New method ! That is how I started shredding leave before I bought the shredder. Fo w shrtwhile in Between I used lawn-mower but gaveup using lawnmower because part of the shredded leaves could not be raked away from the grass.

Necessity is the mother of invention. 😊 A lawnmower works as well. Worth noting leaf mould compost (fungi dominant) and hot compost, leaves with the addition of grass clippings etc., (bacteria dominant) have different purposes in the garden.

A mixture of fresh cut grass and leaves makes a perfect hot-compost mix. So you wait until the grass is a bit long, spread the leaves over the grass, mow and collect, put the mixture in the compost heap and it will be usable, weed free compost in a ridiculously short time. Within a day you can feel the heat of the heap. If you have pernicious weeds, add them to the grass/leaf mix and bye bye pernicious weeds.

You have done a good job even with set backs on video pause . I have used this method for reducing leaves and helping them breakdown faster . Depending on vessel I will put weed eater in first and slowly add leaves. You have more control using a can or barrel instead of running over with mower. A note to remember is that some plants that can't tolerate very wet in winter should be mulched sparingly or not at all. The crowns of plants will rot with extended periods of wet . And some of my tender perennials and tropicals I keep the base as dry as possible making sure water runs away and doesn't get plant water logged cauing the sugars to be diluted and having more cell destruction by freeze or frost. These are of course my methods of madness and opinions. Keep up growing every where not just our back yards but city scapes and interstates they are ugly . 😂

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

7 ай бұрын

@careyjohnston4176 thank you for watching and I truly appreciate you taking the time to comment. We absolutely should be growing food in every spot possible.

I used to mow the leaves into a few rows, then mow over them to mulch them. Now I have a garden, so raked up a lot of wheelbarrows full and spread them on the garden. And a lot go over the well pit roof, then a ex-bilboard tarp with hold-down rocks.

Try just adding a smaller amount in the trash can shred them then add more shred in layers till it's full.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

8 ай бұрын

Yes, I was a little over zealous trying to mulch a whole bag at once. I have done it since and do it in smaller batches. Thank you for watching and subscribing! Much appreciated!

I have a lawn mower with a bag so I dump the leaves on the grass with the mower I go over the leaves in no time.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

8 ай бұрын

That’s a great method as well.

@derekanderson9418

7 ай бұрын

That's exactly what I do, and I just dump the leaves, straight onto my garden. I let it decompose in the areas that I need them. I move the leaves 1 time. That's it.

I use a lawnmower as well, but I don't use the mowers bag. That way I can do a few passes over the leaves to get a finer result. I chopped 20 green bins of leaves last fall and have them ready for this year's composting. I also use the mower to chop up all the weeds and old plants before putting them in the compost, makes the compost run a lot faster.

Great idea!

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

8 ай бұрын

Thank you! I can’t take any of the credit I got the idea from riffoutdoors on instagram. Thank you for watching, much appreciated.

great idea

Why not put a layer on the ground and mow them. That's what I do. It's pretty fast and easy. If you do them where you'll leave them you don't have to rake them up but I have done it then raked them up to put them in a trash can like you have

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, absolutely I have done that before. The main reason I didn’t hear is because the mower is closed for the season. We haven’t had to mow the grass in the front for quite a while so I winterized the mower and wasn’t going to pull it out again. Thank you for your comment and suggestion though. Thank you for watching and interacting as well!

@jenniferhunter4074

7 ай бұрын

@@Kawarthabackyardfarms Have you considered buying a Ryobi lawn mower in addition to your string trimmer? That way, it's just battery plug and play and you don't harm yourself with the string trimmer. (it's ergonomics.. The string trimmer method is hard on the shoulders. Eventually, that catches up. Ask me how I know..) My mower is super tiny. I can easily lift it with one hand and it's a beast with those leaves. I hang it in my garage so it doesn't even take floor space up.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

7 ай бұрын

@jenniferhunter4074 yes we love ryobi products, most of our tools are ryobi. The only issue right now is the cost. We currently have a mower that was gifted to us but uses gas so we try to limit the amount of use it gets. Once we are in need of a new mower ryobi will be the go to. Thank you for your comment and I hope you enjoyed this and some of our other content. 😊

@jenniferhunter4074

7 ай бұрын

@@Kawarthabackyardfarms I understand. Just an FYI.. I did invest in different blades. I have a Ryobi string trimmer as well. that might help. AT one point, I was thinking of getting a drill attachment for cement mixing so that I could properly mix the leaves. It was an adventure.. let's just say. I think the blade attachments were brush blades or something like that and they weren't that expensive. (my string kept on breaking.) Sub $20 USD.

@katykircher7413

7 ай бұрын

Pardon my ignorance, but I am curious. Are you saying you can get blades to replace the nylon line in trimmers? Please expand!!@@jenniferhunter4074

Nice.

cool thanks🎉

Lawn mower with a mulch bag! You're welcome!

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Put the weed whacker in the bucket first, and then pour the leaves on top to shred them.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

7 ай бұрын

Yes that is a better technique. I have also attached metal zip ties to a paint mixing drill bit which is much easier to handle. Thank you for your comment, much appreciated.

Wow that sure chops up the leaves nicely. Why get a leaf mulcher when you can use your mower or trimmer. Your yard is beautiful!

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

4 ай бұрын

@triciac1019 thank you for watching and for your comments. This method is a bit of a shoulder workout so I have since started using a hand drill with a paint mixing drill bit that has metal zip ties attached to it. Works just as good and doesn’t leave bits of plastic in the compost.

Do you have a lawn mower? Especially a mulching mower if so you will be able grind them very fine if you choose.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

3 ай бұрын

We do have a lawn mower but it was already winterized at this point.

@morgan79347

3 ай бұрын

@@Kawarthabackyardfarms my levels are the last thing I do before putting the lawnmower away for winter. IMHO it’s worth keeping out till my leaves are broken down. However if you use your weed wackier it gonna take more time as you can only process a small amount at a time. Good luck.

Here's a tip..... don't shred leaves. They don't need shredding and they will break down faster. You don't even need to compost them in a heap or bin. Just pile them directly on your beds.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching the video. Leaf mold, is what you are describing, takes quite a while to make (1-2 years). By shredding up the leaves and using them as our carbon source for hot composting we can make finished compost in 6 weeks. The increased surface area allows more room for microbes. From what I’ve seen leaf mold is more beneficial for perennial plants. Whereas, the high bacterial content of composts does help with annual vegetable production. It all depends on what a person wants to grow.

You should wear a mask, as the leaf dust will get up your nose. :D

Why no eye protection?

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

4 ай бұрын

I like to live dangerously 🏴‍☠️

What kind of trimmer are you using? I have one that uses nylon line, but it breaks all the time and is cumbersome to manage. It looks like your trimmer has something different, that might last longer than the nylon lines.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment Katy. The trimmer is a Ryobi trimmer edger. It came with the string and these serrated blades which is what I was using here. Now that I’ve had time to reflect and read some other comments though I think I have come up with a bit of a better solution, which will be in an upcoming video.

Just use a mower with a bagger.

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

6 ай бұрын

@Rattlerjake1 absolutely and during the early fall and during the summer that is what we do. But, the mower was already winterized at this point since the grass had stopped growing. Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated. 😊

Looks like you lost at least half of those leaves. Huh

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

7 ай бұрын

Very easy to rake back up. It’s all just mulch anyway.

Use a lawnmower!

@Kawarthabackyardfarms

4 ай бұрын

That is the usual option. However, as I mentioned previously I had already winterized the lawnmower.