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Nature and Gardening @beehaw.org Andy @slrpnk.net

Tips for disposing of fallen leaves

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/16130943

My mom was complaining that the city has limits on how many leaves that they'll pick up, and she's got bags and bags of leaves stuffed into black garbage bags. This seems like a problem that should have some kind of backyard solution.

I've done a cursory search, and see that leaves are very compostable. They can also apparently be turned into "mold", though I don't fully understand what this means.

But I also see that there is a lot of variety in compost bins, and they're quite expensive. So I'm wondering: what's the best strategy for making leaves go away? She's not specifically interested in the product of the leaves, she just wants to find somewhere to put them after she rakes them up. Any ideas?

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  • @andrewrgross

    1. Check if any neighbors want them.

    2. If you compost, you have your carbon for the bin.

    3. Mulch garden beds and walkways.

    4. Rake into a pile around trees (but not touching the trunk - leave the collar exposed).

    5. If you have a chipper, you could run them through and use for finer mulch or soil amendment.

    Maybe next year she can leave them on the ground for insect habitat - feed the birds in the spring. Use mulching mower in the spring after the hatch.

    • These are great tips.

      I think the solution might be using a bunch of these.

      Do you have any advice on speeding up their breakdown? Are there any tools or practices that cause them to shrink in volume faster? I think she's just trying to manage slipping on walkways and visual effect, and she has a very high volume.

      I think making small piles and letting them rot is probably a good idea. I think mulching them and raking them into beds is probably smart. I'll try stuff and see.

      • @andrewrgross You could probably get away with a small battery or solar chipper for just leaves. If your mower mulches, or has a bagger, you can mow over the leaves and (with a bagger) collect the chopped up leaves. I have an electric leaf blower I use for just this purpose - it also has a vacuum and will mulch leaves into a bag. They end up very finely chopped! I have seen some people put leaves in a trash can and put a weed eater in it for a while. 😂

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