My neighbors are lazy bums who rake nothing :-) Not really, there just aren't many oak or deciduous trees here and the leaves that fall stay where they fall.

I called my county about free mulch like other counties have and they discontinued that program and "will never have it again" (their words). Makes you wonder what caused that to happen. Wood chipper accident?

Good for you Anna!

I got a few bags of pine needles about 2 months ago and I picked up some leaves today that brings my total to about 35 but I'm just getting started!

People just don't know about leaves...you're preaching to the choir on this forum

Sadly, not many trees to get the leaves from either. I used to collect them in NJ in the fall and put them in the veggie garden for the winter. By spring they had rotted down and then I used the grass clippings from the mower as mulch around the plants. After 25 yrs there I had the blackest soil you could image. Hubby would dig for worms when he went fishing in it. And it started out as red clay. :o)

Denise, my neighbors have lawn services that take the leaves away. I usually get them from nearby neighborhoods on the way to school, errands, my mom's. We scout out the good neighborhoods with lots of oaks and go by very regularly on our way out of ours.

Laura, I know what you mean that I am preaching to the choir on this forum. Just thought I'd put out a challenge, or 'plant' the idea that in this bad economy it is great stuff for free. Just a reminder for folks that there really are a lot of bags out there not too far away, I guess. By the way, I'm up to 110!

Katkin, I can imagine what 25 years of doing that did for your soil and garden! Good for clay and good for sand.

Anna

We are really lucky that we live only a few miles from the mushroom farm and have a neighbor with a trailer who will bring us loads of it for gas money.

There is another neighbor several blocks away who will pile his leaves and the other half will take a big tarp in the van and go load up, skipping the bags all together. We now have several big mounds of oak leaves around the yard for use as mulch since our wood chip pile is almost gone.

We do also grab bags of leaves whenever we see them since it is such an easy way to have leaves on had for the compost bins when needed.

Anna, good post! I haven't raked leaves since I left Michigan 32 years ago!! There have been no leaves to rake!! However, after the frost, I HAVE been raking up my Maple, Tabebuia and Oak leaves and storing them in a yard waste recycle bin to use on my gardens and planters. I am actually enjoying my trimmings and leaves for the first time.

I am glad we got an extra couple bags of pine chips when we redid the front bed shrubs(firebushes that all got frost bit and will get trimmed tomorrow). I didn't realize there was a shortage of chips.

Anna, we still use our grass clippings as mulch in the veggie garden and after 12 years that soil is now black and filled with worms. ;o)

TCLynx, you really are lucky. I would love to have a couple of trailers full of mushroom compost and oak leaves. Your garden looks like it has reaped the benefits!

Cindee, don't limit yourself to your immediate neighborhood. If you see neighborhoods with lots of large oaks, you might circle around on recycling days. It's raking time! Great that you are making good use of your own leaves and clippings. I just can never get enough. I didn't mean that there was a shortage of pine bark chips at the store. Just that we get our mulch from tree companies and they have not been as busy as usual, so they don't have much to give away to us so we need to collect extra leaves to make up for the shortage of wood chips. I think the leaves will be great, though. They just don't last as long as the chips.

Katkin, those wrigglers do a great job, don't they? Twelve years is a good start!!!

Anna

Ok the leaves are by the curb to be picked up! I got 40 bags today for a total of 75. I've spread most of them and I need a lot more! But more than that I need a shower! I think every animal smell is on and in those bags...eewh!

Wow, Laura, 40 bags today....ouch! Your back deserves a nice, warm bath. You've got a nice total going. I'm at 126, and will try to get out tonight and for sure tomorrow night should be a big night. We finally have gotten them spread in preparation for a big week this week. Our little worms will be a singing... Keep up the good work. Yes, the next couple of weeks should be prime!

Anna

Im laughing at you all keeping a running total! I have never though to use my own fallen leaves as mulching, though it sounds like you all have had great success. I usually suck them up with the mower which also cuts them up a bit, would this be good for mulching. Also about how long does it take for the leaves to break down fully, and would it hurt any if I were to mulch over top of the leaves after a few months? Im hoping to turn more 'waste' into something I can use here in the garden.

