I just laid wood chips down as mulch in my garden and I'm wondering if I'll be able to amend now?

[Growdo Baggins]

This is my first garden. It's very small around 5x10ft. I found some wood chips on the side of the road and I used them to mulch bc weeds are coming up and I don't mind pulling weeds too much but I read a lot about mulch being good for soil microbiology. It's already got fungus on it and a surprising amount of worms in it. But after I put the wood chips on the garden and was feeling very good and satisfied with my job, it occurred to me that I might not be able to add any amendments now.

For instance say I wanna add some gypsum or feather meal or blood meal, can I add that directly on top of the wood chips? Will it make its way down into the soil or maybe get sucked up by the high carbon to N ratio of the chips? I know I have read that things with high carbon to N will pull N out of other things to create the right ratio to break stuff down. Obviously I barely know what I'm talking about, but I'm trying to learn some stuff.

Here's a photo of the finished mulching

 

[Eeilee]

I usually just use a garden fork. Stab and poke holes and add bone or blood meal and then rake the mulch back over.
Also you’ll be surprised how fast those wood chips break down and naturally amend the soil!
Your little stretch of garden looks great!

 

[YumYum]

Why are you wanting to add gypsum? Is your soil low in calcium or sulfur?

The wood chips will use nitrogen to break down but when it does break down, you should get your nitrogen back. In hindsight, you could have amended the soil with nitrogen or other stuff, planted, then added the wood chips on top. That way the two layers would mostly be separated.

 

[Growdo Baggins]

Why are you wanting to add gypsum? Is your soil low in calcium or sulfur?

The wood chips will use nitrogen to break down but when it does break down, you should get your nitrogen back. In hindsight, you could have amended the soil with nitrogen or other stuff, planted, then added the wood chips on top. That way the two layers would mostly be separated.

No I was just using gypsum as an example. I used some doctor earth's a week ago before I added the wood chips, but really I just forgot to amend more before I laid them. I don't know that they need anything more. I've been studying "the Intelligent Gardener" and was planning that approach, but I'm still trying to learn it all.

 

[Tetters]

@Growdo Baggins I reckon you've made a super start to your garden. As long as your soil was nice and wet when you put your chippings on, there will be no problems I'm sure. Adding feed, or anything else can still be shoved over the top, and will find it's way through without problems.
Don't allow your new project to give you any worries. Experience is the very best teacher, Anything goes!
Expect to make some mistakes. They are necessary to help you remember the best way -for YOU the next time, and don't give up - especially when you have the odd disaster or so. It doesn't matter how smart us gardeners are, I think the vast majority of us will say that we will NEVER stop learning about the experience.
Importantly, find yourself a nice comfy chair so you can have a sit down and tea break to look at your work. Good luck with it, it is the very best use of time I can think of. Enjoy your garden, and do keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Growdo Baggins]

@Growdo Baggins I reckon you've made a super start to your garden. As long as your soil was nice and wet when you put your chippings on, there will be no problems I'm sure. Adding feed, or anything else can still be shoved over the top, and will find it's way through without problems.
Don't allow your new project to give you any worries. Experience is the very best teacher, Anything goes!
Expect to make some mistakes. They are necessary to help you remember the best way -for YOU the next time, and don't give up - especially when you have the odd disaster or so. It doesn't matter how smart us gardeners are, I think the vast majority of us will say that we will NEVER stop learning about the experience.
Importantly, find yourself a nice comfy chair so you can have a sit down and tea break to look at your work. Good luck with it, it is the very best use of time I can think of. Enjoy your garden, and do keep us posted on your progress.

Tetters, thank you very much. That was really great to read. And it helps a lot.

 

[Tetters]

I'm so glad it does. It is the kind of activity that is good for the mind and good for exercise and well being. Let insects and nature be your friends, and grow a few easy flowers in with the veggies for the bees and butterflies. Limit the poisons that so many people use - often without necessity. We need our plants to breathe, and they need us too. They give us oxygen and we (hopefully) might be able to return the favour with the carbon dioxide that they need to survive. That's another thing we should leave alone. Without our plants we will not survive, and we must not deprive them of what they need either.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Tetters is right. Relax, take it easy, you sound like you're off to a solid start.

I've been using wood chips on my veg gardens for years. As eeilee and yumyum said, the chips decompose and are the amendment for the most part.

Looking down the road to next season. Resist the advice of your neighbors or brother-in-law and DON'T rototill with those chips on the garden. That will mix the high carbon material into the soil and cause major nitorgen deficiency for the first year or two after tilling. The mulch is supposed to be on top of the soil not in the soil.

 

[Tetters]

I do agree @Mr_Yan . I always use hand tools, this is so much more rewarding. Wherever my own garden is mulched the one or two weeds that struggle to come through, are much easier to pull out! Win, win!!

 

[Growdo Baggins]

I'm so glad it does. It is the kind of activity that is good for the mind and good for exercise and well being. Let insects and nature be your friends, and grow a few easy flowers in with the veggies for the bees and butterflies. Limit the poisons that so many people use - often without necessity. We need our plants to breathe, and they need us too. They give us oxygen and we (hopefully) might be able to return the favour with the carbon dioxide that they need to survive. That's another thing we should leave alone. Without our plants we will not survive, and we must not deprive them of what they need either.

I found a beneficial bug pollinators seed mix and I got it. It shows some climbing flowers, so I was going to dig up the grass along the fence to the garden area this weekend and plant them there.

Last year I had learned about comfry and I picked up some root cutting. I started a couple inside over the winter and they did good. I put them outside a month or so ago and they're doing alright. I read to plant them away from other stuff because they can take over so I planted them out behind my shed. We had just bought this house last year and I've not given too much thought to the septic tank out back. But last week I did, and I realized I planted the comfry on top of my field lines. I know the roots go deep, so I'm guessing they can mess up the lines. I think I should prob move them.

 

[Tetters]

It is probably a good idea to find a different corner for the comfrey. It is, as you have found out already a really useful plant though, and will make you buckets full of really good nutrition to dilute and water onto your crops (even if it smells horrible) We just mow ours when it gets away, and the bees love the flowers when it's in bloom.
Helping the bees and other little 'garden helpers' is a very good move. You have the makings of a proper garden expert. Good luck to you

 

[Growdo Baggins]

It is probably a good idea to find a different corner for the comfrey. It is, as you have found out already a really useful plant though, and will make you buckets full of really good nutrition to dilute and water onto your crops (even if it smells horrible) We just mow ours when it gets away, and the bees love the flowers when it's in bloom.
Helping the bees and other little 'garden helpers' is a very good move. You have the makings of a proper garden expert. Good luck to you

Thanks dude

 

[Tetters]

Don't think I have ever been called 'dude' before

 

[Ruderunner]

It's a good thing!

 

[Growdo Baggins]

Don't think I have ever been called 'dude' before

Well I hope I didn't offend someone who just took the time to help me out, . Are you a chick? Lol. Are you a woman I mean?