Oak Shavings in the Garden?

[Rob Cunningham]

I recently planted the vegetable garden. I have 2 barrels of red oak planer/jointer shavings from a project I'm working on. Is this OK to use for mulching the plants? I know walnut is not good to use, just wondered if oak would have any bad effects on the plants. Thanks for any help.

[David Christopher]

I'm not a expert but I have oak,pine and cedar around my roses and they look just fine

[Chuck Saunders]

Oak will do fine. Walnut is one that you would want to avoid. Osage Orange and Locust should be avoided as well, they would probably set root and then you've had it.

[Randy Cohen]

Mulch like that works fine but it will rob nitrogen from what you have planted so be sure to add extra.

[Butch Edwards]

Mulch like that works fine but it will rob nitrogen from what you have planted so be sure to add extra.

this is true....;)

[Mitchell Andrus]

Mulch like that works fine but it will rob nitrogen from what you have planted so be sure to add extra.

This can be (mostly) fixed by composting the sawdust first.
.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Best mulch for veggies - BEST as in the absolute best - is that ugly black plastic material. Bugs will fry trying to cross it and underneath, the soil will experience zero competition from other roots as the only things alive will be your plants. This desert in the ground will discourage burrowing grubs

And the best part: It's maintenance free.


As an aside an old Greenskeeper taught me to visit the barber shops and beauty parlors for clippings to till into the soil.
The reason is that the hair almost never decomposes and will keep the soil springy and aerated for a very, very, long time.

[David Keller NC]

"Is this OK to use for mulching the plants?"

Absolutely. I've been gardening and woodworking for 30 years, and that's typically where my chips/dust from the DC goes in the growing season. You will not have nitrogen problems with this so long as it's used as a surface mulch. If you use it as a soil amendment, just add fertilizer at the time you dig it into the soil.

Be aware that oak is somewhat acidic, and the acid is leachable (during a rainstorm). If you're growing tomatos, they'll love it. If you're growing spinach and most other leafy greens, add a little lime to the planting.

[Lee Mitchell]

Cliff, black plastic does work, but it has some downsides, at least in my area. During the middle of summer, it'll fry the beneficial life that's under it, such as earthworms. Using black plastic is the method to kill disease causing microrganisms (sp) in the soil, such as wilt. It's like putting the soil in an oven to sterilize it.

Again, this is for my area. Your situation may be much different.

Personally, I like newspapers for weed control. Easy way to do it, is to open them and lay in a wheelbarrow. Take out all the slick ads. Spray, lightly, with the hose as you stack them to dampen. Lay around the plants in a layer 3-4 sheets thick. Then cover with mulch of choice to keep them from drying out and blowing around.

The papers will decompose and improve the soil. They help retain moisture and keep the plant roots cooler, when extreme temps hit. Today's ink is soy based, so that's no longer the problem that it used to be.

BTW, don't forget that along with wood shavings, wood ashes are also good for the garden. Just lightly scatter them about and work into the soil. Ashes return to the soil the minerals extracted by the trees.

Just 2-cents, this morn.
Lee

[Jim Becker]

Rob, you really need to compost those shavings before you use them as mulch. As they are, they will pull a huge amount of nitrogen out of the soil and negatively affect your plants. I will use raw shavings on garden path-ways, but not in the planting areas. My barrel gets emptied on our large compost pile most of the time, unless I've been working with walnut...and that goes in the woods.

[Dennis Peacock]

Good info right here in this thread. :D
I've killed our entire garden one year with all the wood shavings and sawdust I tilled into the "garden" before planting. Lesson learned. Once the wood turns gray in color, it can be put into the soil, but it does work very well on top of the soil around trees and shrubs. ;)