Kitchen Garden Forum

I started prepping my raised beds today and found that the previous owner has put a lot of wood mulch into them. It’s not all nice on the top, get a rake and pull it out, it’s actually throughout the soil.
Does anyone know if that will be a problem? I seem to have a niggling thought that it will cause an imbalance in the soil pH. I really don’t want to have to pick through the soil to get it out but if I have to then I can feel a G&T with some good rock music day in my future.
I’m hoping I can get away with putting some manure and soil on top of it and it’ll just rot away in its own time.

If it isn't mainly wood mulch I wouldn't think it would do any harm, just stir it in and top up with good stuff. Perhaps put a decent dose of lime on any bed you use for brassicas.

Woodland soil is some of the best, but as you said, the ph might be a little low…..

Perhaps put 1inch of mushroom compost on top and plant straight away?

I regretted putting wood chips on my front flowers; they don't rot down quickly & make it difficult to weed. It was several years ago & the chips still look the same. I did ask as a bit unsure of what wood chips we get delivered as I had heard if pine they change the PH. You may be able to find this old post if you search wood chips or the like.

Anyway I was reassured that they do not overtly change the PH, shame about the rest of their flaws though!

Yes, that’s the other thing Westi, all the flower beds are covered in wood chips too

Not ideal for sure, that's a lot of wood chip! Maybe rake off as much as possible from the top & then top the beds up with a few inches of compost, so you can at least weed without cussing the stuff? Some councils will supply compost at a really competitive rate & even deliver it on your bin days, so no lugging it from the car & as they have such huge hot heaps being turned is pretty weed free.

It all seems monumental work at the moment, but the colder weather is coming so limited growing to do & working on the beds will warm you up. Just do one at a time & by spring it will all be done - ready for the weeds to start growing!

https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mu ... g-as-mulch

I would expand this a little, part of the rotting process can take nutrients like nitrogen out of the soil, so in the short term is not to be treated as compost, but as a weed covering, moisture retaining mulch. So as the above says, ok with established plants/shrubs, but you will struggle planting new stuff through it. For a wood mulch to become compost like woodland soil, which is predominantly leaf mould not wood chips, it could take up to a decade depending on the wood size and species of tree. Wood chip mulch is not suitable for growing vegetables/ flowers that are not perennials that are already established, you could ask me how I know this.......................................lesson learnt, I use it round fruit tree/bushes, round roses and large herbaceous plants.

Thank you tigerburnie, I think I will try and rake as much as possible out and pop it in a corner of the garden for later use.

I’m growing tomatoes in it mixed with chicken muck I’ve about 100 mm or 4 inches depending on what or how you work it out , it’s spread over the top of last years chicken muck and straw that’s rotting down nicely I must say I’ve not had a lot of weeds to pull out