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Sunday, November 13, 2016

Save the Leaves

 
Red maple leaves with our garden and bagged leaves in the background














Leaves are a great way to add organic matter to your soils. Both in your yard, landscape plantings and the garden. Worms love to eat them and they burrow around and under them aerating the soil and spreading that rich material into the soil building structure. This added organic matter helps sandy soil hold moisture and improves the workability of compacted clay soils.

Here's a somewhat humorous video on how you can use your leaves.

Too many leaves, wet and flattened to the ground can suffocate your grass.  But some, well mulched with a mower, will be great to leave in place.  Any extra grass-clipping/leaf mulch blend can be bagged and dumped straight into the compost bins or on your fallow garden beds.

Some leaves such as black walnut contain a chemical called juglone that can inhibit other plant growth.  Avoid these in the garden.  However, they can be used around trees that are tolerant, such as black cherry or mulberry.

Here are some pics of my garden beds today:

Waited too long to cover crop, Popcorn bed covered with leaves for winter


Great mulch to protect strawberries

Garlic, with mulched grass and leaves underneath
 

This maple tree in our backyard is so pretty, I'm glad it takes its time dropping leaves.
Bright red leaves with pink clouds behind
 

Save your leaves, maybe acquire some extra SPBs and enjoy the Super Moon!

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