Below is a repost from an original article by Steve Bullman of Woodchips For Allotments.
Steve was looking for some images for his article so I sent him some and suggested he may find more on my blog. The result was he must have read a lot because the first image goes back to 2013 and my first year of plot ownership. The second picture is early this year when working on the new plot which neighbours my original plot.
Directory of Tip Sites for Wood Chip and Timber
The Arbtalk tip site directory. currently has 2632 sites* accepting free wood chip and timber from tree surgery companies throughout the United Kingdom. Please read thoroughly through the terms and conditions associated with the use of this feature ensuring you understand what is expected of you as a tip site owner, and supplier. Members using this facility should pay particular attention to and respect any specific requests of the individual tip sites listed herein.
Just a quick look through the tip site directory will show you how popular it is with keen gardeners looking for wood chips for allotments. In fact, this group probably makes up for about 50% of all the listings in the directory.
Wood chips are suitable for a variety of uses around your allotments, including weed suppressants around the beds, creating wood chip pathways, or even leaving to break down until such time as they become suitable to use as a soil conditioner.
Suppressing Weeds in Allotments
Due to how wood chips decompose and suck in nitrogen during the process, this makes them ideal for suppressing weeds and grasses, which struggle due to the lack of nutrients they require. It will always pay to weed an area first if possible prior to putting down the wood chips, as some more resilient weeds may still survive if they are suitably established already.
Wood Chips for Allotment Pathways
Wood chips can make an ideal surface for pathways in allotments, especially when they are available for free! Be aware though, on wet sites they will need renewing every couple of years. Hopefully, if you have signed up to the directory you will have them in plentiful supply anyway!
Wood chips can make an ideal surface for pathways in allotments, especially when they are available for free! Be aware though, on wet sites they will need renewing every couple of years. Hopefully, if you have signed up to the directory you will have them in plentiful supply anyway!
Wood Chips As A Soil Improver/Conditioner
When acquiring wood chips for allotments it’s likely they will be freshly chipped unless of course you are buying them in already composted(at a cost obviously). If you have the space on your site to store them, once broken down they can be used as a soil conditioner by adding humus, the organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant material by soil micro-organisms.
If you are looking for free wood chips for use on your allotment you can create a listing for free and get generous quantities delivered by a tree surgeon working in your area. Simply click on the ‘add new tip site’ button over at the Arbtalk wood chip tip site directory.
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