How To Use Wood Chips In The Garden & Build Healthy Soil

[@fishingpinky3165]

Your video came out today when I just received my 3rd drop today from Chip drop. I get the most wonderful soil from these chips. Thanks Jerra. And yes, a lot of work but if I can do it at 65 years old all by myself...so can anyone else. And I am a woman.

[@JerrasGarden]

Awesome! I also just got about 6 loads of wood chips at my 2nd garden after waiting 2 years. It's going to allow me to expand my garden immensely. So lots of work to come.

[@Chocamatoes]

You go girls!

[@Cynthia_Robinson]

@@JerrasGarden I have loads of oak leaves. Just plant one live oak tree. It will give you an abundance of wonderful gardeners gold every year.

[@YelloLibra83]

I’ve been waiting over a year for chipdrop. I guess they don’t service my area.

[@Kris-yr3zc]

​@@YelloLibra83I have the same problem. I was successful with my electric power company, they trim trees to protect the power lines. They left me with a beautiful pile of woodchips. Good luck on your search.

[@naturallynorthwest9748]

One of my favorite reasons for using woodchips in my garden is finding morel mushrooms popping up in the spring! I'm in western Washington.

[@JerrasGarden]

I wish I had morels in mine! I just get a lot of dog vomit slime mold LOL

[@InappropriateShorts]

I get all kinds of different species of mushrooms. every time it rains it’s something different. I wonder if it’s safe to inoculate with winecap spores

[@dustyflats3832]

Yes, and this spring I had a tiny village of huge copper 🍄‍🟫 mushrooms I wouldn’t eat, but were very interesting.

[@zpoedog]

I have been wood chip gardening for a very long time. Your explanation is right on. Never had a problem with any wood chips from any tree. Big plus for me is not having to water much and some time not at all. Your video will help a lot of gardeners. Thank you!

[@JerrasGarden]

Aww thank you!

[@Tightburn]

We got a call before they dropped, even guided them in to the spot we wanted, I ended up with almost 60yds of Wood Chips, will be compostion for years.

[@JerrasGarden]

You had a nice company 😊 Sometimes I get a call, other times I do not.

[@leonshomegrown]

One of the ways I distribute chips is putting 10 or 20 liter buckets in a cart or trailer and then fill them up. From there you can pickup the buckets one by one and tip it out at the spot there needed. This helps especially when trying to get the wood chips to the back of garden beds and around heavy planted areas. 😊😊😊

[@dustyflats3832]

Yep, we need an end loader but use electric golf cart and then use small wheelbarrow and sometimes buckets to distribute.

[@burself8105]

Jerra thank you so much for your videos. Always sharing valuable information. You were one of the gardeners that inspired me and make me feel a little more confident for gardening. Afternyou mentioned chip drop in one of your other videos, last year I got a drop of wood chips from them. For me it took like 2 or 3 weeks to arrive and they unloaded a HUGE truck full. It took me and my husband 3 full mornings to move it to our backyard. Back then he was regretting me ordering it haha but after the hard work was done and now looking back it was totally worth it. Now our soil is completely transformed. I'm so happy we got the wood chips. I threw flower seeds in a corner and they grew through the wood chips! I'm happy I followed your recommendation. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Keep up the good work.

[@JerrasGarden]

Yay! My husband also dreds the deliveries LOL luckily my brother helps me move it quick

[@beckymartinez9926]

I signed up for chip drop. The next day they dumped it in my driveway and blocked our car in the garage. It took me 3 days to dig a path to get out lol

[@JerrasGarden]

Dang that must have been annoying. That's why I immediately move our cars and prepare an obvious dump area as soon as I get the email they are coming.

[@rhondagushee7583]

Hello, Jerra. I always appreciate learning something new every time I see your videos. Yes, I have successfully first time had a big beautiful harvest of Pink Oyster Mushrooms this spring. From Northern Spore I inoculated last fall a bed of mostly straw with some wood chips ( pine from Chip Drop) and a bit of coco coir. To preserve my harvest, I cooked some in soups, etc., froze, and dehydrated a lot also. I will email some pics; they were beautiful!

[@JerrasGarden]

That sounds fantastic! I will definitely plan on doing this in the fall.

