Needed to tell somebody - tree trimmings

10 years ago

I just need to share. I tried to explain to my wonderfully supportive partner why I found this so exciting but he didn't really get it...

I'd contacted my local forestry services looking for wood chips and/or tree trimmings. I'd got a "Yes" from a place only 20 mins away they told me "we have a dump site at a forestry layby. Feel free to drive up and take as much as you want.."

I've already bagged up two car loads (filling garden refuse bags and stuffing my boot, passenger seat and back seat)

They've been dumping the trimmings here for three years. You can see the progression of decomposition...

You can see the dent in the like where I pillaged...

Here's the line of demarcation from the current and previous years trimmings...

I dug down in the middle and took from the warm, fungus-y part of the pile...

This is the three year old end of the pile. I avoided it for the mushrooms...

I'm really excited about this. I gonna plunder someone tomorrow.

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Comments (25)

lisanti07028
10 years ago
I am JEALOUS.
Lloyd
10 years ago
JACKPOT!! Well done!

If it were me, I'd not tell anyone around the area about this gold mine.

:-)

Lloyd
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mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes Lloyd, it's mine. My PRECIOUS!!

I'm on holiday this week. I'm going to do my best to ensure that there isn't any left for the locals. :-)
Lloyd
10 years ago
Using a popular line from Jaws...

You're gonna need a bigger car.

;-)

Lloyd
mulchmama
10 years ago
Some people just don't get our obsession with decomposing organic matter!! They have no idea what they're missing. Lucky you!!
TXEB
10 years ago
Great find! Like Lloyd said - tell nobody near you.

My little city has a site named "Chips Place". It's a few acres in size and is filled with piles of varied age of ground up tree trimming - everything from ground last week to 2 years old. It looks like your find, just bigger and a bit more organized. Residents are allotted 2.5 cubic yards per quarter, free of charge just for the hauling - they'll put it in your truck or trailer with their front-end loader. I love the place.
ceth_k
10 years ago
Oh My God! the place is totally awesome! Wish I could live near such dumping ground too! The compost carbon source problem is PERMANENTLY solved.
florauk
10 years ago
Fab! Just two points: the fungi would not hurt your garden and watch out for ragwort and cow parsley seedlings next spring!
ericwi
10 years ago
I think its time for you to read up on mushrooms. Some of those you posted look pretty tasty.
mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
Sooooo, I went back...

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While happily knee deep in crumbly tree trimmings I found a pocket of leaf mould. I danced around like a happy prospector. The leaves still looked intact but crumbled to powdery pieces when touched. There was just enough to fill a bag.

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I made sure to take the fresh trimmings to mulch my pathways.

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Two inches below the surface of the fresh trimmings I found steamy goodness (couldn't capture the steam in the photo)...

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My poor car was absolutely stuffed...

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I'm tired and very happy'
florauk
10 years ago
BTW folks, remember that in that last picture the compost isn't actually going to do the driving ;-)
mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
Lol Flora. It didn't occur to me. I've lived here so long that right side driving is normal.
TXEB
10 years ago
SCORE!
toxcrusadr
10 years ago
A person with your level of obsession needs a truck, or maybe a small trailer you can tow with the car. :-D
mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes Tox. I've a trailer hitch but no trailer :-(. If the forestry service was giving them away with the trimmings I'd be set

M

PS I went back again today. I've all I need now....probably. :-)
batyabeth
10 years ago
Jealousy doesn't even begin to cover it. Sigh............
thatcompostguy
10 years ago
Since you're not that far away, would they dump at your place for you? Maybe even just on the driveway and let you wheel barrow it around where you want it?
jockewing
10 years ago
Ughhh, so jealous, but happy for you Mirandajean. I recently watched the Back to Eden video and I WANT WOODCHIPS NOW!!!!! I have a backyard that turns into a slop hole everytime it rains and it seems like the woodchips would be perfect to help the soil start to drain better and absorb all that extra water so i dont sink into the ground with every step.

I live in an area in Louisiana that is noted for its abundance of trees - everywhere! We are primarily rural forested with some suburban areas but I have not yet been able to find wood chips. I actually did find one place, but they want 25 bucks a yard and don't deliver. I am so desparate for the chips I may just break down and buy some if I can't find any free soon.

