Mulching cabbage bed

[zazen999]

I mulch with sawdust when I can get any - and have had no problems whatsoever. The nitrogen issue comes to the fold when you dig it in. Mulching, it breaks down in it's own good time and doesn't seem to cause any issues with nitrogen depletion. IMHO.

[snohare]

I can see how that might be the case sometimes Zazen, particularly if they are kept from contact with the soil with a layer of cardboard or newspapers, but my experience in the past certainly was not that. I received a lorryload of steaming hot wood chippings, and found that they did a wonderful job of suppressing weeds on paths the first year, and an equally good job of encouraging them the following year...Meantime, the areas that ended up with chips spilt on the soil suffered poorer growth.
On reflection, it probably depends on the type of chippings. Conifers contain a lot of terpenes and phenols, which are likely to be a real growth deterrent (think turpentine and J*yes Fluid), while the likes of willow or rowan will rot quickly and probably encourage mycorrhizal growth.