What Happens to Woodchip if You Leave it in a BIG Pile for Months?

In this video, I show you what happens to woodchip when you leave it in a big pile for several months to compost down and make humus that is great for your garden and plants!



Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :) #humus #gardening #compost

[amywalker]

This man deserves his own TV series. Never ever a disappointing episode.

[post-apocalypse]

Ive seen people run pipe through the compost heaps to make hot water without power.

[katrinakrakow]

I put about 8-12" down in my garden pathways. A year later, rake the top layer off the pathways and harvest the wonderful compost below. Replace the stuff raked off and add wood chips...no big pile, same awesome results!

[williamvillar]

Great "break down" of the wood chip pile, Mark! heh, dad jokes.

[rantan]

I've found that piling the material up as high as possible has a great effect and helps the process go quicker. I think the weight naturally creates more heat as the matter breaks down. I pile my compost up 7-8 feet and watch it shrink over the season.

[gratefulMOMent]

Yes! I’m experiencing this firsthand. I have a corner lot home with a huge grassy lawn.
It all started when my huge pine broke into our sewer line. We found an arborist to remove it. We chipped it up and I asked him to bring me more chips the next time he was in the neighborhood.
So I got a big block of cardboard already pressed from the grocery store. Covered 1/2 my yard in cardboard & chips.
My arborist brought 2 more loads so they sat over winter in heaps.
Now spring is here and we have the most delightful soil!!!

[mmmmarada]

Thank goodness I saw this video. I just watched someone trying to break down wood chips with the aeration method, and he gave up and just used it as mulch. I currently have 4 truckloads of wood chips in the driveway, and was feeling discouraged about it turning into compost anytime soon. This is great!

[rhysdehaan]

Thanks to you, I'm starting my own food forrest and vegetable garden, along with some hens.

[jackbits]

I just discovered that my town give them away just pick them up. A week later my pile is getting larger and larger. I'm a little embarrassed how giddy I am over it 😂

[AJRestoration]

Greetings from South Africa!Thanx for the video! Now I know what to do with the wood chips!

[saltlifess]

Mind has been sitting g for a year and he's right it's fantastic for the garden!

[liamsmyth]

Mark, I love these crazy experiments you do! Can’t wait to watch, you teach us all so much! Hello from Ireland 🇮🇪 😃

[pricklypear]

That Grub was huge! Thank you. And I love your Dad jokes!

[WheelerRanch]

You, Sir, are a Gardening Rockstar, thank you for all you share, from Livermore, California.

[sweepingtime]

'Garden of Edan' oh man it's worth hiring them for that pun alone.

[chargermopar]

I use a horizontal composting method where I do not turn the piles but water them and grind them with a mower as new material is added. It looks like soil and hardly any brown matter is visible.

[lindajean]

I Love this man! Maybe it is because he Loves what he is doing, Gardening!🤗🙋🏽‍♀️💯🙋🏽‍♀️💞

[marilynschultz]

My home owner's association arranged for this project without giving the homeowners a chance to bring up concerns. It is happening right now. 11/28/22 near Santa Cruz, CA, USA. The swale is precious with many species of mushrooms, insects, etc. and it is visited by fox, deer, coyotes, and other animals.

[brianstoner]

Watch every video love respect from Toronto Canada we love our aussie Brothers sisters gob bless 🙌

[lynnbry]

Add some Stropharia mushroom substrate, particularly if it’s mostly hardwood. Faster breakdown and dinner after a thorough rain or soaking.