Fall is the perfect time to build up your soil with rich, organic matter. It also happens to be the best time of year to collect one of my favorite organic soil amendments
, leaf mold. While leaf mold sounds a bit iffy, it is one of the easiest and most effective composted materials to add to beds. In addition to improving moisture retention, as well as soil drainage, it also helps support the microcosm of your garden.
Not to get all Carl Sagan on you, but your garden is an interconnected web...each part must be functioning well in order to produce a healthy yield and reduce the opportunity for harming the environment. The underpinnings of this net are the thousands of bacteria, microbes, fungi and funky little crawly things that make the soil inhabitable. We don't usually see these little buggers, but it is obvious when they are out of balance. Have you ever had a part of your yard where things just didn't grow? A botanical version of The Day After, sort of a nuclear winter for soil. That's because the soil itself is sick in some way and can't sustain the basic building blocks of life. (I know, get out your kleenex.)
Decomposing leaf matter is a fantastic element to introduce whether or not you have problems. There are a couple of ways to do this, both of which are ridiculously easy.
1) Gather all of your leaves and place in one location. Let winter happen. Presto, decomposed leaves in spring!
2) Use your lawn mower to collect and chop the fall leaves. Sprinkle them on your flower beds...if you like, you can till it in...otherwise, let winter happen. Presto, decomposed leaves in spring!
It is also possible just to add them to your compost pile. But, they are such a great, easy to decompose kind of amendment that I prefer to add them right to the beds.
Really, in terms of cost (zero) and energy (almost zero) this is one of the highest return on investment activities a gardener can do. Take a few minutes to gather up the leaves around your place and feed your beds. By spring, you will be so glad you did...
By the way, I just posted my Top Ten List of Organic Garden Blogs, if you would like to see it. There are some awesome places to check out...lots to learn from great gardeners and writers! And...go see me live on the current episode of Garden World Report. I talk about how to find other gardeners on Facebook.
Again, good stuff here Ms. Jean Ann. I've seen lots of folks burnin their leaves here over the past couple of weeks. I wanted to make them stop! Sometimes I drive along the city streets and collect huge lawn bags full of free mulch! (You have to watch though, sometimes you can't be too sure what else folks trash besides their leaves.)
Posted by: TC | October 31, 2009 at 05:16 PM
Check your "Garden World Report" hyperlink in the last paragraph Ms. Jean Ann, it didn't work for me.
Posted by: TC | October 31, 2009 at 05:22 PM
I would love to compost the leaves, but what about the powdery mildew that they can cause? I've had quite a bit of trouble with powdery mildew in the past, but that may have been from the HUGE Maple leaves I was working with. I have moved since and the leaves here are of a much smaller variety. Anyway, what's your take on Powdery Mildew?
Posted by: Collin | November 11, 2009 at 12:16 PM