| 1. Watch your neighbors bagging
their fall leaves. (Be a good neighbor: avoid looking too relaxed while they
work.) 2. Offer to take the bags of leaves from your
hard-working neighbors before they drag the bags to the curb. (If you can, get a
few bags of grass clippings to mix with the leaves or, better yet, grab mixed
bags from neighbors who cut the grass and shred leaves with their lawn mowers.)
If you're too shy or proud to ask for bags of leaves and grass, snitch them
after dark. No one will report you if you get caught.
3. Bring the bags home, poke some holes in the sides
(near the top and bottom) to let in oxygen and some water in and carbon dioxide
and excess water out. Moisten the leaves thoroughly.
4. Scoop up a shovel or two of garden soil and pour the
soil into the bags.
5. Mix by shaking or rolling the bag. Mix again
occasionally every few weeks and moisten the leaves when they dry out.
6. In 2 to 3 months, pour out the dark, crumbly stuff
inside. Technically speaking, this is "leaf mold." But for
simplicity's sake, call it "compost" and use it as a mulch, soil
amendment and fertilizer in your garden. About a half-inch to an inch layer on
top of the soil will feed your plants, prevent plant diseases, suppress weeds
and conserve water.
Fast and Easy
If ignoring bags of leaves for a few months is just too simple or slow for you,
you can try a little harder and get faster results. Shred the leaves first, then
pile them up alone or mixed with grass clippings and kitchen scraps. Keep the
mix moist.
You don't even need a shredder to turn whole leaves into
smaller pieces that will decompose faster. Just run them over with your lawn
mower. Or put the leaves into a plastic garbage can and then use a string
trimmer (aka weed wacker) like an egg beater to chop them up. Wear goggles and a
dust mask when you do this to protect yourself from flying dust and debris.
An even easier and less messy idea is to vacuum up those leaves into a bag attached to a
leaf/blower or a lawn vac. The vacuum will shred the leaves for you - a space
saving blessing, and reduce the volume of leaves by a factor of 10! Yes - you
can fit 10 bags of whole leaves into ONE bag after shredding. The vacuum is a
less dusty method too.
Article compliments of www.organicgardening.com
Bay Country Rentals has Lawn/Leaf Vacs!
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