Here in New England, Fall means plenty of falling leaves. Here on the farmstead, we have our share with multiple Oak and Maple trees over 50 years old. While a blanket of leaves carpeting your grass isn't healthy for your lawn, there are ways you can put that foliage to use. Below are a couple ideas of how we have put
Fall leaves to work around the farmstead.
Mulch
If you have plants that are somewhat cold hardy but need a little help making it through the coldest days like strawberries or garlic shredded leaves is a perfect insulator to help them through the winter months. A 6-inch blanket is sufficient to insulate them from the wind and cold. Remember to remove the leaves as the days start to warm allowing the sun to reach them in the Spring. Also adding leaves to cold hardy vegetables can allow you to extend your harvest season.
Soil Boost
Shredded leaves added in the fall and turned into the soil will help boost nutrients to your grow beds. This is also a feast for earthworms and other beneficial organisms both of which are helpful to ward off unwanted organisms and increase the bounty of your harvest.
Compost Balance
Leaves are rich in nitrogen. By mixing in shredded leaves to your compost, you will help balance out the high nitrogen content from grass clippings.
Insulation
By adding a 6-8 inch bank of leaves or bags of leaves to the base of your home or barn to buff up the insulation. An obvious note here is this is best done against stone or concrete foundations, not against wood because of the decomposition factor.
Happy Fall Y'all!
~ Farmer Amy
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