They Couldn’t Afford Compost… So Woodchips Saved This Garden — Key Takeaways
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They Couldn’t Afford Compost… So Woodchips Saved This Garden
Self Sufficient Me1h 7mJul 23, 2026
Watch the originalWood chip mulch alone (no compost) reduced weeding by 70% and watering by 80% at a 760m² community garden producing 3+ tons of food annually for charity.
Key takeaways
Wood chip mulch alone cut watering 80% and weeding 70% across 63 garden beds
Wood chip mulch alone cut watering 80% and weeding 70% across 63 garden beds
- Danny switched from 25 cubic meters of compost deliveries to pure wood chip after funding collapsed — yields remained strong.
- 760 sqm of garden beds produced over 3 tons of food in 14 months, all donated to Urban Angels.
Plant into wood chip without mixing it into soil — nitrogen drawdown only happens when incorporated
Plant into wood chip without mixing it into soil — nitrogen drawdown only happens when incorporated
- Ducks uprooted beetroot seedlings left lying on top of wood chip; they rooted in and thrived with zero fertilizer — proving surface-only application is safe.
- Danny's rule: wood chip stays on top 6–8 inches deep, never dug in. Fertilizer is mixed into the soil beneath before chip is replaced.
The entire operation runs on donated inputs: seedlings, fertilizer, irrigation, and the hothouse itself
The entire operation runs on donated inputs: seedlings, fertilizer, irrigation, and the hothouse itself
- Rumbilara Nursery donates all seedlings (200-cell trays); Kekch supplies blood-and-bone at 50% off with Lindsay Rural covering the other 50%.
- The hothouse cost $10–12k — Civil Scapes supplied three qualified builders for free; irrigation infrastructure was funded by a single $21,000 private donation.
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In this video
- 1mIntroduction on Farm & Woodchips
- 5mGrowing in Woodchips Garden Tour
- 9mGrowing Chillies in Winter!
- 9mGrowing Broccoli in Woodchips
- 12mGrowing Ginger in Woodchips
- 13mGrowing Potatoes in Woodchips
- 14mGrowing Carrots in Woodchips
- 16mGrowing Cabbage in Woodchips
- 17mGrowing Pak Choy in Woodchips
- 19mUsing Hens to Clean Up Garden Bed
- 20mGrowing Onions in Woodchips
- 21mGrowing Big Broccoli in Woodchips
- 24mGrowing Edible Flowers in Woodchips
- 28mHothouse Tomatoes in Woodchips
- 37mGrowing Tomatillos in Woodchips
- 43mChickens and Woodchips
- 46mPlanting Beetroot in Woodchips Demo
- 1h 2mWatering the Garden
- 1h 5mFinal Thoughts on Woodchips
“Since I've started using wood chip, it's reduced my weeding by about 70% and my watering about 80%.”
— Danny
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