Natural Fertilizer: brown leaves

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I like an excuse to do less work. One concern though, is that pest insects overwinter in the compost too.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I catch grief from the neighbors for leaving them on the ground, but I think my plants like having the protection in winter. I rake them up around the peonies and strawberries.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl Lets hope that for this issue there will be found a solution. I love rotting leaves...

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Mary Linda Bittle I wonder why, if they can see the leaves, why they can't also see the food you grow and think greater than or equal to not buying junk from big ag, but rather learn from you and grow their own..... Um... let's see, it's hard work???

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The author's assumption "run the leaves over with a lawnmower to shred them fine" Only works for folk who Have a lawnmower... - After two of ours were stolen, as I refuse to continue supplying the neighborhood with yet more lawnmowers, for the past nine years I've had to use a weedEater. - Too, neighbors already have a fit over me nurturing 🙂 Dandelions, - so they would call the city were 20+ huge bags of leaves left here, to blow into their weed-filled yards, so I can only place the leaves carefully 1 bag at a time.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow .....City Folk

    I can't wait to move to the country.

    And someone stole my, one of my hoses two years ago making watering quite a pain since I have had to do things to ensure my last two hoses don't get stolen. Not to mention I asked the city not to spray by my yard for the food I have growing and they do it anyway, and worse. I feel your ire...

    And while most city folk are good people and good neighbors, sometimes even just one thief or complainer is all it takes to make one want acres to ones self...

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz Thank you for sharing.  I quit raking leaves a couple of decades ago even though I sometimes get flack about it, but I keep doing what I know needs to be done. Below is another good resource about why leaves should be left on the ground:

    https://xerces.org/blog/leave-the-leaves

    "Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Blog: Leave the Leaves!" By Justin Wheeler on 6 October 2017

  • Leediafastje
    Leediafastje Posts: 97 ✭✭✭

    This is my first year leaving the leaves. I feel a bit silly for not doing it earlier. I also stacked some in our compost pile and laughed at myself when I got excited to find "black gold" at the center of the pile. Simple pleasures are the best :-)

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz - looked up your word ire = wrath, rage, anger, etc. - Nope, ain't going there, just for neighbors.

    Reserve that for the ama, the cdc, the fda, the... name rest of the swamp, & who = anybody disabling/killing innocent life, & this with full Intent.

    Am aware of such as you want in acreage & house, but it's already in the sold-process. - However I wish you well 🙂

  • bcabrobin
    bcabrobin Posts: 251 ✭✭✭

    One of the joys of country living, I guess. But our leaves all blow away.

    The goats would love to have more to eat but it seems every year we have high winds and it cleans the yarn.

    The chicken love to scratch in piles of leaves also.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    F@Obiora E I'll chweck out your listed source, thank you.

    To get flack for that means someone doesn't know the why more than likely.

    @Leediafastje Feeling silly, why when we all learn at our own pace as our life situations allows us the time and opportunity. I love black gold leaves 🙃😊🙃 Yes the simple pleasures are surely the best!

    @bcabrobin Have you considered putting up a portable fence like structure to catch the leaves that get blown into it? Just a thought. I sure miss the sound of chickens, their sweet little peeps.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow yep i have plenty of ire for the same as you listed, plus the hardship the theft of my hose caused, which made watering quick and easy until I no longer had that necessary length to reach all the way to the place of need.

    What and where sold?

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    The only time that I really raked any leaves was when I was a kid, or for kids.

    Our leaves settle into the grass & under the trees, but we are in the country and so don't care about leaves here or blowing away. It just isn't a big deal. Our neighbors will feel the same, I'm sure.

    It is quite something to see city folks move to the country and then mow huge areas of grass & also rake those same huge areas of grass, filling large piles of bags. My thoughts for those "transplants" are...get a beef steer or two to mow (and fertilize) that grass for you all through the season, then take it in to get butchered when the grass is done growing for the season...and don't even think about the leaves.

    Nobody judges leaves on grass when you are not in the city. Use the time for something else more enjoyable.

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz You are welcome. And yes, that was the reason why...many people still don't understand it, and the same is true with lawn clippings from cutting the grass.