Waste-Not Wednesday: Fallen Leaves

/ Tracy Abell

It’s that time of year when the leaves jump off the trees and hit the ground. 
Really.  I’ve seen it happen.  I’ve yet to hear any screaming, though.

This past weekend I raked my leaves and scooped them into an empty trash can. 
After each scoop I stomped down on them with my foot to pack them in tighter AND
break them into smaller pieces.  If you don’t have long legs (or an enormous foot), use the rake handle to
stir the leaves.  When the can is full, pour them onto the flower bed you’ve already
sprayed with the hose.  After spreading them around the plants, spray the leaves with
the hose so they’ll be less likely to blow away in the wind.

Leaves are a great mulch that will hold the moisture for your plants plus they’re full
of nutrients for your soil.

When you mulch with leaves:
1) you keep stuff out of the landfill
2) you don’t use a plastic bag that ends up in landfill
3) you feed and protect your plants over the winter months
4) you add fall color to your beds (at least for a little while!)                                                                                                                                                   

21 thoughts on “Waste-Not Wednesday: Fallen Leaves”

  1. I told my husband this before, but he didn’t believe me — however, I think it might be because I forgot the important step of breaking the leaves up a bit. And watering them down. good information!

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    • Breaking and watering really seems to help hold them down. A few might still blow away but they stay put pretty well. And it feels so much better than throwing in the landfill!

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  3. Mulching with leaves (and other yard treasures) is one of those things that we hear is a good idea, but aren’t quite sure how to implement. Thank you for your practical tips! Now more of us can actually do it!

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  4. Great tips!
    We mulch our leaves right into our lawn, with a mulching setting on the lawnmower (okay, who am I kidding–my husband drives the mower). We also mix them into our vegetable garden when we break it down for winter hibernation. fall leaves + a bit of manure + a sprinkle of lime = big, juicy tomatoes next spring!!

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    • Re: Great tips!
      Great stuff, Erin. We have a mulch setting on our mower, too, but have only used for grass. Maybe this year we can do a portion with the leaves.
      And I’m already missing the tomatoes. Sigh…

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  5. Great tips!

    We mulch our leaves right into our lawn, with a mulching setting on the lawnmower (okay, who am I kidding–my husband drives the mower). We also mix them into our vegetable garden when we break it down for winter hibernation. fall leaves + a bit of manure + a sprinkle of lime = big, juicy tomatoes next spring!!

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  6. I’ve been in my writing cave so sorry I haven’t piped in, but I’ve truly enjoyed your Waste-Not Wednesdays! And I’ve been watching your writing progress as well. You rock on both counts. 😀

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    • Thanks for poking your head out of the writing cave, De. How’s it going in there? Making good progress, I hope.
      I’m always happy to see your beautiful smiling face so be sure to stop by when you get the chance.

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  10. Re: Great tips!

    Great stuff, Erin. We have a mulch setting on our mower, too, but have only used for grass. Maybe this year we can do a portion with the leaves.

    And I’m already missing the tomatoes. Sigh…

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  11. Thanks for poking your head out of the writing cave, De. How’s it going in there? Making good progress, I hope.

    I’m always happy to see your beautiful smiling face so be sure to stop by when you get the chance.

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  12. Gorgeous leaf picture. Makes me feel like raking. I live in a third floor flat right now but when we were in our house we used to compost and I’d keep a pail of leaves so that, every time I brought out scraps from the kitchen, I’d also dump on a handful of leaves. I miss doing that.

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