Leaves

As I was driving home from Disney World the other day, I had a wonderful opportunity to spend time looking at the changing of the leaves along the way.

It can be a very beautiful sight, as the skies are filled with yellows, oranges, and reds. It surely is a bonus this time of year, with all of the colors to enjoy.

But, when all of the leaves have fallen down, and there is a lawn full of dead and dried leaves, what is a good gardener to do? Well, what you don’t want to do is to bag them and leave them by the street for the garbage collector!

This would be a waste of wonderful nutrients that can go straight back into your garden.

Indeed, there are a number of things you can do with these leaves.
To begin with, you can simply run a lawn mower over the leaves a time or two, and allow the mowed leaves to decompose slowly back into your yard, acting as a slow release fertilizer, of sorts.

These leaves can also be added to your veggie garden beds. This, too, is relatively simple. Either mow over them, and collect them in the mower’s bag, or rake them up into the garden beds.

From there, till them into the beds, and allow them to decompose over the winter months, and your veggies will be the better for them.

Or, if a tiller is not available to you, allow them to sit on the beds and slowly decompose over the cold months.
If your flower beds are in need of a quick punch of nutrients and mulch, spread the shredded leaves from your lawn mower over them.
Not only will they act as a mulch, protecting your plants over the winter months from freezing temperatures, as well as adding an aesthetic value to your garden beds, the shredded leaves, over time, will improve the soil, too.

I have found, after doing this for a number of years, that my soil in these areas is much richer, with plenty of worms in it.
Compost piles are a perfect place for all of those leaves. Plus, the effort is so very minimal, too.

If you lack time, or are simply worn out from all of the additional garden chores, and you don’t want to move another muscle, just place those leaves, shredded or whole, into the compost pile, and allow time and nature to do the hard work for you.

In six months, or so, you will have a great soil amendment for the spring time.

Lest we forget, large leave piles are first and foremost made for jumping in.

If you have any children in or around your house, this might just be your first duty! Enjoy!