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My 4 Year Journey Into Wood Chip Back To Eden Style Gardening.

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I've gained thousands of subscribers since I first started gardening with wood chips. Some people call it back to Eden gardening, but it's basically using wood chips as mulch. I thought it was time to recap from the beginning for those who started subscribing well after the journey began. I started out with sandy loam soil which was about 80% sand, 10% silt, and 10% clay. Our soil had very little organic content in the beginning, but that is no longer the case since I added wood chips. This video will cover the period from just before I added wood chips, through the first 4 years.
5 Things That Made Me A Better Gardener: • 5 Things That Made Me ...
Much of what I use in our garden is right here (Earns Commission): www.amazon.com...
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Midwest Gardener is also on Facebook and Instagram.
I garden in zone 6b, in the state Kansas. I would love to hear from you, so feel free to comment, make suggestions, ask a question, give tips, tell about your garden, or even offer constructive criticism.
Thanks for watching!
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This is not a sponsored video, but I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. That means that I will receive a small percentage of any sales generated from one of my affiliate links, but you won't pay any extra. It's one more way that you can support our channel.

Опубликовано:

5 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 439

@andrewhague1521 2 года назад

Yours has to be the most laid-back voice yet on RU-vid - I love it. It's a great video.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Thanks Andrew! It's kind of the one I'm stuck with.

@murray_henderson 4 года назад

I've been using wood chips for about six years. I love it so much that I approached a landowner outside of town to share some space with me. Now, after four years on this site, I've covered about 150 x 300 feet in chips. The first year was scary because the slug population exploded. The slugs ate a lot of the more tender seedlings. Fortunately, something balanced out in the subsequent years. The biggest thing I found was that a light sprinkling of chicken manure on the soil before spreading the chips makes a dramatic difference. Everything speeds up. Now, the soil is always rich, moist, and full of earthworms everywhere I dig in. The Strawberries that I get from wood chip covered soil are spectacular. There's been many other successes and some disappointments. There's no way I could water and weed this size of space gardening the old way, so the chips make it possible.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks for sharing your experience with wood chips Murray. We don't have much trouble with slugs, but the rollie pollies can be a problem for seedlings when there is a lot of rain and cloudy days. Nature does have a way of balancing things out though. I've heard the chicken manure suggestion from a couple of other people. It makes sense. I really do need to get a few chickens.

@cy6ex 4 года назад

I presume goat manure would do the same job in speeding up the process.

@murray_henderson 4 года назад

@@cy6ex We had goats on the property but they always got loose and began to eat EVERYTHING. I have video of one eating a tomato plant. I also found it standing on hind legs eating my young apple trees. The manure/bedding from chickens is ideal. I suspect goat or even rabbit manure would be good too.

@mightymouse2893 3 года назад

Does the chicken manure expedite the wood chips breaking down? Would horse manure provide the same benefit? Pardon my ignorance, its my second year gardening (trying to anyway).

@murray_henderson 3 года назад

@@mightymouse2893 I couldn't say that it does or doesn't definitively. I haven't measured this.

@davidpeckham2405 3 года назад

My garden eats 4" of wood chips yearly. my soil has improved year after year and I do not till or weed much. I love it

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I'm glad that it's worked out well for you too, David. I sure am glad that I tried them.

@mathusvaiaoga9787 3 года назад

When you say it eats it. Does it just disappear?? Where does the wood chips go?? does it raise the ground level??

@TaureanDreams 2 года назад

@@mathusvaiaoga9787 it breaks down

@ttss1234 4 года назад

345 likes and not a single dislike. I appreciate people with years of experience sharing their knowledge. Thank you Sir

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

You're welcome, and thank you very much for that! Much appreciated! I wasn't aware of the like count, but that's pretty neat.

@gschallert3293 2 месяца назад

Just added 80 yards of spruce, pine and Doug fir chips to a new food forest on a 1/4 ac plot. Also using grass clipping and organic rice straw which has no weed seed or any seeds. Its a huge mistake to use HAY, which is full of unwanted seeds. Conifers will raise the soil PH so pull the chips back and use straw around new tree plantings. You may want to use an organic pH soil lowering amendment for the first few years while the chip digest. If your in a hurry use 10-10-10 organic fertilizer and apply to surface of the chips and water a lot. The mycelium will explode thus achieving rapid soil regeneration.

@MidwestGardener 2 месяца назад

That's going to be a lot of fun for you to watch. Thanks for the tips.

@hanzketchup859 Год назад

That’s Great , the wood chips do a lot , once the fungus gets thoroughly established the nutrient exchange between the photosynthesis of the plants and the bacteria and microbes that feed from the sugar exchange (roots exchanging the sugars produced by photosynthesis are exchanged for nutrients the microbes and bacteria gather) the plants are going to be Happy Happy Happy , the living soil will be Happy Happy Happy too ! Cheers , Great video , truth is first hand knowledge , seeing is knowing .. at least a big part of it .

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Thanks a bunch! Sounds like you know a lot more of the science behind it than I do. I just go by what my eyes and brain tell me. If I see it's working, I stay with it. It just seems like a more natural way to do things.

@papasbackyardgarden2564 3 года назад

Great video. In 2018 completely redid my garden and turned the entire backyard into a food forest. lol. I built new beds, a greenhouse and wood chipped the whole backyard. The results are amazing. A handful of weeds a month. Had very sandy soil that could not hold moisture. Now a lush healthy garden, I highly recommend.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks for sharing your experience! It really can do wonders for very sandy soil.

