What do you think about adding wood chips and other wood products for composting and mulching? Modified on 2009-04-23
You can use either old or fresh wood products for mulching and composting. They are rich in calcium and potassium. You need to be careful, however, about treated lumber as they can transfer toxins to your produce. You can think sawdust, tree bark, pine needles, etc. They make very good organic mulches. Use a pH tester as you will need to maintain about 30:1 ratio of carbon-nitrogen.
If you are concerned about the high acid content of these fresh wood products, age them at least six months. If you are into worm composting, the wigglers just love aged sawdust! The exception to the wood products would be the black walnut trees. You may have problems with them whether you use them as fresh or as aged wood.
Use wood ashes sparingly as they can cause a reduction in your nitrogen content.
