Although fall is a beautiful time of the year as the colors explode everywhere into brilliant reds and yellows, many people see leaves on the lawn as evil and the worst part of having a home. The city picks up lawn waste every week, including bags of leaves, but I stopped putting leaves at the curbs many many years ago. Here is my "oh-so-simple LAZY GUY compost method".
I may be a bit crazy, but I look forward to my leaf composting ritual. Why, because I like the win-win outcome -- not only have I eliminated the contribution of my leaves to the landfill problem, but I get to keep and use the outcome, sweet beautiful rich compost. Here's the LAZY GUY method. Twice in the fall and once in the spring, I rake the leaves over into a long row into the middle of the side yard. If they are wet, I spread them out and let them dry for a day. Then, I take the mulching lawn mower and mow over the pile several times until the leave chunks are small, about the size of a quarter or smaller. Now, put the bag on the mower and mow over the pulverated pile and the mower will suck up the little chunks into the lawn bag. Take a 33 gallon plastic bag and line a garbage can and dump the debris into the can. Then haul the can back near the garden and grab the garden hose and fill the plastic bag about half way with water as you push the pulverized leaves down into the water. Tie the top of the plastic bag in a big knot, tip the can over and let the bag slide out -- you might want someone to help you with this step, the water-soaked leaves are heavy. Try to place the filled bag in a location where it will receive the maximum sunlight. I like to use black plastic leaf bags, they absorb the sunlight and help heat the compost in the bag. In about six months, the material in the bags is the sweetest smelling nicest black organic compost. There is no compost turning or flipping required, i.e. LAZY GUY. You will be pleasantly surprised with the finished product which can be spread on the garden or used as mulch.
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