[@SoDamTuf]

Great video! Got my first chip drop of beautiful hard and soft wood blend today. Gotta be at least 9 yards. Tilting the wheelbarrow toward the "cliff face" of the chip mountain, and then pulling the chips down into the barrow beats shovel loading!

[@jeballantine]

Thanks for this helpful video. I received a big load of mulch through Chip Drop last week and am still in the process of transferring it to my backyard. One idea from my wife for moving this much mulch is to use an empty large green bin (that is for municipal green waste and compost). It is easier to lay it on its side to get the mulch in faster than using a wheelbarrow and can fit more volume than a wheelbarrow. You just need to be careful not to make it too heavy as it requires lifting it up from its side and then also tipping it over in the backyard.

[@davidvick1078]

I have watched your video twice and you have not only convinced me to use wood chips in my garden but in my chicken coop as well. Thanks!!

[@TskQuails]

I just signed up for chipdrop , thank you .

[@JerrasGarden]

Hope you get a drop soon

[@shellyharrell4865]

I just did today because of her

[@Beherenow-p5e]

Jerra. Excellent info on woodchips. I get free wood chips myself and can only confirm all you said. Thanks and I will share this video with all my gardening friends ❤❤❤

[@patrickbaker6140]

Once again a great video . Thanks for the knowledge and tips

[@JerrasGarden]

You're so welcome 😊

[@Pianofishdave]

This is valuable info for all. It does work. ❤

[@joyfulparadise]

This was really really informative. Thank u jerra.

[@debbieboullion5864]

i like using woodchips because it stays where i put it and does not blow away when it is windy like straw does

[@TheCrazeenana]

I’m so glad to watch another great video from you❤I hope you enjoyed your trip great pics😊

[@JerrasGarden]

Thanks so much!!

[@dustyflats3832]

We love our arborists! They have brought us probably over 20 loads all year. We did sign up for chip drop but never received any loads, but contacted local arborist and we have them now! 😂. It saves them time and money if they can drop loads nearby a tree job. We have sandy soil in WI also and been using chips for many years. It has Totally turned around what I can grow. Plants are now reseeding themselves and wonder if I created a Little Shop of Horrors 😅. So many flowers I no longer need to start many from seed-they love it! And we have WORMS NOW🎉🎉🎉 And after breaking down they turn into potting soil🎉🎉🎉 I just add some amendments-Huge savings.

[@tracisusong6991]

So i can add woodchips in my containers and soil? I live in Zone 6b so if I have a pile, it just sits out during the winter?

[@loofnround]

Cool! We've been on ChipDrops list with our request since late Feb. 🤞 we get some large deliveries like yours! Appreciate your insights!!! 🙌

[@JerrasGarden]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@chrisz.9974]

One thing I’m trying is filling like 2/3 of a large container with the wood chips and using the bagged compost you use to fill the rest of the container. I currently have butternut squash growing in one. I’m excited to see how it does! Plus I have other surprise squash seeds that sprouted in the wood chips I have spread out on the ground. I’m not sure if it’s a Halloween pumpkin or butternut. I’m excited to find out! You can also get mulch at different cities. I get mine for free at a nearby city. I just have to load it myself.

[@JerrasGarden]

Yes! Some cities have free mulch and compost. Unfortunately, mine does not 😢

[@Huy0035]

South Anna Butternut Squash was bred for Florida. It tastes just like Waltham. Just saying, in case yours dont make it.

[@maricaprozo1950]

Thank you for video! I am using woodchip all around my property ! My canas are better if I plant them in woodchip then in regular soil !

[@leonshomegrown]

Fantastic content. I use lots of different growing techniques. And have started documenting it on my channel. I’ve just stumbled across your channel and finding that your content is very helpful and fantastic tips presented perfectly. Well done and thanks for sharing. Now subscribed and going through your fantastic content 😊😊😊

[@stanceonlife7883]

In Florida , Attempted to grow lions mane and shiitake on oak in a totem style but didn’t work because I didnt keep them moist.

