The low cost and sustainable stuff youve been doing has been really awesome. I liked the channel before, but now its on a whole other level for me. Thanks!
Yet again a superb video demonstrating simple techniques to improve the garden. We have been doing this for several years, and it works brilliantly. One thing to note is that the material breaks down much slower than in a traditional bin as there is not the same area to generate heat, but our experience shows a greater fungal population in the material. The beds we use this material on show a much more positive improvement to the soil compared to the beds where we use traditional biological compost. The soil structure has a greater variety of soil life and the plants seem to be more resilient to disease. I have to say the production value of your videos is stunning, I am not surprised you are doing so well on TH-cam. Great video Huw, please keep it up.
Excellent Video! I have used free wood chips for the pathways between the raised beds for years, and the soil under those chips is the blackest, richest soil one can imagine. Another benefit of the wood chips is that they are a sponge for rain and retain the moisture for a long time. I have used the soil under the wood chips to fill new beds, and it is some of the most productive soil I have.
@@rgonvsh69 Here is SW Ohio the tree trimmers are anxious to get rid of loads of wood chips. They'll gladly drop off loads of 12 to 16 cu yds of wood chips.
@@rgonvsh69 our local dump/landfill/transfer station has compost & mulch. It can be a lot of work but is free! They will fill your truck with a bucket loader but I usually take garbage pails & fill my own. Screen out the trash and big stuff in the compost as I fill them. I use a screen with one inch holes but people use milk crates, chicken wire, or hardware cloth. Depending on the hole size you can get some very fine soil that is great for seeds! For me it is physically hard but I have no $$$, lol, so, the work =s food! Check locally, there are a lot of new food scrap compost programs in the USA now, might be happily surprised! Good luck!
Huw, I really enjoy your work but your frequent use of cardboard has me a bit worried for this reason: where I live (Germany), I've heard a lot of people strongly advise against using cardboard in the way you do because it is impossible to know the production process and ingredients. Simply put, the argument is that the idea that cardboad is a more or less natural paper product is incorrect and that in actuality cardboard very regularly contains large amounts of different adhesives, bleaches and other unfavorable ingredients. There has been a scandal in Germany where large amounts of cardboard were composted down in an area and it ruined the soil for a long time, it still hasn't recovered (it's called the PFC-Scandal of Mittelbaden, PFC being short for polyfluorized chemicals and Mittelbaden being the region it occured in). Have you encountered worries about this? If you have, what is your take on it? Thanks in advance, I'd really appreciate your input because I have a hard time making up my mind about this.
After reading all the positive comments of how others have had success, I shall certainly try this in one pathway! And your video production has really developed well. Little outtakes, slo-mo flying woodchips, a little music, really well done. Thanks Huw, for all the hard work: in the garden, in the books, on the video, and for your diligence in learning and passing the info along. Thanks.
Great video Huw! I do this from 2 years and it works very well, for me is a lot easier than the compost piles. I dont move the materials, this material feeds both beds and is a fantastic way to use my organic waste! Also if u do this around your Fruit tree it increases the yield! Greets from Spain!
I recently had trees trimmed and I asked for all the wood chip to be left in the drive. After shifting the mountain, the entire garden is now covered. It looks great and smells amazing. I’ll look forward to using it on the raised beds.
I am doing something a little similar at the moment, but instead of making self-composting paths, I am making a self-composting new border over my very thin soil (overlying broken shale) in the back garden - this is where I want to grow future peas, beans and sweetcorn. Instead of using raised bed planks, I'm using thin tree trunks blown down in the storms to retain lots of dead Autumn tree leaves. I push these leaves aside, add the cardboard, rotting sticks, bark, weed leaves, etc and then pull the leaves back over the debris so that it looks a little nicer. By being fussy like this, I expect that keeps oxygen levels up too. I walk all over this little area to get to planters behind them, so they have traffic to help with the breaking down of materials.
Interesting concept. I'd be curious to know if you see a change in slug and snail damage in the adjacent beds. I cannot figure out if it would increase or decrease their population and/or effects or even if there would be no change. I'm really looking forward to seeing your follow up videos. All the best.
I've been doing a similar method for a few years and I think it reduced slug damage on my vegetable beds. The slugs seem to go to the dead plant matter in the paths first, so there is much less damage to my produce. Then they are easier to find and pick off at night because they're out in the open paths. I live in a rainy climate and slugs are a constant battle.
I've been doing this for three years. Previously little damage from slugs and occasional damage from snails. Now I find a slug once in a while and snails have been virtually eliminated. Last year I made an effort to increase polyculture and even more this year (currently about sixty varieties of veggies, herbs and flowers). This sustains a large and diverse insect population that brings in a lot of lizards, birds and other small animals that are looking for "protein snacks."
I have woodchips paths in my netted tunnel (my own design) and I find that wet woodchips are a haven for slugs so I have to constantly check for them. It's the opposite in my polytunnel as the chips are bone dry so slugs stay away from them.
My husband and I have been doing this for several years. We noticed the same thing as Liz and it’s been a wonderful addition to our other composting methods.
With its low fertility woodchip makes a great seed compost, I did a video on its use and tested against bought compost. One word of warning though, I have a path at home mulched with Birch chippings and when I used that it did not work anywhere as good
Funny…I used this method back in the ‘80s using horse manure from our neighborhood equestrian center. Loved the fact that any weeds were so easy to manage. Remember learning so much from Sunset Gardening and Organic Gardening (Rodale) magazines. This was before I learned about raised beds. But a great believer in square foot gardening then, too! I remember making manure tea. I’m a California native and have been living in Vermont for several years now. Lots to learn and enjoy. Love Liz and her honey. Love how you all make me laugh! Carolyn/Vermont Cat Lady 💃🏼
Love, Love, Love this idea. I am in the process of putting down new garden beds and I know this system will be a great idea. I have failed miserably at trying to make compost, so I am exited to use this method. I have had a large black tub in my shade house just to throw in weeds etc, and just like Liz said, a saw that after some time it started to look like real compost, so I am very confident that the pathway method will work wonderfully. Thank you so much Huw for your videos. they are informative and very REAL and very helpful.
Hej Hue, thank you for all you do for us and the gardens! A question for slugs in the compost... If they are coming to compost, doesn't it bring the risk to have after soil with slugs eggs in it?