@luzvigerminal558 Год назад

The fresh wood chips is problematic to me but after 2 years and they are good. I love them.

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Good to hear that they are working for you now.

@luzvigerminal558 Год назад

@@MidwestGardener yes I love them. I’ve use fall leaves too.

@MidwestGardener Год назад

@@luzvigerminal558 Nice! I love leaves also.

@Savagekitten77 2 года назад

O my goodness! Thank you so much for the tip about Bermuda grass and sweet potato vine! Also I just started with wood chips, so your video gives me hope.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

You're welcome! I hope it works as well for you as it has for me over the years.

@williampaulhamus7696 2 года назад

I started wood chip gardening on accident. I was just using wood chips as a mulch to keep weed out between rows of berries bushes. Last year I planted some vegetables in the walkways. I am hooked

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Nice! I would say that is a pretty happy accident.

@PetalsonthePavingSlabs 4 года назад

Thank you for putting together a few years worth of footage, its fascinating to see how its changed.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

You're welcome! I'm really happy with how my garden has changed for the better. I'm hoping that trend will continue.

@HeidiCancelleri Год назад

Eating sweet potato greens are even better than eating sweet potatoes! Sauté some garlic and chop up some sweet potato greens they cook less than a minute they’re sweeter than spinach and extremely healthy

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Thanks for the tip, Heidi!

@wendyburgess2962 2 года назад

I love Woodchips. Composting and creating liquid fertiliser is a way of life for me now. I’ve only just started putting them down. Therapeutic indeed working With and for Nature.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

I'm glad you appreciate them to, Wendy. Well put in that last sentence!

@coralleonard5981 2 года назад

Sweet potato vines. I'm going to try it!

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

It works for me.

@tyn3496 4 года назад

I just committed to converting approximately 1/2 acre of my land to woodchip gardening. Yes, it was quite the pile of mulch to spread. Hoping to have success next spring. I also invested in chickens to manufacture some fertilizer like Paul Gauchi does.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Those chickens should help a bunch. We have talked about getting some several times, but we just haven't done it yet. This pandemic has us thinking about it more though. Good luck with your 1/2 acre. I wish I had about that much room.

@abulkalamkashim6708 3 года назад

Thank for your education I have a Alotment and I covered with wood chips and I’m going to plough would it be okay to grow in next February

@ashleyg8393 4 года назад

Not only was this incredibly informative, but very relaxing to listen to.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks Ashley! I really appreciate that!

@xaviercruz4763 Год назад

If youd like 👍🏻 to take a look, this i selectively search for a good looking ground cover that would not need mowing that would take a little drought and not disturb the main crops for water borrowing much, so among those plants are one called -scleranthus uniflorus (not biflorus version) and they sell seeds for it -elfin thyme (which seems to be a tad shorter creeping thyme, but sold by the plant) These two are from mediterranean like weather where there is almost no rain in the summers when its hot 🥵 so these plants should not bother the others of who uses them. These are like competitors once stablished for the weed seeds landing from the air into the garden. Most beautiful little plants, specially the first. I didnt recommend irish moss or corsican mint (amazing smell) because they are not super drought tolerant, but surely you can look those out too. Very beautiful if you ever wished for something cool to check.

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Thanks for the tip, Xavier! I would have to see somebody else have success with using them before I would want to give it a try.

@jimmyfaulkner5746 4 месяца назад

What i wanted to see thank you

@MidwestGardener 4 месяца назад

You're welcome! Glad I could help, Jimmy!

@jimmyfaulkner5746 4 месяца назад

@MidwestGardener my allotment had compacted soil and terrible flooding . Two years ago I dug out 8inch deep pathways between beds and filled with woodchips ,topped up this winter solved the flooding but digging them out to see the effect on the soil underneath doesn't Give an accurate indication of what I could expect for muching on the surface around plants . You've done it , I've seen it and now I am going to copy you . Cheers

@PleasantPrickles Год назад

This was amazing to see the evolution of your wood chip journey compiled into one video! Last fall, I overturned some old lounge chairs to repurpose them as raised beds and asked our arborists to fill them with wood chips from a tree we had to have removed. I put a few bags of soil across the very top, coffee grounds from Starbucks and fall leaves. I planted the beds with low expectations in the spring, but even this first year, I have harvested loads of peppers. I’m very impressed with using wood chips in the garden. 🌿🌿🌿😀

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Thanks! Glad to hear that you are having great results.

@elizabethsansom6447 4 года назад

PS forgot to mention thank you for making the video. Paul Couching mentions termites will not live in Woodchips. Only live wood or stress tree. That’s on its way out.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Yes, good point. I've never seen a single termite in our garden.

@SnakeAndTurtleQigong Год назад

Thanks so much

@MidwestGardener Год назад

You're welcome!

@rosea830 4 года назад

I love your garden! It's beautiful every time you show it.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks a bunch Rose! I'm hoping for a good year this year too :)

@marysurbanchickengarden 4 года назад

My soil is very compacted and full of roots from trees that are here and the ones cut down over 7 years ago. I've managed to loosen some of it up, but I'm not physically able to do all that is needed and that's the biggest reason I grow so many things in pots and grow bags. Keep it up, it's looking great and can only get better.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks a bunch! Growing in pots and grow bags is a great option for a lot of gardening situations. I'm glad you went that route instead of just giving up. Growing things is so beneficial to the body, mind, and soul. I'm looking forward to seeing what this gardening year holds. I hope it's a good one for us both!

