DOOL Discussion Group -- who uses leaves for mulch?

DOOL Discussion Group

Topic: who uses leaves for mulch?

Topic Posted by: cc
Date Posted: Sat Nov 7 12:34:54 2009
Additional Comments:

I am thinking of trying it. Will they really stay in place and not just blow around everywhere? I have a leaf blower/vacuum that chops them up, but I don't know if it is small enough pieces. I was also thinking, what if I mixed them with some compost to give some weight? I would love to try this, so looking for any info from people who have done it.

Posted by: Candy Girl
Date posted: Sun Nov 8 19:41:00 2009
Message:
If you mean ''Who doesn't rake the leaves out of the flower beds and just leaves them there for mulch'', I do!

Replies: (list all replies)

Heeheehee.......I think I have way too many to do that. Hey, I made your apple recipe today. Getting ready to eat one now, just as soon as a finish my chili. cc

candy girl......does it help with the weeds any? cc

Well, cc...I usually clean them out in the spring or when I get ready to plant some new color. Then I usually do a cedar mulch or a cocoa mulch if I can find it. Do not use the cocoa mulch if you have dogs, it is toxic to them. The leaves do help thru the winter with the frost tho. I have several ferns and I let the leaves cover them so they don't freeze. We do have some good frosts here in our part of Northern CA. I don't see why the leaves wouldn't work, chopped up and mixed with something or just by them selves....eom Candy Girl

It's perfectly OK to let the leaves sit in the flowerbed; we do it and I let them stay in the veggie garden too. They can keep my garlic and onions warm this winter!~Carissa

Posted by: Silva
Date posted: Sun Nov 8 19:11:52 2009
Message:
I do! Different leaves decompose at different rates; we have mainly oak leaves and they take forever. Where we used to live, we had a huge elm tree and its leaves made the best compost. I mix leaves and potting soil as well as vegetable scraps. Here is an article by that goofy guy on HGTV, Paul James, that is very informative. http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/making-compost/index.html

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Thanks for info silva. So it sounds like you compost? I don't know if I even have room for that. I was thinking of just mixing the leaf shred with some mulch or the cotton boll compost I use sometimes. Should I do this now? Should I save some of these leaves for spring? Okay, I will read the article & talk to carissa too. I maye be back. cc

I do compost. I had this metal pet fencing like you can buy at places like PetSmart; it is in sections and it folds. In a side section of the yard that is never used, I hooked it to the fence and made like a big circle shape out of it and I just started with twigs and small branches, dumped a yard full of leaves into it, and then started adding vegetable scraps and leftover potting soil, etc. I would love to have a couple of those barrel things you can turn but this is the next best thing. (silva)

Goofy Paul James lives in Tulsa, OK so I enjoy his show. He gives good practical advice too. My husband started a compost pile at our first house in 1983! I had never heard of it but he was big into gardening and we have always had a lovely lawn/yard. I give him 90% of the credit; my specialty is the vegetable garden and sometimes the roses but I don't do much else. My son I call 'compost boy' as he is the one responsible for hauling my coffeegrounds/eggshells/onionskins/banana peels, etc out to the compost heap which is at the back of our one acre lot. I'm afraid without him I might be so lazy as to just throw that stuff down the disposal.~Carissa

Posted by: Carissa
Date posted: Sat Nov 7 16:56:59 2009
Message:

We use them. It works best if they are chopped up; run the lawn mower over them using the bagger, then dump the bag on whatever it is you are mulching. We put leaves in the compost pile too, so yes mixing with compost will also work.

If you have any pine trees, pine needles make good mulch and they don't blow around. PIne needles are especially good for acid loving plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, etc.

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I don't have many needles since I lost my big pine to the ice storm. I don't have compost pile. Do I need to? So just dump these shredded leaves all over the beds, just how I would normally do with mulch? I was thinking maybe to mix some leaves with the mulch I use (not that big chunk of wook kind). Also I sometimes use cotton boll compost & I thought that might be good too. This is new to me, don't know what I am doing. Just looking at all these leaves I rake up every year, and then thinking how much mulch I buy. Will this stay on & save me any mulching in spring? I guess I should email you huh? cc

It should save you some mulching, but mostly it will provide organic matter to the beds as the leaves decompose as well as some protection from freezing temps. My husband is the real composter; I just contribute my kitchen scraps, stir the pile occasionally, and dump the finished product onto my veggie garden. Our compost heap is just a few 2 x 4's and chicken wire; you don't need one of those $200 plastic barrel jobbies the garden centers cell (although those probably work; I've always been fortunate enough to have him to build us a simple cheap one). Also we have two piles, one for 'incomplete' and one for 'finished' compost. Digging at the bottom of the incomplete, reveals the complete; move it over to the 'ready' pile with a shovel. Also, I have a strainer made of a square of boards with wire mesh in the center, about 1 ft square. This way if I want only fine compost (similar to potting soil) then I can sift out the big chunks and toss them back into the 'incomplete' pile. Sounds hard but really it's just a heap of yard/kitchen waste surrounded on three sides by chicken wire, times two for 'ready' and 'not ready'.~Carissa