What’s On My Mind

Leaves, Leaves Everywhere

// January 20th, 2009 // gardening, pictures

I’ve always told people about the incredible amount of leaves our yard accumulates over the fall/winter season. We have a total of five red oak trees (3 front, 2 back), four of which are probably about 30 years old, that have been shedding leaves and acorns since August or so. I haven’t documented much of it until now. And I was only able to capture the backyard. 

We bought a new tool this year on my insistence. Last year we got rid of our leaves the old fashioned way, with a rake and lots and lots of leaf bags. After tackling the front yard earlier this season, I decided that with as many leaves as we have, it’s well worth it to pick up a power tool. So we got a blower/vaccuum tool. I haven’t used the blower yet as raking is sort of fun (it’s the bagging that is such a pain), but the vaccuum rocks! It took a while to get used to it as it doesn’t like twigs or acorns, two things of which we have plenty in our leaf piles… not to mention the occasional wayward limestone rock. But I got it going.

It grinds the leaves as it puts them in the bag. This is wonderful since I finally convinced Dave to help me build a compost pile. (Really, I can’t believe it took us this long!) We made it last weekend and I was looking forward to filling it. The grinding is a great help and will really speed things along. 

So, pictures!

Here are a bunch of before-raking pictures I took in our backyard:

     

I also took a picture of the biggest pile I was able to make all day. Then I grabbed cedar-fevery Dave and begged him to take pictures of me in the pile to show its massiveness. (He called me vain… how rude!)

  
 

And here is the end result:

 

Our once-empty compost pile is filled to the top and the rest of the leaves took up five whole leaf bags — ground into itty bitty pieces!

Thank goodness I have a friend with horses and a passion for composting to help get the pile going. She promises to drop off a load this weekend. Yes. I did.