During the fall, we sometimes see bags of leaves in brightly-colored bags waiting to be picked
up as trash. Wait! Stop the garbage truck! Instead of crowding landfills, those piles of leaves
are fantastic gardening gold waiting to happen. There are several things that you can do to take
advantage of their natural goodness.
The first step to using your leaves is to shred them up. If using a shredder, try to use one
that is electric rather than gas-powered. Another easy way to shred is with your lawn mower's
mulch setting (even human-powered rotary mowers can mulch leaves–you'll just need several
passes). Avoid leaving whole leaves on your lawn and gardens to prevent rotting the grass or
plants beneath. Once you've got your leaf pile, decide whether you would like to use your leaves
un-decomposed as mulch, or decomposed as part of your compost pile.
If you choose mulch, you can use your leaves in your garden right away. This is a great way to
protect your winter root vegetables and extend their growing season–just give them a nice
heavy cover of shredded leaves.
If you choose decomposition, pick your preferred method of composting. The easiest process
is to put your leaves in a wire bin to make leaf mold, a fantastic fungus-rich compost that retains
enormous amount of water. This process takes two years, with the leaves needing to be turned
occasionally. This is a good method for gardeners that have large amount of leaves to compost and
the time to wait!
Leaves can also be used in your everyday compost bin. Use your shredded leaves as a carbon layer
(like straw, wood and bark) between your nitrogen layers (grass, fruit and veggie scraps and coffee
grounds). Turn the pile occasionally and make sure it is moist.
For more information on composting, we’ll send you two free booklets. Home Composting Made Easy,
which retails for $2.95, is a 31-page pamphlet that includes simple step-by-step instructions, illustrations
and answers to frequently asked questions on composting. The second helpful resource, Natural Gardening, is
a 63-page guide published by the State of Oregon that gives tips on reducing pest occurrence, creating
healthy soil and solutions to weeds and diseases.
Email info@ycsw.org and request your free booklets today!
< back