@vickiewinters1314 3 года назад

I have been using sawdust for many years. I have a place to get all the free sawdust I need. I load up in 55 gallon bags and load up my pick up truck.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

It must be working well for you, since have been doing it for so long. Thanks for sharing that information with us. It's always great to have a free source for things you use.

@vickiewinters1314 3 года назад

@@MidwestGardener Words excellent, keeps in between the rows clean, keeps the grass and weeds down. wish I could show pictures. I put piles and piles down each each when gardening season is over. With it being sawdust, it rots really fast. After I plant, I cover everything with new sawdust. Works excellent for me.

@UniCarCycles 3 года назад

I received 3 loads of free wood chips in 2 years from ChipDrop and I scattered them all in an area of my front yard where it is uneven. And about 3/4 of my backyard is filled with chips. My observation: no mud issue where I placed chips and the worms had come back, I pull the woodchips back and see all kinds of worms. I love your video! ❤️

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks for sharing how wood chips worked for you! Nature is fascinating to watch. Yes, wood chips can help those muddy areas too. Thanks for watching!

@mathusvaiaoga9787 3 года назад

Did the mud issue ever come back as you dug?? My back yard is a mud pile when it rains. I’m hoping chips will solve the issue

@mathusvaiaoga9787 3 года назад

Did the mud issue ever come back as you dug?? My back yard is a mud pile when it rains. I’m hoping chips will solve the issue

@UniCarCycles 3 года назад

@@mathusvaiaoga9787 : Hi Marthus, zero mud. I piled the wood chips high enough, about a foot. Over time, the height will go down from just being wet and also from slow decomposition. What I would have done differently should have been to put cardboard on the ground before I piled the chips. I have very stubborn weed/grass that is behaving like a bamboo, I don’t know the name of this annoying weed. It is growing through my woodchips still.

@cathymarsollier9417 3 года назад

Another benefit of woodchips. We have an old garage that flooded with a few inches of water every spring (heavy snowfall melt in Alberta, Canada). Last spring I woodchipped a large area around the garage, about half the garden in total, maybe 1000 sqft. For the first time in over 30 years, there was no water at all in the garage this spring.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks for sharing that, Cathy! That's awesome! I bet that really was nice to see for a change.

@antoinettebennett3041 2 года назад

We just received 3 truck loads of shredded trees from an arborist, all dumped on the front of our property. We have about 1/2 acre of pine trees, and the soil is clay. So far we have spread it 6" deep under the trees, hoping to, over the years, improve the soil. After 4 days, I notice after it rains, the humidity skyrockets around that area. It will get covered by needles, but hopeful the soil becomes enriched. If this works, I will do the rear couple acres of hardwoods.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

I hope it works well for you! It takes about 3 years for the chips to break down here.

@antoinettebennett3041 2 года назад

@@MidwestGardener I am retiring in 3 years, and not doing much, so time is on my side, I wish it would always look as good as it does now. 3 more loads ordered to finish it.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

@@antoinettebennett3041 Good luck!

@Zilla12 9 месяцев назад

Thank you for this, I'm converting my front and side yards to wood chips. The sweet potato tip is eye an opener

@MidwestGardener 9 месяцев назад

You're welcome! Glad it was helpful!

@Dawn00767 4 года назад

Hi! This is the 3rd or 4th time I’ve watched your video. I’m from Missouri and at age 50, this is my first year of gardening. Because of the quarantine I needed something to do. My dad has a tree care company which my husband now runs, so I have access to lots of wood chips! I wish I had started gardening years ago. Had I known how much easier wood chips made gardening I would have. I’ve covered my garden beds and walkways in cardboard then topped with wood chips, and after only 5 months, if I dig down, I can already see and feel a difference in the soil. So now my husband brings me his stump grindings! 😁 He bought me a little chipper so I can chip small limbs that fall in our yard.👍 Thank you for inspiring me!

@Dawn00767 4 года назад

Post note: The chips I’m using are chips that had been dumped on our land about a year ago so decomposing had already started.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

That is nice that you had some chips that already had a head start.

@Forestgump12able 4 года назад

Hello, Mr Midwest Gardener. Ive decided to go wood chips. I now have 4 loads. I told my wife to stop me on 100. When in Dallas, for over 10 years i used Horse manure, with sawdust bedding, for horses. I had a place to gather 16 x 7 x 4ft tall trailer loads of leaves also.My wife saw what happened over a ten year excursions. I built 200 raised beds. Now, in my mid 60,s im into wood chips and im BANKING on this to keep me Healthy Physically and Dietwise. Ive bought 14 chicks for Manure dispersing and im gonna cleanup Burnpiles around town for a little soil and Potash. Applying this on top will allow Bugs, worms to work under the surface. Im gonna put on 4 foot high, just to start. I know i may only end up with 3 inches afterward if im lucky. Ive seen a good many videos but yours takes the Blue Ribbon cake. Thank you, sir. From Southeast Texas, Subtropical area. 40 inches of rain a year. Not including Hurricane Harvey. 56 inches in 10 Days. Bon Appetite

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Wow, that is diving in head first. I usually recommend people start out with just part of their garden, but the way I look at it is.....it's your garden, and I'm not going to tell you what you can do or not do with it. I don't know what type of soil you have, but if you have sandy type soil, wood chips is a great way to improve it fast......well, in two or three years, if that's fast :) I'm pretty pleased with how wood chips have worked in my garden so far. I hope they work equally as well for you, or even better. The chickens are a great idea! We were thinking of getting some this year, and then the pandemic messed things up for a while. There is always next year. Once you get things up and running, be sure to drop back in and let us know how it's going. Good luck!

