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Chop and Drop - PEP BB gardening.sand.chopndrop

BB gardening - sand badge
 
Fiona Quick
Posts: 36
4
posted 9 months ago
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Approved submission

Mike Haasl wrote:This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Gardening.

Chop and Drop is a technique where you cut unwanted plants and use the cuttings as a smothering mulch on other unwanted plants - while simultaneously mulching around desired plants.

Usually, 3 square feet of area would be chopped to fully smother-mulch 1 square foot.

Here is one related post on the subject Build abundance with chop and drop

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
  - Chop materials and mulch 50 square feet of desirable plants.
  - Chopped area likely needs to be 150 square feet

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
  - Photo of the area prior to mulching
  - Photo after mulching

Clarifications:
  - You may chop material from another area if needed

8A20D37E-3BF8-481A-B4FE-B3AADEFECA68.jpeg
Here’s the first tree before mulching
Here’s the first tree before mulching
D6A4D1B6-C4F2-4523-ACF4-D59CA47888F7.jpeg
Second tree before mulching
Second tree before mulching
A6340B07-6043-45AF-80EA-A45DC96BBB07.jpeg
First tree after mulching
First tree after mulching
AE7A654C-79E8-4519-8D68-66D70B39CA60.jpeg
Second tree after mulching, I did 2 tree to make up 50 sq ft
Second tree after mulching, I did 2 tree to make up 50 sq ft
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.
Note: congratulations!  and technical difficulties approving the BB were gone when doing it on a computer instead of phone

 
Katherine Quick
Posts: 40
10
posted 9 months ago
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I chopped and dropped around 2 fruit trees, 5’x5’ each.  I added chopped grass from a pathway that had to be cleared and old dried mustard/radish seed stalks from around the orchard.
IMG_3519.jpeg
Before
Before
IMG_3520.jpeg
Before
Before
IMG_3526.jpeg
After
After
IMG_3525.jpeg
After
After
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Note: congratulations.

 
Laura Quick
Posts: 77
14
posted 9 months ago
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Approved submission

Mike Haasl wrote:This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Gardening.

Chop and Drop is a technique where you cut unwanted plants and use the cuttings as a smothering mulch on other unwanted plants - while simultaneously mulching around desired plants.

Usually, 3 square feet of area would be chopped to fully smother-mulch 1 square foot.

Here is one related post on the subject Build abundance with chop and drop

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
  - Chop materials and mulch 50 square feet of desirable plants.
  - Chopped area likely needs to be 150 square feet

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
  - Photo of the area prior to mulching
  - Photo after mulching

Clarifications:
  - You may chop material from another area if needed

IMG_3531.jpeg
9ft by 6ft area where I am going to chop and drop around a lilac bush and a sunflower.
9ft by 6ft area where I am going to chop and drop around a lilac bush and a sunflower.
IMG_3535.jpeg
After
After
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.
Note: congratulations. for the future, concentrate the mulch into a smaller area to make it thicker, it looks like more than 50 square feet covered. thank you.

 
Clay McGowen
pollinator
Posts: 298
Location: Boise, ID
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posted 8 months ago
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'tis the season! Mulching my fruit trees with in-place and ghost-acre plant matter.
The benefit of using something like a sickle over something like a weedwhacker is evident in Figure 3: preserving self-sown apricot seedlings
if people love or hate this template format I tried, feedback would be much appreciated
chopndrop1.png
[Thumbnail for chopndrop1.png]
chopndrop2.png
[Thumbnail for chopndrop2.png]
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Finn Torrey
Posts: 16
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posted 7 months ago
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I cut down a large area covered entirely in a blanket of small jewelweed plants, which are lovely to have around but certainly tends to be rather agressive.

20240523_161849.jpg
An ocean of emerald beauty
An ocean of emerald beauty
20240523_162603.jpg
After cutting
After cutting
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Someone approved this submission.

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Someone flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note: Please show the pix of the desirable plants that were mulched.

