[Gareth J]

The soil on my plot is depleted after many years of cultivation, doe anyone know if woodchip is ok to bulk up the soil. I know it takes nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down but as I understand it then releases it back once it has broken down. Does anyone have a difinitive answer?

[Kleftiwallah]

If you can wait the couple of years for the process to take place.  I'm sure there are more convenient substances. 

Cheers,    Tony.

[mumofstig]

It's not a good idea, cos chips take years to rot down, as Tony says.

I've still got some in the corner of the garden - I put them in the dalek with other stuff when I had a tree cut down. 3 years later and they have still not rotted much
that's why people use them for paths 

[Gareth J]

I am adding all the stored compost that  have made, but it will still leave the soil quite low at the bottom of my plot and it tends to flood in winter. Other than buying in large quantities of soil then I dont know what else to do.

[Kirpi]

I knnnoowwww I keep harping on about it but if you can get hold of a load of rabbit hutch scrapings and bedding, lawn mowings, green hedge clippings, newspaper and yes - your wood chippings so long as it is well mixed with green stuff and of course your kitchen vegetable waste - dare I suggest even a composting toilet - but it sounds like lasagne bed growing is your answer.

Forget about bulking up your soil - leave it down there and the worms will do the work for you. Put down a nice wet layer of overlapping newspaper and literally lasagne the rest of the stuff on top alternating browns like your wood chip and greens. Collect from neighbours and you will soon have enough.

It will cook down over winter and give you a higher and richer medium to plant and sow into net spring and will be further up the water table in case the soil does flood.

[compostqueen]

I have some chipped bark which was removed from the hen run about three years ago when we moved house taking the hens with us. We put the chippings into strong plastic sacks and they are still stored behind my allotment shed.  I have checked them recently and they have rotted down, no doubt helped by the poo that was in with them.  I would not put them onto the plot until they had rotted.  You could share them out between your compost bins or dedicate just one bin to them, or bag them up. Make some holes in the bag to allow the liquid to drain away  

[AlaninCarlisle]

We keep horses that are bedded on sawdust so the muck we clean out of the stables has a high content of wood. The manure/sawdust  mix needs to be rotted for a couple of years before it's of any use for the beds.

A couple of years ago I achieved the impossible and killed a large rhubarb crown by covering it in a fresh sawdust/manure mix

[mumofstig]

We keep horses that are bedded on sawdust so the muck we clean out of the stables has a high content of wood. The manure/sawdust  mix needs to be rotted for a couple of years before it's of any use for the beds.

and that's with the help of the urine and muck  takes even longer without them

[Gareth J]

I have never heard of a lasagne bed! I have unlimited access to cardboard, can I use that instead of newspaper? And I suppose the question thats at the back of my mind is will it cause any other problems to use rotted woodchip other that the reduction in nitrogen? if not then couldnt I just replace the nitrogen with sulphate of ammonia in the short term?

[Trillium]

Yes, you can use cardboard instead of newspaper. It's very good against weeds and tough grasses to kill them down. One layer is usually enough to do the trick.

Wood chips will work provided they've had at least a year to rot down, 2 is better. But first you need to apply at least a thin layer of rotted manure on top of the cardboard before applying the wood chips. In spring, add a thin layer of rotted manure on top of the wood chips and you should be ready to plant.

[GrowinGrowinGone]

Add mushroom mycelium to the woodchip and it will break down much quicker, but even still you looking at about 3 years for it to turn into black soil type material.  Just make sure you don't mix the woodchip into your soil, always put it on top of the soil like a mulch.

[AlaninCarlisle]

One big advantage of a composted manure/woodchip mix is that it does a massive job in opening up clay soil

[New shoot]

I end up with quite a lot of this type of stuff as I use sawdust in the chicken coop and wood chip in the run.

The wood chip after being regularly hosed down and subjected to the feet of chickens, let alone the poop, is pretty good mulch as soon as it comes out. 

The sawdust does need to rot down, but I do this in open compost bins and layer it with green stuff.  I don't cover it as rain seems to speed the process.  Its does add some real substance to soil once dug in.  My plot is clay soil so would agree with Alan, that it opens up the soil really well 

[angelavdavis]

I have experienced the same as you New shoot.  I have just removed a dozen or so bags of chip from my chooks pen and it is practically unrecognisable.  I do this about twice a year and always find it in a similar state.  I have added it to one of my new lasagne beds as a layer.  I did add a little chicken manure pellets (the irony) to help if there is any nitrogen depletion and topped with a generous layer of newspaper and then HM compost before planting brassicas into it.  It might be over-kill, who knows?

GarethJ, there is an article here that someone else pointed out elsewhere that gives a fairly good explanation of lasagne beds.  You can also look on Youtube.

http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

Kirpi and I are both advocates, my growing diary (link below) shows you the results I have had with my two plots which I started off using lasagne beds.  I always start by laying  cardboard over the weeds and grass as you have suggested.    

[Kirpi]

I imagine the woodchippings in the run, mixed with daily fresh chicken poo, trampled every day by chucks and subject to rainy weather through the year would take care of any nitrogen deficit and break the fibres down nicely.

I would compost it or place it on top of beds as a mulch though rather than dig it in.

Excellent lasagne material!