It actually works a little better if you do put a layer of some other mulch over the top...if you have it. The leaves won't blow away so easily and they will break down quicker adding organic matter and happy worms!

I don't always count how many curbside bags I PU. Last year I didn't count but wish I had...it was a lot.

Yes! More bags tomorrow.

LOL after reading this I have been craning my neck while driving to check out side streets in "oaky" neighborhoods. Haven't seen a single bag yet! Almost seen someone's bumper up close though! But I did use my own oak leaves. Last spring we hadn't started our gardening/composting craze yet and we probably put 3 of our own bags of oak leaves on the curb. Can't believe we wasted it now!

With all the freeze damaged plants that I have in my yard, Mango, Lychees, ti plants, etc...I'm a newbie to this, so please bear with me. Is there any plant that I should not use to mulch with. I wanted to use all the damaged leaves from my mangos and put it underneath(on top of the soil) instead of pine bark and heard this was good for the soil for added organic matter. I was wondering if there are some leaves from certain plants that would not be recommended to use...or is it all good?

Thanks!

Jonnys, leaves are mother nature's own mulch. They are great soil builders. Keep on piling. Of course you can put mulch on top. Eventually, when I'm able to get free wood chips again, I will pile those on top. It all composts in place. You could throw grass clippings in there too. It's all free too. Leaves are not 'waste', they are precious materials! The bad side is that once the rainy season starts, they start to degrade at a pretty good clip. It all depends on how often they get wet and how thick you pile them, so it's difficult to estimate how long they'll last. For me, they'll start looking like they need replenishment by July or so I estimate.

Laura, 145! I spotted more for tomorrow, too. If my DH holds out, it should be a big day. We'll see.

FLnative, lol, be careful!!! But don't stop looking. You will find good neighborhoods that will gladly give you their unwanted leaves. It's a big step to realize you actually are doing yourself a favor to use your fallen leaves.

Puglvr, I am no expert, but I believe that letting the leaves stay around the base of most plants (as mother nature intended, after all), is a great thing to do. Mango leaves will be full of what nutrients the mango tree takes up, so it makes sense to recycle them to that same tree. The only exceptions might be if the leaves are diseased, if the mulch piles too high around the base of the plant, or if you use leaves from a very few plants that have substances that slow or inhibit growth (like the australian pine in a recent thread). I am a little bit of a neat freak, so I like things to look uniform. What I usually do is let leaves fall where they do, and then I pile either oak leaves or wood chips over them to make the whole area look the same. It's an ocd thing I have, lol, but I'm getting better.

Thanks Anna, I appreciate it! What you say makes a lot of sense...BTW, I have a little OCD myself, lol...

I've started cutting on those freeze damaged plants...I hope not too soon. With the travellers palm and bananas I tossed in the beds next to the plants and then used the oak leaves to cover.
those rotting papayas had to go! they were gross and attracking a lot of fruit flies. I need more fruit flies??

As for getting more bags today? I looked but the trash guys had already picked up in my neighborhood. I might have to wait until next week unless I accidentally find some in another area.

I agree that what Anna says makes sense in regards to leaves being good for the tree that they came from.

My question is whether those of you that make common practice of using pine needles and oak leaves as mulch throughout your yard find it is of a great benefit? I'm just curious, because I was going to do this (since my mother's place is surrounded by oak and pine trees), but I read in my compost book that both of these are very acidic and can turn the soil too acidic and run off the worms.

I'm curious what kind of personal experience Anna, Laura and the others may have had with this.

Thanks for any input!

A few weekends ago I got 35 bags, but I had to fill them myself since our city doesn't allow plastic bags to be put out. But I was lovin' it. They mulched all my back rose beds nice and deep. Keeping my eye out for more piles!

Sherry

I saw my neighbors raking and bagging and asked if I could have have the leaves. They brought them over and even helped me spread them. They rent and don't garden and they seemed happy to have something useful to do with their "trash."

