"Hi Tracey." (Blog readers respond - all in unison.)
"I scope out potential hotbeds of leaf raking and bagging activity during the day."
"Uh-huh." (Again, in unison.)
"And, then, I plan return trips to these spots. Under the cover of dark. With a pick-up truck. It is all I think about during my days in the autumn. Amassing as many bags as possible. To shred for my compost bin. My heart races. My palms get sweaty. I may even . . . . duke it out with another gardener for these leaves."
(Audible gasp from around the world.)
"I see I have shared too much."
********
Decomposing leaves are the backbone of some of the best compost around. You can speed up this process by shredding them (either with a leaf mulcher or by running your lawnmower over a pile). Then, combine with some 'greens' - kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings. Mix all the goods in a compost bin (here are some of my cheap and easy compost bin ideas). Turn the pile, if and when you can.
By spring, you will have the Mac Daddy of compost. Dark. Rich. Smelling great. Red clay? Doesn't stand a chance.
5 comments:
Hey Tracey, We don't have a compost pile (gasp!), but definitely a lot of leaves. We'd be happy to share if you'd like them!
Compost is on my to-do list.
In the meantime, we have got the motherlode of chopped leaves/grass clippings sitting along our street waiting for either you or the township to come pick up.
The race is on.
And of course, while you are here, please stop in for some coffee.
That girl . . . I would love them. We've gotta catch up - anyhoo!
Steph - Let's see . . . I'm about five hours away. The race *is* on. :)
we have lots of poison ivy around our yard and cleared one thick area by first laying down layers of newspaper and then covering the newspaper with autumn leaves. in the spring we poured wood chip mulch over the nice clear area and hung a hammock! i want to do the same newspaper/leaf treatment to a couple more spots so that they will be clear for planting in the spring. autumn leaves rock!
Zoe - Great use of autumn leaves. Yes. They work wonders as a mulch to reclaim an area, too.
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