Miranda I know you are a frequenter of the rose forum. I am a rose grower, too. Most of all these videos on youtube and in the Back to Eden movie only talk about the wood chip soil in relation to growing crops. I would really love to see how roses and other ornamentals respond to that kind of soil. Are you using the chips on some of your roses?

Until I can find woodchips, I have been covering my soil with a layer of horse manure mixed with wood shavings. Not exactly the same but I guess it serves a similar purpose. I can get the horse manure 5 minutes from my house, as much as I want for 20 bucks a pop.
mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
Chrisb - There isn't a hope for delivery. The forests they service arent near me. Next year I'm gonna borrow someone's trailer.

Jockewing - I owe you a big thank you so...THANK YOU! I watched Back to Eden after you posted in the rose forum. I was inspired by the documentary and contacted the forestry service immediately after watching the video.

As I've posted in the rose forum, I've been using some kind of mulch for years. I've used wood chips on a few of my ornamental beds for 3 years. I had to amend the soil (manure, compost, etc) in the areas where I used wood chips.

This is the first year (after 3 years of hard work) that you can see the fruit of my mulchy labour. My ornamentals are big and healthy.

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I've a heavy layer of mulch in my large potted roses. I've always done this. It works a treat in our climate. On the rare occasions we have a week or two of hot weather I can get away with only two or three deep waterings.

I fertilize with vermicompost and the introduction of worms to the pots has been a great boon. I rarely have to replace compost in the pots.

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The bed is the left is veg and the ornamentals are on the right. I'm hoping to expand both beds in a couple of years. This part of my garden is at the bottom of a slope and was extremely boggy.

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I'm hoping to expand the beds closer to the fence by "Back to Edening" the boggy soil at the bottom of the slope.

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I've fruit canes in pots along the fence on the right of this pic...

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I am going to expand my strawberry bed by "back to Eden"ing it as well.

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M
florauk
10 years ago
Crikey, Mirendajean - that garden's come a long way since you were posting about your woodchip paths. Looks fantastically healthy now.
mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Florauk. I've been hard at it. I was growing many of my perennials and veg in pots. It feels good to get them in ground properly (all except my roses - those will stay on big pots) When I have some time I'm going to start a "Befor and After" thread.

M

PS here's my first befor and after pics...

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pnbrown
10 years ago
Nice!

Your car reminds me of the time I was allowed to cut and take a half-acre of tall rye. I scythed it down and stuffed my dodge caravan completely full, several times over. For many months there was wispy rye scraps and seeds in every cranny of the vehicle. probably lots still there, just desiccated to almost nothing now.....
jockewing
10 years ago
Beautiful, Mirandajean, keep up the good work.

Well I can't believe it, but I just got a call from the power company. They are on my street today and said they will dump as much WOODCHIPS as I want!!!!! I said HELL YES!!! LOL - as long as you don't completely overwhelm the whole driveway, dump away!

I can't tell you how excited I am over woodchips! I know what I'll be doing this Labor Day weekend! Since these woodchips will be coming from trimming around power lines, it should be the best type of wood for chips from what I understand - ramial wood chips. The smaller branches with leaves attached make much better chips that the trunk or stump wood from what I have been reading. They have a much better "green to brown" ratio from what I understand.

I have already started putting down a thick layer of horse manure in the areas I want to create beds. I think I will keep doing that and then just cover with the woodchips. I will probably have enough left over to start a pile to try to compost down. Hopefully the contact with the manure will help the chips to break down faster and be more hospitable to planting right away.

Can't wait to see how my fortuniana rooted roses respond to this treatment.
mirendajean (Ireland)
Original Author
10 years ago
That's Fantastic!!! I'm excited for you...and they're delivering too? Correction - I'm happy for you but a tiny bit jealous. :-)

It's funny how happy a load of wood chips can make us. I was delighted when I was sweaty and covered in tree trimming dust.

I didn't know about ramial wood. That's what I got (mostly).

Thanks again for turning me onto the Back to Eden video and Please let me know how your roses get on!

M
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
Yes, yes, yes! Inspirational post and well done gardens, thanks for sharing!

Needed to tell somebody - tree trimmings

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lisanti07028

Lloyd

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