Today I decided to try to use the lawn mower to shred the things I recently cleared out of the garden. Wow! I had no idea what a great job it would do. I'm sure things will compost a lot faster this year because of it.

While I was at it, I also shredded a couple of bags of leaves that I'd collected from a friend in the Spring, with the intention of using them as mulch this past Summer. If I'd known how easily the mower would have done the shredding, I actually would have followed through on that plan. Maybe next year.

This is quite a milestone for me, since I'm really not very good at actually cleaning out the garden when I ought to. However, the weather was unseasonably warm, and a friend volunteered to come over and watch the baby so that I could get a few things done.

The next step is to do a bit more leveling on the garden (it was expanded in haste last Spring, when the neighbor offered additional tomato plants), and then I'll spread this year's somewhat-finished compost onto the garden, and put the recently shredded stuff into the emptied bin. I compost in home-made trash barrel composters, and I seem to have about one barrel full of new shredded stuff. After that, it's time for another trip to the rabbit foster home for another load of nicely aged bunny poo, and the garden will be settled in for the Winter. I hope there will be little to be done in the Spring to prepare for planting.

Unfortunately, since I had baby at the beginning of August, the garden was far more neglected this year than it ought to have been. The crab grass settled in, and went to seed before I could get it pulled out. I fear that I'll be fighting that in the Spring (and perhaps into the Summer), but there's little that can be done with it at this point.

I'm still debating whether to put a layer of cardboard or newspaper down underneath my compost and rabbit manure in an attempt to minimize weeds, but I'm still undecided. Suggestions welcome.

It's been a satisfying day.