Hi Huw Liking your composting idea on paths but what happens if you have dogs, cats and birds in the vicinity. Could you substitute straw for woodchips.
My neighbours cat was using an area in my garden as a toilet after I put down chicken manure pellets. I wanted to woodchip that area so I sprinkped orange oil around and they haven't done it since. I've heard orange satsuma ect peelings work too and is free but messier. I don't think that would have a detrimental effect on the finished compost but not sure.
Huw, Liz, Great Idea. I got a few giant loads of wood chips last year and I have noticed it breaking down fast in the pathways too. I am thinking of sifting it into a new bed for great soil for starting seeds. Keep up the good work. I appreciate and benefit from what you share.
I’m my previous experience sifted woodchip is terrible for growing seeds. Too much undecomposed carbon in there “robbing” the nitrogen and microbes from interacting with the plants. Definitely experiment for yourself but maybe don’t sow all your seed in sifted woodchips.
@@growsoilbiology I forgot to mention my secret ingredient: chicken poop :). I mix in the composted manure to combat any nitrogen issues. Good catch though.
What an awesome idea! I’m sure I could get wood chips locally , however I am concerned if the trees have ever been sprayed with insecticide or had a disease prior to cutting them down.
I have used pine bark nuggets for my paths among beds for some years, but not ever considered the broken down materials as compost. I find the pine bark chips more comfortable to walk on than rock, which matters if you're 75 with 2 replaced knees. Grass for paths is too much work in summer. It's already in the 90s and it's still the middle of May.
Thanks for the video! I've been experimenting with this and accidentally discovered an effective method. I had placed many of my fabric grow bags on the woodchip surrounding my beds. When looking underneath the grow bags a few months later, I noticed some amazing worm castings/broken down chips. Worms seem to love it under there
This is absolutely brilliant,Huw. Im currently experimenting with compashi beds - who says there is a quiet time in the winter garden! Keep up the inpiration we have a massive pile of outdated/unsustainable gardening/allotmenteering habits that need composting;)
Not only am I going to try this, but I have been adding wood chips to my pathways for years, and I haven't even looked at what compost might be underneath a few cm down.. maybe I'll pull some back and start adding green material to what is already there, and then just start turning it 🤔
GREAT stuff! I laid my first go at a compost path this evening. After seeing this video I’ll have to fine tune a bit but excited to see what happens! Thanks for the instruction 👍👊!!
I do a less intentional version of this - all of the old plants that i pull out of my garden at the end of the season go through my mulcher and then straight onto the paths. No mixing, no maintenance, just give it time.
Sheet mulching on steroids! I have been using weed scraps and wood chips on my paths for ages. A small electric shredder works wonders and I have a local woodturner who supplies me with fresh, clean sawdust shavings for free. We free range chickens through the paths too and the resulting compost is amazing. I use it for almost everything, from compost for pots to seed starting mix. Lovely video, thank you.
While pulling weeds, I break or cut them a bit, roots and all, and toss them anywhere I need to step in my garden. I don't have wood frames, just kind of mound the soil a bit where I plant. If I see any weeds popping up in the path, I just snip them off when they're a few inches tall and drop them. Works like a charm for me. Smaller sticks from around the property get dropped on the path as well.
I have previously used fresh woodchip only in the paths and scrape it up at the end of season - it worked well. Last spring I added Winecap mushroom mycelium (stropharia rugoso annulata) in the paths with the woodchip to ensure even quicker breakdown and to get a food crop from it! The first mushroom harvest today filled a 10L bucket, full! An enjoyable process but not good for people who enjoy turning compost to get a look at how it’s going.
That's exactly my plan from watching that Liz Zorab video! I got a little fed up maintaining my grass around my raised beds the past two years so woodchip it is. I'm quite excited about it becoming compost to throw into my beds once broken down!
Your wood chips are much finer than mine but I covered my walkways last fall with cardboard and wood chips. I must give it a try in one of the aisles now.
Oh wow- Sun! All my compost paths have turned to sludge with the incessant rain we’ve had here on the east coast of Australia. Love this idea. I’m on it once the rain stops!!
Hi Richard, great video as always! It actually tempted me to try this this year in my allotment. Can you let me know how long would it take for the material to be fully composted?
Where does one find lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to create microbials? In the video, you poured the LAB into a sprinkler. Could you plz give some measurements? Tks so much. You're the best!!!!!!
Hi Huw! That's super. Do you think that using a pathway between two parcels, so not raise beds, and dig down and Barry food rests and use the whole as a compost bin, to then place a wood plank on top of it to still be able to use the path...would that work and create compost? It's a mix of your videos and ideas....fiting my small 30m2 garden! Ps: you are the best! Thanks!
Excellent 💡 thinking..! Where is the heat coming from tho..? In order for the compost to break down it needs to be piled at a minimum of 3-4 ft high ..... I like the idea just don't think your going to be anywhere close quality wise to a 2 year steaming pile . Awesome videos very inspirational!
Such a great idea! My garden isn’t geometric like yours, though. AND it’s on a hillside, not steep but I could possibly slide with the cardboard, unexpectedly.
Huw can you advise please… 🙏 I composted seaweed which must have had kelp flies in it. My compost bays are now alive with kelp maggots. What do I do? Thank you.
I love your videos and you totally had me on this one until the words “turn it.” 😂 At my age turning over in bed is a major issue; bending and lifting anything is just not going to happen. (Plus I just broke my femur in the middle of garden season. 😢😢😢)
Hey, I am connecting from Catalonia where I have set it as a challenge to create a vegetable plot according to all these fascinating principles. I have 16 hectares, mostly abandoned terraces of dead almosnd, hazlenuts and an okay olive grove. I have a lot of forest. Mostly pine. i have cleared the forest to help protect the house from forest fires and I am certainly going to buy a woodchipper. to break down the resulting mountains. I have also been reading about biochar and I notice that you don't mention this as a soil improver anywhere. Do you have any thoughts?
I, also do, this but iv changed my mind now I'm creating new beds using beach tree cuttings then grass, clippings wood chips them more grass then woodchips again I don't use timber raised beds I had dug out paths for composting to fill up then decided to make beds, for underground mycelium connection with my existing beds like, a forest or woods I want mushrooms and to just, walk where I like
The only issue with this technique is that it will attract and harbour so many slugs snails and unwanted pests. Also seeds from the food won’t be composted like in a compost pile so they will be a headache too. If you have ducks 🦆 or chicken 🐓 then this is a good method because they eat slugs like candy.
