Bagging or burning your autumn leaves is
so last season!
At least that's what I'm hearing in my neighborhood. There's a definite shift in perception regarding chemical fixes for lawns. The buzzwords around here are "compost tea," "soil food web," and "organic." I'm not sure how it happened. Many of these gardeners have been using chemical fertilizers and pesticides for years, but are now standard-bearers for simpler, cheaper, and safer alternatives to lawn care and gardening.
While I'm happy about the simpler, cheaper, and safer aspects, I'm also delighted that it's less work.
See, I don't mind raking leaves on a crisp, sunny day. But then I have to get rid of them. I can't stand the smoke from burning leaves (and in fact am perplexed why it is still popular and legal in many towns). Bagging is time-consuming, and then I get to pay the trash collector more to haul those extra bags to the landfill.
So I can really get behind the idea that my leaves are actually
valuable, a kind of black gold waiting to happen. Not to be thrown away lightly. And they can be used in many ways:
- Mulch. Add 3-4 inches around the base of tender perennials, and 12 inches around the base of shrubs and over bulb beds.
- Composting now. Add leaves to your composting bin to provide the "brown" carbon component to balance out the green stuff you've thrown in.
- Composting later. Can't use all your leaves now? Save them in garbage bags to keep them dry -- you can use them next spring and summer when you start feeding the compost pile again.
- Lawn care. Mow over the leaves a few times to break them up, and let them add to the overall health of your lawn.
- Camouflage. Leave them on the lawn to hide the fact that 1) you didn't mow all summer, and 2) it's mostly clover and dandelions anyway.
- Satisfaction. Finding out that past lazy behaviors are actually acceptable gives a deep satisfaction that should last until spring.
If you're still not convinced and just want to get rid of those leaves easily, here's a thought: Forward this post to your gardener friends. Then surprise them tomorrow with a lovely bag of freshly-raked leaves. It should get you on the list for a plate of holiday cookies come December.
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I love a thick winter mulch of leaves. I judge the method’s success by the number of worms I find under the leaf mulch in the spring. I find the mulch method works better with perennials than veggies, since in my milder climate, slugs can hide out among the leaves and create havoc in the spring. Last year I dumped several wheelbarrows full of leaves them in my chicken coop and was surprised at all the bugs my hens found in those leaves. Maybe this year I’ll let the hens break them down, then apply them as a slug and pest-free mulch!
I, on the other hand, have had plenty of slimy, wet, slippery, yukky leaves, Josh, and will be doing the usual—trying to get rid of them in whatever way possible! So come on over, they’re all yours and the chickens!