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[Beekissed]

It would pay for someone to build a bin in the back to keep mulched down leaves and turn them into compost for either selling or using. That way no one has to throw away good stuff or pay to do so.

I think our ancestors would have a huge chuckle at both practices...throwing away of leaves and also paying someone to take them.

 

[Nyboy]

Just invite @baymule over she can build you a bin.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have a big pile of leaves that I'm leaving for leaf mold to use on the beds.
It was once a mountain, but is only about 3' tall now. I've read it takes about 3 years to develop a good crumbly leaf mold at the base, so I have one more to go. I don't shred them, if I did it would break down much faster of course, but I'm willing to wait and just let it do it's thing. I can keep adding to the top and just steal from the bottom when it's ready.
I get more leaves than I can use from jobs, so now I'm stopping at neighbors on the way home and giving them truckfuls to use in their gardens.

*On the negative side, when I was reading up on the cure for potato scab, I ran across a comment on a university site that dry leaves can contribute to scab on spuds. That made sense as that garden area got piled deep with unshredded leaves last fall, then turned under this spring. The leaves had not broken down appreciably when I planted.
Then the dry spring and summer and a few other factors made the perfect storm for my crop failure.

EDIT!
* Wrong fallen leaves! They were talking about fallen potato leaves that have the streptomyces scabies present on them. Ooops!

 

[ninnymary]

My husband finally got past his embarrassment when I made him turn around for leaves!

Lucky you, mine is almost there.

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

Here leaves are thrown out every Wed,you have to buy large brown paper bags, or they willn't be picked up.

My problem is that everyone has a green recycling bin. People rake their leaves, put in bin, and put bin out on trash days.

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

Collected over 50 huge bags of leaves and a few grass clippings mixed with leaves today from town folks. I've got them cached at my son's house until I can bring the trailer in and collect them all...it was a race against the trash guys and I was losing, so I stored my haul and kept making short trips to add to it. Probably take a couple of trips to get them all home with the truck and trailer and I've got even more to collect, as a few folks are going to save me more leaves as they rake them.

Might take those folks some eggs to show my appreciation.

This saves my back, as I won't have to rake all the leaves on three acres now, though I'll still try to collect as many as I can if I can get this lawn sweeper my brother loaned me to work...it's been sitting for years and it's all rusted up. Got out the WD-40 and gave it a good lube an will try tomorrow.

God is so good to me!!!! Showered me with a blessing of leaves for the garden!!!

 

[baymule]

A couple of years in a row, I planted potatoes in a huge pile of leaves, mixed with a little horse manure. They were the biggest, most perfect potatoes I've ever grown. @thistlebloom I read that horse manure would give potatoes scab, so I mixed in a lot of lime and NO scab!

 

[thistlebloom]

The leaves* won't be a for sure result in potato scab Bay, but if other conditions are right, they apparently contribute. I think it's fresh manure that contributes to scab. Once it's aged it should be fine.
I grew potatoes in the same plot the year before (risky), our spring was dry, and the first two weeks of tuberization are critical and the soil should be continually moist (mine wasn't).

So part of the remedy for my soil is to acidify it, and grow cereal grains on it and plow them under. No potatoes up there for a few years, and I'll have to grow less so I have room to rotate crops better.

* see edited post #343

 

[baymule]

Oh yes, it was fresh manure! I just mixed it up with the leaves and limed it to make up for my uncomposted manure. I paid the kids across the street $20 to bring me all the leaves they were raking up next door to me. They thought they died and went to heaven. They got paid to rake them up and they got paid to deliver them to me!

After I harvested the new potatoes, I planted sweet potatoes and got another great harvest.

 

[thistlebloom]

Do you remember what kind of leaves they were?