I need to find a way to get my hands on cheap wood chips in the city, as we have an urban community garden. The city chops the cut wood in the city, but nobody knows where they end up. We could make our own, but don't have the machine to shred the branches. Need to rethink options!
great idea but I love to chop and drop.into beds can't try right now.maybe if we get some rain out of some hurricanes I will try.or when my next compost bin dies. trying to over plant so I have more to chop and drop but I only live in 1ac.
Brilliant! Sadly, it wouldn't be practical where I live in the desert with an average of 99 inches of rain annually. Too water hungry, a vertical pile or an enclosed tumbler like I use is easier to keep moist and uses less water. If I still lived where there was ample water I would be all over this!
Huw, does it the woodchip need to be hardwood only or could you use conifer for this as in my area, conifer is easier and cheaper to get hold of. Best Julian
It's a good idea however presumably your going to put woodchip as the top layer to make it nice to walk on and push your wheelbarrow on if needed. when you turn it I'd think the slimy half decomposed stuff from the grass and weeds ect would be on the top. Do you plan to put more woodchip on the top after turning it. I've never tried mixing with greens on the path however the woodchip normally takes a long time to break down. I'm going to do an experiment in a few of my empty potato containers (I can't grow them this year with moving) and see how long it takes to break down when mixed with grass ect. When we move I will experiment with that only probably not bother turning it cus of my back and needing to keep adding more and see how long it takes to break down. I would think a year or 2 but I've never tried it. My other concern was it's essentially lowering the height of your beds (for your back). With Liz having the ducks on hers I'm guessing that adds in a lot of nitrogen so this is a good alternative to add in the nitrogen.
@@johnransom1146 yeah that's what I meant that adding all the green stuff is a good alternative for those of us that don't have ducks or chickens adding it for us
Hey Huw, I'm from NSW AUS. Finally I've started building a bitsa garden (bitsa this, bitsa that) on some wasted space, which I've cleared of weeds incl trees. I've built Hugelcultur beds w smaller branches, grass clippings & the black sandy soil from the paths on top. Filled the paths with woodchips & more grass clippings in layers. Looking great! Eventually I'll shovel that back onto the beds, (minus the larger sticks, which will build more hugelcultur beds) & fill the paths with more sticks & woodchips again. Never ending cycle! 👌
I have tried something similar to this and I still practice it to some degree. I have not been able to eliminate the compost bin because a large amount of the compost in the pathways disappears into the soil before I’m able to scoop it into the beds. Spreading out all of your compostable materials onto the soil like that means you are doing wonders for the soil... in your pathways. But the soil eats it when you spread it out like that over a large surface area. Obviously you’ll still get compost but you will get far less scoop-able compost in the end. I have come to find the JADAM system (the whole system, not just a few input recipes) has the best answer for this: Add your compostables directly to the beds in the fall and let them break down over winter and it will be ready to plant in the spring. If you don’t want to wait that long, just surface-till the uncomposted material into the top 2” a couple weeks before planting. During the growing season you can just pile up your raw materials or put them in a bin until fall. (Of course crop residue/pruning waste always stays where it is though) Those pathways have a lot of solar surface area and you’re missing out on a lot of potential photosynthesis which could be producing even more organic matter for you, if you plant, say, Sudan grass which will grow 6 feet in 6 weeks if you let it- just cut it when it’s too tall to walk on and add it to the beds, compost pile/bin, or JLF bucket. I’m not trying to be a dick, just being frank/talking shop. I know nobody wants to come across as a snobby purist but the more I tinker the more I realize the JADAM answer is the answer, basically always.
Weird question: I think I have the same watering can, bought from B&M, but the sparkler sucks, the stream is clumping and pummelling the plants. Did you do anything to yours or did you just get a better sparkler?
Good idea if you don't want to have to mow etc. However, all the work of sourcing cardboard and wood chip and laying it all out. Then lose the valuable resource of grass clippings which is also highly beneficial. So many gardening choices and dilemmas. Thanks for another great vid Huw.
We used pine cones between the raised beds simply because they were available in abundance and they composted nicely. Unfortunately I couldn't work in the garden barefoot! Wonderful video!
I've been doing this...out of laziness, lol. Chop and drop to best effect! I now just throw kitchen waste directly on the beds before it gets covered with hay in Autumn. Having fun right now seeing potatoes popping up everywhere - when I harvest I always throw the tiny ones back in the beds. :)
Thanks so much for your great vids, we have learned a ton and become more confident to experiment in the garden. Do you think that we could use compost walkways in a 10 x 20 hoophouse? Would we need to worry about ammonia either for ourselves or the plants? Thanks again :)
This perfect for me!!!! I have two narrow pathways and lots of cardboard I have been saving. I do trench compost, but I've really packed my garden this year. Great idea!!!!
Do you have any good ideas for wood shavings (not wood chips)? I have lots from my hand planes of various types of soft and hardwood. I thought maybe soaking them with a small amount of compost for a few months might help break them down before adding to my other compost.
I do handtool woodworking too and I use them in a few ways. Packed in paper lunch bags for fire starters, straight into the compost, and this year I’m going to try using them as mulch in the garden beds. I’ve found I need to crunch them up a bit in my hands if they’re long curls from faces.
@@christophermcclellan8730 @Nancy Webb thanks folks, much appreciated. I'm in a very windy spot so adding to paths and straight onto plants results in a tornado of shavings! I've not had huge success in the shavings breaking down very quickly in the compost, I'll maybe try being more regular with turning and a bit more particular with the ratios of brown to greens.
I 👍 the idea but find a living pathway even more desirable. The grass is creating large amounts of carbon through photothensis and feeding microbes even mycorrhizae fungi. I think you might be getting more bang from that, but if I was starting from scratch I go with that compost wood chip method. Collection of forest duff is a soil food web technique which Dr Ingham recommends. Knf would have you due an imo Collection using par cooked rice. Like the idea 💡 as well. Great video brother
Good grief...I tried using wood chips as garden paths and to decorate with and all it becomes is another substrate for weeds! So many weeds!😡 can’t use wood chips anymore becz it just becomes mulch that weeds set into
Thank you for sharing your video, as always they are very helpful. Do you add weeds like dandelions, chickweed, hairy bittercress to your compost? I am currently studying the L2 RHS course and they say to avoid these as they will regrow if there is roots when the compost is put on the garden. Its great to understand the importance of 'weeds' as having done a bit of research I understand they are actually beneficial etc.
