Landscaper's Delight

[jazz4cash]

One of my LBYM quirks is scavenging for unwanted landscape materials. It's amazing what folks will throw out. Last year I went through the yellow pages and found a couple of ads for tree trimmers that advertised "free wood chips" and got a beautiful load of seasoned mulch......approx 12 yards of it! This years haul is about 8-9 yds of chipped green maple. I have a very large area in the backyard which I am 'naturalizing' and I will likely use this green stuff to freshen the walkpath. It will take me several weeks to wheelbarrow this load to its final destination.

[brewer12345]

How did you get it to your place in the first place?

[Walt34]

From the photo it looks like a small dump truck load.

In the front yard here there's spot that was mulched and then the builder seeded. The grass there grows better than anywhere else (lots of shale rock here) so I was thinking of spreading a thin layer of mulch over the whole yard.

[ladelfina]

That's great, jazz... I wish there were "Freecycle" here.

Often such deals are advertised there. I know in RI there's a small Freecycle column in the paper, not sure if it is daily or weekly.

[jazz4cash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 How did you get it to your place in the first place?

That's the beauty of it! FREE DELIVERY!! The tree trimmers saved fuel and time by not having to haul it off somewhere. They are working down the street and they are as happy as I am.

Last year, there was some doubt as to whether I could actually get all that mulch out of the driveway. I told all the neighbors to help themselves, but only one took me up on the offer.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

way to go jazz. it always amazed me how much good material people throw out. aside from stuff with sharp needles on it, what falls in my garden stays in my garden. i've gone from living on a dead sand dune to enjoying a large plot with six to 12 inches of well drained organic topsoil and lots of happy earthworms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazz4cash That's the beauty of it! FREE DELIVERY!! The tree trimmers saved fuel and time by not having to haul it off somewhere.

doesn't just save fuel, but also dumping fees and valuable landfill space, especially if your town does not have a refuse to electric conversion facility.

though i haven't made use of it, our town has a tax-supported mulching program whereby you call them if you want them to mulch a tree you fell or you can have them bring you mulch from their other jobs.

[samclem]

In our county you can take in your brush and the county chips it. I'll load up the trialer and dump it (help on Saturdays from the county inmates--your tax dollars at work), then scoot 100 feet farter into the yard and shovel the free mulch onto the trailer. It's very efficient.

Regarding the free mulch from tree services: Sometimes the chips can have a lot of carpenter ants in them (from the dead/dying diseased trees). I don't know how much trouble they would cause if applied as mulch, but without any more knowledge I'd reject chips that had ants in them.

[jazz4cash]

Our county has free mulch day every year, but you really need a pickup truck to take advantage. I have also contacted the local utility company and sometimes they provide free chips from thier trimming operation which I thought it would be too much for me to handle, but if you had like-minded neighbors it could work. This time of year is ideal because you get mostly woody chips without a ton of leaves.

[jazz4cash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum . i've gone from living on a dead sand dune to enjoying a large plot with six to 12 inches of well drained organic topsoil and lots of happy earthworms.

yeah...I enjoyed reading your post a short while ago when you described in some detail how you totally transformed your yard.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum way to go jazz. it always amazed me how much good material people throw out. aside from stuff with sharp needles on it, what falls in my garden stays in my garden. i've gone from living on a dead sand dune to enjoying a large plot with six to 12 inches of well drained organic topsoil and lots of happy earthworms. doesn't just save fuel, but also dumping fees and valuable landfill space, especially if your town does not have a refuse to electric conversion facility. though i haven't made use of it, our town has a tax-supported mulching program whereby you call them if you want them to mulch a tree you fell or you can have them bring you mulch from their other jobs.

I remember visiting my parents back in the '90s; and I was able to show Mom where there were actually some worms managing in the mulch and the shade (Gulf coast). Is it sad or happy that several adults were made happy by the appearance of earth woms?

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan Is it sad or happy that several adults were made happy by the appearance of earth woms?

I'd say happy! Sure beats the heck out of watching most TV programs!!!