Fall

Collecting the leaves this year has been  a month plus long event.. In past years I rake or mulch the leaves twice and that is it.. I will be mow/mulching the leaves the latest I have ever mowed.. This is the 16th of November, nearly a week until Thanksgiving.. Mom was asking me do you think there are more leaves this year.. And I thought well you crazy old.. Then I thought she might be right, we only had a couple nasty storms that didn't produce as much hail this summer.. We had some serious winds but still not enough to alter the leaves situation.. When I look at the pile (s) of leaves in the gardening areas there seems to be more.. The pumpkin patch (proper) is really full of leaves.. Most years up until about five years ago I took the leaves out.. But I had always wanted to keep them to let them mulch, and the past three have been the best I have ever had.. Getting them in, setting them and letting them change on their own.. This year because of the sheer amount being so much greater I have had to water the pile to aid in the mulching process which has helped.. I put the temperature probe in there and the temp is over 80 degrees in the pile, which means it is working.. Just like every year it mulches, adding nutrients to the ground for next summers garden no matter what it might be (I still haven't decided yet what I will plant)..

That being said what I would really love to have is these leaves make it through planting, mostly to use them to be a weed blocker.. Just punching holes to the soil and planting plants or seeds and seeing if that would work but every year the leaves have been mulched enough to till them in.. Maybe this year will be different..