I just start gardening on a blank plot, and I was thinking to use pathways to make compost as well. I do not really have raised beds, instead I plan to make some movable frames (beds) as boundaries for my planting. Then I can shift these movable frames onto the pathways for planting in new seasons, then the previous garden beds become pathways to be topped with grass, chip wood etc. I can't wait to give it a try
We have woodchips on the floor of our chicken run and between raised beds. I was going to add it to the compost bin, now I'm just going to scoop it directly into the beds next winter/spring. Great tip. Not sure if the food scraps would work for us. We have super sticky clay soil that i have tried to build up with organic matter for 3 years, unsuccessfully. First year of raised beds and so far it's amazing.
Wood chip pathways is one thing, but adding layers of leaves and weeds and water seems like prime environment for ticks. Yikes! Maybe ticks are not a problem in your area, however.
Where we are, the whole point of woodchips is how slowly they decompose. Perhaps it's because they're eucalypt hardwood. Also, I've never seen woodchip that fine. Ours are much coarser
I Adopted similar method when I found that the wood chip at the allotment had a lot of leaves. Chipped up Christmas Trees. I laid a layer of coffee grounds to attract the worms, layer cardboard worm food , thick layer chipped Christmas tree , layer plastic landscape fabric cut with soldering iron. A stapled pelmet of 6 inch landscape fabric either side to stop the crows pulling the fabric up. On top more green clippings. When weeds started to grow I pulled the middle fabric up and laid it on top again. And put more wood chip on top. Meanwhile underneath the wood chip was turning into compost which I sieve and allow to mature with comfrey and grass chippings.
A other though put creeping thyme or lavender in walking paths help attract bees beneficial insects at the same time they smell and aroma keeps away mosquitoes I believe I'm going to try it in my garden also some little flowering plants as an additional attractor for the garden Cayman islands BWI well I going to give it a try
Fantastic idea and very much what nature does. I don't have pathways but I do have patches of bare dirt. One wet year when weed meadows sprung up, after everything went to sleep, I flattened the dead meadows with cardboard. While my zone is not enough to keep the cardboard and underneath wet, it was enough to keep the dirt pliable and the weeds all broke down. It was wonderful. Since then, I have always kept my soil covered with cardboard and if weeds or other organic matters gets under there, I am fine with it. Sometimes I find earthworms under there, which makes me very happy. So having every bit of the garden living is a fantastic idea. I hope everyone does this, so pathways can work as well. I have not done a set-aside compost heap in a long time. I do do smaller buckets, set atop the soil between plants. The earthworms and fungi love it and the plants have a great time, so it is a good way to "keep" waste while it is breaking down.
Hi Huw, thanks for the video- an interesting idea! I don’t think you mentioned the importance of the type of wood you use in compost. In my allotment there is always a pile of wood chips somewhere but often with a large percentage of conifer wood which is less than ideal!
God Huw, I love your channel but I have been having a nightmare this year with slugs and I suspect doing this in close proximity with my vege would spell disaster! I'm going to use the old woodchip on the paths in the compost heap though! Keep up the experimenting though👍
I am ahead of you for once on this one iv mulched my paths and I don't use raised beds home for slugs I think and my plan is that eventually from mulching my paths and beds and layering the beds with compost all will eventually be all connected with mycelium like the soil in the woods
Great idea! I love it! I’m going to try it to reclaim paths thru my little gardens. I’m even going to try it in the fairy garden, or maybe encourage them to clear some paths. Like a college I read about that didn’t create sidewalks until the students made paths in the lawns.
We have a weedy grass path and most just mound beds. We just put the weeds we pull from the beds on the path and mow the path. I think I will spread woodchips late in the year and then in the spring turn the path into the garden.
I love this... have been considering a change to wood chip paths.... What would you suggest to do for lining if covering a gravel drive way turned raised bed /no dig garden?
Fascinating idea. Will have to give it some thought. However, as I do not really have stationary beds and pathways, maybe I'll have to vary the method a bit.
Gracias por compartir, de verdad son muy buenos consejos, coincido con algunos comentarios, antes tu canale.parecia muy bueno, ahora está genial, sin duda vas un paso adelante cada vez. Saludos desde México
The low cost and sustainable stuff youve been doing has been really awesome. I liked the channel before, but now its on a whole other level for me. Thanks!
Wow that's so awesome to hear - thank you so much🌱
I agreeeeee!!!!! 😍💕👌🏻
Open poppy poppy
@@HuwRichards op
Add winecap mushroom spawn and the woodchips break down even faster, plus you get a crop of mushrooms every spring
Yet again a superb video demonstrating simple techniques to improve the garden. We have been doing this for several years, and it works brilliantly. One thing to note is that the material breaks down much slower than in a traditional bin as there is not the same area to generate heat, but our experience shows a greater fungal population in the material. The beds we use this material on show a much more positive improvement to the soil compared to the beds where we use traditional biological compost. The soil structure has a greater variety of soil life and the plants seem to be more resilient to disease.
I have to say the production value of your videos is stunning, I am not surprised you are doing so well on TH-cam. Great video Huw, please keep it up.
Excellent Video! I have used free wood chips for the pathways between the raised beds for years, and the soil under those chips is the blackest, richest soil one can imagine. Another benefit of the wood chips is that they are a sponge for rain and retain the moisture for a long time. I have used the soil under the wood chips to fill new beds, and it is some of the most productive soil I have.
Lucky you... no free wood chips where I live in the US. We pay $30 a cubic yard plus $40 delivery fee for arborist woods chips.
@@rgonvsh69 Here is SW Ohio the tree trimmers are anxious to get rid of loads of wood chips. They'll gladly drop off loads of 12 to 16 cu yds of wood chips.
@@ohio_gardener Same in SW Idaho. I’ve had many loads delivered for free.
