Congrats!! I do this every year. It makes gardening alot cheaper.

I bought a chipper/shredder and toss the biggish chunks in that and I get a really nice shredded mulch.

Right now is the time to do that here in the north because there are no leaves on the trees. Later in the year, with leaves mixed in, its better to compost it beacuse it could easily start to cook (and fry the plants).

tj

I've been getting dump truck loads of this shredded material going on the second year now. When the pile first arrives, it begins to compost and gets hot real fast. I either use the fresh stuff for new beds that will not be planted for awhile, or I let the stuff sit for 6 months or so to age. Until it ages, this stuff can cause some nutrient deficiencies (nitrogen) if used as a mulch. Best to let it age.

i am planning to buy me a chipper for that very reason - i have five acres, about 1/2 of it is wooded - i have enough limbs to come down, plus my pruning, to make LOTS of chipped wood for mulch and composting.....

gotta call the tree company soon too

What tree companies do you call?
Do you just look up numbers is the phone book?
Even if the companies were not in my area, if they were giving it away, I would be willing to go pick it up!!

We caught the tree trimmers 3 times last year. I cannot BELIEVE how much mulch we moved. The first load was the size of 4 minivans. My poor husband had no idea what had happened when he came home and found that where he usually parked. A lot of it was very chunky, but it was great for piling up thickly directly on grassy areas to create new beds. Definitely watch for nitrogen problems. We didn't do much planting in the new beds last year because of this, but this year they look incredible!