[@voneill8841]

Jerra,I'm starting a wood chip garden in Ft.lauderdale. How did u start. Right now I have a silage tarp over my grass,do I rack up dead grass.did u put card board down?add compost, how many inches, then the wood chips? So many videos so confused.Any information would be helpfull.

[@jacksonnc8877]

Florida is a mushroom paradise. Just off the top of my head Pink & Yellow Oyster mushrooms grow great on almost anything organic. But I prefer hard wood. Another great one would be wine cap mushrooms which you can sow in-between your garden in the mulch. I really enjoy your content Jerra and have learned a lot from your channel! Keep up the great work

[@JerrasGarden]

Have you grown these mushrooms during the summer? I'm just not sure if they can handle the heat. Or I wait to start growing them in fall.

[@sovereignsoul]

In a year I never received any woodchips through Chipdrop, despite offering $80 a load (the maximum Chipdrop payment option). That said, I live in a forest and chip fallen branches. The Predator chipper sold at Harbor Freight is a beast for a small chipper. That said, my experience with and views on wood chips are essentially identical to those expressed in this video.

[@JerrasGarden]

I waited 2 years to get some at my other garden. I just got like 10 piles LOL. It is very random.

[@bitoflearning1287]

Before I put the woodchips, do I have to put landscape fabric or a more eco friendly alternative, namely, cardboard or can I put them directly on the ground to act as mulch?

[@JerrasGarden]

If you want to use wood chips to develop better soil, then dont put down landscape fabric. You can put 2-3 layers of cardboard first and then wood chips because it will break down.

[@christiancraig2326]

I have a question. So I till my big garden plot and have great native soil, because it was a tobacco farm for 50 years or so. I use wood chips as paths and borders, with plastic underneath (which I'm not doing again lol), so I'm gonna do just woodchips now. My question is, at the end of the season, or before I till for the next garden, what do I do with the chips? Shovel them out and burn them?

[@dustyflats3832]

I laid cardboard down and covered with chips for paths. I’ve also dug down the paths and placed that soil on 3’ wide beds and filled the trench in with chips, but before I dug down the paths I dug out the beds and placed logs, chips, leaves, ect on the bottom to hold moisture then put the soil back on top. We use reclaimed boards to hold rows in place. We also do plain inground gardening with no beds and wouldn’t advise tilling chips in but rather use well broken down chips only and other compost. So I would scrape them aside if you have them for pathways just so they don’t get mixed in. They will hog nitrogen if not broken down.

[@charlescoker7752]

Have you looked into Biochar, and Lava sand as a soil amendment.

[@justinrobertsendoftheage]

wow good video. i use the make a hole in the woodchip plant the plants in the hole surrounded by compost then pull back the woodchip

[@JerrasGarden]

Yep! Works great.

[@Happy2Run4Me]

I wish I could get chip drop. I live too far out in the boonies I guess. I do have lots and lots of pine trees on my property so I have access to all the free pine straw mulch I could wish for. I just have to go collect it and try to leave some for the trees! 🌲 I have a wood chipper also but we don’t use it very often and not in any huge volume like the arborists do so I’ll be happy with what I have! It works great over my potatoes and in my garden beds and helps keep the heat from sucking all the water out of my soil and helps keep the soil temperature down as well. It get so hot here in east Texas zone 9a, though maybe not like Florida but similar.

[@JerrasGarden]

We share the heat issues for sure but I get a lot more rain and humidity.

[@Huy0035]

I have mushrooms going now. I just started them last month though. I went with the plugs. Apparently pink oyster will grow in fl. I also am trying shitake.

[@JerrasGarden]

My concern is if I start growing from plugs drilled into the wood, I think it takes 6 months to harvest which means they will be growing through summer and I'm not sure they will survive that kind of heat. Keep me posted on how yours grow.

[@Huy0035]

@@JerrasGarden i chose pink oyster because I heard they love the heat and humidity of our area. So its all just an experiment. You could also try the grain or saw dust type that's meant for mulch. I will report back to ya!

[@lisafahrner8257]

Hi Jerra, Didn’t know where to ask my question. When’s a good time to plant my mulberry tree in Southwest Florida

[@JerrasGarden]

Anytime really. If you can plant a few months before summer, even better so the root system can get a little established before heat/rain stress arrives.

