Using Raw Wool as Mulch
Don't Toss the Wool!
Hello Friends!
There are a few times in life where we have our personal world come together in a complete circle, and our brains are astounded. It might be the arrival of grandchildren, or a professional achievement.
In my case it was learning that the dirty grubby wool that was not going to the fiber mill, could serve a monumental purpose in other areas of the farm.
Waste wool, a term I no longer understand, has been as instrumental in our regenerative farming as the manure from the chickens and sheep and goats. The process is actually quite simple. While we had always tossed the unused wool into the compost piles, it was only a few years ago that I read about someone laying the wool in the garden as mulch. Yes my brain got very excited!
When you shear a sheep that has not been coated during the year, there is a considerable quantity of wool that is skirted off, removed from the pile of prime wool going on to the fiber mill. While some of this skirted wool can be used for other fiber projects, felting, hand spinning, or wool stuffing, much of it is compost quality.
The simple act of taking this wool, spreading it between the garden rows, wrapping each plant in a circle of wool, then covering with wood chips if desired, brought a new circle of life to our farm.
The sheep eat the grasses in the fields. Their manure, left behind, along with seeds from any hay we supplement with, builds better pastures. The health of the animal improves because they are eating better nutrition. The manure from the barn along with straw bedding and urine, composts into soil, soon returned to the gardens. Adding wool is the last touch, the frosting on the cupcake, bringing more carbon back to the garden soil. The wool slowly breaks down over the season. In addition, wool adds nitrogen, calcium, sulphur, magnesium, and iron, for the soil and plants.
The shearing comes at the perfect time for gardening use
. As we skirt the wool, I cart off the compost grade to the green house. From there, I grab some large tubs and add water. Taking the wool, submerge it into the water. Let it soak for a few hours.
Take handfuls of wool and begin applying it to the garden. I usually start with a circle around each plant, but on some areas, I just lay the wool down as a sheet between the rows. There really isn’t any wrong method.
If you need to move it in order to plant something else in succession, it simply pulls our of your way.
Wool mulch holds moisture in the soil, and after a rain, it acts similar to drip irrigation as the wet wool slowly releases the water. Covering the wool with another layer of wood chips or bark mulch once the plants are tall enough, helps keep the wool wet.
Believe me, this has greatly reduced our need to water the gardens every day when it doesn’t rain.
Beginning with Longway Homestead in Canada, wool pellets intended to be used as mulch have been entering the marketplace. I saw a few new businesses making compressed wool pellets for gardens while attending the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this month. The compressed pellets of wool are a great alternative using raw wool in the garden, and may be more aesthetically pleasing if you prefer a very manicured garden space. The cost of production is currently high, leading to a high price point for a pound of pellets. And while I fully support and cheer on this endeavor, raw wool is the answer for our large gardens.
Some shepherds in my area are talking about how to bring the technology to our fibershed, enabling us to share the costs, while using the machinery to create pellets of wool.
So what do you think? Are you planning to reach out to your local farmer to see if they have any “waste wool”. Maybe you have your own flock of wooly animals. Have you tried using the skirted off wool in your garden? I would love to hear your thoughts.
God has given us a planet full of gifts. As Genesis 2:15 reminds us “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Even the waste wool is a gift.
Read on for more farm news. Have a great weekend!
Janet
Photo of the Week. Sometimes you are just at the right place at the right time for a great photo.
From the Barnyard
Some weeks we graze and other weeks it seems like the rain just keeps coming. But all in all, the farm is thriving. It’s not like last year, and it won’t be the same as next, but each trip around the sun brings something to be grateful for.
Our first time raising broiler chickens continues without too much trouble. We have passed the halfway mark. A highlight of their time here: they now put themselves to bed in the coop. No more picking up each one to ensure that the racoon or fox didn’t get to our dinner before we do.
After a drier than normal April, with unbelievable heat at times, May is bringing the showers. The plants are responding to this more appropriate cool rainy spell with growth, and thankfully the greens have stopped bolting. Beets are being harvested from some beds, carrots are almost ready and the golden globe radish was delicious.
Sawdust Publishing
Did you know our family has a micro publishing company for agriculture and homestead authors? We are invested in helping our fellow farmers who are also authors. This year we are working on at least eight new books. Subjects include, goat care on homesteads, raising rabbits, herding dogs, natural bee keeping, beginner chicken care, and some absolutely beautiful children’s books.
Please keep an eye on our social media for Sawdust Publishing or our website www.sawdustpublishing.com Help us support agriculture and homestead authors!
My Speaking Opportunities in 2024
For someone who doesn’t really like to travel, my calendar sure looks full. Here’s where I will be speaking or working
Murray Fest - Iowa June 29- July 1
Women’s Homestead Society - Tennessee September 6-8
Homesteaders of America Main Conference - Virginia October 11-12
I won’t be speaking at the main conference this year, but you will find me vending for Sawdust Publishing and doing my job as Vendor Coordinator on the fields.
Homesteaders of America Women’s Retreat Conference- PolyfaceFarm November 8-9
If you keep your eyes (and brain) open, there are many things that can be used for mulch. I have gathered a type of seaweed from the shore of the bay a few blocks from my home. I had noticed that this large, flat lettucelike leaf will dry up crispy on top when stranded by the tide, but when lifted up was dripping wet underneath. The top, crispy layer holds the moisture in until it is refloated by the tide. Makes a great mulch, keeping the ground moisture in around the plants and eventually breaking down into excellent fertilizer. The bay water it is in is not salty, so that is not a problem. The garden does smell a bit like the ocean, but it is not an unpleasant scent at all.
I don’t have access to wool sadly as I think it would go well as a warming mulch for the ground in winter and alternatively cooling in summer. I’m curious though about it breaking down like other mulch. I’d imagine it would take a very long time, or do the worms eventually get it incorporated into the soil?