Oh, Laura, too bad. There's always next week, though, and I bet next week will be a good one. I do that too- throw prunings on the ground to compost in place and then throw the leaves on top to hide them. Great method when there is time. Papayas should be full of nutrients for some lucky plant.

nfmgirl, earthworms love leaf mulch. It attracts them big time. No problem with acidity. I don't use pine needles in great quantities but I use them whenever I can get them. I've had no problems with them either. I really like them because they last longer as a mulch. Try using them and then make your own decision. I think you will find they are of great benefit to your soil if you are able to add them for a couple of years.

Sherryocala, that is so great that your city doesn't allow plastic bags! Maybe we are making progress. Yes, keep looking, there will be more leaves out there- perhaps in paper bags.

cjc45, that's so nice of your neighbors. I find people are very happy to make good use of their trash. Yesterday we were collecting in a nearby neighborhood and the lady came out and offered us our truck to lug them back to our home since there were so many. We didn't take her up on it, just took a couple of trips, but we enjoyed meeting her and she felt good to give us her leaves.

BTW, 190!

Anna

nfmgirl, I asked at the native plant nursery if there were any tree leaves that I should not use for mulch. The owner said no, they were all good. I guess it might be different if you were growing a lot of non native plants. I haven't had any trouble but there's usually other leaves mixed in with the oak. In Georgia I mulched with pine stray and it certainly didn't seem to bother the worms.

Thanks for the info annafl and cjc. I'm currently using all of the ficus and olive leaves from the tree trimming we did a few months ago. I'm probably going to top it with some other mulch, too.

You guys are probably the only people in the world who wouldn't think I am crazy for thinking I'm going to gather the oak leaves in the parking lot at work. The complex is lined with Oaks and the amount of leaves just blowing around into their own little piles is unbelievable...such easy pickings!

Lisa B

How many now?

nfmgirl,
I don't know about your area but here in PB county we are struggling with Fig white flies, they attack several varities of Ficus and other plants as well like Strangler Fig. They have come up from Miami over the course of a year (in Miami if you have Ficus you now have to treat them or cut them down) They are heading north you may see them soon if these trees are defoliating look for egg cases under the leaves and small triangle shaped white flies. Life cycle of adult is 1 month than die and new ones hatch. If anyone gets these don't use them as mulch(bag or burn)this is a big threat to Florida (that is if you like Ficus) lol.

Katie

129 bags and counting. I only wish I had a place to store them for later in the year.

I just attended a Master Gardener class (cont. ed) and they said that using leaves as mulch is ok but if you mix them into the soil that is when they rob the nitrogen from the soil.

there are leaves i won't use: maple I've heard get slimy and nasty and form a mat; magnolia and sycamore are big and I don't like them although I don't think they'd hurt anything.

I always check to see what kind of trees are in the yard before making a pick up. The combination of oak and pine is the best IMHO.

So far I haven't seen any signs of whitefly on my ficus. However I'm thinking I'll be cutting it down anyway. It is too close to my house (only maybe 12 feet from the lanai and 20 from the house). I worry about the roots and it coming down in a storm. I hate to take it down, as it is big and lush and shades my lanai and attracts the birds, but better to get it now than when it grows even bigger!

302 so far!!! Yes, we always stake out the yard to see what type of trees they have before taking the bags. We've also acquired a 'feel' for oak leaves and pine needles through the plastic bags. We are really picky, but it pays off. Now, I keep telling my DH I think we can make it to 350. This next week may be our last good chance.

Anna

I wish I had room to store more.
Anna-are you using them all now or saving some for later?

Hi Laura!

We are spreading them all now. I'm hoping we can get enough to do all the beds, mound a lot on the compost pile and in the bins before we're done. I figure 350 or better will do it. It is really slowing down, though. Last week was slow because we had a bunch of company (spring breakers). Boy, they really kept me busy, but it was fun.

Anna

Just moved into my first home in February and lucky enough to have a big oak in my neighbors yard. The leaves fall on a piece of lawn I am trying to keep green, so I kill two birds with one stone when I rake. I save the lawn and get myself some mulch for the backyard.

