The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?

Thanks.

pgh said:

The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?

The branches can be chipped/shredded and used as a mulch or
composted. As for the main wood, I'd use it in a fireplace
or barbecue -- unless it's something grandly rot-resistant,
like locust, where you might consider making posts or
raised beds with it.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

What kind of tree? You could use the twig and branches for twig furniture.
The idea has been around for a long time, but apparently it's a hot new
decorating trend. Do a Google search and you'll see lots of examples.

I'm a bit puzzled by your statement that bright sunny days are at a
premium....I'm in south-central PA, and while it is admittedly a bit dreary
now (Ha!) in the summer we get our fair share of sunshine. This past
summer, during the drought, all there was were sunny days, an unending
string of them. I don't blame you, though, for taking down a tree to make
room for your garden.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"pgh" wrote in message
...
The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?

Thanks.

pgh wrote in message ...
The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?

Thanks.

The chipped branches certainly have a use, though you can get
woodchips by the truckload for free. They will be the perfect
mulch for most perennials: long lasting, with a good P and K
content, and slightly acid. Excellent for tomatoes, most berries,
and fruit trees.

The logs can be placed in the ground and injected with mushroom
spores. By injecting several species, you could get 6 or 7
flushes per year. Visit www.fungi.com and specify type of wood.
They need the proper wood, shade and water to thrive.

The ashes from the BBQ or woodstove are a major K fertilizer and can
be used for those veggies that like high K, such as tomatoes, or
slighltyl higher pH, like cabbage, beet, onion, or spinach. Wood ash
also improves
the flavor of lettuce.

I actually pickup cut trees trunks that I can fit into the back of my
station wagon and bring them home. I use them as end tables, coffee tables,
put planks on two to form benches, make homes for wildfile by stacking
branches, etc. When we had to have a dead tree cut down I had the people
cutting the tree leave the branches in 6-8' lengths. Some I used to border
garden areas, the large pieces I left where the fell and used as a bench...
actually the cat uses it as a bed. As the wood decays it feeds the soil and
enriches it. It saddens me to see all the sanitized grounds that no longer
have what nature intended as a cycle of life.


"pgh" wrote in message
...
The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?

Thanks.

It depends on what species of tree it is & whether it was healthy when cut
down. A contagious diseased or insect infested tree should probably be disposed
of according to instructions from your extension agent or environmental
protection agency. Remember how Dutch elm disease & chestnut blight got into
this country: just from a few boards.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

SugarChile wrote:

I'm a bit puzzled by your statement that bright sunny days are at a
premium....I'm in south-central PA, and while it is admittedly a bit dreary
now (Ha!) in the summer we get our fair share of sunshine. This past
summer, during the drought, all there was were sunny days, an unending
string of them.

Summer time is not a problem, although typical summer days are
hazy rather than sunny. But at least there is plenty of light. Come
autumn though, dark days become the norm. We've lived here 15
years, and the pattern is unmistakable. At least compared to other
places we've been before, Pittsburgh is dark and gloomy. Not
that we mind, but for gardening is not optimal. It's a common
experience when we decide to get away on a weekend to start
seeing the sun as soon as we've traveled 30 miles or so, in any
direction. My wife and I always joke about it ("as soon as we
leave Pittsburgh, the sun comes out..."). The house we are
buying won't be in Pittsburgh proper, but not too far (same
county).

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost

I had one large sugar maple cut down in my backyard which was a haven for
squirrels. I found that the sections that were cut had large, open holes in
them so I kept a bunch and put them around the yard as planters! They work
great too!

Buzzy

--
== Buzzy's Stall Wall ==
== www.buzzys.net ==
== "Have you tried freeware?" ==

I don't agree. You aren't importing or exporting the disease anywhere. If
it exists in the tree cut down then it already is present. In fact if you
have it hauled off what you are doing it is transporting it to another
location. The tree people are only going to chop up what is there in one
way or another and either sell or give away the chips.

"Iris Cohen" wrote in message
...
It depends on what species of tree it is & whether it was healthy when cut
down. A contagious diseased or insect infested tree should probably be
disposed
of according to instructions from your extension agent or environmental
protection agency. Remember how Dutch elm disease & chestnut blight got
into
this country: just from a few boards.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Ahh, Pittsburgh! That explains it. My husband grew up there, and the
family joke was that whenever they went back for a visit, it was always
raining. Thanks for the explanation.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

I'm a bit puzzled by your statement that bright sunny days are at a
premium....I'm in south-central PA, and while it is admittedly a bit
dreary
now (Ha!) in the summer we get our fair share of sunshine. This past
summer, during the drought, all there was were sunny days, an unending
string of them.

Summer time is not a problem, although typical summer days are
hazy rather than sunny. But at least there is plenty of light. Come
autumn though, dark days become the norm. We've lived here 15
years, and the pattern is unmistakable. At least compared to other
places we've been before, Pittsburgh is dark and gloomy. Not
that we mind, but for gardening is not optimal. It's a common
experience when we decide to get away on a weekend to start
seeing the sun as soon as we've traveled 30 miles or so, in any
direction. My wife and I always joke about it ("as soon as we
leave Pittsburgh, the sun comes out..."). The house we are
buying won't be in Pittsburgh proper, but not too far (same
county).

You could lay some of the wood on the ground and let it decompose. While
is slowly is digested and consumed bu bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes,
it will also become a insect restaurant. Then your predator and
beneficial insects come in and you have balance. You might plant some
native plants in the area and watch what nature sets out to do in just a
small portion of your yard.

pgh wrote:
=

The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.
=

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?
=

Thanks.

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - commercial
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html

I have taken pieces of downed wood from trees that I have planted, and
brought them to a wood turner, and had small bowls, vases, or other
objects made from them as keepsakes. I hate cutting down trees...! I
learned to carve wood as well, and now, when I am heavy duty pruning or
having to limp up trees, I will carve pieces into neat things I use in
the house! And ditto to everything the others have said as far as
chipping, burning and using ash, etc. Lyn

simy1 wrote:

pgh wrote in message ...


The lot in the backyard of the house we are buying
has two trees, one which we'll eliminate, and a
second one which we'll spare, except for a major
branch that portrudes into the area where we plan
to garden. Keep in mind this is SW PA, and bright
sunny days are not too common. I need all the help
I can get. Out go the trees.

Question is: should I keep the wood (of the trees)
around for future use in the garden? That is, does
it have any utility whether as fertilizer, compost
ingredient, or something else (at the very least I
can use it as fuel for my barbecues)?

Thanks.



The chipped branches certainly have a use, though you can get
woodchips by the truckload for free. They will be the perfect
mulch for most perennials: long lasting, with a good P and K
content, and slightly acid. Excellent for tomatoes, most berries,
and fruit trees.

The logs can be placed in the ground and injected with mushroom
spores. By injecting several species, you could get 6 or 7
flushes per year. Visit www.fungi.com and specify type of wood.
They need the proper wood, shade and water to thrive.

The ashes from the BBQ or woodstove are a major K fertilizer and can
be used for those veggies that like high K, such as tomatoes, or
slighltyl higher pH, like cabbage, beet, onion, or spinach. Wood ash
also improves
the flavor of lettuce.