@@rgonvsh69 our local dump/landfill/transfer station has compost & mulch. It can be a lot of work but is free! They will fill your truck with a bucket loader but I usually take garbage pails & fill my own. Screen out the trash and big stuff in the compost as I fill them. I use a screen with one inch holes but people use milk crates, chicken wire, or hardware cloth. Depending on the hole size you can get some very fine soil that is great for seeds! For me it is physically hard but I have no $$$, lol, so, the work =s food! Check locally, there are a lot of new food scrap compost programs in the USA now, might be happily surprised! Good luck!
@@rgonvsh69 sad
Huw, I really enjoy your work but your frequent use of cardboard has me a bit worried for this reason: where I live (Germany), I've heard a lot of people strongly advise against using cardboard in the way you do because it is impossible to know the production process and ingredients. Simply put, the argument is that the idea that cardboad is a more or less natural paper product is incorrect and that in actuality cardboard very regularly contains large amounts of different adhesives, bleaches and other unfavorable ingredients. There has been a scandal in Germany where large amounts of cardboard were composted down in an area and it ruined the soil for a long time, it still hasn't recovered (it's called the PFC-Scandal of Mittelbaden, PFC being short for polyfluorized chemicals and Mittelbaden being the region it occured in). Have you encountered worries about this? If you have, what is your take on it? Thanks in advance, I'd really appreciate your input because I have a hard time making up my mind about this.
After reading all the positive comments of how others have had success, I shall certainly try this in one pathway!
And your video production has really developed well. Little outtakes, slo-mo flying woodchips, a little music, really well done.
Thanks Huw, for all the hard work: in the garden, in the books, on the video, and for your diligence in learning and passing the info along.
Thanks.
And? Howz the path going?
Great video Huw! I do this from 2 years and it works very well, for me is a lot easier than the compost piles. I dont move the materials, this material feeds both beds and is a fantastic way to use my organic waste! Also if u do this around your Fruit tree it increases the yield! Greets from Spain!
I recently had trees trimmed and I asked for all the wood chip to be left in the drive. After shifting the mountain, the entire garden is now covered.
It looks great and smells amazing. I’ll look forward to using it on the raised beds.
I am doing something a little similar at the moment, but instead of making self-composting paths, I am making a self-composting new border over my very thin soil (overlying broken shale) in the back garden - this is where I want to grow future peas, beans and sweetcorn.
Instead of using raised bed planks, I'm using thin tree trunks blown down in the storms to retain lots of dead Autumn tree leaves.
I push these leaves aside, add the cardboard, rotting sticks, bark, weed leaves, etc and then pull the leaves back over the debris so that it looks a little nicer.
By being fussy like this, I expect that keeps oxygen levels up too. I walk all over this little area to get to planters behind them, so they have traffic to help with the breaking down of materials.
Hügelkultur! Go for it!
Interesting concept. I'd be curious to know if you see a change in slug and snail damage in the adjacent beds. I cannot figure out if it would increase or decrease their population and/or effects or even if there would be no change.
I'm really looking forward to seeing your follow up videos.
All the best.
I've been doing a similar method for a few years and I think it reduced slug damage on my vegetable beds. The slugs seem to go to the dead plant matter in the paths first, so there is much less damage to my produce. Then they are easier to find and pick off at night because they're out in the open paths. I live in a rainy climate and slugs are a constant battle.
@@mayataylor8952 That's really helpful to know. Thanks.
I've been doing this for three years. Previously little damage from slugs and occasional damage from snails. Now I find a slug once in a while and snails have been virtually eliminated. Last year I made an effort to increase polyculture and even more this year (currently about sixty varieties of veggies, herbs and flowers). This sustains a large and diverse insect population that brings in a lot of lizards, birds and other small animals that are looking for "protein snacks."
@@racebiketuner Polyculture is a very powerful method of combatting excessive beasties.
I have woodchips paths in my netted tunnel (my own design) and I find that wet woodchips are a haven for slugs so I have to constantly check for them.
It's the opposite in my polytunnel as the chips are bone dry so slugs stay away from them.
My husband and I have been doing this for several years. We noticed the same thing as Liz and it’s been a wonderful addition to our other composting methods.
Charles Dowding has also been doing this for years
@@carollloydjones5735 we call him garden Jesus in my house.
@@Just-Nikki that's hilarious and SO APROPOS!
With its low fertility woodchip makes a great seed compost, I did a video on its use and tested against bought compost. One word of warning though, I have a path at home mulched with Birch chippings and when I used that it did not work anywhere as good
Funny…I used this method back in the ‘80s using horse manure from our neighborhood equestrian center. Loved the fact that any weeds were so easy to manage. Remember learning so much from Sunset Gardening and Organic Gardening (Rodale) magazines.
This was before I learned about raised beds. But a great believer in square foot gardening then, too! I remember making manure tea.
I’m a California native and have been living in Vermont for several years now. Lots to learn and enjoy. Love Liz and her honey.
Love how you all make me laugh! Carolyn/Vermont Cat Lady 💃🏼
Love, Love, Love this idea. I am in the process of putting down new garden beds and I know this system will be a great idea. I have failed miserably at trying to make compost, so I am exited to use this method. I have had a large black tub in my shade house just to throw in weeds etc, and just like Liz said, a saw that after some time it started to look like real compost, so I am very confident that the pathway method will work wonderfully. Thank you so much Huw for your videos. they are informative and very REAL and very helpful.
Hej Hue, thank you for all you do for us and the gardens! A question for slugs in the compost... If they are coming to compost, doesn't it bring the risk to have after soil with slugs eggs in it?
Liz is awesome and is a great inspiration. Love the stacking of functions in pathways!
Hi Huw
Liking your composting idea on paths but what happens if you have dogs, cats and birds in the vicinity.
Could you substitute straw for woodchips.
My neighbours cat was using an area in my garden as a toilet after I put down chicken manure pellets. I wanted to woodchip that area so I sprinkped orange oil around and they haven't done it since. I've heard orange satsuma ect peelings work too and is free but messier. I don't think that would have a detrimental effect on the finished compost but not sure.
Huw, Liz, Great Idea. I got a few giant loads of wood chips last year and I have noticed it breaking down fast in the pathways too. I am thinking of sifting it into a new bed for great soil for starting seeds. Keep up the good work. I appreciate and benefit from what you share.
