From Trash to Treasure

New leaf pile, 4/3/11

     This year saw the addition of a new leaf pile, as the garden leaf pile was over flowing.  I shredded the leaves under a maple tree right on site, then more and more leaves appeared from neighbors, and the black plastic bags that miraculously disappeared from neighboring streets only to reappear on my pile.  It is best to do this shredding right after Thanksgiving while the leaves are dry, but last fall was an early start to a miserable winter for outdoor chores.  December was winter with a vengeance.

     So out came the old trusty John Deere lawn tractor and the repeated process of attacking the pile with the tractor.  Leaves flying everywhere.  Using the tractor to herd the leaves like errant sheep.  Moving the pile across the lawn with the tractor blowing ever finer pieces of leaves.

Kiddies play house gets a wee bit dirty

Now to blow it back

     Having shredded all the course pile out into the lawn, it is time to reverse the process and shred and blow all the small pieces back into a pile.

Much better, even beautiful (to me)

Done!!

     From trash to treasure.  Black gold.  My most precious garden resource is leaf mold.  Turns miserable clay into beautiful loam.  It is indeed a sad day when the leaf mold pile has been used for the summer.  But then the bounty is usually restocked the next fall.  Recycling at its finest. 
     Ah, but that was just the small pile.  The back pile awaits.  Garden on,  George