Fall of the Year - A New Beginning
For many of us, the Fall is the season to begin to relax and relish the gains of the Summer. For our gardens, it is the time of the year to revitalize and prepare for next year's rebirth.
The old crops have been harvested with maybe the exception of pumpkins which are being gathered for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Upon the completion of the final harvest, it is time to begin gathering the leaves from the lawns surrounding our house and hauling them to the garden to begin the recycling process. Leaves are a good source of nutrients and roughage for the garden.
There is no need to chop the leaves with a mower unless your mower has such a blade as part of the gathering mechanism. Simply vacuum with a mower or rake by hand and transport to the garden area area. Layer the leaves evenly across the garden. Upon distribution of the last of the leaves, coat with white lime in a thin layer. The best results are usually achieved when the lime is applied just before a rain. The lime will adhere to the leaves and begin the rapid decomposition of the leaves into their nutrients.
In the Spring, using a rototiller or small tractor (depending upon the size of the tract of land) cultivate the leaves into the ground. It may take more than one pass to get a uniform distribution of leaves into the ground. This is highly dependent upon the type of machine used.
It has been the author's experience that multi-year efforts of this technique can and will turn the hardest red clay into some the loosest black soil found. Certainly, one will experience in the first year increased harvests of vegetables from the garden when this technique is used. It will also lessen the amount of commercial fertilizer required to produce a boutiful crop.
For various hand tools you might need while working in your gardent visit https://directsmartdeals.com/ and search for the type of hand tools you want. As my mother would say: "Good Golly Garden Seed" when she became excited about any harvest from our family garden. May you have one too!
The old crops have been harvested with maybe the exception of pumpkins which are being gathered for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Upon the completion of the final harvest, it is time to begin gathering the leaves from the lawns surrounding our house and hauling them to the garden to begin the recycling process. Leaves are a good source of nutrients and roughage for the garden.
There is no need to chop the leaves with a mower unless your mower has such a blade as part of the gathering mechanism. Simply vacuum with a mower or rake by hand and transport to the garden area area. Layer the leaves evenly across the garden. Upon distribution of the last of the leaves, coat with white lime in a thin layer. The best results are usually achieved when the lime is applied just before a rain. The lime will adhere to the leaves and begin the rapid decomposition of the leaves into their nutrients.
In the Spring, using a rototiller or small tractor (depending upon the size of the tract of land) cultivate the leaves into the ground. It may take more than one pass to get a uniform distribution of leaves into the ground. This is highly dependent upon the type of machine used.
It has been the author's experience that multi-year efforts of this technique can and will turn the hardest red clay into some the loosest black soil found. Certainly, one will experience in the first year increased harvests of vegetables from the garden when this technique is used. It will also lessen the amount of commercial fertilizer required to produce a boutiful crop.
For various hand tools you might need while working in your gardent visit https://directsmartdeals.com/ and search for the type of hand tools you want. As my mother would say: "Good Golly Garden Seed" when she became excited about any harvest from our family garden. May you have one too!
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