Shredding Fall Leaves for Garden Mulch

Each fall, I shred dozens of bags of leaves for mulch in my garden. I'll show you how I shred them, and explain how my garden has benefitted. Shredding the leaves would also help for making compost, but I mostly just use them as a mulch.
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[@marthahaber7772]

I love that you’re harvesting the fall leaves to enrich your garden. Hopefully you would untie the bags instead of ripping them open so they could be used over again. You could even give them to your neighbors for refilling 😊

[@bergda1]

This is the best leaf shredding video I've ever seen❣️

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

Wow, thank you!

[@user-dj4wb1bv2b]

I like the point about shredding leaves so they do not Mat up.

[@marvinrobinson8519]

Nice Video! Leaves work very well for me, too! Great mulch plus the nutrients they supply = a better garden.

[@offroadhub.official]

This is the best video about shredding leaves I've ever seen!

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

Wow, thanks!

[@ra0333]

Def top 5 for me

[@joannthompson765]

Keep up the good work I also use the big white canvas construction bags and dump 10 plus bags let it sit a yr

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

I had to move some of the leaves recently and saw so many earthworms at the soil surface. I only wish I had gathered as many as you. Next year...

[@Owl4909]

Good vid. New sub from NC. leaves are great for our garden

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

Thanks for the sub!

[@mayaprasanth9228]

Good video, to the point.

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

Glad it was helpful!

[@krystal-rh9um]

Cool method. Do you compost other organic material separately, or mix it all in?

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

I keep them separate. One reason I like using the fall leaves as a mulch and source of soil fertility is that I don't have to worry about e coli bacteria or excessive nitrogen from manure that hasn't finished composting, or vermin getting into food scraps.

[@RoseMarySproule]

How do I stop them all blowing away

[@howmyhomegardengrows]

I find that when the leaves have been shredded, they don't blow away as readily, seemingly because they have less surface area for the wind to catch. It also helps once they are shredded to wet them down well.

[@marvinrobinson8519]

​@@howmyhomegardengrows I use them whole. If I put them on in the fall, they stay wet enough to stay in place. I also use them as a mulch during the summer (I raised a cover crop last winter). In western Oregon, they stay wet enough (during the winter) to stay in place pretty well. In the fall and spring, I use a flail to chop and drop everything in place.