It’s leafmould season...start your chipper/shredders!

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Oct 26, 2005 12:29 pm

Its time, folks! Gather all your leaves, shred them, wet them down every few inches as you pile them and next year you will have black gold for garden use! If you don‘t have a chipper/shredder, you can rent one or just use your lawn mower to chop up the leaves.

Living in a 26 acre forest, I have a lot of leaves...and I make as much leafmould each year as I can...and still run out before the end of each season. I use it to mulch the beds, and mix it 50/50 with composted manure to build the raised beds. Have been experimenting with adding a handful of alfalfa cubes with each armload of leaves. Seems to work really well! Moved 200+ hosta last year into a new 93’x31’ foot garden with raised beds built with the leafmould/alfalfa mixed 50/50 with composted manure. Not one hosta was lost or even set back...I was just thrilled!

So, rake your leaves and start your engines...its time!

wanda

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Oct 26, 2005 7:21 pm

This sounds so great- just wish I could figure out where to store the piles until spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bobbo · Post by **bobbo** » Nov 03, 2005 11:05 pm

I've got my "Rig" up and running. Some years ago I bought a self propelled 9 hp leaf vac from Sears. The 4 cubic foot bag is no match for our yard. I changed it around over a few years and now the motor and mulching part rides on a dump cart. It has about a yard capacity or a little more. I use a piece of hose to the deck of a lawnmower that I basically only use for this. I was feeling bad last year during leafing season so only burned them and didn't grind a one. After buying a few loads of compost I plan to purposely grind as many as possible. I'll get some pics up as I progress.
It seems there are a lot of leaves on the ground but at present the woods are still about 80% green........that will change.

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Nov 04, 2005 6:51 pm

I've started my leaf piles but have a question. Do you cover them with a tarp or anything during the winter? I wetted them down as I layered but was wondering about covering them

Deb118 · Post by **Deb118** » Nov 04, 2005 11:02 pm

I'm waiting for Bubba to start bringing in the truck loads of leaves, so I can start mine

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Nov 06, 2005 10:38 am

ICgardener: Up here we get a thick snow cover, so I don’t cover the big leafmould piles. I use the freeze/thaws of the snow to add more water over the winter, so I don’t have to add more water myself. If the pile gets too dry, it will take a couple years to create leafmould - it only takes a season if you keep it moist. If you get mostly rain down your way over winter, you might want to cover the piles, so all the water doesn’t leach out the nutrients.

If you just have a small yard and nowhere discreet to “hide” your piles, you could put the leafmould in big garbage cans or the like. I have a 26 acre forest, so have a “work area” just inside the entrance to the forest. Going to have to share the area with the wood for the new woodstove this year, so will likely be whacking some more trees to make more room for my “black gold”!

Nice to see others using nature’s bounty - and plants just love this stuff!!!

wanda

impatience · Post by **impatience** » Nov 06, 2005 1:31 pm

It has been so warm here that the leaves are just now starting to change color. I guess that the big weekend job of shredding the leaves will be put off for several more weeks.

Weird weather! Plants don't know what to do!

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Nov 06, 2005 6:13 pm

Thanks for answering my question, Wanda! Here in southern Iowa, we get snow too, so I think I will just leave it uncovered. Thankfully, my neighbors in back of me agreed to let me use a corner of their yard that is right behind me, so it is all good

bobbo · Post by **bobbo** » Nov 06, 2005 8:26 pm

I got in a good day of grinding, after praying the rain would stay off my back for the next couple of days. I had Amelia snap a few pics and she even used the blower to get more in front of me.

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Nov 14, 2005 10:09 pm

I get my leaves the easy way . . .2 truckloads delivered last Wednesday. They're all shredded now but that was 66 trips with the wheelborrow to the leaf mold pile.

LucyGoose · Post by **LucyGoose** » Nov 15, 2005 1:37 am

Neat pictures Bobbo, and Mary Ann!!

bobbo · Post by **bobbo** » Nov 16, 2005 2:50 pm

Grinding a few more today, I get clogs from time to time since they are wet, sometimes it can be frustrating, I really need to get all I can before they are totally soaked for winter, but hey, it's still Fall!

Deb118 · Post by **Deb118** » Nov 16, 2005 11:41 pm

I came home yesterday to at least 4 loads of bagged leaves. 2 were brought last week, with more on the way

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Sep 20, 2006 9:01 am

2006: It is that time again, folks! I ended the season with maybe 3 shovelfuls of leafmould left - a first! Generally I run out about July (hehe). Moving operations this year from the forest edge to the nursery garden area...need the room out back to stack wood for the woodstove. Hope the weather is better for leafmould making this fall...last year it was so wet ended up waiting until spring to grind up the last bit.

wanda