“Autumn days when the grass is jewelled…” Do you remember singing that in your primary school assembly? I can tell you that they are still singing it, with some culturally sensitive alterations to the lyrics.
Apart from the piano, the other obvious accompaniment to autumn days is piles of fallen leaves. Every year I ponder the irony of the Council cutting the green bin collections down to fortnightly, just when we’ve all got the largest amount of green-bin waste we’ve had all year.
So when your green bin is overflowing, what else can you do with your leaf-fall? Here are a few suggestions:
Mow the leaves into your lawn:
For lighter leaf-fall, you can mow over the leaves to break them up into smaller pieces. This speeds up decomposition, and they can be left on the lawn as a mulch.
Add them to your compost heap:
Successful composting requires an appropriate balance of nitrogen-rich ‘greens’ and carbon-rich ‘browns’. If your compost heap is wet, slimy or smelly, it would probably benefit from the addition of a layer of dead leaves, to boost the browns. Don’t forget to turn your compost heap after each addition.
Make a leaf-mould cage
This is probably the most practical of my suggestions for dealing with the volume of leaves we get in Whalley Range. Below is a picture of one of the leaf-mould cages at Cheadle College, where I have my weekly practical classes for my RHS qualification.
Leaf-mould cage at Cheadle College, Stockport.
To make one of your own, drive four tree-stakes into the ground, about 60cm apart, in a square formation. Wrap with, and attach chicken wire. Add your leaves. You do need patience; they can take over two years to break down to form leaf-mould, depending on the tree species. Leaf mould is low in nutrients but makes a great soil conditioner or mulch around the base of plants.
Make exciting crafts:
Ask any parent, school teacher or play leader; the possibilities are endless. Perhaps next autumn I will do a whole feature on this one.
Play!
Throw them in the air, jump up and down and listen to that rustle and scrunch as you walk down the street.
Coming next; Gardening jobs for November