It is a “balmy” 33 degrees out here in Maryland today. (Okay, I’m kidding—it’s freezing). But on the homestead, there is no such thing as an off-season, just a different kind of work season.
Today, that work is all about reclaiming the raised bed garden.
If you remember, last year we expanded our garden area significantly. Unfortunately, our native soil leaves a lot to be desired, so we split the difference: we went with raised beds on one half, and on the other half, we planted our grapes and blackberries directly in the ground.
The Battle of the Grass
To keep the weeds down, we tried the standard methods. We put tarps down around the raised beds to suppress the grass, and on the grape side, we laid down a thick layer of cardboard covered in grass clippings throughout the summer.
Well, nature had other plans.
Our grass is super aggressive. It found every single gap in the cardboard and every seam in the tarps. It grew right through, over, and around our mulch, and it didn’t take long for the pristine garden expansion to turn into an overgrown mess. The grass won Round 1.
Enter: The Wood Chip Strategy
This year, we are adopting a new strategy, and we are using what is quickly becoming our favorite service: ChipDrop.
If you haven’t heard of it, ChipDrop is an amazing service where you sign up to receive wood chips from local tree companies. When arborists are in your area and have a full truckload of chips they need to get rid of, they drop them off at your place. The best part? It is completely free.
We just got our first drop, and let me tell you—it is huge. A massive mountain of mulch right next to the garden.
The Winter Reset
While everything is dormant, I decided to take advantage of the cold weather to get ahead of the spring growth. I grabbed the trimmer and cut all the dead grass back as close to the ground as possible.
My new process is simple but heavy duty:
- Trim: Knock down the existing overgrowth.
- Barrier: Lay down a fresh, thick layer of cardboard.
- Cover: Shovel the chips on top, about 3-4 inches deep.
I’ve spent about three hours out there so far and I’m about halfway done. It’s hard work, but the logic is sound: by doing this now, while the grass is sleeping, the heavy layer of chips will smother out the weeds before they can even wake up in the spring.
Looking Ahead
The goal is to make the garden easier to manage and, frankly, look a lot nicer. Walking on wood chips is much better than tripping over tufts of grass.
I still have several areas to fill in, and I’m already eyeing the ChipDrop website to request a second load. The pile is shrinking fast, but the garden is looking better by the hour.
Do you use wood chips in your garden? Let me know your favorite mulching methods in the comments!
RJ Homestead 
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