I used big wood chips to cover an area about fifteen years back. Over time,
I have been rewarded with a wonderful layer of very loose material which
retains water and which acid loving plants seem to love. I agree with the
majority--leave it or till it in. Eugenia, zone 6, two towns west of Boston
"Frogleg" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 28 Feb 2003 14:50:30 GMT, "city usa"
wrote:

I want to remove the bark chips from my gardens and replace them with
compost. I usually get it by the trailer full and wonder if anyone has
found and easy way to spread it. I used a five gallon pail last year and
seemed to take for ever. I know there is a commercial blower, but it
cannot
be rented and the cost to have it applied is quite high.

I always thought compost was a soil amendment, to be dug in; and mulch
(plastic, bark, wood-chip, gravel) a substance to be spread around
plants to surpress weeds, conserve moisture, and even out extreme
temperature variations. Compost's value as a fertilizer is usually
minimal, but it *does* do wonders for less-than-perfect soils. I
imagine top-dressing with compost would provide a little benefit for
for desired plants, and an excellent starting medium for weed seeds.