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Old November 11, 2009   #1
pete
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Default Leaf Thief

O.K. I know I am not alone this time of year when I drive by 20 bags of shredded leaves and grass clippings and feel like Santa himself has arrived.
I head back under the cover of darkness with my utility trailor and snatch all 20 bags. Then sneek home to the back yard and set up compost bins, all the while smelling that fall rotten leaf odor that makes the tomato plants soo happy. I've scored about 40 bags so far and have about 40 more to pick up tonight. So fess-up, who else does this or is my DW right thinking I'm weird. I explain to her that every year all normal gardeners do this, right. I'm not weird, am I ??


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Old November 11, 2009   #2
OneoftheEarls
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my city will actually drop them off at my community garden....but the first round was hundreds of bags.....watch out as many get rid of garbage and don't follow the leaves only rule....the cheaters.

Earl


100 posts! I thought bells might ring or something
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Old November 11, 2009   #3
Worth1
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No you’re not weird, last year I just drove by and asked for them and the folks where glad to see them gone.
Around here if you see something you better get it before someone else does.
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Old November 11, 2009   #4
pete
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Is that really you carrying a deer on a bike?? Frig man, that can't be easy. I know sometimes you get a non-leaf product in those bags, but whatcha gona do?
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Old November 11, 2009   #5
rxkeith
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no sneaking for me. the town i live in has a dump site for leaves not too far from my home. partially shredded to boot. i have loaded up the truck 3 times so far. first load went on the raspberries, the next 2 loads went in the garden. i still need several more.
i load up the truck, then jump in the back and pack them down a bit so i can put in more. then i cover the top with some old carpet, and weight that down with some garden tools so i don't lose the leaves, and the carpet for that matter. we are having a stretch of good weather so have to take advantage of it. quite a work out it is.
when do you decide you have enough if supply is not a problem? i know, silly question.


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Old November 11, 2009   #6
pete
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Never enough leaves. You quit when your soil test comes back 89% oak leaves!!! Man at least some towns are hip on leaf recycling, sometimes I get people thinking I'm stealing or something. I quit when my piles are full and my back is real sore, no sooner.
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Old November 11, 2009   #7
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Pete - weird would be NOT picking up the bags of leaves! Haven't scored any this year - too much poison ivy in the immediate area but did see about 10 bales of spoiled straw behind my neighborhood hardware store - since I work there (another one of their stores) they may deliver - just to get rid of it. I don't have a truck to haul stuff. Piegirl
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Old November 11, 2009   #8
cdbva
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rxkeith View Post
i load up the truck, then jump in the back and pack them down a bit so i can put in more. keith
Wow, that brings back memories. Having put myself through school doing grounds work, I know you can squash down a lot of leaves that way. Professionally speaking, I suspect you could probably tamp them down a couple more times with no problem.

[Now I work in an office. It isn't as much fun.]

As far as using the leaves, though, I don't have a clue. Are you all saying that I could rake up the leaves in my yard -- mostly maple -- and just work them into the soil? or is there more to it than that?

Christine
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Old November 12, 2009   #9
Blueaussi
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As far as using the leaves, though, I don't have a clue. Are you all saying that I could rake up the leaves in my yard -- mostly maple -- and just work them into the soil? or is there more to it than that?

They'll compost in the garden as well as in a designated compost pile.
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Old November 12, 2009   #10
recruiterg
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I've tilled in two huge loads of shreaded leaves into my vegetable garden soil. Is there any limit to how much leaf matter you can add? I assume it will all be composted by the time I start in the spring...
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Old November 12, 2009   #11
OneoftheEarls
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Pete...that is not me...but in fact taken off a Yooper site which is a nickname for those living in the remote northern section of Michigan known as the Upper Peninsula...Yooper is a take off on that name "Upper".

I am a hick who lives just below the bridge and we are known as "Trolls".

We do love venison here though

Earl
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Old November 12, 2009   #12
RJ_Hythloday
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OneoftheEarls View Post
Pete...that is not me...but in fact taken off a Yooper site which is a nickname for those living in the remote northern section of Michigan known as the Upper Peninsula...Yooper is a take off on that name "Upper".
I've been taking a linguistics class, that's definitely a regional dialect. One of mine being from Utah is gonna.

I got about 60 to 100 bags last year. This year I'm only going to get enough to compost the garden clean up with when it happens.
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Old November 12, 2009   #13
sfmathews
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I do it in the light of day. I figure if I see them, I better stop and pick them up. Do people think I'm wierd? Probably? But it will pay off come next spring!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pete View Post
O.K. I know I am not alone this time of year when I drive by 20 bags of shredded leaves and grass clippings and feel like Santa himself has arrived.
I head back under the cover of darkness with my utility trailor and snatch all 20 bags. Then sneek home to the back yard and set up compost bins, all the while smelling that fall rotten leaf odor that makes the tomato plants soo happy. I've scored about 40 bags so far and have about 40 more to pick up tonight. So fess-up, who else does this or is my DW right thinking I'm weird. I explain to her that every year all normal gardeners do this, right. I'm not weird, am I ??


Pete, or Weird Pete

Last edited by sfmathews; November 12, 2009 at 03:47 PM.
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Old November 12, 2009   #14
Blueaussi
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Originally Posted by recruiterg View Post
I've tilled in two huge loads of shreaded leaves into my vegetable garden soil. Is there any limit to how much leaf matter you can add? I assume it will all be composted by the time I start in the spring...
I would think it depends on what shape your soil is in to begin with, like pH and microbial life and earthworms and such. If you're starting from sand or clay, you might want to layer the leaves on top of the soil and let them rot that way over the winter, then till. Hmmm, but your winters are much, much, much colder than mine, aren't they? Maybe you should wait and let someone with a similar environment answer.


I'll hush now.
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Old November 12, 2009   #15
pete
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Earl- Venison is an amazing resource around here as well. Dusk and dawn on the road is dangerous with all the deer popping out of the corn fields during the rutt. I like making chilli out of deer meat, spicy, and flavorful tomatoes in it. Also deer jerky.
Seeing some of the bridges up by you makes me wonder if you trolls PAY people to cross your bridges!!!


Recruitag- I've tilled in a 2-3 inch layer of chopped fine leaves in the fall and come spring you do not see any leaf particles in the dirt at all, I think you should be ok. It helps to water them if you are real dry now, I plant winter rye in the beds, I don't know if that matters. It is amazing how fast a leaf pile shrinks if you water it and add some N (coffee grounds here).

Got my bags this morning- garbage men were late (thank God).


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