Mr. Rawles:
I thought I would pass on a valuable tip I learned thank goodness not the hard way. I have found that taking the bedding from the horse stalls, (manure and urine-soaked sawdust), composting it, and mixing into the garden has converted my hard pan top soil into a nice “loam” which tills and works so much easier (after working it with a tiller).
We are going on year number 4 for our garden and have noticed a substantial decline in productivity and did not follow through with soil testing when I first noticed the “problem”. I attributed it to everything but the culprit.
I have found that sawdust in quantity into soil renders it much less productive, and I am not sure of the longevity of the problem. I understand that the sawdust absorbs the nitrogen in the surrounding soil and does not release it back. I do not have hard facts, but was told by an experienced farmer that he lost the top 14” of topsoil due to sawdust/ bedding introduction on an entire farm!
I am happy to say that I have not had to live off of my yield so far, so this lesson could have saved my family’s life. Two other thoughts come to mind:
1). If composting bedding, straw, clippings, etc., you can introduce a bunch of unwanted weed seed into your garden if you did not in fact let the mixture sit long enough to “burn out” the weed seed. Rotate often.
2). If situation necessitates, cutting wood for the stove may become a more thought thorough venture. Knowing what I know now about sawdust, I personally am making quite sure that where I do most of my cutting is not a potential “expansion” area of the garden, post-SHTF. Grateful for Experience Now, – The Wanderer
Letter Re: Advice on Sawdust and Other Barn Waste as Fertilizers
