Cathy Isom gives us some unique ways to make use of our old firewood. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Now that winter is gone – spring is here and summer is on the horizon, many may wondering what to do with all of that unused firewood. Instead of just letting the old logs sit and rot on the side of the house and hope that some may be salvageable for next winter’s burns, why not take some of these unique considerations for putting them to use now.
One example: Hugelkultur. This is a cool method for building raised garden beds. The basic idea is to bury old chunks of wood and/or stumps so that they will slowly break down beneath the soil. The slow decomposition of wood is perfectly suited for making a long-lasting source of nutrients for the plants atop them.
Old logs also make great borders around garden beds and other landscaping.
They can also be used to creative pathways – which is an excellent alternative to gravel or concrete. These paths work great off patios, in yards or through forests.
Old and rotten firewood can offer a good habitat for some of our wildlife. Such as frogs, insects, birds, solitary bees, and various other creatures.
Old firewood can also be chipped, grinned or smashed up to make a long-lasting organic mulch for the garden.
If the wood isn’t completely rotten, it still might be useable for the patio fire pit during outdoor gatherings, summer cookout and also camping.
I’m Cathy Isom…