swallowtailtigress,

My recommendation would be one of the MacKissic hammermill style shredder/chippers. I have an older model (12PT9), which I have been using for many years, and it has been amazingly versatile. I have most of the optional screens, from 1/4-inch up to the wet materials screen, and I find it is amazing how many different materials I can put through it and how many different product textures I can get. It comes with a 1-inch diameter hole screen, but do consider getting one or more of the optional screens. (Scroll down there for the 12P/PT/PTE table.) And the optional pull handle is handy, too. I drag my MacKissic Shredder/Chipper around sort of like a big kids wagon, to first one work site and then another.

I am currently in the process of putting a compost pile through the 1/4-inch screen prior to applying it to the garden as a soil amendment. You can put almost anything through a hammermill, including "dirt".

ZM
(not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)