The landfill is no place for leaves
I can’t figure out why people pile autumn leaves by the curbside
to be carted off to the landfill. It’s such a pitiful waste. While
some see a pile of work drifting from their trees, I see a pile of
potential gold for our gardens.
The landfill is no place for leaves
I can’t figure out why people pile autumn leaves by the curbside to be carted off to the landfill. It’s such a pitiful waste. While some see a pile of work drifting from their trees, I see a pile of potential gold for our gardens.
Mixed with other garden clippings, these autumn leaves are the heart of compost. Raked onto garden beds, they are the leaf mold of the forest. Earth worms consider leaves a welcoming home, where they can burrow beneath the warmth, eat their fill, and leave their rich castings behind to further renew the soil. Leaves dug into garden beds recycle nature’s bounty.
Whether you have one deciduous tree or a mini forest, here is how to put those leaves to work:
The simple pile. Collect the leaves, rake them into a pile, and let them break down slowly. This is a simple pile that includes other garden debris like weeds, prunings and grass clippings. When left to decompose in a corner of the yard, these materials break down slowly over six months to a year. Then, all you do is dig out the composted material from the bottom of the pile every so often and spread it around plants. What could be easier?
More than simple. Why make it easy when you can make it more complicated? To speed up the simple pile, add air. Insert vents into the pile using perforated PVC pipe, or set the pile atop a shipping pallet so air can circulate from the ground up. With air added, you can get finished compost in six to eight weeks.
Sheet composting. If you have only one or two trees and therefore few leaves, try sheet composting. Put a 2- to 3-inch layer of chopped leaves directly on the soil in planting beds. Add a layer of grass clippings if they are available. Leave them alone. They will break down over winter into crumbly compost.
If you are running your lawn mower over the fallen leaves as you cut your lawn, you are already halfway there to sheet composting. Use your mulcher mower with a bagging attachment. Empty the lawn bag – clippings and chopped leaves – wherever you have bare soil. It really works.
Big-deal composting. There are other ways to turn leaves into compost. Compost bins either homemade or purchased require turning, but they can turn garden debris into usable compost within four to six weeks. Some are faster than others; but all involve your participation in turning and tending the debris.
I read this leaf chopping trick in “”Composting” by Smith and Hawken (Workman, $10.95) and it really works. I put the leaves in a large trash can (about half full) and use a string trimmer like a blender.
So, go grab the rake and put those leaves to work.
A Reader Wants to Know: My daughter wants to grow a sweet potato for her school science fair. Can you give us a hint how to do this? Cori, San Juan Bautista.
Joan Says: It’s easier than you can imagine. Look at sweet potatoes, or Jewel yams, at the supermarket or Farmers Market. You can usually find a couple that have “eyes” or little indents at one end. With luck you may even find one that is showing growth. Find a jar big enough to hold the potato in place with the “eye” or growth end sticking up, and the other end submerged in water.
Within a week or so, that “eyes” will start putting up a green growth and at the same time roots will grow from the bottom in the water. A clear jar lets you watch the roots developing as the top grows bigger. Start your potato plant one month to six weeks before the science fair and your daughter should have a really nice plant to display.
Tip of the Week: For frost protection, cover tender citrus, avocados, fuchsias, hibiscus, pepper plants, tender lettuce, and all tropical and subtropic outdoor plants.
