Recycle Your Leaves

Use them, don't loose them for richer garden soil.

November/December 2005
Cheryl Long 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share
Fall leaves are rich in minerals and organic matter, and if you throw them away every year you will gradually make your soil less fertile. Here are four ways to recycle this valuable resource on your yard and in your garden:

RELATED CONTENT



  1. Rake up the leaves but instead of throwing them away, stockpile them next to your compost pile so you can mix them with grass clippings next summer. This grass/leaf mix makes excellent compost.
  2. If you don't already have a compost pile, you can toss the leaves into a simple circle of wire fencing. Or if you prefer, bag the leaves, punch a few hole in the tops of the bags, water well, and leave them to decompose. Either way, next year you'll have a rich, crumbly leaf mold that is an excellent organic soil amendment.
  3. Shred the leaves by mowing, or put them into a garbage can and chop them up with a string trimmer. Use this mulch in your garden to enrich the soil and protect overwintering crops such as garlic.
  4. Mow the lawn to chop up the leaves and most of them will fall back into the grass and decompose. Let the wind carry the rest into shrub borders where they will protect plant roots from severe cold.
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

6 Comments

  • DALE Hawes 11/5/2006 12:00:00 AM

    I have 4 trees plus a neighbours big elm dumping leaves on my
    yard every fall. I've never thrown out a bag of leaves. I mulch the
    leaves into the lawn with the mower with the bag off, then run them
    over again with the bag attachment on. Instant grass and leaf
    powder. I bag what I can't get in the composter for next years
    compost pile. I dethatch in spring.Still amazes me to watch people
    bagging 10 to 15 bags of leaves for the landfill to my one for the
    composter.

  • BRENDA Funk 9/13/2006 12:00:00 AM

    We mowed the leaves with the bagger attachment on the mower and
    then put the chopped leaves directly on the garden. BAD IDEA! It
    really helped the texture of the soil, but I found out that they
    require nitrogen to decompose, and suck it from the soil. I had to
    add lots of composted manure later to rebalance the soil. It would
    have been much smarter to let them compost for a year, then add
    them a year after they fell.

  • NINA Jaffe 6/20/2006 12:00:00 AM

    Is it okay to compost maple leaves that have tar spot
    fungus?

  • JERRY Martin 3/28/2006 12:00:00 AM

    I AM INTERESTED IN RAISING CHICKENS ORGANICALLY. WOULD
    APPRECIATE ANY INFO ON CHICKEN HOUSES, RAISING CHICKENS AND QUALITY
    OF EGGS. I PLAN TO LET THEM RANGE FREE ON APPROXIMATELY 2.5 ACRES
    OF LAND.THANKS JERRY

  • S CROMWELL 12/31/2005 12:00:00 AM

    I use the leaves for covering the crowns of my potted plants.
    For small pots, I gather them together and cover them completely.
    This protects them from the worst of the frost.

  • San Pedro Industries 11/29/2005 12:00:00 AM

    Do you want another way to recycle your autumn leaves?Try
    recycling them through your goats! Goats will eat some of the
    leaves the deciduous trees and shrubs are shedding now. If they
    will eat them when they are fresh and growing, they will likely eat
    them if they are recently fallen. You can either rake up the leaves
    and haul them to your goat pen, or you can stake or pasture the
    goats underneath the trees and let them collect them themselves.At
    any rate, the goats can take from the leaves the nourishment they
    need, and thier manure can return the rest of the material to the
    soil with the added enzymes after having passed througth the goats
    digestive track.Another possible advantage is the perhaps any pest
    that may have left eggs on the leaves, for the eggs to overwinter
    in the leaf litter might be destroyed in the digestive process.You
    might find this site of interest
    too.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/backyardpermacultureusa/

Add Your Comment

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Mother Earth News readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Mother Earth News?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
(Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.