Get smart with wood chippings

Ask ANNE SWITHINBANK Masterclass on: using wood chippings

- ANNE SWITHINBANK

Q A tree surgeon friend has given us a huge pile of wood and bark chippings to use in the garden. What can I do with them and how thick should they be spread?

Gemma Winkley, Kidlington, Oxfordshire 

A Wood chippings are a great resource for the garden and best used as a mulch. Make sure the areas are free of perennial weeds. Should you need to move any plants or add new ones, get this done beforehand. Ideally, apply the chippings before March while the soil is still moist and before the seeds of annual weeds begin to germinate. I spread the mulch 2-3in (5-8cm) thick where planting is dense, but up to 4in (10cm) for larger expanses of soil.