It has always been known that a freshly cut forest is the best soil for crops. Somehow your statement whether true or not doesn't appears to have none effect on the black silt loam of a broad leaf forest provides. The reason for this is because the trees draw up minerals through their deep root system and when the leaves exfoliate, the fallen leaves begin to decompose and add a new layer of mineral-rich soil. The old trees that fall to the forest floor decompose providing the richest of soils. The cycle repeats itself year after year.
Paul Gautschi is an American gardener and Arborist, who popularized the method of 'Regenerative' organic gardening that practices a no-till and organic growing principles. The permaculture technique is simple -- cover the soil instead of plowing. Gautschi's story is amazing. He discovered using wood chips to cover the ground and it is very effective in retaining moisture while the wood chips on the surface act to absorb the sun's heat. Weeds do not have an opportunity to grow. I used Paul Gautschi's method for many years and the vegetables I grew never needed fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticides and weeds never rooted. The few that sprouted were easily removed by using my moving my foot. In fact, while I learned this gardening method, I discovered that insects avoided these healthy plants. The mineral rich soils produced very robust and disease resistant plants. It is similar as in the animal kingdom, to which predators look to attack the weak for prey. This is true for insects too. They never ate up my garden.
Growing food and plants with industrial techniques has devastated our soils. Paul Gautschi produced a documentary called "Back To Eden" that has received over 50 million views in every country in the world. The film ignited a world-renowned regenerative organic gardening movement that regenerates the soil and restores soil biodiversity which results in higher yields with less input, all while sequestering carbon. Gautschi's method has tens of millions of followers. People travel from around the world to visit his gardens. It appears you have some real work to do to convince them they are wrong about wood chips. For me, it worked extraordinarily well. This is coming from someone who grew up on garden-grown food. Well before there ever was a term calling it "organic", we ate organic foods. Back in the day, it was back breaking work and I still marvel at the prowess and skill my mom had in canning, freezing, pickling, and preparing for the winter months for a large family. And it all came from the garden. My folks never bought vegetables from the grocery store.
My plants do great in deep natural mulch tree trimmers.
I never worry or even think about pH. The microbiome that's developing under/in all that mulch handled its own business. I just add mulch and chop-and-drop "compost" plants right there where my plants grow.
I'm building towards perennial systems but plants tons of annuals in this method.
But wood chips are acidic! Kidding aside, the decomposition of the wood chips will provide all the nourishment and minerals to produce healthy and hardy produce. Before I used wood chips I bought Glacial dust to mix in with the soil. With the wood chips it wasn't needed. I produced more than my family could eat. The problem with northern gardens is that when the harvest comes in, you better be prepared to either it eat or preserve it. Too many times I ended up giving away veggies to the neighbors. That's fine for doing that once or twice, but as they say, there is no free lunch.
Depends on your soil composition and pH. My soil is very alkali. I use pine shavings (and pine needles) among other things when preparing a garden bed.
Bricks of pine shavings are about $5 bucks (for hamsters, rabbits, etc.) Tractor supply.
It has always been known that a freshly cut forest is the best soil for crops. Somehow your statement whether true or not doesn't appears to have none effect on the black silt loam of a broad leaf forest provides. The reason for this is because the trees draw up minerals through their deep root system and when the leaves exfoliate, the fallen leaves begin to decompose and add a new layer of mineral-rich soil. The old trees that fall to the forest floor decompose providing the richest of soils. The cycle repeats itself year after year.
Paul Gautschi is an American gardener and Arborist, who popularized the method of 'Regenerative' organic gardening that practices a no-till and organic growing principles. The permaculture technique is simple -- cover the soil instead of plowing. Gautschi's story is amazing. He discovered using wood chips to cover the ground and it is very effective in retaining moisture while the wood chips on the surface act to absorb the sun's heat. Weeds do not have an opportunity to grow. I used Paul Gautschi's method for many years and the vegetables I grew never needed fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticides and weeds never rooted. The few that sprouted were easily removed by using my moving my foot. In fact, while I learned this gardening method, I discovered that insects avoided these healthy plants. The mineral rich soils produced very robust and disease resistant plants. It is similar as in the animal kingdom, to which predators look to attack the weak for prey. This is true for insects too. They never ate up my garden.
Growing food and plants with industrial techniques has devastated our soils. Paul Gautschi produced a documentary called "Back To Eden" that has received over 50 million views in every country in the world. The film ignited a world-renowned regenerative organic gardening movement that regenerates the soil and restores soil biodiversity which results in higher yields with less input, all while sequestering carbon. Gautschi's method has tens of millions of followers. People travel from around the world to visit his gardens. It appears you have some real work to do to convince them they are wrong about wood chips. For me, it worked extraordinarily well. This is coming from someone who grew up on garden-grown food. Well before there ever was a term calling it "organic", we ate organic foods. Back in the day, it was back breaking work and I still marvel at the prowess and skill my mom had in canning, freezing, pickling, and preparing for the winter months for a large family. And it all came from the garden. My folks never bought vegetables from the grocery store.
It is indeed very good for evergreens and certain scrubs but for other plants not so much.
My plants do great in deep natural mulch tree trimmers.
I never worry or even think about pH. The microbiome that's developing under/in all that mulch handled its own business. I just add mulch and chop-and-drop "compost" plants right there where my plants grow.
I'm building towards perennial systems but plants tons of annuals in this method.
But wood chips are acidic! Kidding aside, the decomposition of the wood chips will provide all the nourishment and minerals to produce healthy and hardy produce. Before I used wood chips I bought Glacial dust to mix in with the soil. With the wood chips it wasn't needed. I produced more than my family could eat. The problem with northern gardens is that when the harvest comes in, you better be prepared to either it eat or preserve it. Too many times I ended up giving away veggies to the neighbors. That's fine for doing that once or twice, but as they say, there is no free lunch.
Depends on your soil composition and pH. My soil is very alkali. I use pine shavings (and pine needles) among other things when preparing a garden bed.
Bricks of pine shavings are about $5 bucks (for hamsters, rabbits, etc.) Tractor supply.