OK, Flora Buds,

Just how are you counting? If two people go on a run and collect 30 is that equal to my old self collecting 15?

And just what size ARE these bags? Are they the 4 bushel ginormous ones? Or the one peck ones that I drive right on past?

I'll fess up. I have collected about 50 bags. (I didn't know we were counting!!) (But I shall remember for next year....)

My best haul was today: Huge bags of oak leaves and grass clippings, mixed and already minced by what must have been a mulching and bagging mower. Absolutely pure gold.

I am SO envious thonotorose !
You found platinum !

Citrus do not do well with leaf mulch .
A clean grove is a healthy grove .
Raking my grove is on my to do list -yuck .

Beware of leaves with Rain tree seeds .
I still use the leaves - just know that I will be weeding too .

Keep up the good work everyone .
Recycling at it's finest !

Laura - you aren't in Lakeland are you? You could come rake my yard and have tons of leaves! I have seen a guy drive through our neighborhood with trash bags in his truck - I bet that is what he is doing. They fall in my flowerbeds and I leave them. I was cleaning out flower pots this week and in every one that had a covering of leaves, there were tons of worms. Of course the dirt was still moist and in the ones that had dried dirt - nothing but weeds growing on top.

My problem with the Oaks is the polled! Its everywhere now and the allergies are really acting up.

mboston-I'm not in Lakeland.
I have a "rule/guideline" I don't rake leaves if I can others to rake them for me! hehe

Thonotorose, we just count ALL the bags, no matter who picks them up. Some are small, most are the regular medium lawn bags, and some are huge, heavy ones. They all still count as one bag in our mind. Counting keeps us going... keeping a goal in mind helps us not give up. Congrats on the 50 bags!

Yes, I love the ones with the grass clippings mixed in. Frequently they are steaming when we open them. I save those for the veggie garden. Primo stuff. I have one neighbor who puts those out regularly. I always keep my eyes peeled for their bags.

I'm with Laura. So many bags out there that others have raked, it takes up so much time just to open them up and spread them. Enough back-breaking work in my yard!

Finally I can post here. My neighbor across the street had piles of leaves and I asked if I could come and get them. Filled the butterfly garden and another small bed.
Pembroke Pines went to a new waste management practice of everything goes into the huge green garbage thing that is dumped by machine into the truck. No bags allowed.

My family, who was forced to help, did not share my joy. lol

Alright, Kristy!!! Way to enlist your family, too! That's great that Pembroke Pines doesn't allow plastic bags. Not good for you, of course, but good in general. Sarasota Co. still allows them. We almost never put them out, but most homes do, and we benefit from that. It certainly makes it easier for us and makes our leaf gathering possible.

335 and still counting!

Anna

I have a question about oak leaf decomposition. When I moved into my house there were at least ten years worth of undecayed leaves under the azaleas. It was a moldy, wet mess up against the trunks that seemed like it would never compost. Since then I've been reluctant to compost with leaves.

Do you all shred leaves before you put them on your gardens? Are you using leaves in flower beds, vegie beds, Where? Please guide me to better use my leaves. I probably bag 100 bags myself! I know this is a valuable resource I'm wasting.

Peachpaws, we mostly get the live oak leaves which are rather small. No need to shred or go through any extra trouble. We use them in all our beds- flower beds and veggie, around trees, anywhere there is no grass. The bags that have grass clippings mixed in, I use mostly in the veggie beds because they compost faster and I feel probably have more nutrients. Things with pine needles I usually save for pathways because they last much longer in foot traffic. That's just how we do it. There is no right or wrong way. What you describe under your azaleas sounds like leaf mold, what is considered a very desirable soil conditioner and attractant for earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms. How did your azaleas look? Were they healthy and happy?

If you have 100 bags worth of leaves, try to use them. Experiment and see if it's right for you. Your plants will love you. If you prefer a traditional mulch look, you could just pile it over the leaves in the beds and no one would have to know that you didn't remove the leaves! Don't do any backbreaking work you don't need to do!

Anna

BTW, 341!

Anna