Wood Chips in compost ?

**jimmy cee** 2/14/2015, 10:44 pm

I know I've checked on this before, however I am beginning to pick up about 3 times what is pictured here every week.
I do chop these up.
I'll need some browns with it, correct ?
Leaves I have gathered and stored are wet, I usually dry them out and shred them before mixing. This is not going to work for a while yet.
I have lots of wood chip laying around the yard, pile and piles...is this going to be a good additive . wood chips that is ?

**sanderson** 2/15/2015, 4:12 am

Okay, Jimmy. I am soooo jealous of your veggies! Wood chips take a long time to break down in compost. Even wood shavings for animal bedding. I ran shavings through 3 compost cycles in 2013 and one in 2014 before they were broken down. Each time I screened the compost, the shavings went right back into the new piles.

Are your wet leaves partially broken down into smaller pieces? I would use those, but I am not the authority on this. Embarassed

**camprn** 2/15/2015, 6:56 am

I recommend no wood chips in a active compost pile. Wood takes a long time to rot and will tie up available nitrogen. You need some 'brown' material. No need to dry out the leaves, just sprinkle them in best you can. If you cannot find any other browns, these veggies will rot on their own relatively quickly.

**jimmy cee** 2/15/2015, 8:55 am

OK good that I asked this, thanks

audrey.jeanne.roberts 2/15/2015, 10:12 am

I buy a couple bales of either straw or sorghum grass (no seed) and mix those in as needed. A bale goes a long way and is so simple and easy to apply. This is where gathering bags of leaves from the curbside if you live in the city would come in handy. That is if you have the room to store it!

**jimmy cee** 2/15/2015, 9:58 pm

AJR
Thats exactly what I was considering, the evil devil I am, maybe I can get a good price now with temps -10 and those bales just sitting taking up space....
I have 15 bags of fall leaves store out back, without looking I know their frozen solid. I like to save them for warmer weather when I can dry them out and shred them...I like the straw way now.

**sanderson** 2/16/2015, 12:10 am

Jimmy, If the leaves are frozen, can't you store the produce outside to freeze, also? Then when the leaves are starting to thaw (clean plastic can help solarize), you can get your trusty chopper and bucket out.

**jimmy cee** 2/16/2015, 7:56 am

sanderson wrote:Jimmy, If the leaves are frozen, can't you store the produce outside to freeze, also? Then when the leaves are starting to thaw (clean plastic can help solarize), you can get your trusty chopper and bucket out.

Then when things start thawing out get my home made shredder and chip veggies and leaves together ?
Sounds like a good idea also.
Heck it just needs to lay outside for a few hours and it's frozen.I think I'll still lay some straw on the piles now..
Cheap enough and lots of it in a bale..

my poor mans shredder

**Kelejan** 2/16/2015, 7:54 pm

Make sure the produce is frozen, Jimmy, otherwise it will stink. As the leaves and produce defrost you will have to hurry and get them mixed, even if only roughly. You can always turn them over again once they are mixed.

I keep saying that produce you get is fit to eat. Very Happy

**AtlantaMarie** 2/18/2015, 3:07 pm

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Wood Chips in compost ?

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