I used to have a city owned lot nearby that had fresh compost for anyone to take. It was mostly ground up christmas trees just piled up. One year I thought there was a fire as it was so HOT it was smoking! Black gold for the garden!! It is not there annymore, so I found another city lot to get free compost & it was all fresh shredded with big chunks - nowhere near composting. I have bags of it & I know it will take a long time to break down.
My question is: I have 6 , 5 gal bags of pure maple fine saw dust from last fall & I think there's gotta be a way of making this into good compost! Some one knowledgable about gardening, last fall, told me to throw it all out, but if it is such fine saw dust, wouldn't it make great compost? Break down faster?
Wondering if I should mix it with chips & add nitrogen to help break it all down? It just seems too good to throw out! I could also add grass clippings, coffee grounds etc.
Would you use this saw dust? Thanks for any suggestions & help.
Here is something I copied from a FAQ about composting. Second from last mentions sawdust! ( And DRYER LINT!?)

Basic Recipe (Just a guideline. Mulchers are encouraged to be creative): 50% leaves 50% fresh garden debris (put any seed heads in compost bin)

Supercharged: Add one wheelbarrow of young or unfinished compost per 100 sqare feet of area.

Supercharged plus: Add one bucket of leaf mold per 100 sq. ft of area.

Nitrogen Boost: Add fresh grass clippings, carrot pulp, espresso grounds, wine pressings, seaweed, spent grain, composted manure.

Mineral Boost: Add fresh seaweed, eelgrass, glacial till, granite dust.

Calcium Boost: Add egg shells, ground oyster shell.


Carbon Boost: More leaves, rotted sawdust, rotted straw, dryer lint, rotted burlap

Energy Boost: Add "green" materials (low C:N) such as kitchen waste over the winter to increase worm density.

I would use the sawdust for my blueberries, no further processing required! They should be acidifying.

I would not hesitate to put sawdust in my compost pile, but adding nitrogen in the form of grass clippings or a manure would speed up the process. I would not add too much directly to plants as it can compete for N until it has begun to break down.

Thanks guys. I heard that wood chips eat up nitrogen in the soil unless it is broken down. I will use the sawdust mixed with chips & add greens. I don't know why this person who is a great gardener, told me to throw out the sawdust. I will also throw some around my raspberries.