[@lisafahrner8257]

@@JerrasGarden Thank you!!

[@اميرناظم-ك4ظ]

Nice job dear ❤

[@JerrasGarden]

Thank you 😊

[@fredrickvoncold]

All I am using is leaves and chicken manure, leaves to catch the manure. I hope to find some wood chips ,but chipdrop has not panned out yet.I signed up for chipdrop last year .

[@JerrasGarden]

Took me 2 years to get some wood chips at my other garden. Just keep trying.

[@dustyflats3832]

Try contacting an arborist.

[@CrocGardener]

Awesome video! New subscriber! I use wood cups too! They are awesome!

[@JerrasGarden]

Hi and welcome to my channel 😀

[@AdamJensenReal]

Do you have Snails in the woodchips mulch? I put some in garden long time ago and after that I found big snail infestation there, Also if you had snail problem how do you kill them?

[@johnlogan5152]

Dig out enough soil so a saucer sits at ground level, fill saucer with any beer. Snails love beer but drown in the saucer.

[@aprilcarter7604]

Great Video! Thank you. Also, Your rooster is beautiful!!!! 😍 what type is he?

[@JerrasGarden]

If you mean the one on the right at 7:19, he is a French Black Copper Maran.

[@joannamills4510]

Thank you❤️👍👍

[@JerrasGarden]

You're welcome 😊

[@usmsci]

ive always wanted to do this. but we have a locked gate. That means that we could be in the back and not know they have arrived or we could not even be home so theres no way to dump the material. They need to figure out a way to let people know in advance as we just arent going to leave our gate open 24/7

[@JWDicus]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about using black walnut. I'm a biologist and a woodworker, and when we built our custom home, we built all the wood furniture, trim, cabinetry, tables, bookshelves, countertops, picture frames, baseboards, crown moldings, doors, everything piece of furniture and trim in the house out of American black walnut. This resulted in a huge amount of sawdust collected from the cutting tools in my woodshop like table saw, router, mitre saw, band saw, etc. We generated a freaking mountain of black walnut sawdust and fine chips, and it all went into the compost and from there straight to the garden beds, and we haven't had a single issue. Our plants grow great in the stuff!

[@jarekloovali1216]

Pink and golden oysters are doing well in warm climates

[@davidvick1078]

Hi, how deep do you spread your wood chips on your garden to suppress weeds?

[@JerrasGarden]

Its random because it depends on how much I get but to suppress weeds I highly recommend you solarize the area first before spreading the wood chips. Then add like a 5-8 inch thick layer of wood chips.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

No issues that you've seen with termites? Also for long-term soil improvement, what about doing a one-time bulk purchase of clay dirt from a local landscape supply company then either doing a single deep till to integrate it, or digging out the bed and backfilling with a mix of native soil and the clay dirt? From what I've read, an optimal soil mix looks something like 45 percent sand, 45 percent clay, 10 percent humus. Our native Myakka sandy soil is something like 85 percent sand on average. I know that putting lots of wood chips each year will work, but that seems like a lot of work each year and it will not resolve the core issue of us not having enough clay in our soil

[@JerrasGarden]

After many years my soil is nice and dark, full of composted matter. I dont know how much clay etc... is in it. I just know that my plants grow very well. No issues with termites so far but I reccomend you spread any mulch, or wood chips etc... as far away from structures as possible just in case.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

​@@JerrasGarden Awesome, thanks for the advice!

[@gg-gn3re]

mushrooms enjoy that heat, just not the sun. Should be able to grow pretty much any. You can do shiitake which is pretty expensive variety on the logs. You need to inoculate them with drilling holes and plugging it and also do not let any sun hit them, obviously.

[@JerrasGarden]

I have some shady spots in my garden that would work great. I'll wait for the temp to drop in September before I start.

