be self-seeding), I'm going to pull back the mulch, add homemade compost to the soil, and then either plant seeds or seedlings, then move the mulch back around where I planted. When all is done, I'll probably screen more compost and then spread whatever remains on top of the mulch and wait to see what happens. I can't wait. Wish me luck!
Linda - what happened with the rest of your garden? How did it go? Any pointers??
EEEEE! I'm just so excited! Thank you, God, for unexpected blessings! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| Ninibini |
Posted - Jun 20 2014 : 08:40:21 AM
Linda - this is just SO great! I'm so excited for you! I'll have to keep my eye out for our local tree trimmers and see if I can coral any chips this year. I never heard from them last year - so disappointing! Maybe since our yard is so small they will let me just scoop a bunch of them up as they're working and save them the trouble of hauling it anywhere! We'll see! Keep us posted, okay? Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| wooliespinner |
Posted - Jun 18 2014 : 5:04:19 PM
Michele the leaves and grass are great. I still use both of them......I think my favorite is the leaves they make beautiful compost. I hope to add more leaves to my garden this fall and some composted manure. The raw mulch is good but on its own its not enough. It does not give a total balance of nutrients to the garden. So I still need to add the other stuff too.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| windypines |
Posted - Jun 18 2014 : 4:49:23 PM
Hi Linda, nice to hear of your success story with the mulch. Boy you sure hit the jackpot or should I say mulch mother load! We don't have anyone chipping around us. I use leaves and grass, and it sure helps with the weeds. And I got plenty of composted manure to use too. It all helps. Hope your garden does well this year.
just a girl farming in WI
Michele |
| wooliespinner |
Posted - Jun 17 2014 : 10:22:59 AM
Well they brought another load.....I feel like a raw mulch hoarder!!!I hope I don't need therapy for this later....lol. The man ask me do you want anymore........your pile is getting really big? I said does someone else in the area want some? He said not anyone close by......and I said bring more if you get it. He laughed and said okay we'll bring more. I was glad they came back and was able to give them both their soaps. They seemed happy to get them. I left the lavender one in because they are both married.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| wooliespinner |
Posted - Jun 17 2014 : 09:13:59 AM
Well I had not had another pile of raw mulch since the one big load last year. Over the winter it had broken down alot and was very thin. I knew I needed more but it seemed no chippers were working in my area.If they are not in our area its to costly in gas for them to come here and I understand that.
I was on my way to town when I saw the electric co. clearing around the power lines and chipping. I stopped or should I say screeched to a halt and backed up....lol.... and it was the same guys who brought me a pile last year.They kinda remembered me but said it was kinda hard to dump up by the house since we live are a steep hill. I told them they could dump at the bottom of the hill in our pasture.....it has a flat area at the bottom. They said they could do that.
Well I figured I would not see them but was hoping to. I heard the truck and sure enough they brought some raw mulch and was able to back in pretty easy through the gate. They brought a total of 6 loads. One of the loads has tulip popular and sassafras. Its smells like wine drifting from the pasture. I could smell it in the bedroom last night. Thats where are garden is....it smelled down right boozy.
I didn't think we would get anymore mulch cause I had called and was having no luck. Shoot most people I know were not having any luck. We ended up going to the Amish that sell mulch and bought 6 scoops of their natural mulch that was not treated or colored but its just not the same.Its just shredded up pallet leftovers. It wasn't that cheap either and we needed more.We just weren't sure this type of mulch was really going to be that good for the garden. Its just wasn't the same.None of the branches and green stuff that has all the nutrients in it.
So it was such a blessing to get the good stuff.Its alot of work but am happy to have it and do the work. I read its takes at least 2 years to start breaking down really good and the 3rd year is suppose to be great.I know there were lots of worms under the mulch this spring. Its been one year for us since we put our first load on so its still a work in progress and I hope it turns out better each year.What we don't put on the garden this year will be saved for next year. He told me they would not be chipping for several years in our area after this.
If they bring more mulch today I am going to give them some homemade soap. I will give them a bar of Patchouli & Sandlewood soap and a bar of the Northern woods soap.If they have wives then I will throw in a bar of Lavender too. I figured these guys would like the woodsy ones the best. I missed them yesterday so hoping they bring more mulch so I can give them their soap.
Just wanted to share with you ladies. Thanks.
 
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Calicogirl |
Posted - Nov 12 2013 : 2:24:08 PM
The tree trimming guys were by last week and my honey intercepted some mulch for our garden. Now to find the time to fill and rake the garden :)
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
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| Rosemary |
Posted - Oct 10 2013 : 1:46:30 PM
I have had (accidental) experience with growing onions and potatoes (not sweets, just regular old potatoes) in straw. Harvesting is a snap, and pretty clean, too. Now I'm wondering if sweets could grow this way.
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| wooliespinner |
Posted - Oct 10 2013 : 1:36:24 PM
Finished digging all the sweet potatoes and I have to say I am bushed. I ended up with a bumper crop this year thanks to the mulch. The vines that spread through the mulch ended up taking root and making extra potatoes. They were easier to dig up then the ones I planted in the dirt and very clean. I am so excited about these sweet potatoes!!! I will have them to eat for quite awhile. Now I just need to figure out where to store them.
Nini I need another load too. I hope they get to you before too long. If it comes late it will still be alright just put it on or let it rest and do it in the spring.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Oct 10 2013 : 11:46:54 AM
Thank you, Linda for bumping up the post and for all the info. Still patiently awaiting the call for a delivery... I hope and pray it arrives before winter!!! At least it's good to know we're on the list! :) Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| Rosemary |
Posted - Oct 09 2013 : 7:09:59 PM
Thanks, Linda. Seems there 's no magic way to control weeds! |
| wooliespinner |
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 |
| Rosemary |
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 |
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 |
| wooliespinner |
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 |
| Ninibini |
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!
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| wooliespinner |
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 |
| Ninibini |
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!
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| wooliespinner |
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 |