 
Alexandra Malecki
gardener
Posts: 416
Location: 6a; BSk; Suburbia; 0.35 acres
177
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posted 7 months ago
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Approved submission

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - Chop materials and mulch 50 square feet of desirable plants.
 - Chopped area likely needs to be 150 square feet

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
 - Photo of the area prior to mulching
 - Photo after mulching



I mulched around an apple tree, cherry tree, and plum tree using mullein, comfrey, winter rye, burdock, alfafa, and clover.
Attachment-1-before-mulching-apple-cherry-plum.png
[Thumbnail for Attachment-1-before-mulching-apple-cherry-plum.png]
Attachment-2-after-mulching-apple-cherry-plum.png
[Thumbnail for Attachment-2-after-mulching-apple-cherry-plum.png]

I'm pursuing SKIP to inherit property, check it out for yourself: SKIP book
I love that Rocket Mass Heaters are Carbon-Nuetral. In Erica's and Ernies Art of Fire Presentation, Erica explains the chemistry of how that's possible!

Staff note (gir bot) :

Malek Beitinjan approved this submission.

 
Kyle Knight
pollinator
Posts: 258
Location: Pacific Northwest
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posted 7 months ago
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I weeded the area above mulberry tree and gave the trimmings to the little guy yo help him grow.  The area I cut was  about 16x11 ft.
20240609_192929.jpg
before
before
20240609_195037.jpg
here ya go buddy
here ya go buddy
20240609_195409.jpg
after
after

Buy plans for the first WOFATI Greenhouse here!

Staff note (gir bot) :

Paul Fookes approved this submission.
Note: I certify this BB complete.  Well done

 
Briana Great
pollinator
Posts: 113
Location: Western Washington
41
2
posted 6 months ago
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"To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - Chop materials and mulch 50 square feet of desirable plants."

I built a Hugel/Berm that is 7' tall, 6' long, 7 feet wide as part of SKIP 2024.  Mine is the end section of a 36' long huegel.
Slant Height is 7.8 feet (thanks, Pythagoras!) So 7.8×[(6+4)/2]=  39, plus the side which is [5'×7']/2= 17, so its over 50'.

" - Chopped area likely needs to be 150 square feet"

I Chopped more than 100 sq ft if grasses and wildflowers around the hugel, then moved to another area to harvest comfrey, Clover, end-of-season onion stalks and tansy.

"To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
 - Photo of the area prior to mulching
 - Photo after mulching

Clarifications:
 - You may chop material from another area if needed"
20240717_104231-2.jpg
This is my 6'1" son showing the height of the huegelkulture bed that needs to be mulched.
This is my 6'1" son showing the height of the huegelkulture bed that needs to be mulched.
20240719_101444-2.jpg
This shows the mulched bed - I highlighted the parts that are mine.
This shows the mulched bed - I highlighted the parts that are mine.
20240719_101451-2.jpg
The "side shot" of the bed mulched.
The "side shot" of the bed mulched.
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Someone approved this submission.
Note: good work!

 
Chris Clinton
Posts: 39
Location: Atlanta, Ga
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posted 2 months ago
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I wanted to clean up this area on the north side of my in-progress pole barn, it's at least 10'x20' so more like 200 square feet. Trees in place are a mulberry I grafted to Illinois Everbearing, an asian pear grafted on to weedy callery pear rootstock, and a clump of 4 or 5 Japanese raisin trees (Hovenia dulcis). I'll be adding more J. raisin trees to that clump to make sure there is enough of them to suppress individual growth and keep them smallish and less spindly. Went at it with my trusty secateurs and an old slasher I ordered some years back from ebay.uk. Great tool! Lots of brambles, smilax, poison ivy, dayflower, and wintercreeper on the ground and in the chainlink fencing. What fun! I removed a few unwanted oak saplings with a puller as well. And piled up some old rotten elm logs (from the standing dead trunk in the back) to move to a hugel build site. That was a good amount of material already but I wanted to spread a thicker layer so I also scythed down some old grass and kudzu from the edge of my main field. After letting all the material dry for a week or two I spread the kudzu/hay over the area and It feels good and thick. I'm sure a lot of blackberry and smilax will push through next year but this will make further management much easier.
IMG_3677.jpg
before
before
IMG_3680.jpg
before from roof
before from roof
IMG_3674.jpg
scything before
scything before
IMG_3675.jpg
scything after
scything after
20241104_103106.jpg
stacking "hay"
stacking "hay"
IMG_3764.jpg
chopped area after time has passed
chopped area after time has passed
IMG_3775.jpg
after "hay" added, plus tools
after "hay" added, plus tools
IMG_3776.jpg
after "hay" added from roof
after "hay" added from roof
Staff note (gir bot) :

