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  • From: Home Grown Kansas! <hgkansas AT sbcglobal.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Municipal Mulch
  • Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 07:32:35 -0800 (PST)

TxBeeFarmer,
 
Our farm, is an urban farm.  We have used wood mulch for 16 years.  I would not recommend putting it into a garden that you intend to plant immediately - the wood pieces are too large and can be uncomfortable to work in - planting, etc.  Nor do we mulch the garden with them. 
 
I have tree trimmers dump a row of mulch piled up - perhaps 100' in length.  I will then let it set for a year or two.  At that point I start leveling out the piles of mulch - using a box blade or chisel tooth - leaving them thick - 2' deep for example.  Using a chisel tooth plow/subsoiler, I start working the chips into the soil - be patient.  I have heavy soil so the wood chips do an excellent job of conditioning the soil.  A wonderful planting bed is the result.  I also have low areas along the river that I have used the mulch to fill holes, make trails, etc. 
 
I have become rather particular on who's mulch I take.  I look for tree trimmers who change the knives on their chippers regularly - once a week is great.  The chips are smaller, not stringy and much easier to work with.  I also look for trimmers that are polite, courteous and respectful of where I live and of my family - I have had to ask several not to come back.  Also, they must not put large pieces of limbs, branches in the mulch - it happens, but not too often. 
 
Our home is heated with a wood furnace.  I request that the tree trimmers bring me some "hard" wood firewood on occasion.  The trimmers have to pay big money to dump at the local dump, so a little firewood is not a burden on them.  They also bring me stump grindings, which I put in a separate pile for use as a decorative mulch around the house.  
 
I  take leafs that are picked up by "Grass Mowers" in the fall.  They dump a pile right down the middle of the planting area - 6'-8' in ht., which I spread out and start working into the ground. 
 
It is my belief that using the mulch from tree trimmers and leafs from the grass people is a sustainable practice. 
 
Good luck,
Elize Randleas
Home Grown Kansas!
Wichita, Kansas   

TxBeeFarmer <TxBeeFarmer AT HotPop.com> wrote:
Speaking of mulch, has anyone used the mulch from the local town or city.
Our town has mountains of mulch.

Thanks
TxBeeFarmer
West Texas Zone 7b
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