Piles of Gold
All it takes is one good rainstorm, with lots of gusty wind.
This combination of wind and rain knocks autumn leaves from
deciduous trees.
Piles of Gold
All it takes is one good rainstorm, with lots of gusty wind. This combination of wind and rain knocks autumn leaves from deciduous trees.
True, some people see a pile of work drifting from the trees. But, I see a pile of potential gold for my garden.
Mixed with other garden clippings, leaves are the heart of compost. Raked onto garden beds, they are the leaf mold of tomorrow. Leaves dug into garden beds recycle nature’s bounty.
So, why do people pile leaves to be carted off to the landfill and then turn around and buy expensive compost at the garden center? Whether you have one deciduous tree or a mini-forest, here is how to put your leaves to work:
The 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 such as weeds, small prunings, and grass clippings. Left to decompose in a corner of the yard, this pile will break down to usable compost in six months to a year. All you have to do is shovel out the composted material from the bottom of the pile every so often and spread it around plants. What could be easier? But wait a minute. Why make it easy when you can make it complicated? To speed up your simple pile, add air. Insert vents into the pile using perforated PVC pipe. Or, set the pile atop a shipping pallet. The goal is to allow air to circulate from the ground up, bringing oxygen to the pile. Your compost will be ready to use in six to eight weeks.
· Sheet composting. If you only have a few leaves plus a bit of grass clippings, you can do sheet composting. Put a 2- to 3-inch layer of leaves directly on the soil in planting beds. Add a layer of grass clippings and leave the whole thing alone. They will break down over winter into crumbly compost.
· Big deal composting. There are other ways to turn leaves into compost. A compost bin, either home made or purchased, requires turning. But they can turn leaves into compost in less than six weeks.
Some insider tricks: Chop the leaves into smaller pieces. The best way to do this is to shred the leaves. Or, run the lawn mower over the leaves to cut them into tiny pieces. If you have a mulcher mower with a bagger, run over the leaves and then empty the bag into the compost pile.
If you don’t have enough leaves of your own, ask your neighbors if it’s OK to rake up some of their leaves. The neighbors will be thrilled to hand over their rakes. No grass clippings to add to the pile? Watch your neighborhood for a lawn care person and ask to share the lawn clippings. The person may think you are odd, but will happily hand over the clippings.
If you want to know more about composting, contact Ken Kelly, head of the Master Composting Project for Santa Clara County. Workshops for composting wannabee’s are available by calling (408) 918-4640. The website is www.ReduceWaste.org.
A Reader Wants to Know: I’m from the Midwest, and frankly I don’t understand the California gardening season, what to do and when to do it. When do I prune, when do I plant, and what should I avoid? – Gennie
Joan Says: Calilfornia gardening is easier than in the cold Midwest, where snow puts an end to the growing season.
In general terms: Plant bareroot fruit trees, grape vines, rose bushes and other bareroot plants from January through mid-February. Prune roses and fruit trees during that same time. Plant the spring-summer garden with warm-season vegetables and flowers from March through May for best results. You can still get results when planted in June and July, but that time is past the peak planting time. Harvest in August.
Plant the fall garden in September and October. Fall is also the prime time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, wildflowers, lawn, trees and shrubs in containers, vines and groundcovers. November and December are the tidy-up-the-garden months. In those two months you can plant some winter annuals, sow wildflower seeds, and plant the last of the spring-flowering bulbs. Growth in the dead of winter will be slow, but there will be some action.
Everything will grow in our climate. Our seasons are rarely too hot or too cold.
Also, invest in a good gardening book. I suggest “Sunset Western Garden Guide” and “Bruce and Sharon Asakawa’s California Garden Guide.”
