Used Neighbours Leaves As Cover For Our Raised Beds
When Jenny and I bought the home we have today here in Moncton it was before we had actually started gardening other than container gardening.
Our first year here we raked up the leaves that blew into our backyard from a big old maple tree in our neighbour’s yard. By the time the raking was done, more than once actually, we had about 10 or 12 big green garbage bags full of fall leaves.
Not really knowing any better yetIn the past we would put the bags of leaves at the curb for pick up and they would haul them to the dump. What a waste of time and resources but we weren’t yet aware of composting and like I said hadn’t started gardening.
The second year we were living here we used the leaves in our compost bin. I also buried a lot of the leaves under our fist little garden. We even ran the lawn more over the lawn after the second wind storm and then left those leaves there. That was actually are suggestion we heard locally on the radio and gave it a try.
We are happy to say that not a single bag of leaves went to the curb that year.
We have a couple of raised beds in our backyard. I love sitting here in my home office and admiring them. It so relaxes my mind.
Using Fall Leaves As Raised Bed Winter Cover
I was planning to get some bails of straw from our local Co-op but at the last minute decided to use some of those bags of leaves as cover instead. I put at least 2 bags on each raised bed and I think it will do just fine.
Using Fall Leaves To Cover Our Raised Beds
Now they have a covering of snow and I am sure I heard the clematis and strawberry plants we grow in them say thank you and after that I just heard snoring but that could have been Jenny.
Shhhh… our Clematis are sleeping
Now if the snow happens to disappear again the strawberries and clematis won’t be freezing their nodes off. And once the winter chill has passed and it’s Spring once again we should be able to add the remaining leftover leaves into our compost bin.
It sure beats raking them up, bagging them and then putting them to the curb when they can be recycled right here in our own yard.
Tagged with: bags of leaves • fall leaves • winter cover
Filed under: backyard gardening • gardening • lawn care • new brunswick
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Since our property is wooded, I use leaves too. We chop them up and place them in piles about the property. Then, I use them everywhere. Wonderful leaves.~~Dee
Hi Dee and welcome
I am actually thinking of asking our neighbours for their fall leaves, after they bag them of course because they put them at the curb like we used to and they don’t garden either.
When I was a landscaper I would go to the neighbors of my clients and ask to rake up their leaves for use in my clients’ beds. Glad to see you chose leaves over straw. Straw is useful, but can’t compare to the nutrition of leaves.
Have you considered just leaving the leaves there in the spring instead of moving them to your compost? They’re an amazing mulch.
Thanks for the tip Phil. I did think about leaving the leaves in the raised beds but I have plants under them and thought the thickness of the leaves would keep them from getting an early start come spring.
I guess I can just gentle clear the way for my clematis and the strawberries. If this works I’ll continue doing it every year.