How I Dispose of Woody Garden Waste

I thought it might be of interest to someone to take a few pictures and show how I deal with all the woody vegetation the garden produces throughout the year.

The garden is slightly smaller than an acre and there is always a sizeable amount of garden waste to dispose of.  To minimise the number of trips my husband and I take to the tip (council waste recycling centre), we have developed the following regime.

Smaller branches, woody growth, and rose prunings are stacked up in a pile.

When the pile reaches waist height, there is a sufficient amount of woody matter to warrant getting out the shredder/garden chipper and turning it on.

It has a 2500W electric motor, a turbine-cut blade system and can take branches up to 45mm in diameter. We find that the blades don’t clog if the ratio between dry branches and lush foliage is kept the same.

The shredded matter is then put in a wire mesh sided compost bay - only shredded branches and foliage go on this pile. I have different compost bins in the garden for other types of garden waste.

I have two enclosures for shreddings, one which I add to gradually and a second where the shreddings are left to rot down.

After approximately six to nine months the shreddings have composted down to something like a cross between garden compost and forest bark.

I then use this composted material as mulch on borders and as path coverings in my fruit cage.

Now for the Pros – sorry I am biased because I love my shredder.

This is the fifth garden shredder we have owned and in my opinion it’s the best one to date.

We don’t have to sharpen the blades as with others machines which sometimes requires dismantling the top part of the machine in order to get them out.

The motor is strong enough to ‘pull’ material through the blades.

It has a reverse feature where the blades turn in the opposite direction - this is useful if the entrance to the blades becomes blocked.

It does not overheat when used for long periods of time - generally I need a cup of coffee after about 20 minutes so never keep it running for very long anyway.

It is sturdily built and can be easily pulled or pushed to where it’s needed.

And now for the serious stuff -

You do have to be sensible when using it .  When shredding don’t wear baggy clothing, wear eye goggles, ear defenders and thick gloves – I also wear steel capped boots.  Only feed branches in one or two at a time; and whatever you do do not try to unclog the blades when the motor is running. If the blades clog, turn it off at the wall and pull the plug out.

Some sales spiel

I think this type of shredder/garden chipper is suitable for our size of garden which is just under an acre as we have a fair amount of large shrubs including laurel, hawthorne and holly as well as a small copse of mature trees.  If you are thinking of purchasing a shredder, there are many online articles regarding types of garden shredder/chipper alternatively they can be hired at most equipment tool hire shops.

Incidentally, thicker, heavier branches are cut up, piled in a wood store and left to dry out ready for burning on the open fires in the winter.