Autumn Leaves: The French Alternative

It is said that if you catch a falling autumn leaf before it hits the ground you will have one month of good luck. So if you catch 12 of them you'll have a whole year of good luck and the luckiest leaf of all is the last leaf to fall from any tree.

The only problem with autumn leaves is what do you do with them once they've fallen to the ground. It is a chore to rake them up so Jackie French suggests you take your lawn mower and mow them up. The catcher in the lawn mower will collect all the leaves and they will be chopped into smaller pieces by the lawn mower ready to be used for mulch. Chopped autumn leaves make great mulch and are an excellent fertiliser for the garden because they are 0.3% to 3% nitrogen which will feed the vegie garden or flower bed. The chopped leaves will also break down faster in the compost.

Warning: Mulch can become a breeding ground for snails so in spring use some sort of snail control to stop all your seedlings being eaten by snails.

Further information

For more of Jackie French's ideas consult her new book Making Money from your Garden (Earth Garden Magazine, 1997, rrp $9.95). Available from book stores and newsagencies throughout Australia.

Copyright CTC Productions 2006