Looks like we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us in Humbleville, USA!  But at least we got all of this organic material for free!  That’s right, free.  We probably won’t use these in our flower beds right up next to the house, preferring cedar or cypress wood for its bug repellent properties.  However, I am itching to get the space between the SFG raised beds covered.

First we will want to acquire some free cardboard from local stores to lay upon the grass between the gardening beds to help kill the grass and weeds, and then pile on a half a dozen inches or more of these wood chips.  Not only will this create a nice look by keeping the grass and weeds from growing in that area, but as it breaks down over time, it will actually recondition the soil around it.  Perhaps in a couple of years the soil will be such that planting in between the beds will become a viable option.

How did we get all of these wood chips for free?  As luck would have it, I spotted a tree removal company working just down the street from where we live.  I pulled over and found the main guy and asked him if he’d like a free place to dump the wood chips made in their tree clean up job.  It is true what I heard about tree removal companies wanting places near the job site to dump their waste product so they don’t have to pay for dumping.  He had me write down my address and phone number, and I left them with instructions as to where in the yard to dump the wood chips, identifying it further with my bright orange wheelbarrow.  By the time I got home from my day job, I was the proud owner of 10 yards of free wood chips!!

One potential downside to getting free wood chips this way is that you get the WHOLE LOAD.  That is a lot of wood chips.  Perhaps your need isn’t as great as mine was.  If that’s the case, talk to your neighbors who may want to take some for themselves.  The other potential downside is all the work you’ll get to do spreading the wood chips on your property.  My girls have been a big help so far in this.  They stand at the ready with rakes in hand to help spread the wood chips when I dump a load from the wheelbarrow.  When they get board with that, they come help me move the chips in the white 4 gallon buckets (also gotten for free from a local ice cream shop) that they load up with plastic snow shovels from Dollar Tree.

It’s a priceless and proud sight to see these girls helping out their old man.  It’s how we do things in Humbleville, USA.

GOD BLESS !!!!