[@gg-gn3re]

@@JerrasGarden he's in florida kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGqvap-nr65paq8

[@Raul28153]

How to move the stuff easier?? tractor with a modified loader bucket to increase the yardage of the bucket

[@JerrasGarden]

I dont have a tractor nor can I rent one and bring to my tiny yard. I wish I could have one. My HOA would have a heart attack LOL

[@davidchhartier1364]

Is chip drop available in Kansas. How do I sign up

[@JerrasGarden]

You go to getchipdrop.com and submit a request

[@davidchhartier1364]

Thanks I am on the list. Not sure if it will work in my area but it is definitely worth a try. Thanks again and keep up the good work

[@not_a_sp00k]

My left ear loved this video

[@RonBateman-vl2wz]

Do you still need fertilizer or is you soil rich enough to grow veggies without ?

[@JerrasGarden]

I still use fertilizer to grow the biggest plants and get the most production out of them

[@yolandagoynes3490]

What do you do if your drop contains pests?

[@JerrasGarden]

That's a risk you have to decide if you want to take. Depending on the pest, you might have to treat it or get rid of it. I have received about 10 deliveries between my 2 gardens and so far no pests. I have read online from other gardeners that the pile had ants or grubs. Termites is also a possibility if the tree that was cut down was infested. If you have a large property, have them drop the piles towards the back away from buildings just in case. I'm not going to lie, it has crossed my mind "what if" and I would definitely have an issue on my hands.

[@Charm-313]

Would this work for fixing clay soil? And will this attract carpenter ants😕

[@dustyflats3832]

We’ve never had carpenter ants in all the piles we have. I think they are attracted to lumber not chips? It would definitely help break up clay soil, but it may use nitrogen until it breaks down a bit.

[@joaniewagner-6850]

I move my wood chips with sled. Easy to load up and dump.

[@dustyflats3832]

Yes, I’ve used that also-plastic fishing sled.

[@camerafusion]

Currently adding wood chips to my backyard garden.

[@JerrasGarden]

Nice!

[@Homesick2025]

I had tons of ants in the past from my one and only chip drop experience. You said your husband inspects the load before spreading it…would you refuse the drop if it had ants?

[@JerrasGarden]

Depends.... what kind of ants and where are you spreading the wood chips? Like are you making a pile with wood chips to compost down over a few years, are you spreading it close to your house or away? Ants can be treated easily. But if I was spreading close to my house, that would be worrisome.

[@Homesick2025]

@@JerrasGarden Yes, I have a small property and would spread near and around house. Mine were large ants. Seems to me it’s almost a given to expect insects/ants with any chip drop.

[@joshuaj8188]

all of your audio is coming from only one speaker, great info though!

[@laluz4473]

So, please excuse my question. Asking for a friend 😆. Will all grass need to be removed before applying the chips 🤷🏽‍♀️?

[@joeypilgrim1269]

I've had chipdrop for over a year and haven't had a single drop yet

[@JerrasGarden]

It's very random. Sometimes it's next day. This pile in the video took 5 months. I waited 2 years before getting some at my other garden.

[@stephaniefuller]

I have the worst luck! I got one chip drop and It came with grubs and a gopher turtle.

[@JerrasGarden]

Yikes! Things can happen sometimes with it.

[@dovinhgardenfarm]

Tuyệt vời❤❤❤

[@GodLovesYou5635]

yessssss

[@aprilbreen9207]

Almond agaricus is a tropical species and supposed to be easy to cultivate i have no personal experience-as im in 6 B

[@Freedom2025-x2b]

❤

[@jimbaker7133]

Use wood chips for ground cover but DO NOT mix it into the soil for mulch. It ties up all of the plant available nitrogen

[@edieduncan5702]

Being in Florida.Don't you have a lot of problems with fire ants with your mulch in your garden?

[@JerrasGarden]

No, I don't have issues with ants from using wood chips.

[@eduardkancir2771]

[@teresathomley3703]

One thing I would not do is build a house out of wood chips- especially if I were a pig. A wolf just might show up and blow my house down.

[@JerrasGarden]

I agree 100% 😂

[@666bruv]

Ditch the plastic if you have woodchips

[@KundaFire]

ShoutOut Paul Gautschi

[@jiangtao2990]

these is no sound!!!! hear nothing

[@blueskiesmudpies1061]

"Better method for moving this" ... Teenagers.

[@RichardGraham-l6f]

I'd never trust advice from someone who talks with 'Vocal Fry' and 'Uptalk'!