Leaves are a valuable gift from our trees. I know... a lot of people, especially non-gardeners, probably wouldn't agree with that statement. But its true.... they are a gift. Leaves are nutrient-rich. Trees put down roots deep into the soil and absorb nutrients and minerals that aren't available at the surface. The roots send these nutrients and minerals through the tree to the leaves, where they are stored. When the tree drops its leaves, it is dropping this free fertilizer at our feet. All gardeners should take advantage of this gift.
You can rake the leaves and just pile them up and with time they will decompose and make compost. They can be used as mulch, but whole leaves can pack down and not allow water to penetrate to the soil. Alas, there is a better way! Shredded leaves aren't as likely to pack down and they will also decompose faster.
Leaves can be shredded in a few different ways. The most common is to run over them with a lawn mower, and a bagging mower means.... no raking! Another method is with a leaf blower that converts to a leaf vacuum. With these the shredded leaves are blown into a shoulder bag.... again.....no raking! Then there is the least favorite method..... raking! Rake the leaves and put them into some kind of container. This could be a cylinder made of chicken wire or a large garbage can. Then use a weed eater to shred the leaves in the container. (Be sure to use eye protection with this method). After the leaves are shredded they make a great mulch or can be used in a compost pile.
When composting leaves alone, it can take quite a while to get compost from them. We need to mix the leaves with a nitrogen source if we want to speed up the process. Kitchen scraps aren't really all that rich in nitrogen. They are too old to have a high level of nitrogen. But, one source from the kitchen is an excellent source of nitrogen....coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and also high in phosphorus and potassium. Coffee shops are always willing to give away used grounds.... so here is another source for free fertilizer. If you're like me (a tight wad), free is always good! So build a pile 4 feet across and 4 feet high and mix in 10 - 15 pounds of coffee grounds....the pile will heat up, then you can use it as a hand warmer when you are doing your winter chores in the garden. Its probably better to feed your kitchen scraps to your worm bin if you have one. This produces the only thing better than compost for feeding a garden....worm castings. But that is another story for another post.
If you don't want to use the leaves, shred them with your mower and leave them on your lawn. They will decompose and help build fertility for your lawn. Whatever you do, don't bag them up and put them at the curb. I know we have all seen the bags by the road, waiting to be picked up and hauled to the landfill. Mike McGrath, who was the editor for Organic Gardening Magazine at one time, called these bags--SPGs-- Stupid People Bags. These people are throwing away free fertilizer! Why not use this fertilizer on their property?!.If you don't have many leaves in your yard, you can collect these bags and have all the leaves you need. If you can't shred them, use them anyway. I don't shred all my leaves. Some I use as mulch in my ornamental beds. The soil under them is black and crumbly and full of earthworms. With the help of the worms, I don't have to fertilize and almost never water these beds.
So, I hope this post has made you look at your leaves through different eyes. Don't forget....Leaves are a gift. Use your leaves!
Soooo......Until next time......HAPPY GARDENING!
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