<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Ask Umbra on chippers]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by woodsygirl http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-01-ask-umbra-chippers/ Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:12:58 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-01-ask-umbra-chippers/1 I made sort of a loaf of sticks and branches against one section of my chainlink fence and then topped it with some decaying leaves.  Then I put 2 or 3 handsful of dirt in little pockets of leaves on the pile.  I stuck some zucchini seeds in the dirt on Wednesday evening.  Saturday morning I had seedlings coming up already.  I'm figuring they can grow up the fence.  I have a very limited budget and am trying to use the resources that I have on hand.  That part of the yard has pretty hard, dry dirt.  Not to mention hundreds of tiny mesquites.  So I'm doing the mulching in place thing.  They look really strong today, but we'll see how it goes.  A good reference:  Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemingway.

]]> I made sort of a loaf of sticks and branches against one section of my chainlink fence and then topped it with some decaying leaves.  Then I put 2 or 3 handsful of dirt in little pockets of leaves on the pile.  I stuck some zucchini seeds in the dirt on Wednesday evening.  Saturday morning I had seedlings coming up already.  I'm figuring they can grow up the fence.  I have a very limited budget and am trying to use the resources that I have on hand.  That part of the yard has pretty hard, dry dirt.  Not to mention hundreds of tiny mesquites.  So I'm doing the mulching in place thing.  They look really strong today, but we'll see how it goes.  A good reference:  Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemingway.

]]> Comment #2 by TheNaturalCapital http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-01-ask-umbra-chippers/ Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:59:27 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-01-ask-umbra-chippers/2 It is very unpleasant to burn leaves -- they make a lot of smoke. I also wouldn't leave leaves unshredded for mulch. In our yard, at least, they blow around too much. But you certainly don't need a chipper for them. We rake them into a pile and run over them with an electric lawnmower and it makes great mulch.

We do burn our sticks -- either in outdoor campfires, which may or may not be legal in your area (you may need to have them in a "fire bowl" or other container), or as kindling in our woodstove.

Piles of sticks also make good habitat for small critters in your yard, if you've got an out-of-the-way spot where you can leave at least a small pile. And if you have some thin sticks or plant stalks, break some into pieces -- birds will take them to make their nests in the spring.

The Natural Capital

]]> It is very unpleasant to burn leaves -- they make a lot of smoke. I also wouldn't leave leaves unshredded for mulch. In our yard, at least, they blow around too much. But you certainly don't need a chipper for them. We rake them into a pile and run over them with an electric lawnmower and it makes great mulch.

We do burn our sticks -- either in outdoor campfires, which may or may not be legal in your area (you may need to have them in a "fire bowl" or other container), or as kindling in our woodstove.

Piles of sticks also make good habitat for small critters in your yard, if you've got an out-of-the-way spot where you can leave at least a small pile. And if you have some thin sticks or plant stalks, break some into pieces -- birds will take them to make their nests in the spring.

The Natural Capital

]]> Comment #3 by KaylenS http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-01-ask-umbra-chippers/ Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:45:10 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-01-ask-umbra-chippers/3 Recruit (adopt or borrow) a dog who loves chewing sticks. The sticks in my yard are never more than a few inches long, despite having a maple tree taller than my two-story house in my yard, because my dog adores breaking branches into progressively smaller sticks. You'll likely still end up with some material that needs to be composted or chipped, but the dog will have done much of the work.

]]> Recruit (adopt or borrow) a dog who loves chewing sticks. The sticks in my yard are never more than a few inches long, despite having a maple tree taller than my two-story house in my yard, because my dog adores breaking branches into progressively smaller sticks. You'll likely still end up with some material that needs to be composted or chipped, but the dog will have done much of the work.

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