One Last Harvest

Long after most gardeners have given up and called it quits for the winter, there are those that make one last harvest. They harvest the falling leaves that are now decorating the city. Travel around the city and watch the reaction of people and their leaves. Falling leaves at times, seems more of a character study than a horticultural phenomenon. Children shuffle through them on the sidewalks or jump with glee in the giant piles on the lawns. Others rake them into piles knowing that they are going to have a wonderful amendment for their garden soil. Other glumly labor as if on a chain gang as they pile and bag the droppings from the trees. I am convinced the best way to enjoy the fall cleanup is to imagine the benefits next year. Imagine large, juicy, flavorful tomatoes or luscious melons. Imagine a rich black loamy soil that does not turn rock hard as it dries or that will not cake on the shovel as you dig in the garden. Although soil does change all at once, each year it gets better and better and turns that hard brick- like clay into wonderful garden soil. I think that leaves are among the best soil amendments. They certainly fit my criteria for an ideal amendment. • First they are abundant. To improve soil you need to add lots of organic matter. I am talking about bushels and bushels of the stuff. Even though there seems to be truckloads of the leaves, a large bag of leaves when fully composted leaves only cupfuls of actual compost. With that in mind you need to have voluminous amounts of material. • Second they are affordable. Leaves at this time of year are not just a bargain, they are free. Ask the neighbors to bring them by or make stops up and down the street and haul back the bags to your garden. Not only are you saving money you are also adding a great soil amendment. • Third they are weed free. The most common inexpensive amendments are animal manures but unfortunately they are full of weed seeds. These make gardening difficult and cause problems for years to come. Normally trees produce seeds earlier in the season and their leaves have almost undesirable seeds in them. After you have the abundant, inexpensive and weed free amendment, the choice is how to compost them. There are several methods to change them to the rich soil improving amendments. My preferred method is to sheet compost them. This is the easiest since you spread them in layers over the garden and then till them in if possible. Add some nitrogen fertilizer and they will decompose over the winter. The leaves will decompose faster if they are shredded. You can easily do this by picking them up with a bagging lawnmower. If you have a shredder, then run them through along with small twigs and other organic material. Larry A. Sagers Regional Horticulturist Utah State University Extension Thanksgiving Point Office