As we continue to try to build up the fertility of the soil at Quail Run Farm, we are trying to find creative ways to find mulch.  Utah is not know for it trees, and that is even more true in the valley that Quail Run Farm is located in.  The one thing we have plenty of is sage brush.  And we try to use that as much as possible and not let it go to waste.

As we clear our land and bring in new uses for it, we end up cleaning up areas that are covered in sage brush.  We do plan on leaving some of the areas on the farm as native plants, and leave the sage brush.  But some areas we have to remove it.

 

As we do so, we find ourselves making large piles of sage brush.  Sage brush has a bad reputation, and is removed as soon as people move into an area.

 

One of the many heavy lifters we have on the farm is this chipper/shredder.   I purchased this one because I felt it was the best for the amount of money that I had.  I would of liked to of purchased a larger one, but the funding was not there.

Sage brush can be turned into some pretty nice mulch, if you are willing to get dirty and dusty in the process.  Sage Brush tends to collect dirt and dust as it grows, making it hard on cutting tools, but this chipper/shredder makes pretty quick work of it.

 

This pictures shows some of the mulch that was made from the pile of sage brush in the first post.  We are constantly finding ways to turn discarded green waste into mulch to help us retain water, and increase the fertility of the soil.