Is that all that is in it - pine and fir trees? Nothing else mixed in to encourage decomp? If so it is mulch, not compost and is going to still be very hot, still cooking and very high in nitrogen - to the point that it can burn plants. I'd wait to use it.

Assuming they chipped the whole tree, much of it will be wood chips which are slow to decompose under even the best circumstances and if mixed into the soil can bind up the nitrogen in the soil needed by the plants. Chipped tree mulch is often stockpiled for 6 months before using it around plants.

As is often mentioned over on the Compost forum here, cooking compost isn't finished compost, isn't ready to use. ;)

It will cook down faster in a pile somewhere and then you can add it later, early summer as a mulch. That way by next year it will be a great addition to the soil. It will also cook down faster if you can mix in some carbons to balance out the mix - shredded fall leaves, straw (not hay), shredded cardboard, etc.

Dave

I agree with Dave. It's a nice top dressing as is, but you should let it break down before using it as compost. It has value as top dressing, certainly, and getting it free is just wonderful. Either spread it about under shrubs or among the perennials now, or let it sit for at least six months though I would go longer than that as it has a lot of hardwood which can take a while to break down if it isn't finely chipped.

Thanx for the advice.

I don't plan on using it as compost just yet. My plan is to use it as a top dressing, more of a mulch than a compost. It will compost in its own time.

This is pretty much what I do every years. In the Spring, I till whatever managed to survive the winter into the soil. I cover with mulch, usually cedar. All summer I add my grass clippings to the pile. The next spring, I start over, tilling whatever was added last year into the soil and covering with "fresh" mulch and adding grass clippings as the summer goes on. The hope is that the store bought mulch makes up my "browns" while the grass clippings become the "greens", nicely layered. The mulch takes longer to break down, of course, but it is added first so it's the oldest and sits on the bottom.

This year, the Christmas tree stuff will replace much of the store bought mulch that I've been using every year. It too will be covered in grass clippings as the summer goes on plus whatever else gets added. I may not till this year as money is tight and feel the $30 tiller rental fee could be better spent.

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure there were no issues with Christmas tree mulch that I weren't aware of. I would hate to find out too late that juniper pine sap makes tomatoes taste like Pine Sol or anything stupid like that.

Again, thanx for the help.