With Autumn well and truly here, the mornings are crisp and the leaves have started to turn and drop. I do love the beautiful colours of those big trees but the downside is those pesky leaves end up everywhere!
I always used to curse those leaves as I was having to constantly sweep them up from our big maple tree on the driveway, it created a slippery mess when wet and I was always having to find somewhere to deposit them.
Instead of getting frustrated at the leaves everywhere, after a chat last year with with the super talented compost Queen, Katrina from Blue Borage I decided I would make the most of the opportunity of some free nutrients for my garden and start to collect them up to use at a later date.
Katrina's tip for gardeners is to put those leaves to use! She recommends getting an old wool fadge from Mitre 10 or similar to gather up and store your leaves. "Fill them with as many leaves as you can, and watch them break down over the next few months till you have a beautiful crumbly soil. This is leaf mould - perfect to use in potting mix, but often used around the trees in summer when the heat kicks in."
I grabbed a couple of old coffee sacks from my local coffee roaster and used those, but whatever you have access too. I had one on the go for making leaf mould and one for adding to my compost tumbler bin when needed. It was so satisfying to put them to use knowing they were being repurposed for good.
Do your garden a favour and gather up these leaves for extra nutrients and mulch for your garden. A perfect way to reuse what would otherwise be waste!
For more information from Katrina on how to make Leaf Mould, click here.
Or if you want some more information on turning your garden waste into a valuable resource check out the Blue Borage website.
https://www.blueborage.co.nz/
For all your Autumn Essentials including brooms click here.