I’m my previous experience sifted woodchip is terrible for growing seeds. Too much undecomposed carbon in there “robbing” the nitrogen and microbes from interacting with the plants. Definitely experiment for yourself but maybe don’t sow all your seed in sifted woodchips.
@@growsoilbiology I forgot to mention my secret ingredient: chicken poop :). I mix in the composted manure to combat any nitrogen issues. Good catch though.
My housemates at uni liked making compost in the fridge.....
Thank you so much :)
Not only amazing ideas in this video, but a great production as well! It's so beautiful!!
What an awesome idea! I’m sure I could get wood chips locally , however I am concerned if the trees have ever been sprayed with insecticide or had a disease prior to cutting them down.
Thant you for showing us some free methods of creating compost. You are awesome. I love watching what you do.
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching! :)
I have used pine bark nuggets for my paths among beds for some years, but not ever considered the broken down materials as compost. I find the pine bark chips more comfortable to walk on than rock, which matters if you're 75 with 2 replaced knees. Grass for paths is too much work in summer. It's already in the 90s and it's still the middle of May.
Thanks for the video! I've been experimenting with this and accidentally discovered an effective method. I had placed many of my fabric grow bags on the woodchip surrounding my beds. When looking underneath the grow bags a few months later, I noticed some amazing worm castings/broken down chips. Worms seem to love it under there
This is absolutely brilliant,Huw. Im currently experimenting with compashi beds - who says there is a quiet time in the winter garden! Keep up the inpiration we have a massive pile of outdated/unsustainable gardening/allotmenteering habits that need composting;)
Not only am I going to try this, but I have been adding wood chips to my pathways for years, and I haven't even looked at what compost might be underneath a few cm down.. maybe I'll pull some back and start adding green material to what is already there, and then just start turning it 🤔
I like it Huw. I noticed this happening with my rice straw paths so I'm gonna continue to add 👍👍
GREAT stuff! I laid my first go at a compost path this evening. After seeing this video I’ll have to fine tune a bit but excited to see what happens! Thanks for the instruction 👍👊!!
I could hear you say compost all day 😄
I do a less intentional version of this - all of the old plants that i pull out of my garden at the end of the season go through my mulcher and then straight onto the paths. No mixing, no maintenance, just give it time.
Sheet mulching on steroids! I have been using weed scraps and wood chips on my paths for ages. A small electric shredder works wonders and I have a local woodturner who supplies me with fresh, clean sawdust shavings for free. We free range chickens through the paths too and the resulting compost is amazing. I use it for almost everything, from compost for pots to seed starting mix. Lovely video, thank you.
If you mix in coffee/tea grounds in your layers it will break down even better and faster.
Love this! :) You're full of amazing ideas Huw :) thank you so much for sharing them :)
You're very welcome :)
While pulling weeds, I break or cut them a bit, roots and all, and toss them anywhere I need to step in my garden. I don't have wood frames, just kind of mound the soil a bit where I plant. If I see any weeds popping up in the path, I just snip them off when they're a few inches tall and drop them. Works like a charm for me. Smaller sticks from around the property get dropped on the path as well.
I have previously used fresh woodchip only in the paths and scrape it up at the end of season - it worked well. Last spring I added Winecap mushroom mycelium (stropharia rugoso annulata) in the paths with the woodchip to ensure even quicker breakdown and to get a food crop from it! The first mushroom harvest today filled a 10L bucket, full! An enjoyable process but not good for people who enjoy turning compost to get a look at how it’s going.
Oh, wow. Is it easy to grow mushrooms like this?
That's exactly my plan from watching that Liz Zorab video! I got a little fed up maintaining my grass around my raised beds the past two years so woodchip it is. I'm quite excited about it becoming compost to throw into my beds once broken down!
I like this idea. When you turn it over do you also lift the cardboard?
I have the same question
Your wood chips are much finer than mine but I covered my walkways last fall with cardboard and wood chips. I must give it a try in one of the aisles now.
Oh wow- Sun! All my compost paths have turned to sludge with the incessant rain we’ve had here on the east coast of Australia. Love this idea. I’m on it once the rain stops!!
Hi Richard, great video as always! It actually tempted me to try this this year in my allotment. Can you let me know how long would it take for the material to be fully composted?
From your future video on the results to this, I'm going to try this in my small garden space! Great idea, thank you!
Where does one find lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to create microbials? In the video, you poured the LAB into a sprinkler. Could you plz give some measurements? Tks so much. You're the best!!!!!!
Hi Huw! That's super. Do you think that using a pathway between two parcels, so not raise beds, and dig down and Barry food rests and use the whole as a compost bin, to then place a wood plank on top of it to still be able to use the path...would that work and create compost? It's a mix of your videos and ideas....fiting my small 30m2 garden!
Ps: you are the best! Thanks!
Excellent 💡 thinking..!
Where is the heat coming from tho..? In order for the compost to break down it needs to be piled at a minimum of 3-4 ft high .....
I like the idea just don't think your going to be anywhere close quality wise to a 2 year steaming pile .
Awesome videos very inspirational!
Such a great idea! My garden isn’t geometric like yours, though. AND it’s on a hillside, not steep but I could possibly slide with the cardboard, unexpectedly.
We did that as kids, so fun!
Huw can you advise please… 🙏
I composted seaweed which must have had kelp flies in it. My compost bays are now alive with kelp maggots. What do I do? Thank you.
I love your videos and you totally had me on this one until the words “turn it.” 😂 At my age turning over in bed is a major issue; bending and lifting anything is just not going to happen. (Plus I just broke my femur in the middle of garden season. 😢😢😢)
Hey, I am connecting from Catalonia where I have set it as a challenge to create a vegetable plot according to all these fascinating principles. I have 16 hectares, mostly abandoned terraces of dead almosnd, hazlenuts and an okay olive grove. I have a lot of forest. Mostly pine. i have cleared the forest to help protect the house from forest fires and I am certainly going to buy a woodchipper. to break down the resulting mountains. I have also been reading about biochar and I notice that you don't mention this as a soil improver anywhere. Do you have any thoughts?
