There's Gold In Them Leaves

And brown and red, technically.  But the gold I am talking about is what happens when you mulch with the leaves “littering” your yard.  That is the most beneficial thing gardeners can do at this time of year.

I grew up in an era when burning leaves was legal.  And we did, until I contracted poison ivy from head to toe and in my lungs. We abruptly halted that.  But still we raked leaves on to a tarp and then dragged that off to areas of the yard that were un-landscaped.  I don’t think it ever occurred to my Father to re-purpose those leaves.  But the piles were great fun to jump in and toss about. 

At some point, perhaps after a bad drought season like we are having now, leaf burning was banned   Maybe it was a State law ?  Whoever did it -and it really is for the best - could not have predicted what a huge industry they would spawn: leaf removal. 

I no longer inhabit the 2 acre home I was raised in. But some of what I loved there I am able to implement here. I am fortunate that 12 feet at the very rear of my back yard, is as Mother Nature intended it.  I call it my Nature Berm and that is what it is for. I need not cultivate much here. The main task is removing invasive plants and trees.  Sometimes I replace those with native species.  Leaves a plenty fall here.  They decompose and emit that wonderful musky smell of good earth. If you have ever taken a walk in deep forest, you know what I mean. Most of that delightful smell is from decomposing leaves. 

So back to mulch.  If you are bagging and leaving leaves out for pick-up you are wasting an opportunity to use the best mulch possible in your gardens.  (Ok, I admit it, we did put some out this year, sort of a communications error.)   And considering the other option, purchasing ornamental mulches, know not that some come with perils. Wood chips can “sour” and Cocoa shells can poison Fido.  Comparisons of different mulches and their effectiveness are here: http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/factsheets../tp_05_mulchbasics.html.  

So, mulching is nearing the cutting edge of Gardening Fashion.  You really should try it at least once. This wonderful Town in Westchester urges residents to mulch-in-place: http://www.irvingtonny.gov/index.aspx?NID=226 and tells them how to do it. Pretty much everything you need to know is mentioned on the second link.  These are some highlights: 

 - Mulched leaves add to your soil, amending clay to something more plant friendly, adding mass to sand.  

  -Mulching leaves removes them from the waste-stream and returns them to the ground.  

 - Mulching is not raking the leaves into a pile and leaving them.  Larger leaves, such as those from Oaks can actually smother and funnel off water, inhibiting growth. Just look for the partridge berries in my front garden.  Not there?  Why ?  Big unshredded leaves killed them good. 

  -Do not mulch Poison Ivy or it’s cousins. Also, Black Walnut , Eucalyptus and Camphor Laurel leaves release toxins that cause plant death to many species.

  -Mulching leaves can be a family affair that is good exercise.  Just watch the little fingers. 

We use a mulching mower in the Summer.  I am not sure why we have not tried it on the leaves, except that we get so many.  The video in the above link shows just how effective (and less noisy) mulcher mowing dry leaves can be.  We get them knee-deep here.  It has something to do with prevailing winds, the fences that make good neighbors and perhaps a higher intelligence that knows that we recycle leaves. I may give it a try this year. Weather permitting. 

What we do have is a mulcher.  We bought it used, sans manual, and like most folk, we did not attempt to find and read it.  So we were prepared to have a mulcher wake recently.  My favorite yard tool (besides my weed rake), came awfully close to visiting the curb, and some lucky knowledgable person would have been overjoyed to take it.  But calmer heads prevailed.  Bagged not native tree leaves got put out for pickup.  Bagged good leaves were stored for future shredding.  Come to find out, that the mulcher uses a string like those weed whackers. As of today, it is back in business.  I have two large batches of beautiful mulch to disperse.  

While the mulcher was out of commission, I toyed with the idea of getting an Electric Blower/Vacuum with a metal impeller.  It sucks up leaves on the vacuum setting and creates mulch which goes into an included vacuum bag.  It is the preferred tool of the author of “Guerilla Gardening,” Barbara Pallenberg.  Her book is out of print, but can be easily obtained used.  There is a similar titled book with Manifesto added to the title that I have not read. 

Purchasing either a standing mulcher or a blower/vacuum that mulches will set you back anywhere from $75 to $150 and beyond.  If you are on a budget, or are not really sold on the idea, there is an alternative.  It is Not putting leaves through the paper shredder.  That will jam your shredder, perhaps mortally (don’t ask...). 

No, you will need to get a little creative, and will want those safety glasses. (In fact, safety glasses make a lot of sense whenever you are mulching). 

Take a large garbage can, take your weed whacker, insert it in the can, add about 1/3 a can full of leaves and turn it on.  Here is a Youtube clip of a very happy lady mulching this way while doing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-c5E2dtk0Q.

Now that you have mulch, spread it over your perennials, about 3 inches is enough.  Surround your trees with it too, but don’t over-do it.  You do not want to create a mulch volcano.  Tips and what Not to do *scroll down, can be found here: http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx. 

Many folks in the community use landscapers. There is a movement among ecologically-conscious homeowner and landscapers is Westchester called: http://leaveleavesalone.org/Mulching_For_Landscapers.html.  Look that over and consider talking about the possibility with your landscaper.   I saw a segment on the TV News tonight about this very group.  

In short. Get With The Mulch Program! I doubt you will regret it.

Got mulch stories ?  Share them here ! 

I read a gardening mystery call “Mulch” by the mystery writer Ann Ripley that was funny and a good read.  Still in print, but I got a copy through: http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php.  Check it out.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  If the weather is good, we will be mulching.  And if it is cold, please remember wildlife.  We crack open the yucky pumpkins to expose the seeds for a very happy group of squirrels that live nearby.  This has become a new Thanksgiving tradition over the last few years. We have yet to have a pumpkin plant emerge ! 

My Thanks to you and the Editors at The Patch (Pam!) for encouraging me to use this space to ramble on about Gardening for Wildflife.