They are perfect mulch just as they are. Let them decompose on top of your beds. If you have garden pathways, mulch the pathways. If you have a hidden corner of your yard you can leave a pile there to decompose for a few years.

Thanks everyone. I wasn't sure if they would turn the soil acidic and effect perennials etc.

No, they shouldn't. The only thing you have to remember about wood chips is not to till them into the soil because they can deplete nitrogen. On top as a mulch is just fine. And if there are leaves and twigs in the mix, it will decompose a bit faster and be a little more rich in nutrients.

Wood chips that have leaves mixed in are like MiracleGro - plants are very very happy with the combination.

Thanks for all the feedback.

i have so much mulch leftover I’ll have to move it to another part of the yard and be able to use it next year. I assume it will even be better then. I put an ad on C-List and no interest. Our dog is using it to play king of the mountain.

I find that mulch that is a mix of leaves and chipped wood can get fairly warm if it is thick enough to start composting in place, and this can make plants unhappy. So either spread it relatively thinly or give it a season to compost or spread it in areas without plants such as paths or unplanted beds.

I would say no more than 2-3" or so. You can always add more off your spare pile when you need it. And by next spring it may have some actual compost at the bottom of the pile.

Thanks. This is my first experience with HOT compost. Immediately after the cutting down of the trees I experienced feeling fairly warm temps coming from the pile. Was neat and now I finally know what they mean by hot compost. I've stacked the remainder behind the new firewood and created a separate compost pile where I'm adding kitchen scraps. I've kept everything around 2-3'' thickness.

I bought a bag of peat a long time ago. Can I add that to any pile?

I know peat is trickier.

Thanks,

AL

I wouldn't worry too much about hot composting if spread as a mulch. It's unlikely to get so hot as to damage plants. Spread out the heat will dissipate. A pile of compost can get quite hot because the volume is sufficient to retain the heat, the compost itself acts as insulation. That's why to hot compost the suggestion is usually to pile a yard high or so. Obviously within reason, mulching more than a foot deep might be a bit much. Your mileage may very Esp if in a hot climate.

Peat is basically an undigestible/non-degradable soil amendment. It does not contribute much if anything to the composting process. It should be added to soil, or mixed with finished compost as a soil amendment. Not much to be gained by adding it to the compost pile. However, it won't hurt anything either.

The heat I'm referring to is just when I'm digging into the pile. Quite hot. We have good rain to cool things off here in NC. Thanks for the peat info.

The pile I had was about the size of a mini van +. It took 3 days and help from another person to get it down... I even spread it on the abandoned house's yard across the street. Looking forward to good some mulch next season. My fav thing is that it gave our yard a uniformed look.

Al

Wood chips are great. I scored a truckload, delivered, from the utility guys last fall, and the wife has been saying nice things about the flower beds this spring. How spongy the soil is, and how easy it is to pull weeds, and how happy the plants are.

I chip/mulch quite a bit of wood from our own place. I have been known to pick up whatever is out on the street within wheelbarrow distance. It's never quite enough. Keeping my eyes open for anyone working on trees.

Unfortunately no utility delivering chipped wood for free.

The crew was cutting trees on our property, we called because there were several we wanted to trim/remove very close to the lines, and the elec co-op does it for free. We left them a note inviting them to dump whatever they had in the truck to save them having to haul it 15 mi back to the yard, and they obliged. They also allow customers to come to their yard during business hours and scoop all they want. Pretty sweet deal.

Now that the mulch is out for a couple of weeks I can see why people like it. I wish I’d done it every year. It gives a uniform appearance on all areas that don’t have plants, grass or hardscaping. And our entire property is sloped so it’s easier to walk on and get wheel barrow up and down thanks to the traction.
I did find a friend to take our excess.
Al