Playing In The Leaves

I went to the back yard woods yesterday and spent some time playing in piles of lovely leafy organic matter. 

It was a perfect autumn day and the forest smelled duffy and rich.

When I was done, I had two bags full. I attached them to my rake and hoisted it all to my shoulders. 

After thanking the trees, I was off.

With the bags swinging in a stiff north wind, I hauled my mulchy matter to the front yard, where our raised bed garden sits.

Then I spent some time in in the garden preparing it for winter. 

While I planted two rows of garlic and set down a thick layer of hay overtop, a large flock of honking geese flew low overhead, on the way through patchy fog to a nearby lake. 

Later, one of the biggest murmurations of starlings I have ever seen morphed and mingled as it flew overhead. 

Back on task, I returned to the leaves. 

I dumped the two bags into a tower in the middle of the garden, and raked them out to cover the soil.

Finally, to complete my winter garden tuck-in, I put down three rows of chicken wire to completely cover the 8 X 16 raised bed.

The wire does double duty. It will keep the leaves on the garden, and will keep the local cat gangs out. 

I don't blame the cats, as annoying and unsanitary as poop where you grow your food is - a raised bed garden must, to them, look exactly like a dreamy super-sized litter box. 

In conclusion, don't get rid of those leaves! Get out there, play in them, then put them to good use as a natural fertilizer in your yard.

No supply chain problems there - the trees dependably deliver year after year.