@Forestgump12able 4 года назад

Yes sir, i can work. Im not afraid. Tell me sir. Whats the worst possibly thing that can go wrong? Really.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

True.

@thestupidgardener4642 2 года назад

I had issues last year with the Bermuda grass. It was a struggle!! Thank you for the tip!!!

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

You're welcome! I hope it works as well for you and it has for us.

@mphil8433 8 месяцев назад

Nice!

@MidwestGardener 8 месяцев назад

Thanks!

@darleneswetz8325 9 месяцев назад

Loved listening to your wood chip journey.😃 I had just finished watching hours of Back to Eden with Paul Gautchi. I now have 2 loads of chips which include lots of leaves. 2 days so far and the piles are heating up. Since it is November, I decided to let these compost til spring. I have 2 acres of dirt but when it rains, the weeds quickly take over. I will have more loads coming which will be spread out to 8”, in hopes that we won’t get the flush of weeds that normally com with the rains. Then when spring comes that will be the beginnings of our garden journey. So glad I stumbled upon your video. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spread out the future piles and this video encouraged me to spread them out with each additional load. Thank you for sharing your wood chip experience 😊

@MidwestGardener 9 месяцев назад

You're welcome! I hope the wood chips work out as well for you and they have for me. Now I just add a thin layer each year.

@Woodchipengineer 3 года назад

I put down 400 yards of chips in 2020. Best garden I’ve ever had. No watering this year.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I'm glad to hear that it's working for you, James!

@EricaGates0623 3 года назад

I was on the fence about getting more wood chips. But now you convinced me 🙂. We have a local dump truck driver bring us some!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I hope they work as well for you as they have for us, Erica. I'm looking forward to seeing how year 5 does.

@Meenadevidasi 3 года назад

Thanks for the sweet potato vine tip.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

You're welcome!

@SD-co9xe 2 года назад

I have transformed my clay soil with arborist woodchips. It is now a beautiful dark loam.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

That's great to hear! It can do wonder with clay or sandy soil.

@gracereborn2150 2 года назад

Nice narration

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Thanks Tatiana!

@norxgirl1 3 года назад

Have had large piles of wood chips for several years, spread out as best I could. Lots of the micorrhyzal fungus, but could be broken down better .....mainly used in garden walkways and around trees for summer moisture retention. Did plant potatoes in trenches with wood chips on sides, potatoes touching soil, and spent goat straw on top of the potatoes. Already sprouted in northern middle Tennessee, but cold snap bit some of them....

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Yep, they are great for moisture retention. Can't wait for things to get going here. It won't be long.

@robertslockbower306 3 года назад

Whenever I have to remove a tree Because of storms or old age! I ask that that that the chute of the chipper be directed into apart my property that is wooded ! In the beginning I thought it would keep the weeds down and it certainly did! Arborists told me 8 years ago he had to pay $50 a load to empty his truck! And he deducted that off the bill. And it also looked great and broke down as you describe in your wonderful video. I use it around all my beds best part it’s free and it terrific exercise. Try to have a load in late winter early fall! Don’t ever need compost pile ! After a few years you can sift it and get free top and potting soil. And it’s free! Try calling around I’ll bet they will deliver free! Looking forward to you next video.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks Robert! You just can't beat it if you can get it for free. I used to have a really good free source, but lost that one. Still looking for a dependable replacement. It's great to hear from another person who understands their true value.

@jeffoakes4003 Год назад

On my 15 acres, we’re the grazing for my livestock has by far grown the best is where I put wood chips down only 18 months ago! I’m going to spread wood chips everywhere and wait! Im completely sold! Great video!

@MidwestGardener Год назад

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing how it's worked for you, Jeff!

@lynn8524 4 года назад

Stumbled across your channel this morning when looking for BTE gardening videos. I am now a new subscriber. Thanks for the great content. You have a very good narrating voice and I like that you get to the point without overwhelming us with unnecessary dribble.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks a bunch for subscribing, Lynn! I really appreciate it. And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. So many folks never do. I know exactly what you mean about unnecessary dribble. I've seen video about the #1 tip for this or that, and they are 15 minutes long. Does it really take 15 minutes to tell a person 1 tip 😀

@kcjilly2515 Год назад

I’m using wood chips for the first time and I have immediately noticed the benefit. Don’t think I will ever go back to the old way. Enjoy your videos.

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Thanks a bunch! Glad you are enjoying using wood chips, and the videos. I really like what they've done for our garden. Hope you have a great gardening season.

@Juanalbertocruz1 3 года назад

Wow

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks!

@KarCar13 4 года назад

I live kinda far north in 🇨🇦 an my growing season is very short, I mixed about 12" of already old wood chips an mixed compost, chicken poop, grass clippings an alfalfa cubes (rabbit food) into it, I think I've saved a couple seasons of decomposition:) wood chips are awesome

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Yes, that should speed up the process. You should end up with some pretty good stuff to grow in. Thanks for sharing that. Let us know how it works out.

