Shredding leaves without a leaf shredder

Today my neighbor let me have 3 1/2 extra-large trashcans full of dry leaves he collected from another neighbor's yard.

I am certainly happy to have the leaves, but I needed the leaves to be smaller to take up less space and decompose faster. I did not feel like pulling out my leaf shredder that I got for low cost from a city rebate program.

The way I dealt with shredding leaves without a shredder last week was I mowed over them with my lawn mower. Most of the leaves collected into the bag, and I poured the leaves where I needed them.

Today, I did not have my mower out. So I put the leaves in a plastic kiddie pool and stomped all over them. Since the leaves were very dry, they crumpled easily. This was a lot of fun. It would be even more fun for a kid!

To store all those leaves I put set up a short piece of chicken wire fencing into a circle. Then I dumped the crushed leaves into the center. Some of the leaves fell through the wire, but that is okay. I was able to put all the leaves into an area the size of a single trash can since they were crushed.

For now, the leaves can compost in place for leaf mold. I also plan to use the leaves as needed for carbon material in the compost pile in the summer.

The best thing about shredding leaves without a leaf shredder is that I do not have to worry about rocks and sticks stopping up the shredder. Also, saving energy is really great.

Unfortunately, this would not work on leaves that are not dry. But a simple remedy for that is to leave leaves out until they are dry!

Seeds for Kids from Bountiful Gardens

Today I decide to sort through two packets of last year's "Seeds for Kids (of all ages)" from the Bountiful Gardens store. (www.bountifulgardens.org) These packets contain an assortment of seeds from the company, non-genetically modified and pesticide free.

They do not have to be sorted, but I find it kind of relaxing to sit and the table and pick through the seeds.

There are probably over 5o varieties of plants in these packets. Quite possibly over 100. I like this because I get seeds I would not normally get if I were paying for each packet individually.



I am a little bit concerned because I do not know what most of the seeds are. When do I plant them if I do not know what they are? I plan to try anyways. They are affordable enough for the surprise. I ordered 12 more packs, one for every month, since they are only 50 cents. However, with all the seeds they have, I do not think I will get around to using all the seeds!

There are a few random types of corn. I might use these as stalks to grow peas on.