Leaf collection in full swing -- putting pre-soaked alfalfa below leaf layer

So far, have collected 2 garbage bags and 1 garbage bin worth of leaves.  I estimate 2 more garbage bins will probably be enough to cover the rest of the yard.  It's a lot less now that the central bed has gone back to the dogs as of a month or two agol

Below the leaves I'm scattering pre-soaked alfalfa pellets.  The only place that doesn't have the alfalfa is under the big rock pile in the south part of the west bed -- that's where I'll put carrots next year.

Final leaves collected -- not chopping them

Collected leaves over the past two or three weeks, some from the hill on top of the hill, the rest from the grassy area left of the stairs.  A great method for the closer spot is to bring the garbage can instead of bags -- so much easier/quicker to fill it up.

The first few batches of leaves I had been blending in the garbage can with the big mower.  BUT, when it ran out of reel and I replaced it with a new reel, that new reel was all used up in almost no time at all!!!!!!  Like it blended only maybe one or two garbage bags!!!!  Which means there are a ton of teeny pieces of plastic reel all mixed in with the leaves!

So, for the rest of the leaves, which is a lot of leaves, I'll just leave them whole, and see how that goes.

One or the original bags of mowed leaves is in the basement to be used next year.

Cukes, zukes, and zinnias transplanted -- including 2 zukes in pots

For the cukes (all Eureka, 6 of them, consisting of 4 from round 1 and 2 from round 2 for staggering the harvest),  and zukes (7 in ground (3 8 Ball and 6 Golden Glory) and 2 in big pots*), amended with lots of mrp, semi-lots of azomite, and some kelp.  Oh and for a few of the zukes I did add some alfalfa but not a lot.  Also put some of the freezer rabbit poop in with most of the zukes, but not the pair... oh which pair.... I think not the SW-most pair.  Or was it not the pair in the central bed.... Ah well.

Didn't amend the zinnias with anything.

* 2 of the zukes (both Golden Glory) are in big pots.  The soil in these consisted of a mix of garden bed soil and a mix of my potting mix (peat, ProMix, lime, kelp, mrp, azomite, and a small amount of alfalfa).  I've never had success with potted zucchinis before -- the plants have always been wimpy and never produced anything -- so I'm curious for this year, now that I have bigger pots and lots of mrp and azomite in there.

Mulched most of the things with the last of last fall's basement mulched leaves.

Undecided which of the zukes I won't tulle.  For sure I'll tulle at least 6 of the 7 in ground.  I may also try tulling the potted ones and the hydro bed one while they're relatively small at least.

Mulch: Wins from last year! Overwintered chopped leaves in basement garbage bag; overwintered hollyhock and zinnia

The garbage bag of chopped leaves that I put in the basement last fall to use this spring is great!!  Looks like it has started to mold (but no bad smell)!  Used half of it to mulch various things; saving the rest to mulch the other things that will be transplanted soon.

And, the hollyhock stems and zinnias that I had overwintered in the yard for the birds -- were mostly a fail birdwise (saw birds eating their seeds only a couple of times) -- but are coming in very handy as a woody mulch for established plants.

I'm also using cut grass from the yard, letting it dry out before applying it as a mulch.

~8 bags of leaves shredded and put into yard

To shred them:  Used the big powerful whipper snipper, in basement (since noisy), leaves into green bin then "blendering" them with the whipper snipper.  Would be easier/better with wider bin like garbage can, but it still worked.

Eye goggles, face mask, and gloves.

Most of the leaves went into the beds (dug in); some went onto the grass paths.

Some left over will probably keep in basement (in garbage bag) for the winter.

Leaf collection began tonight

Love my rake, makes this so much easier.  

2

Used newly-collected mown leaves to mulch the chard/parsley/onion/broccoli

Would be fantastic to not buy any cedar mulch, well at least for the backyard, and use leaves instead as mulch for water retention.  Saves money, and doesn't leave behind those big chunks of wood.

No-dig: Garlic bed, which was mulched thickly with leaves, soil nice and soft!

Wow!  The soil in the garlic bed by the kitchen door, which I mulched thickly with mown leaves last fall, is nice and soft, very easy to put my hand in.  (Discovered this this spring while moving a few garlics to fill in gaps.)

This makes me really want to try some no-dig beds, starting this coming fall by doing a thick mown-leaf mulch.  It's a lot of work to collect the leaves especially since they mow down to nothing, so it takes a LOT of leaves and mowing, but, if it means not maiming worms etc. next spring, it will be worth it. 

I'm thinking next year the entire kitchen window bed, the air conditioner beds, and at least part of the west bed would be good candidates.