When to fill the shed?

[firefighterjake]

Different folks and different strokes . . . all I can say is how I do it . . . and that it works for me.

I am impatient and this year moved my stacks into the woodshed in mid-to late-Summer . . . then again I also will not burn this wood until 2011-2012 and since the shed is well ventilated and dry I can only surmise that the wood will continue to dry out as it sits underneath the shed . . . even if it doesn't have a white roof.

If I only had enough space for this year's wood I guess I would have to take into consideration various factors -- the weather conditions (do you tend to get a lot of rain this time of year or unexpected snow storms), how well seasoned is your wood (if it's seasoned now I would move it now) and of course what's going on with your own life . . . do you have the time to do so now or are there other more pressing things that need to be done.

 

[formula_pilot]

My "shed" is an area in the back of my garage. Although it only holds about 1/2 cord, it is just a few steps from the family room and the loading door of the stove, so it works real well for me. An old timer once said to wait until the first good freeze before bringing the wood in from the piles, to kill off any bugs that may be hiding in the wood. That makes sense to me, so thats what I do. In shoulder season I will just carry in enough from the stacks for that night's load. If I had a real woodshed as a seperate building, I would probably be starting to fill it soon (on cool days).

 

[Nate Finch]

Seems like "it depends" is the most widely applicable answer here. Depends on how dry your wood is before you move it. Depends on how well ventilated your shed is. Depends on if you want to move it in before the snow. Depends on how much it bothers you to restack wood.

My plan (and what most people around here seem to do) is to simply stack it once wherever is convenient, cover the top with tarp or metal roofing, and come back in 1-2 years (presuming you're stacking green wood). Every few days bring inside a few days worth of wood from the stack that has seasoned the longest. Let the snow melt / exterior moisture evaporate for a day or so before burning.

There's two reasons I'm doing it this way -
1.) I don't have a shed
2.) I'm lazy and don't want to stack wood the first time, let alone a second time

That being said, I'm a super newbie, and I may regret this plan after this winter. We'll see how it goes. I must say, I am jealous of the gorgeous woodsheds many people here have, and with no shortage of land to put one on, I'm sure I'll be tempted into building one at some point.