I think a lot depends on why you want to use the chippings.
If you want to use them primarily as a soil improver then you should probably compost them as Hostafan does - layering them with manure and / or fresh grass clippings and leaving them covered for several months to break down.
I have used them as a thick chunky mulch primarily to prevent loss of moisture and as a weed suppressant. For that I just left them piled up on a tarpaulin for about 3 mths without adding anything else so they were still nice chunky pieces. After about 18mths they'd completely broken down into the soil.
The only reason I left them for 3 mths was because that's what the tree surgeon recommended - I don't know why. I'm fairly sure other people have used fresh chippings without any ill effect. I've certainly used fresh chippings on paths.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I'm with @Hostafan1 here, I also take loads of the stuff from tree surgeons. I compost it and also add directly to beds as mulch, I only spread it on in winter and by the spring it is really well broken down.
It definitely suppresses weeds if thick enough although I have noticed it seems to teem with spiders, one or two runs across my path every time I step on it but I have put it in a very uncultivated part of the garden. I've also added it to a weed ridden bank next to a young hedge (bare root planted last winter) so will observe how the hedge responds.
Definitely a waste to let the tree surgeons take it! It's great as mulch among established trees and shrubs and larger herbaceous plants, and as the "brown" element of compost. I probably wouldn't use it around small delicate plants.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I got several tonnes of fine chip free from a local furniture maker and I use it everywhere. It breaks down into lovely soil alive with worms. Good for mixing into compost bins too. I keep dry bins of it for future use.
Thanks for all the posts guys! Love this place! The corny jokes are an added bonus
I'm going to get them to put it in a builders sack I've got - what about the leaves though? 'The Sunday Gardener' (Carol) said if it would be better if there weren't a lot of green leaves in the mix. Do I need to punch holes in the bag as I do for leaf mould - I will only be using it for ground cover/weed supressant as have tons of leaf mould to use.
The builder's bag will be fine as it is - they're porous. I'd keep leaves separate unless you don't need any of it just now, and it's all going ot have a decent amount of time to break down.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
...but if the leaves are mixed in with the wood chippings, it would be an awfully time-consuming job to separate them out so not to worry! It'll all break down eventually.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you want to use them primarily as a soil improver then you should probably compost them as Hostafan does - layering them with manure and / or fresh grass clippings and leaving them covered for several months to break down.
I have used them as a thick chunky mulch primarily to prevent loss of moisture and as a weed suppressant. For that I just left them piled up on a tarpaulin for about 3 mths without adding anything else so they were still nice chunky pieces. After about 18mths they'd completely broken down into the soil.
The only reason I left them for 3 mths was because that's what the tree surgeon recommended - I don't know why. I'm fairly sure other people have used fresh chippings without any ill effect. I've certainly used fresh chippings on paths.
I'd keep leaves separate unless you don't need any of it just now, and it's all going ot have a decent amount of time to break down.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...