I, also do, this but iv changed my mind now I'm creating new beds using beach tree cuttings then grass, clippings wood chips them more grass then woodchips again I don't use timber raised beds I had dug out paths for composting to fill up then decided to make beds, for underground mycelium connection with my existing beds like, a forest or woods I want mushrooms and to just, walk where I like
How to increase the termite level in your garden!!😂. In the Northern hemisphere you obviously don't have termites.
The only issue with this technique is that it will attract and harbour so many slugs snails and unwanted pests. Also seeds from the food won’t be composted like in a compost pile so they will be a headache too. If you have ducks 🦆 or chicken 🐓 then this is a good method because they eat slugs like candy.
Really useful video and great concept 👍
I need to find a way to get my hands on cheap wood chips in the city, as we have an urban community garden. The city chops the cut wood in the city, but nobody knows where they end up. We could make our own, but don't have the machine to shred the branches. Need to rethink options!
great idea but I love to chop and drop.into beds can't try right now.maybe if we get some rain out of some hurricanes I will try.or when my next compost bin dies. trying to over plant so I have more to chop and drop but I only live in 1ac.
wow such epic woodchip tossing footage, i was not expecting..... you can branch off on a vid about this m ethod for growing mushrooms also
I really like the idea! Great video thanks. I still search an easy method to chop up the weeds without getting carpal tunnel and using secateurs.
Brilliant! Sadly, it wouldn't be practical where I live in the desert with an average of 99 inches of rain annually. Too water hungry, a vertical pile or an enclosed tumbler like I use is easier to keep moist and uses less water. If I still lived where there was ample water I would be all over this!
99 inches seems a lot?
Huw, does it the woodchip need to be hardwood only or could you use conifer for this as in my area, conifer is easier and cheaper to get hold of. Best Julian
I'm going to try this on one of my woodchip pathways, thanks!
GRACIAS POR TUS VIDEOS, SON GENIALES Y ME GUSTA MUCHO LA FORMA DE COMO EXPLICAS Y COMO TIENES TUS SEMBRADIOS
It's a good idea however presumably your going to put woodchip as the top layer to make it nice to walk on and push your wheelbarrow on if needed. when you turn it I'd think the slimy half decomposed stuff from the grass and weeds ect would be on the top. Do you plan to put more woodchip on the top after turning it. I've never tried mixing with greens on the path however the woodchip normally takes a long time to break down. I'm going to do an experiment in a few of my empty potato containers (I can't grow them this year with moving) and see how long it takes to break down when mixed with grass ect. When we move I will experiment with that only probably not bother turning it cus of my back and needing to keep adding more and see how long it takes to break down. I would think a year or 2 but I've never tried it. My other concern was it's essentially lowering the height of your beds (for your back). With Liz having the ducks on hers I'm guessing that adds in a lot of nitrogen so this is a good alternative to add in the nitrogen.
He was tossing handfuls of comfrey on the paths, that adds nitrogen
@@johnransom1146 yeah that's what I meant that adding all the green stuff is a good alternative for those of us that don't have ducks or chickens adding it for us
I’d love to do this, but I have couch grass and bindweed 😢
I am soo I x items to do this! Thank you and Liz for this efficient and great idea!
Do you think mares tail would be ok to chuck on pathways or compost beds
What is the tall plant with big greens leaves behind you (2:20)?
Sexy Bear Gardener, Love this channel.
I’d like to try it but my allotment slopes downhill.
I wonder it it's ok to do that even if it's raining everyday?
Looks interesting - I will try it out in my garden 🎉
Just a thousand rats feeding from it every night
Hey Huw, I'm from NSW AUS. Finally I've started building a bitsa garden (bitsa this, bitsa that) on some wasted space, which I've cleared of weeds incl trees. I've built Hugelcultur beds w smaller branches, grass clippings & the black sandy soil from the paths on top. Filled the paths with woodchips & more grass clippings in layers. Looking great! Eventually I'll shovel that back onto the beds, (minus the larger sticks, which will build more hugelcultur beds) & fill the paths with more sticks & woodchips again. Never ending cycle! 👌
Trench composting ;) or tranch?
I have tried something similar to this and I still practice it to some degree.
I have not been able to eliminate the compost bin because a large amount of the compost in the pathways disappears into the soil before I’m able to scoop it into the beds. Spreading out all of your compostable materials onto the soil like that means you are doing wonders for the soil... in your pathways. But the soil eats it when you spread it out like that over a large surface area. Obviously you’ll still get compost but you will get far less scoop-able compost in the end.
I have come to find the JADAM system (the whole system, not just a few input recipes) has the best answer for this:
Add your compostables directly to the beds in the fall and let them break down over winter and it will be ready to plant in the spring. If you don’t want to wait that long, just surface-till the uncomposted material into the top 2” a couple weeks before planting. During the growing season you can just pile up your raw materials or put them in a bin until fall. (Of course crop residue/pruning waste always stays where it is though)
Those pathways have a lot of solar surface area and you’re missing out on a lot of potential photosynthesis which could be producing even more organic matter for you, if you plant, say, Sudan grass which will grow 6 feet in 6 weeks if you let it- just cut it when it’s too tall to walk on and add it to the beds, compost pile/bin, or JLF bucket.
I’m not trying to be a dick, just being frank/talking shop. I know nobody wants to come across as a snobby purist but the more I tinker the more I realize the JADAM answer is the answer, basically always.
Weird question: I think I have the same watering can, bought from B&M, but the sparkler sucks, the stream is clumping and pummelling the plants.
Did you do anything to yours or did you just get a better sparkler?
Good idea if you don't want to have to mow etc. However, all the work of sourcing cardboard and wood chip and laying it all out. Then lose the valuable resource of grass clippings which is also highly beneficial. So many gardening choices and dilemmas. Thanks for another great vid Huw.
We used pine cones between the raised beds simply because they were available in abundance and they composted nicely. Unfortunately I couldn't work in the garden barefoot! Wonderful video!
I've been doing this...out of laziness, lol. Chop and drop to best effect! I now just throw kitchen waste directly on the beds before it gets covered with hay in Autumn. Having fun right now seeing potatoes popping up everywhere - when I harvest I always throw the tiny ones back in the beds. :)
Thanks so much for your great vids, we have learned a ton and become more confident to experiment in the garden. Do you think that we could use compost walkways in a 10 x 20 hoophouse? Would we need to worry about ammonia either for ourselves or the plants? Thanks again :)
This perfect for me!!!! I have two narrow pathways and lots of cardboard I have been saving. I do trench compost, but I've really packed my garden this year. Great idea!!!!
