Leaf Storage Made E-Z

As Nature's red, brown and gold falls to the ground, don't forget to gather up plenty of it for use as compost. And when it comes to storing and handling leaves the best thing that you can do is to shred them first! Shredding the leaves will make them much easier to handle, allow you to store them in a smaller amount of space, and will also speed up the decomposition process when the leaves are applied to the garden or used in making compost.

Once shredded the possibilities for storing your organic leafy matter are almost endless and will vary depending on your situation. Dried leaves can be bagged or placed in large containers for storage over the winter without the worry of them blowing away, just take care that you don’t create a combustible hazard if the leaves heat up in storage.

Another simple alternative is to incorporate the shredded leaves right into the garden beds with a garden fork or tiller during the fall months. Or mulch vacant beds with a thick layer of leaves that can be removed or tilled under in the spring. You can also insulate your garlic beds and other fall vegetables that are being over-wintered with a blanket of shredded leaves.