Alexandra Malecki approved this submission.
Note: Well done! That's a lot of 'hay' procured!

 
James Bradford
pioneer
Posts: 65
Location: Salado, Texas
13
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posted 1 month ago
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Here's my chop n drop day.   I have a hedge row of privet ligustrum which is a life saver of west shade thru the hot summer.  Now I need more sunlight for the greenhouse and more space for my food producing perennials.   I'll be working my way down the whole hedge row, but this is the 50 sq. ft.   Also, I'm showing a trick I do to reduce the material down to a more useful form of mulch.  

I make sure to stop cutting and save time to break the material down .. whatever i can break easily with my hands or using a small hand pruner.   The idea is to reduce a large branch down to a straight stick plus a bunch of brush that my lawnmower can easily chew up.   The sticks go on the hugel pile and the mulch handy for all sorts of things in the garden.   The key is to do all that work while the wood is still green and fresh cut.   If you let the material you cut dry out, it will get stiff and difficult to cut.    Work it green, and there is no need to buy a wood chipper or put material from pruning days out on the curb.
DSC02427.JPG
Area beside greenhouse before
Area beside greenhouse before
DSC02468.JPG
After I cut the first 3 hedges
After I cut the first 3 hedges
DSC02469.JPG
the mulched shot of this 1st little area
the mulched shot of this 1st little area
DSC02477.JPG
the B4 shot on a larger area
the B4 shot on a larger area
DSC02479.JPG
directly after cutting
directly after cutting
DSC02481.JPG
stripping small branches by hand
stripping small branches by hand
DSC02482-(copy).JPG
reducing branches this far saves sooo much space
reducing branches this far saves sooo much space
DSC02483.JPG
one of the piles ... ready for the mower
one of the piles ... ready for the mower
DSC02485.JPG
wear safety glasses for this ... lots of pieces shoot out
wear safety glasses for this ... lots of pieces shoot out
DSC02486-(copy).JPG
the bagger comes in handy if you wanna save the mulch for later
the bagger comes in handy if you wanna save the mulch for later
DSC02489.JPG
peach tree, been here for a year, so its rooted in and can take more sun now
peach tree, been here for a year, so its rooted in and can take more sun now
DSC02490.JPG
flame acanthus ... another plant that will benefit from the dropped mulch
flame acanthus ... another plant that will benefit from the dropped mulch
DSC02491.JPG
a cultivated blackberry vine, been here for a year, another mulch benifactor
a cultivated blackberry vine, been here for a year, another mulch benifactor
DSC02493.JPG
showing the volume reduction the mower does ... that pile filled 3 mower bags
showing the volume reduction the mower does ... that pile filled 3 mower bags
DSC02495.JPG
for this area, i just broke the small branches with my hands and skipped the mower
for this area, i just broke the small branches with my hands and skipped the mower
DSC02496.JPG
the bigger sticks get tossed up on the hugel ... gotta make that 7 feet
the bigger sticks get tossed up on the hugel ... gotta make that 7 feet

row row row your boat, gently down the stream
merrily merrily merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

Staff note (gir bot) :

Rebekah Harmon approved this submission.
Note: great work, James!

 
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