I've read many of your posts Rita and you are ONE HARD WORKING LADY! It obviously shows in the pics you've posted. Makes me SOOO THANKFUL for all the trees surrounding my property because the leaves fall right into all of my daylily garden spots. SHEESH it's all I can do to remove all the leaves from the plants come spring, cover the leaves with cardboard and mulch in the spring. I have a tree service that dumps their chipped wood in one of my fields that I use to cover the cardboard with. I use the piles that have sat for 3-4 years and it pretty much keeps the weeds out during the growing seasons. My dirt is much, much better than the clay I started with....LOL
Nancy

Its very easy to find bagged leaves here each fall. Lots of big trees around the neighborhood. Right around the corner from me is a very old development that is very woodsey with mature trees. Also great pickins there :-))

I have also started raking my leaves. We have a lot on the ground from the drought, and now they are falling from the little cool weather we are having. I also have some mulched with grass clippings that I will be able to use. I have about 20 bags under the fallen tree from Hurricane Gustav last year. As soon as my brother can make it over here to cut the tree up I will be able to get to those too. It should be enough to mulch my beds for the winter and then again in spring for weed control. I try not to buy mulch, too expensive when there's so much for free.

Sharon

Sharon, you have the right idea. The fall leaves make such great mulch. Plus they arttract so many earthworms which just turn the mulch into soil by next fall.

It was drizzeling again today so I was out doing some errands and grocery shopping as there could be no working in the garden today. So after I came home and unloaded the car, I went back out to grab various bagged leaves that I had spotted in my drive around town. Not a great day for leaf napping as the bags are just drenched on the outside but tomorrow, Wednesday, is pickup by the town day. So if I don't get them today they are gone. I can use them even though I know there will be lots more because if we have a nice day, I can use these ones I have to get lots mulched upstairs before setting off to try and find more next Monday and Tuesday.

Raining today. No gardenwork getting done here :-((

The lawn here looked neat ( after just getting mowed this past weekend) until a big storm came through last night. Now leaves are everywhere (again.) The leaves on the two biggest trees in the yard are always late falling. It might be three more weeks before they're totally off! Once they fall, I'll use the mulching mower to collect them and spread them around. Just had a big icky hackberry taken down, but the leaves on that weren't very good anyway.We've had 3 or 4 frosts, but no really hard freezes yet. Last year I was still collecting and spreading leaves at Thanksgiving. Looks like it might be that late this year too! The good news is, all the other garden work has finally been completed.

Got plenty of leaves here and more to follow. I'll be collecting them up next week. All oak too!

newyorkrita, I noticed you have straw too. I was given some yesterday at work (I work at a place that uses them for their pumpkin displays). I've never used straw before to mulch with. Do you find it weed seeds a lot in spring? Do you find any problems with rodents getting into the bales?
I've been thinking of using it to mulch some of my beds, but I'm not sure about the weed issue and the rodents overwintering in it.
What do you think? Does it serve as a good mulch? Or should I just give it to the neighbors? I can't compost where I live or I would use it for that.

I love straw. I don't keep it in bales overwinter so no problems there. Plus the straw does no more to attract mice than my other mulches do. As to the weed seeds if they cut late sometimes (not often) there are seeds heads that sprout. It is very easy to pull them, takes only afew minutes as they are sitting on top of the mulch and roots don't even go into the ground yet. Not an issue at all.

Thankyou! I was given pretty much as many as I wanted to take from a pile of about 15 bales. I took just a couple, but free straw is awesome anyway!

Straw is probably my favorite mulch, so easy to work with. If it was free, like yours is, then it really would be the perfect mulch. Thats why I use fall leaves so much. They are free and it is such a shame for me to see all those leaves which are great for the garden, wasted.

I went and picked up lots and lots of bagged leaves today, doing many trips. The sideyard is full of them were I just dragged them out of the car and piled and left them. Of course, they are not going to stay there. Need some to mulch the daylily bed running alongside the driveway. I piled up bags near there for that project. Then some get dragged to the front yard to do between the hedges that are the backround of the left side front yard daylily bed. I did the right side already the other week.

Most of the rest go upstairs to finish the daylily and blueberry beds there.

I still need some for the hedges that run all along the side property line but the rose beds that run along the bed along the house there are all done.

There is a big pile of absolutely perfect bags that would be enough for me to get two more loads and have enough for everything but they are in extra large and tightly stuffed bags. Too heavy, I can't lift them. Was already trying but just wouldn't budge much for me. If I can't get those, will have to find something else yet to be finished. The work never seems to be done.

I am also mulching with leaves using from our yard and the neighbors. The neighbor had already raked a big pile of them, my Dh put them on a large tarp and made about six trips pulling them to my garden. We are picking up the rest with the garden tractor pick up bags attachment takes longer but they are chopped and stay in place even in the wind. Hope to be finished soon. Rita I don't envy you with having so many different levels to drag leaves. It is funny when I asked our young neighbor if I could have his leaves he said "Sure take all you want, I was hoping they would blow away" meanwhile I am thinking so glad they didn't. Only a gardener would understand how wonderful leaves are. LOL