@timlee5260 Год назад

I started useing wood mulch this year. It is double ground and aged so I have high hopes. I get it from my local recycling facility for $26 a load and they load it. They say it is a yard, but it is way more than that.

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Nice! I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.

@timlee5260 Год назад

@@MidwestGardener I’m like you, used a tiller and fought the weeds, time for something better.

@delindasmith5993 2 года назад

I was able to get a load of free wood chips. I spread them throughout all of my existing floral gardens, and the new vegetable garden for next year 2023. I looking forward to this journey.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Good luck, DeLinda! I hope they work as well for you as they have for me.

@delindasmith5993 2 года назад

Thank you.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

@@delindasmith5993 You're welcome!

@davidpruitt3982 4 года назад

This will be my second year growing in wood chips and I am glad that I chose to put them down. I just need to get the other half of my graden covered with them. Have a great weekend Jim. 👍🏻🇺🇸

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

I'm glad that they are working out for you David. I'm sure glad that I started using them. You have a great weekend too!

@Just-Nikki 4 года назад

David Pruitt are you the person I talked to about planting peas in a bucket? I have meant to ask you that for a while and keep forgetting.

@davidpruitt3982 4 года назад

@@Just-Nikki No I am not the person,but if I can help with a question, please let me know.

@Just-Nikki 4 года назад

David Pruitt that’s very kind of you to offer. I had given them advice actually and for some reason I thought it was you. I am a novice still so I may take you up on that some time 😄

@davidpruitt3982 4 года назад

@@Just-Nikki sounds great, I like to help if I can.

@donaldcowick4280 3 года назад

A Bocking 4 or Bocking 14 Comfrey (which does not spread by seed) can block the intrusion of grass into the beds. It is also a medicinal (commonly called knit-bone), and is a dynamic accumulator which mines minerals from the soil. If you cut the comfrey to compost or spread about in the garden as a chop and drop, it will contribute to nitrogen and mineral content for you soil. This can be done each time the comfrey starts to flower for greatest potency(about 3 times a year).

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks for the Comfrey tips, Donald!

@debklueter1843 3 года назад

I'm starting raised beds this year with wood chips in between for weed control. We'll see!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I'm think they should work great for that.

@kprairiesun 3 года назад

I was in a hurry in February 2020 to turn my backyard of lawn into a vegetable garden, so I found a tree service that was happy to dump their wood chips. I got most of the yard covered. It's a job spreading them, but they worked like a charm to keep all the grass and weeds out! And, it was really cool seeing a row of about 5 deer standing out there in the early morning before dawn munching in the fragrant wood chips!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Nice! You gotta love nature at work.

@ltlbnsgarden 4 года назад

It is so amazing to see how fast they start to breakdown . Your garden is the definite proof that they are a positive for the garden. 😊

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks a bunch Zule! I like what the chips have done so far.

@mickybearden9641 3 года назад

We're trying Wood Chips this year along with one Huglkulture Raised Bed. We have that Bermuda Grass as well, and pulled up what we could, then are placing Cedar Wood Chips over all the Walkways. I won't use Cedar in the Raised Beds, but that's what we had an abundance of for Free. Thank you for a Really Great Video...easy to understand & your Gardens year to year really improved Superbly!!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I hope it works well for you Micky. That Bermuda Grass will grow like crazy if it gets out in the wood chips. It can be a constant battle if it get a very strong foothold. Except for that, we have loved the results in our garden. I added another thin layer on our garden last fall.

@isabelladavis1363 3 года назад

thanks for sharing quite a beautiful garden we are headed that way ourselves..best wishes!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

You're welcome Isabella! I hope it works as well for you as it has for us.

@rolandcdt 2 года назад

I have to say…your voice reminds me of the Mark Goodwin, book Narrator. Love it!!

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Thanks Roland! I get a lot of comments about my voice. When I first started doing videos, I didn't talk because I didn't like the sound of my own voice :)

@EricWhiteChooseGod1st 4 года назад

A great observation on the sweet potatoes. I will keep that in mind. Thanks Jim.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

They save me a lot of work and give me another crop too.

@raqueliatheimpatientgardne8196 3 года назад

Just found your channel and am happy to see someone else had the same issues as I have, waiting for the soil to be ready for planting. I still have a few years to go so am starting raised beds in the meantime but you gave me encouragement, thanks!!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks for watching and leaving a comment, Raquelia. Good luck with your raised beds.

@nobletruthshealingandascen183 3 года назад

Absolutely, a great video. I see to many people dismissing back to Eden Gardening and often I see what mistakes where made for it not to work. Mixing bark in soil, does indeed tie up Nitrogen , mulch should be placed on top and plants sown in soil and enough mulch should be added.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thank you very much! I understand. I can't go by result in the garden of other folks. I have to go by what I see with my own eyes in my own garden. And so far, I like what I'm seeing.

@lovethegarden.kumariyeline4835 3 года назад

Good guidence.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks you very much!

@MrGuy-cp1gt 4 года назад

Where a person is going to plant in their row, pulling back wood chips, and digging in manure /mulch ,seed, then draw back wood chips, it's a very good😀.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks for the tip.

@prabhus2751 3 года назад

Good info

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks!

