Last updated on January 9th, 2012
I used to curse the ancient maple trees on my property. Why? Because they shed a gazillion leaves in October. Clean up meant hiring someone to not only rake the leaves into piles, but to cart them away as well. Little did I know that I was throwing away the greatest natural resource on earth.
Today, after doing considerable research on the merits of composting, and after buying a fabulous gadget called The Flowtron Ultimate Leaf Shredder, my leaves and I have a co-dependant relationship. I take care of the annual raking bill, and in return they provide me with a free source of mulch, and endless quantities of potting formula.
And this is precisely why my thoughts have turned to autumn leaves…in April. I mulched the rose garden with shredded leaves this afternoon, and tomorrow I shall pasteurize a batch of leaf mold, in anticipation of some African violets that need repotting.
Leaves, leaves, beautiful leaves…I hope that you save your own fallen treasures, and use them for all of your gardening tasks, both indoors and out.
Marion says
Don’t you love those garden lessons? I surely do. Thanks for the reminder of how much we learn from the simplest gifts of the garden. Happy April!
Regina says
Throughout the year I gather LOTS bags of leaves as I drive around town in my pick up truck and I empty the bags in my chicken yard. They love to scratch though all the leaves. But I guess I am losing the opportunity to use them as mulch or soil improver in my garden though by giving them to the chickens.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Regina – Nice to meet you. Actually, collecting and then giving those leaves to your chickens is a great idea.
But I wonder — do you then rake up the chicken yard, and compost everything? Because the combo of leaves and chicken fertilizer would create something uber-rich for your garden!
Linda Conti says
I love shredding my leaves with my mower. I’ve been known to rake leaves out of my woods onto the lawn, mow over them, then empty the mower bag onto the lawn again, and re-mow to make finer mulch. I’m sure my neighbors, if watching me, think I’ve lost my mind. 🙂