This topic contains 4 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by clueless 5 years, 5 months ago.
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The best way to use tree chippings is to compost them. They are likely to be PERFECT carbonaceous material. Mix them with horse manure, cow manure etc. (providing the nitrogenous material) as you mix.
Trial and error will tell you the best ratio, depending on the type of tree, freshness of the chips, freshness of the manure etc.
For starters try 2 parts chippings, to one part manure (approximately). If your pile doesn’t heat up, try another pile of equal parts chip to one part manure.
Trial and error!
My advice would be to turn the piles twice, and let the compost mature for 3 to 6 months.
I tried this two years ago – had two small raised beds to fill. I used coarse sawdust (from untreated oak planks that my husband had planed) in a layer of about 10cm, then topped it with another 10cm of compost and manure. Initially the strawberries I planted straight away did very well, but as the year progressed the level of soil dropped dramatically (as the sawdust composted?) and the strawberries languished (as the sawdust used up the nitrogen to decompose??)I kept topping up with compost, but ultimately took the strawberries out, mulched again with compost and left the bed empty until the following year. This year it was perfect! If I were to do it again, I would either make compost first as Kevin suggests or fill the beds and leave them for some time before planting.
Maybe Charles or others have had more success though?Ellie thanks for this, it bears out my experience.
An outdoor hotbed I made of horse manure with wood shavings bedding, had sunk after a year and I grew veg in it year two with 6-8in compost on top.
Broad beans and cabbage were not brilliant and yellow more the man green
Subsequent year was ok
So careful with a lot of wood under.
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