@mrs.t4382 Год назад

A thorough and helpful presentation. Thank you.

@MidwestGardener Год назад

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

@mikim3241 3 года назад

Great information for me. I have taken out two large tree this summer and I have so much wood chips for the garden. I need some muscles.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I'm glad that it was useful :) Yes, the work moving it around is the worst part.

@sn232 2 года назад

How many sweet potatoes did you plant, roughly when do you plant sweet potatoes, how far apart, how deep, just a cutting or whole, do you dig them up in the fall, etc? That is exactly what I've been looking for! I was going to use wood chips but then saw a video of how invasive bermuda grass can be in the wood chips. Any details you can give is greatly appreciated...and I am so appreciative of your video! Thank you!

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

I've been growing my sweet potatoes in straw bales of the last several years with good success. I plant 3 slips in each straw bale. I will be harvesting in the next few weeks....not sure exactly when yet. I'm not sure what you mean by invasive in wood chips. Sweet potatoes do like to sprawl out in all directions no mater what you plant them in.

@sn232 2 года назад

@@MidwestGardener I am sorry, I just had to alter my question to make sense. At 6:40 in your video you discuss keeping bermuda grass out of the garden using sweet potatoes. I was watching another video warning that bermuda grass can be a nuisance/nightmare in a garden using wood chips, if a border of some sort is not used to keep it out of the garden. You mentioned finding out by accident that planting a border of sweet potatoes crowds out the bermuda grass. That was what I was asking for details about (although I definitely was not being clear about it ;)). Can you please tell me how many rows deep of sweet potatoes did you plant in your border, how far apart, did you just pop them into the soil, how wide of a border is needed to keep bermuda out, and do you dig them up, are you still using them as a way to control bermuda grass from creeping into your garden? Any advice on how to specifically plant these to help prevent bermuda grass from creeping in would be helpful for us :)

@rabbitman420 4 года назад

Amazing video again using beneficial plants to combat bad ones or parasites

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thank you Jake! I try to get along with nature when I can. Sometimes the insects start enjoying my food before I get a chance to eat it though. Then I have to intervene. But even then, I try to do it organically as much as possible.

@BobMelsimpleliving. 4 года назад

Good morning Jim. I didn't know there were termites up there. We have them "Big Time" in Louisiana. Looks like the wood chips and no dig has done wonders for your garden. Best wishes Bob.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Good morning Bob. Yes, we have them up here, but probably not as bad as you guys do down there. I'm happy with the way everything worked out in the garden. It does better for me now, and it seems like I'm not working as hard at it.

@BobMelsimpleliving. 4 года назад

@@MidwestGardener Less work is a good thing. As the years pass I'm not as fast as I used to be.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Less work, or no work, lol. Yep, me too :) Mother nature and father time have a way of slowing us down.

@Just-Nikki 4 года назад

BobMel simple living are they the size of VW bugs like y’all’s mosquitoes?

@BobMelsimpleliving. 4 года назад

WOW. 😱

@willow8094 4 года назад

Stunning garden !

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thank you very much!

@duhaimap1 4 года назад

This year will be my first full year of using wood chips in my raised beds and in ground garden beds. You and James Pigeroini (*sp) had me convinced last year while watching your videos that they were the right choice for me. Also as I live in a forest with lots of logging activities I have unlimited access to mountains of decomposed wood chips for free even delivered with no charge. So this year all but 2 of my garden beds are covered in chips and I expect great results. Thanks for all your videos I consider you a mentor and a role model. I wish I had your video graphical skills.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thank you very much for those very kind words! That means a lot to me. Sounds like you have a pretty sweet place to live. You are living the dream, man! Enjoy what you have. I will try to drop by and check out your videos if I find some time.

@vonries 2 года назад

I hope things are going as well as you thought they would or even better. Good luck too you.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Thank you! I'm happy with how things are so far. I hope things are going well for you too!

@vonries 2 года назад

@@MidwestGardener Yes I started my wood chip adventure last year. I mixed coffee/tea grounds into my chips and it really seemed to help with the breakdown of the wood chips. My one year chips looked liked your two year old chips (in some areas). I ordered my second year chips from Chipdrop just like the year before. However what was dropped off was a mixture 60%-80% Spanish moss and the rest chips. I have tried to compost the "moss" but it just doesn't want to break down any further. I'm left with a mass of strings all balled up and a knotted mess. I keep adding nitrogen in the form of garden scraps, kitchen scraps, coffee/tea grounds, etc. I have basically run it through about 3 or 4 compost cycles, but it is to slow to break down. It still looks like the end of the first compost cycles results. It's frustrating but all good things in due time I guess. The only other problem I have is I'm afraid to add more wood chips because I'm afraid my strawberries will get buried if I add them as mulch again. I don't want my crowns to rot.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

@@vonries It sounds like you are doing well except for the bad batch. I can understand why you would be hesitant to add more to strawberries. It wouldn't take much to burry them.

@johnthehotty 4 года назад

Thank you for making these videos! I moved to northern Indiana last year with my wife and daughter and am excited to get growing this year! I appreciate your videos as I am new to the area and would like to learn about it, versus the numerous videos in other, dissimilar climates.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

You're welcome John! I'm glad that you found my channel. I'm really excited about the upcoming season. I'm hoping that we have better weather for growing things than we had last year. Good luck with your garden!!

