Using wood chips as an all-over ground cover for the garden has gained in popularity over the years and is utilized in the “Back-to-Eden” or no-till method of gardening. This method was popularized by Paul Gautschi in his documentary film, “Back to Eden”. It’s a very interesting film that you can watch for free at backtoedenfilm.com .
Below, you’ll find my short list of 3 pros and 2 cons to using wood chips in the garden. And read to the end to learn the truth behind one very common wood chip myth.
PRO
- As the wood chips decompose over time, they create a beautiful rich compost that give nutrients to the soil underneath and invites worms to the area.
CON
- The wood chips take a long time to decompose. – We spread 6-8 inches of wood chips on top of our soil and it has taken 3 full years for the majority of the wood chips to break down.
PRO
- The wood chips retain moisture exceptionally well. The perennials that I’ve planted haven’t been watered at all since the first planting year (except for the rain, of course).
PRO
- The cardboard and wood chips together are an excellent weed block (at least for the first few years). Eventually the weeds do creep in, but I’ve added more cardboard and wood chips to the perimeter of the garden to solve this issue. I pull the weeds that grow in the center of the garden.
CON
- The wood chips are quite difficult to move out of the way in order to dig down to the dirt to plant. The wood chips must be shoveled or raked onto a tarp in order to get to the ground.
The tarp comes in quite handy for this, because you can place the dirt on the tarp also and avoid mixing the dirt and wood chips together.
It all just makes planting take longer and is a hassel.
(In this picture, you can see the holes I dug to plant okra seeds directly into the soil.)
I honestly can’t think of any cons that would turn me off enough to not use wood chips. They make caring for a growing garden possible due to their ability to retain moisture. I haven’t watered my blackberries, blueberries or strawberries in 2 years. And once my okra and watermelon get started each year, I don’t have to water them either.
One AMAZING pro that has taken me by surprise is that my strawberries have spread into the decomposing wood chips and seem to LOVE the micchorizal fungi. (which is formed as the wood chips break down). The strawberry plants that have spread into the wood chips are large and healthy compared to the strawberry plants that have remained in the amended soil.
On a slightly negative note. I have recently been made aware of a potential con with using wood chips under blueberry bushes. Specifically, the warm weather in zone 8a and the moisture in the wood chips create an environment where detrimental fungi can grow and infect the plant. I have read that clearing the ground beneath the bushes of old berries and twigs can help alleviate this concern.
MYTH
- Wood chips deplete nutrients from the soil, namely nitrogen.
This is an understandable myth because if the wood chips were tilled or mixed into the soil then as the wood chips decompose, they would indeed pull nutrients out of the soil to aid in the decomposition process. HOWEVER, when wood chips are layered on top of the soil, they will NOT pull nitrogen or any other nutrient out of the soil. The beneficial fungi and compost created will improve the soil underneath and build new and better soil on top.
Thus, when using wood chips, you will be creating a soil that is fungus dominated. This is good for many perennials and nightshades, but annual plants generally prefer a bacterial dominated soil. – This is why, I have added raised beds to my garden. It is where the majority of my annuals are planted.
But, experiment with your own garden and see what works best for you. I personally, love being able to plant most of our food straight into the ground, it keeps the garden cost-effective. Whereas if we bought or built a bunch of raised beds, we’d be paying not only for the bed but also the soil to fill them and the extra water usage because beds dry out faster than the ground.
AND, if we utilized a tilling garden method, we would have to contend with more weeds and building the health of the soil would be a bit more difficult.
Again, I know there are gardeners who would swear by their tilling method and cover crops etc. I’m not here to claim that one is better than the other. That’s for YOU to decide. But, if you want to utilize wood chips in your garden, I hope you’ve gleaned some helpful insights.
