Last Chance for Free Mulch!

Looking around there are many houses with their Christmas lights on, but here in New England we've been experiencing an unusually warm fall.  Just this week the temperatures have been in the 60s!  The freakishly warm weather allowed me the opportunity to get some yard work done this past weekend, get some fresh air, and get a dose of Mycobacterium vaccae, nature's prozac :)  http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/m-is-for-mycobacterium-vaccae.html   Besides continuing tree cleanup from the October storm that snapped the leaf laden trees like twigs, there was still raking to be done, and lots of general cleanup. As they say, a gardener's job is never done. 

What to do with all those leaves?  Don't bag them up and put them in the trash!  That's like throwing away a gift from nature, free mulch :)  When I have an area where I want to create or expand a flower bed, I simply rake the leaves to that area, and mound up a pile about 10-24".  I leave the leaves there over the winter, and the rain and snow pack down the leaves, and instead of having to remove grass to create the bed, the worms and leaves do the work for me.  In other areas, I use a thick layer of leaves to prevent weeds from growing, and it is one less area that we have to mow.  I also use leaf mulch around the base of trees.  As the leaves breakdown, they release nutrients into the soil.  During the winter months the leaf mulch helps to insulate the tree, and during the warmer months, the mulch helps to maintain moisture around the roots of the trees. 

Some gardeners choose to chop up leaves with a mower or leaf blower/vac.  If we happen to be mowing a section of the lawn, we take advantage of the leaves being collected and chopped.  Then we empty the bag with grass/leaves where we want it.  You can use a 3-4" layer of leaf mulch blanket to tuck in your perennials for the winter, and nourish the soil in preparation for springtime.  Don't forget to add some leaves to your compost pile while you're busy raking.  In fact, you might want to rake a small pile of leaves next to your compost bin, so that you can scoop some leaves on top of your "greens" each time, layering for optimum composting. 

If I'm lucky, the weather will hold, and I will be able to get back to the yard work, tuck in a few more newly  planted perennials for the winter, and get another dose of Mycobacterium vaccae.  I hope you'll take advantage of nature's free mulch gift too ;)   Happy raking!

Weathering Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene 2011

When Hurricane Irene came storming her way up the east coast, I'm not sure we thought we'd actually be in the dark...or at least not for as long as we were.  We prepared as best we could; we bought gallons of drinking water, froze Ziplock bags full of water, stowed all the outdoor chairs, tables, soccer nets, etc.  Hubby filled the second propane tank for the grill, and bought some canned goods and non-fridge food.  I did extra loads of laundry ahead of schedule, filled up the dishwasher and ran it, and gathered every candle and match book in the house.  We charged the electronics and cell phones, gathered the flashlights and batteries, and filled the bathtub with water.  We were prepared for the worst, and hoped for the best.  And then at 10:50 am on Sunday, we lost power.

I'm proud to say we weathered Hurricane Irene and the loss of power for 82 hours with as much green grace as we could muster.  We lost several trees, and large branches, and a section of fence was knocked down, and ultimately had to toss several pounds of meat, but luckily there was no damage to the house, and we still had running water.  For the first few hours, it felt like we were on an adventure, "Survivor Irene", but when the hot water ran out, the electronics ran out of charge, and the kids got bored playing board games, the forced "green" adventure turned the adventurers a bit grouchy.  Personally, I'd never experienced a power outage for 82 hours, and it really made me appreciate all the everyday things that we all typically take for granted in a developed country. 

We made due with less.  No electricity.  No hot water.  No microwave.  None of the modern conveniences we are accustomed to, switching on the lights, running the dishwasher, toasting a bagel, boiling water, reheating food, cooking, making coffee, throwing in a load of laundry, watching TV to name a few.  Keeping food cold in the cooler, washing dishes in cold water, and drying them in the sunlight, and later reading and functioning by candlelight made us feel like we'd stepped back into the 1800's.  At 6am on Monday morning, hubby began searching for more ice for the coolers.  He drove all over to find it, (none of the surrounding stores were open or had ice, so he drove further to a town we knew still had power), and to look for a generator at Home Depot or Lowes.  Of course they were sold out, but he put us on a waiting list to rent a generator to keep the food in the main fridge/freezer from spoiling.  28 hours into the outage he was able to rent one, and we were able to plug in the fridge, and a second extension cord to recharged cell phones, iPad, and iPods. 

As time went on, we developed a great appreciation for the power and appliances that we usually take for granted.  On the fourth day without electricity, we decided to try to boost morale (we were all quite grouchy by the time evening rolled around), and used the second generator plug to watch one of my favorite chick flicks,  Sweet Home Alabama.  We'd just about finished the movie, when the lights and fans came on!  The kids whooped and hollered, and we breathed a collective sigh of relief that we'd weathered Hurricane Irene.  Let's hope that the predictions from NOAA, for a higher than usual incidence of hurricanes and tropical storms, misses the mark, and we can pick and choose green choices a la carte instead of "a la Hurricane".