@greenthumbelina7331 4 года назад

Jim, I found your channel about a year ago. I've watched quite a few of your older videos but didn't know about your use of wood chips in the garden. Your garden looks fantastic! I think wood chips between some new raised garden beds (not built yet) would be great for suppressing weeds. I bought materials late last fall to build raised beds this spring! I'll be making them using cement blocks, (6"x16"x8") 2 rows high with staggered joints. My plan is to use concrete glue to hold them together and add 2"x8"x16" pavers on top for a place to sit. I think I'll also put several layers of heavy plastic around the inside to keep the cement block from leaching any contaminants into the soil. Jim, any ideas or suggestions you (or your viewers) can give are welcome and greatly appreciated.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you Margie. The wood chips will help with the weeds, but they do break down in a few years, so to keep the weed suppressing benefits, you would have to add more wood chips. You can could put plastic below the wood chips, but once the chips turn into soil, the weeds will still sprout. If you put a heavy layer of cardboard down before the chips, it will help kill any weeds or grass that are there now, and will help with things like nutsedge. Those weeds are just relentless :) As for the raised beds, I don't have any experience with them, so I will leave that to others to offer any suggestions.

@svetlanikolova7673 4 года назад

God Bless your heart!! Please stay this sweet and thank you so much for the tour. It seems you are a good student and God rewarded you in full! Greetings from Bulgaria

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thank you very much, Svetla! I hope I've been a good student. I do feel like God has blessed me in many ways. I hope life is treating you well in Bulgaria. Thanks very for watching and taking the time to comment!

@svetlanikolova7673 4 года назад

@@MidwestGardener Thank you. Bulgaria is my home . God bless you abundantly brother

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Same to you :)

@spoolsandbobbins Год назад

Fantastic video!! We have similar soil and it gets hot here so we’ve been trucking in wood chips all winter to cover the gardens. This video encourages me!

@MidwestGardener Год назад

Awesome! I hope it works out well for you!

@JudiintheKitchen 3 года назад

Thank you for sharing your experience! Your video is informative and very helpful :)

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

You're welcome! Thank you for the kind words, Judi!

@Woodchipengineer 3 года назад

Great info. I too, fortified my perimeter, eliminating pest problems (ground hogs), for now.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Yep, those animals can be a pain in the butt sometimes.

@NapoleonGARDENINGTV 3 года назад

Thanks for sharing the advantages of mulching, with woodchips ! Keep inspiring gardeners!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

@mushethecowboycook9353 4 года назад

been using woodchips for over 20 years and before that i used leaves

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks for sharing that, Norman! You've probably got some pretty good soil.

@CBsGreenhouseandGarden 4 года назад

Yes Sir many people fail to understand that it takes time for wood chips to break down so the first year they use them and have so many problems they freak out! You have come a long ways with your garden and proof is in the videos of showing how amazing it works! Just takes a bit of time! Looking forward to seeing your awesome garden growing in 2020. Keep up the good work and hope you have a great weekend!

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks CB! Yep, it just takes a little patience. Around here, you get the best out of the chips in about 3 years, but I'm sure other places might differ a little bit. I hope you guys have a great 2020 in your garden too!!

@dalecollett3402 2 года назад

Great video. Honest, too the point and applicable worldwide. In I'm South Africa. I've just subscribed.

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

Thanks a bunch, Dale! I really appreciate it. It's always great to hear from folks in South Africa! You're probably starting your growing season over there, instead of coming to an end like we are.

@YourMom-kg1tb 3 года назад

I just found you, and I'm so pleased! I appreciate you also including the cons to wood chips, though I don't think those were major problems. I have grubs no matter what. I do wood chips, straw bale gardening, and containers. I am also no til. My over all success comes from mulching. Mulching with whatever you have access to. It's incredible how the soil improves, and the weeds become less, and less. My favorite part was the tip on sweet potato vines! I did not know that! Thank you!!!

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

I'm glad you found my channel too, Stephanie! It's always great to hear how others do things....especially other folks to garden in a similar way. Yes, the sweet potato vines save me a lot of trouble with Bermuda grass over the course of one growing season.....and they produce a crop.

@Ysai0813 2 года назад

Thank you for sharing your knowledge

@MidwestGardener 2 года назад

You're welcome!!

@charlespatterson8457 3 года назад

Wood chips......... ROCK

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Yes they do, Charles!

@gerdaho1 3 года назад

I am starting with woodchips (well, mainly rotted wood I drag in from a forest, spread over chunks of bark I pick up where the logging trucks have loaded) and I hope in a few years to grow a food-forest where now the weedy lawn dries up and leaves rock hard soil to bake in the sun during the increasingly frequent heatwaves. Your video gives me a lot of info and is very well made. Thanks for uploading.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thanks! Good luck with turning a barren patch of ground into a food forest. Sounds like a worthwhile project to me.

@50sKid 4 года назад

Jim, take a look a one of Gary's soil videos at the Gary's Best Gardening channel. It will really bring it all together for you.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks for the tip.

