claim : The Woodchip Handbook : A Complete Guide for Farmers , Gardeners and Landscapers
Cover Price:$24.95
Publication Date : October 29 , 2021
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
I ’ll be honest and say that , before I read Ben Raskin ’s rule book , I was skeptical as to whether or not it would be possible to dedicate a whole Koran to the matter of woodchips . I mean , what is there to say , really ? You use them as mulch , wait for them to break down , and broadcast out some more .
Turns out , of line , I was quite ill-timed . As Raskin shows throughout the book , woodchips can wager a valuable use in a farm ( or garden ) ecosystem . But as with anything else , they can be misunderstood and therefore mismanaged .
ReadingThe Woodchip Handbookis a good way to set out on the right foot .
The Many Ways to Use Woodchips
Overall , the book gives woodchips an incredibly comprehensive treatment . Raskin begins the book with a abbreviated cultural chronicle of woodchips ( did you know that Peter Jensen invented the first woodchipper in 1884 ? ) that arrives at an authoritative level .
Woodchips have been a waste merchandise of human activities for a long clock time .
And as a result , we ’ve gotten good at finding productive elbow room to use them . As Raskin explains , woodchips can be used as a mulch , in compost , in potting soil or even as a soil amendment . Or , woodchips can be used as a substrate to spring up mushrooms or in bedding for creature .
The lean lead on .
scan more : Did you commence a garden this twelvemonth ? Here are some tips to keep thing growing all year long !
The Many Kinds of Woodchips
But , as Raskin explains at many tip throughout the book , using woodchips in these dissimilar ways requires an understanding of these processes . It also requires an savvy of the woodchips themselves
Woodchips from different tree have dissimilar characteristics . Some woodchips might have allelopathic ( development - bottle up ) properties . Others might be thin from treated wood that can harbor all kind of toxins . And woodchips cut from small , young branch can be used much other than than chips from an onetime tree .
Raskin delve into all of these inside information throughout the book , and much more as well . He consecrate a substantial amount of metre to sourcing woodchips . And he also spends a significant amount of time hash out how to chip your own woodchips .
He provides a calculus for when it makes sense to purchase or rip a chipper , as well as some options for set up a system to develop your own scrap on - farm .
Overall , The Woodchip Handbookis a worthwhile read for both farmers and squatter . If you ’re currently an devouring woodchip user , The Woodchip Handbookwill aid you ensure that you ’re getting the most out of your systems . And it will undoubtedly teach you many new matter as well .
And if you ’re looking to set about using woodchips on your farm or homestead , The Woodchip Handbookis the double-dyed place to start .
