Some of you will find this hard to believe, but I love the
leaves. Not because I enjoy raking them off the lawn and out of my beds,
because I don’t, But, there is nothing like a giant pile of ground leaves as free
and natural mulch. In my mind, it’s as
good as gold – black gold that is – which is a common term for compost. It puts nutrients into the soil, looks good,
lasts the full season, and doesn’t harbor nasty fungus the way wood mulch
can.
leaves. Not because I enjoy raking them off the lawn and out of my beds,
because I don’t, But, there is nothing like a giant pile of ground leaves as free
and natural mulch. In my mind, it’s as
good as gold – black gold that is – which is a common term for compost. It puts nutrients into the soil, looks good,
lasts the full season, and doesn’t harbor nasty fungus the way wood mulch
can.
My parents taught me the value of ground leaves and
encouraged me to purchase a chipper shredder years ago. I bought a Mighty Mac and absolutely love
it! In fact, it’s one of my favorite
garden tools. It’s right up there with
my Hori Hori knife (which will likely be the topic of another blog entry).
encouraged me to purchase a chipper shredder years ago. I bought a Mighty Mac and absolutely love
it! In fact, it’s one of my favorite
garden tools. It’s right up there with
my Hori Hori knife (which will likely be the topic of another blog entry).
 |
| My “Mighty Mac” Chipper/Shredder secure in the shed for the winter |
I got a little behind on my garden clean up this year with
an extremely busy schedule. With the
help of my reliable assistant Tom, we finished collecting the leaves and had
them ready for shredding on December 7.
Unfortunately that was the day we had our first snow in the Philadelphia
area. I’ve never shredded leaves in the
snow before; it was an interesting experience!
If I hadn’t been so focused on getting the job done fast, I would have
taken a picture for you of my chipper and me covered in a blanket of snow.
an extremely busy schedule. With the
help of my reliable assistant Tom, we finished collecting the leaves and had
them ready for shredding on December 7.
Unfortunately that was the day we had our first snow in the Philadelphia
area. I’ve never shredded leaves in the
snow before; it was an interesting experience!
If I hadn’t been so focused on getting the job done fast, I would have
taken a picture for you of my chipper and me covered in a blanket of snow.
I am happy to report that Tom, Mighty Mac and I got the job
done and I now have a huge pile of leaves covered with a tarp and ready for
spreading on the beds. Can’t you tell the picture below is of a pile of leaves covered with tarps? Right. Well, as said, we got the leaves ground just in time……
done and I now have a huge pile of leaves covered with a tarp and ready for
spreading on the beds. Can’t you tell the picture below is of a pile of leaves covered with tarps? Right. Well, as said, we got the leaves ground just in time……
 |
| Crushed leaves under tarps – can’t you tell? |
I can finally relax
knowing that the garden will sleep comfortably this winter and will awake in
the spring to a lovely and nutrient-rich coat of leaf mulch!
knowing that the garden will sleep comfortably this winter and will awake in
the spring to a lovely and nutrient-rich coat of leaf mulch!
Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful holiday season and
enjoy the beauty of the season. I will
post pictures of “winter wonder” in my next blog. See you back here soon!
enjoy the beauty of the season. I will
post pictures of “winter wonder” in my next blog. See you back here soon!
Add a Comment