The fresh sawdust will take in some nitrogen. It will compost faster
in 4 foot piles than spread over the ground. What you could do is
catch grass clippings and mix it with the sawdust--it will heat up in
a few hours then you can use it in a month. If you want to prepare
your garden quickly, order a load of compost or use bags of cow
manure. A cover crop is a good idea--use what works best for your
region.

On 27 Mar 2003 04:20:33 -0800, (Joe Jamies) wrote:

Hi,

About 10 cubic metres of fresh fir sawdust was just delivered to my
garden site. The soil is basically clay and very hard to work with. I
would like to use this sawdust to improve the soil structure.

Should I compost the sawdust in a pile (or several piles), or can I
spread the sawdust over my soil so it can compost "in place" (due to
the large amount of sawdust)? As a nitrogen source, I am thinking of
using urea. How long before this soil is ready for planting
vegetables?

My vegetable garden will take up half the site, so I would like to
prepare that soil ASAP. I would like to use the other half of the site
for trying other ways of improving soil, eg. cover crops, etc. Can I
start some cover crops now in the area I will not be using for my
vegetable patch? Any suggestions on what a good combination of cover
crops would be?

Thanks
Joe