Using More Chips to Prepare for More Blueberries

October 3, 2025

We got up early on Wednesday (October 1). I wanted to use the remaining pile of chips as mulch to prepare the ground for more blueberry plants.

Taking a digging shovel and a scooping shovel from the barn, I carried the scooping shovel to the pile of chips and stuck it upright into the pile. I dropped the digging shovel at the blueberry circle.

I returned to the house and collected most of the uncolored cardboard boxes. I dragged the big box full of smaller boxes while carrying two boxes that wouldn’t fit inside the big box to the blueberry circle.

I dug up the grass along the outside edge on the west side of the existing blueberry bushes’ mulch. Digging up the grass and other weeds along the edge makes it easier to lay down the cardboard.

I cut the cardboard boxes open, cut the cardboard to shape, and laid it down.

Meanwhile, Bruce towed the cart with the lawn mower from the barn. Using the scooping shovel, he filled a cart with chips. He towed it over to the blueberry bushes while I was placing cardboard down.

Bruce dumped the chips from the cart in a couple of places to make it easier to cover the cardboard. Using the shovel, I spread the chips out into a thick mulch.

Bruce towed the cart back to the chip pile to fill the cart up with more chips. I dug up more grass along the edge of the existing mulch. Bruce filled the second cart up before I finished getting the next round of cardboard down. He waited until I was done putting down the cardboard to dump the chips from the cart. I spread the chips into a thick layer over the cardboard.

I finished putting down all the cardboard I had brought. It wasn’t enough to finish out the west side. I went back to the house got the last of the uncolored cardboard. It was a big box.

I dug up grass on the east side of the ring. To use the big box, I cut it into three pieces. I put two of the pieces on the east side. The third piece finished out the west side.

Bruce brought over another cart of chips and dumped some on the cardboard on the west side. He dumped the remaining chips in the cart on the east side. I spread the chips out. Some of the cardboard on the east side was not covered. Bruce suggested that he move the remaining chips and make a pile on the edge of the cardboard. I agreed.

I finished digging up the grass along the east side edge. I want to be ready to put out cardboard when I get some more .

It felt great to use up the chip pile to prepare for more blueberry bushes.

And in other news, the pineapple grew noticeably from Tuesday.