How do you turn the pathway compost? Raking? Because I assume you're trying not to mess with the cardboard underneath..?
Do you have any good ideas for wood shavings (not wood chips)? I have lots from my hand planes of various types of soft and hardwood. I thought maybe soaking them with a small amount of compost for a few months might help break them down before adding to my other compost.
They can be added to the paths. The only difference would be that they would break down faster.
I do handtool woodworking too and I use them in a few ways. Packed in paper lunch bags for fire starters, straight into the compost, and this year I’m going to try using them as mulch in the garden beds. I’ve found I need to crunch them up a bit in my hands if they’re long curls from faces.
@@christophermcclellan8730 @Nancy Webb thanks folks, much appreciated. I'm in a very windy spot so adding to paths and straight onto plants results in a tornado of shavings! I've not had huge success in the shavings breaking down very quickly in the compost, I'll maybe try being more regular with turning and a bit more particular with the ratios of brown to greens.
I 👍 the idea but find a living pathway even more desirable. The grass is creating large amounts of carbon through photothensis and feeding microbes even mycorrhizae fungi. I think you might be getting more bang from that, but if I was starting from scratch I go with that compost wood chip method. Collection of forest duff is a soil food web technique which Dr Ingham recommends. Knf would have you due an imo Collection using par cooked rice. Like the idea 💡 as well. Great video brother
Good grief...I tried using wood chips as garden paths and to decorate with and all it becomes is another substrate for weeds! So many weeds!😡 can’t use wood chips anymore becz it just becomes mulch that weeds set into
Thank you for sharing your video, as always they are very helpful. Do you add weeds like dandelions, chickweed, hairy bittercress to your compost? I am currently studying the L2 RHS course and they say to avoid these as they will regrow if there is roots when the compost is put on the garden. Its great to understand the importance of 'weeds' as having done a bit of research I understand they are actually beneficial etc.
Doesn’t it end up stinking and attracting rats?
I just start gardening on a blank plot, and I was thinking to use pathways to make compost as well. I do not really have raised beds, instead I plan to make some movable frames (beds) as boundaries for my planting. Then I can shift these movable frames onto the pathways for planting in new seasons, then the previous garden beds become pathways to be topped with grass, chip wood etc. I can't wait to give it a try
We have woodchips on the floor of our chicken run and between raised beds. I was going to add it to the compost bin, now I'm just going to scoop it directly into the beds next winter/spring. Great tip. Not sure if the food scraps would work for us. We have super sticky clay soil that i have tried to build up with organic matter for 3 years, unsuccessfully. First year of raised beds and so far it's amazing.
Wood chip pathways is one thing, but adding layers of leaves and weeds and water seems like prime environment for ticks. Yikes! Maybe ticks are not a problem in your area, however.
Where we are, the whole point of woodchips is how slowly they decompose. Perhaps it's because they're eucalypt hardwood. Also, I've never seen woodchip that fine. Ours are much coarser
I Adopted similar method when I found that the wood chip at the allotment had a lot of leaves. Chipped up Christmas Trees. I laid a layer of coffee grounds to attract the worms, layer cardboard worm food , thick layer chipped Christmas tree , layer plastic landscape fabric cut with soldering iron. A stapled pelmet of 6 inch landscape fabric either side to stop the crows pulling the fabric up. On top more green clippings. When weeds started to grow I pulled the middle fabric up and laid it on top again. And put more wood chip on top. Meanwhile underneath the wood chip was turning into compost which I sieve and allow to mature with comfrey and grass chippings.
A other though put creeping thyme or lavender in walking paths help attract bees beneficial insects at the same time they smell and aroma keeps away mosquitoes I believe I'm going to try it in my garden also some little flowering plants as an additional attractor for the garden Cayman islands BWI well I going to give it a try
Fantastic idea and very much what nature does.
I don't have pathways but I do have patches of bare dirt. One wet year when weed meadows sprung up, after everything went to sleep, I flattened the dead meadows with cardboard. While my zone is not enough to keep the cardboard and underneath wet, it was enough to keep the dirt pliable and the weeds all broke down. It was wonderful. Since then, I have always kept my soil covered with cardboard and if weeds or other organic matters gets under there, I am fine with it. Sometimes I find earthworms under there, which makes me very happy. So having every bit of the garden living is a fantastic idea.
I hope everyone does this, so pathways can work as well. I have not done a set-aside compost heap in a long time. I do do smaller buckets, set atop the soil between plants. The earthworms and fungi love it and the plants have a great time, so it is a good way to "keep" waste while it is breaking down.
Hi Huw, thanks for the video- an interesting idea! I don’t think you mentioned the importance of the type of wood you use in compost. In my allotment there is always a pile of wood chips somewhere but often with a large percentage of conifer wood which is less than ideal!
God Huw, I love your channel but I have been having a nightmare this year with slugs and I suspect doing this in close proximity with my vege would spell disaster! I'm going to use the old woodchip on the paths in the compost heap though! Keep up the experimenting though👍
I am ahead of you for once on this one iv mulched my paths and I don't use raised beds home for slugs I think and my plan is that eventually from mulching my paths and beds and layering the beds with compost all will eventually be all connected with mycelium like the soil in the woods
Great idea! I love it! I’m going to try it to reclaim paths thru my little gardens. I’m even going to try it in the fairy garden, or maybe encourage them to clear some paths. Like a college I read about that didn’t create sidewalks until the students made paths in the lawns.
We have a weedy grass path and most just mound beds. We just put the weeds we pull from the beds on the path and mow the path. I think I will spread woodchips late in the year and then in the spring turn the path into the garden.
I love this... have been considering a change to wood chip paths.... What would you suggest to do for lining if covering a gravel drive way turned raised bed /no dig garden?
Fascinating idea. Will have to give it some thought. However, as I do not really have stationary beds and pathways, maybe I'll have to vary the method a bit.
Gracias por compartir, de verdad son muy buenos consejos, coincido con algunos comentarios, antes tu canale.parecia muy bueno, ahora está genial, sin duda vas un paso adelante cada vez. Saludos desde México