The fallen leaves provide more than the colored radiance of the autumn season — they are also abound with usefulness. Their cyclic decent to the ground and slow decomposition provides the soil with a plethora of nutrients. In a recent article, gardener Kathy LaLiberte writes that “leaves are packed with trace minerals that trees draw up from deep in the soil,” and explains some of the many things we can do to harness their innate potential. You can check out her article HERE.

One of the things she mentions is the use of shredded leaves to enrich soil. So this Monday the 3rd Grade and I spent the afternoon preparing for the next growing season by burying leaves into our raised beds. Many sites mention that it is best to use a lawn mower or leaf shredder to crumble the leaves, but I figured 150 small fingers would do the trick just as well. Next week the we will be trying our luck at planting some garlic. I’ll keep you posted how that turns out.

Please enjoy some photos from our afternoon of leaf burying….