Woodturning develops a problem that is easily solved, what to do with all those wood shavings? While some would say that the easiest answer is a snow shovel filling garbage bags for local pickup, another hobby, gardening, is a better solution. In fact it is better for both community and environment.

As a group, woodturners like to work with freshly felled wood, so fresh that sap is thrown like a shower of water as it is turned. This tends to divert wood that would be destined for the landfill, however it would be a shame if a lot of that wood made it to the landfill as shavings. Green boxes are easily overwhelmed by the amount of shavings that even an occasional turner can produce.

One of the great solutions is for a woodturner or their spouse to become a gardener. The natural tendency for wood that is fallen to the ground in the middle of the woods, is for it to rot and gradually feed the plants around it. Shavings rot faster than logs because they have a greater surface area on which fungi and bacteria can do their work and because they are less thick so wood and moisture get to all parts of them quickly. This means that they are ideal for the compost pile. The addition of some higher nitrogen material like weeds and grass clippings will get things off to a great start.

Well made compost gives great garden soil and can replace all sorts of soil amendments and fertilizers. Considering the increased use of chemical fertilizers, the woodturner supplying the compost pile can save a lot of energy that would have gone into chemical manufacture.

Many gardeners use mulches to prevent weeds and to cover garden paths. A few bowls worth of turnings can provide a lot of mulch which will break down over time to enrich the soil. For effective weed suppression at least three inches of mulch are needed and up to six is better, especially in the paths where they will be trodden down and broken up by foot traffic. At three inches deep a cubic yard of shavings will mulch about one hundred square feet of garden space. Remember not to use walnut or butternut shavings around the garden. They will harm garden plants but once through the compost pile they will be fine.

With the use of shavings from the wood lathe in the garden, the natural cycle of life is encouraged, gardens look better, and two hobbies contribute to one another and to the general health of the environment. Woodturners and gardeners go hand in hand to develop and maintain beauty in the world while going green.