Leaf mold is the breakdown of leaves; it is considered a type of compost; however, it works best as a soil amendment rather than a fertilizer. 

The majority of my property is on heavy clay soil. Purchasing dirt can be a lot of work; we’ve bought by the scoop and pushed it uphill one wheelbarrow at a time. We’ve hired guys to wheelbarrow it too. Eventually, dirt settles and moves, so you must do the process again the following year. 

Since leaves are free and we usually haul them out, I decided leaf mold is worth a try. First, find a spot to store them; they will need to be stored for 1-2 years. I choose a place along the north side of my house. It gets no sun, so I can’t grow anything there. However, it is right against my house. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad idea. I could research more on this topic, but I don’t have any other place to store them. In this case, I prefer to take experience over suggestions from the internet. Second, mulch the leaves, you can do this without mulching, but it will take longer for them to break down. My parents handed down a leaf mulcher to us. It’s big and heavy and requires a lot of space to store just for one season, so I don’t recommend buying one. You can accomplish the same with your lawn mower and the attached bag. Third, dump the leaves in your storage spot and water them in. Like a compost bin, you will want to turn the leaves and add more water throughout the decomposing stage. I hope to have that Gardner’s gold by this time next year.

Week 44 recap:

• Receiving the ordered supplies for my caterpillar tunnel.
• Built a leaf bin.
• Mulched leaves.
• Took out marigolds along the rock wall.
• Hired help to plant tulips, narcissus, and pansies.

Plans for week 45:

• Build hoops and assemble my caterpillar tunnel.
• Divide and repot Boston fern.
• Prune Life’s Little Pleasures rose bush.
• Block up foxglove and start hardening off.
• Shell seeds.

Yikes, I didn’t complete any of my plans last week, so these are still on my to-do list.

Happy gardening,

Lelo