Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: littlelisa on June 22, 2008, 06:56

Title: big pile of woodchips/mulch - southeast london
Post by: littlelisa on June 22, 2008, 06:56

Hi all
Yesterday I persuaded man and baby to come for a tromp around the forest nearby here to find some twiggy sticks for the peas. We didn't get too far, though, cos on the way there we chanced on a big tree-felling site: huge piles of felled timber, topsoil and woodchips. So we came home, got a spade and some big bags and filled up lots of bags with woodchips to use for mulching the veg! So, if anyone is in southeast London, it's just at the entrance to Oxleas Wood, off Shooter's Hill. Not sure whether this link will work, but here's the address:

Approximate map to big heap of good stuff (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=oxleas+wood,+London&ie=UTF8&ll=51.473084,0.080595&spn=0.014141,0.033259&z=15)

Title: big pile of woodchips/mulch - southeast london
Post by: Ropster on June 22, 2008, 20:17

Ive heard you shouldnt put Wood Chips/ sawdust etc on your plants as it steals all of the Nitrogen

Title: big pile of woodchips/mulch - southeast london
Post by: Glen on June 22, 2008, 21:00

Lisa very kind of you to offer, and i must commend you in your very humerous choice of words! Your post made me smile just be reading it!

I'm in Bedfordshire, whats the chances of mail order? LOL

Title: big pile of woodchips/mulch - southeast london
Post by: lincspoacher on June 22, 2008, 21:11

yes, be careful putting fresh mulch on young plants, it does indeed suck all the nutrients out the soil.

Title: big pile of woodchips/mulch - southeast london
Post by: littlelisa on June 22, 2008, 22:14

Hmm, I hadn't heard that. And now I've mulched my sweetcorn and climbing beans with it... Should I clear the mulch off? Any advice? It's a choice between having some mulch competing for nitrogen, and utterly hard-drying clay soil with tons of fast-growing weeds.