this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2024
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Nature and Gardening
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@andrewrgross
Check if any neighbors want them.
If you compost, you have your carbon for the bin.
Mulch garden beds and walkways.
Rake into a pile around trees (but not touching the trunk - leave the collar exposed).
If you have a chipper, you could run them through and use for finer mulch or soil amendment.
Maybe next year she can leave them on the ground for insect habitat - feed the birds in the spring. Use mulching mower in the spring after the hatch.
These are great tips.
I think the solution might be using a bunch of these.
Do you have any advice on speeding up their breakdown? Are there any tools or practices that cause them to shrink in volume faster? I think she's just trying to manage slipping on walkways and visual effect, and she has a very high volume.
I think making small piles and letting them rot is probably a good idea. I think mulching them and raking them into beds is probably smart. I'll try stuff and see.
@andrewrgross You could probably get away with a small battery or solar chipper for just leaves. If your mower mulches, or has a bagger, you can mow over the leaves and (with a bagger) collect the chopped up leaves. I have an electric leaf blower I use for just this purpose - it also has a vacuum and will mulch leaves into a bag. They end up very finely chopped! I have seen some people put leaves in a trash can and put a weed eater in it for a while. 😂