Leaves: From Colour to Compost
Written by: Sumati Shah; Sumati’s Sattva Salon
The wheel of the season has turned and crisp temperatures creep into the in between time… reminding me that like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives….HA!
Seriously though, this time of year always does become romantically reflective – a little wistful, and a little excited about the quiet plans taking place for a sunny spring reveal. Some deeper metaphor is also ther. This picture of my dog holds pride of place in both ways this time around. Make the most out of what you have when you have it.
And….back to the Now and the leaves, and the beautiful colours starting to show themselves. I love watching these changes and I even like watching the leaves swirl and dance in a good breeze, once they’ve started falling.
My big lovely maple only keeps getting bigger, and more leaves fall every year than I can pile up. The volume compared to my composter capacity is truly laughable.
Life ProTip: Never waste an opportunity to jump into a good leaf pile.
Maple leaves, in particular, take longer to break down, so leaving them in the beds isn’t great, even if I’ve mulched them (PS: don’t buy a cheap mulcher – the engine burns out), so I will likely be making some hugelkultur beds again this year. It’s a no brainer! I save on leaf bags, make leaves into compost, and save on compost in the Spring.
Some leaves go into the compost pile, and a lot more of them go into some trenches along with branches and twigs (even big logs if you have them). It’s not less work, but it’s way more satisfying and it’s definitely a great use of the resources at hand without creating any kind of waste.
Rule of Green Thumbs: Never pass up an opportunity to make a good leaf pile. Your plants will be glad you did.
For now, enjoy the crisp mornings and change of colours. Enjoy a few moments of stillness on an early morning with no air conditioners running and listen to the quiet. Just enjoy the change, and dream of the garden bed you’re going to create or amend using the leaves when the colours turn to compost.
Stay tuned for a closer look at hugelkultur next week!
Go Go Green Thumbs!