@rachanaronanki4432 4 года назад

That racoon was cute 😁

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

It would have been cuter if it was in someone else's garden 😀

@rachanaronanki4432 4 года назад

@@MidwestGardener lol 😂

@bingster-223 3 года назад

I mulched my entire backyard last year, for weed and grass suppression. I grew a container garden in this section i used mulch from Lowes. It worked no more grass or weeds but now my neighbor started a small tree trimming business and I'm getting as much woodchips as I can manage. I've removed most of the Lowes mulch and have added about 12 inches of woodchips instead. My inground garden will also be mulched with the woodchips. I just chopped up all the garden and covered the soil, a few days later i shredded leaves and covered it with them. I'll have 2 areas where I can pile them up. The loads with leaves in one pile and mostly hardwood on another pile. I'll have to go through your channel and watch the woodchips journey.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

That's great that you have a handy source of wood chips. I'll be interested to hear what you think in about 3 years or so. That's about when I noticed the full benefits. My source for wood chips disappeared, so I'm scrambling trying to find a new one.

@AnneGoggansQHHT 4 года назад

I’ve got deep chips in an area too. I’ve noticed better growth if I transplant with a few scoops of compost with fertilizer in each hole so the plant has something

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

It should really improve that clay soil of yours.

@myhillsidegarden3998 4 года назад

Jim, I have always enjoyed visiting you in your garden and I would say, woodchips can be the way to go. We are planning to begin a garden area with wood chips this year to help with the weed issue and ease of care. Thanks for sharing. Catherine

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Ease of care is one big reason I started using them. It doesn't totally eliminate the need to weed, but it sure does help. I'll be interested to hear how it works out for you guys once you have the area up and running. It won't be long and we can get out there and play in the dirt.

@NaturallyNicool 4 года назад

Wonderful video. Educational, clear, and enjoyable. Thank you for sharing!

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks for the kind words, Nicole! I really appreciate it!

@GmoBuelna 3 года назад

This fall I’ll try in my mango orchard, thanks a lot for your video. Best regards from Sinaloa, Mx.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

@alph8654 3 года назад

I could get lost in a mango orchard at harvest time !!!!

@GmoBuelna 3 года назад

@@alph8654 harvest time is in summer

@FriendlyCleaningKC 4 года назад

I just did a google search for tree services near me and called the closet one... they deliver all the chips I want to my house no charge. We’ve got a pretty impressive mountain of them right now... I spread 3 or 4 wheel barrows full 4 nights a week.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

That's pretty nice that you were able to find a free source of wood chips so quickly! I hope growing in wood chips works as well for you as it has for me.

@CMSCK 3 месяца назад

It’s getting hard to find woodchips in my area. I now use straw because I am having trouble sourcing woodchips.

@MidwestGardener 3 месяца назад

I understand. It's getting harder to find them here also.

@jovallepuhrmann1129 4 года назад

I just made the commitment to wood chips last fall. Looking forward to this spring.

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have. I think is works especially well if you have poor soil to begin with. I have a pile out by the garden ready to spread out right now.

@fortheearth 3 года назад

Nice garden! Very useful information. Thanks.

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

@hagenoft 4 года назад

Beautiful garden! I love love love wood chips! I'm trying to cover my whole property with them! This will be my second year growing in them. I have high hopes

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thank you very much! I love them too. I'm really happy with how my garden has done since I started using them.

@scottfoss716 4 года назад

Excellent video Jim. Thanks!

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks a bunch Scott!!

@mattfuller7663 4 года назад

I've been looking for a Bermuda grass solution. I'm looking forward to giving the sweet potatoes a try! Thanks!

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

I feel your pain on the Bermuda grass, Matt. Another thing I do until the sweet potatoes get growing is to place grass clippings around the slips. If it wasn't for the sweet potato vines, the Bermuda grass would really really make gardening a lot harder here.

@mattfuller7663 4 года назад

@@MidwestGardener Thanks for the additional tip! I'm feeling like I have a fighting chance now.

@sherryfelch750 3 года назад

Ty for your tips and advice.👍🏻

@MidwestGardener 3 года назад

You're welcome Sherry! Thanks for watching!

@myname7863 4 года назад

Great video. I started b2e fall 2018. Love it. Same sandy soil in Miami. I rarely water, now. Mainly from a 55gal barrel here and there. TFS

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Thanks! I'm glad that it's working for you too. I wish I would have discovered wood chips many years ago. It does wonders for sandy soil.

@wendysgarden4283 4 года назад

Interesting! The way I think of it is, "you can do it slowly and inexpensively, or you can do it fast and costly" -- wood chips and cardboard and manure if you have a source are the slow but free ways to improve your soil, costing you only gas to go get it, and delivery of 50 or more tons of compost and top soil and building raised beds is the fast but pricey way. I've been at it two years, and it's a good way to kill out grass and most weeds to prep a bed. (Violets laugh at it. Those damned violets!) After 9 months, i did my first planting in a chipped area--squash--and they did well. This spring, 100% of that originally 2018 chipped area gets planted--tomatoes, fruit bushes, potatoes, asparagus, and more. It was a little hard being patient, but now I have a big nearly weed-free garden, and the clay soil is improving a good deal already. More wood chip mulching this year around the plants. I assume in five years, it'll be even better soil for the effort. I plan to expand the veg garden a little more this year. I'll probably stop at 5000 square feet plus an apple orchard area. Not sure what I'll do with all the extra food! Sell it or donate it, I guess!

@MidwestGardener 4 года назад

Yes, I know, violets laugh at everything :) Thanks for sharing what you've done with wood chips, Wendy. I was wondering how it would work with clay. Sounds like it's doing pretty well. It's hard to beat a weed free garden!