About Central Florida Gardener

Welcome and thank you for visiting Central Florida Gardener. Florida is a unique state in which to garden. It can be frustrating but also rewarding for gardeners who persevere. This blog was created as a resource for Florida gardeners, both new and experienced, in search of information specifically for Florida gardens.

You are invited to participate by leaving your comments, suggestions, tips and recommendations relevant to Florida gardening - don't be shy! Thank you for dropping by to learn more about gardening in the Sunshine state. I look forward to hearing from you! Susan

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Don't Toss those Bags Just Yet!

The Live Oaks are probably starting to cause you some grief as they have been slowly dropping their canopy of leaves all over everything. How lucky you are if you have one or more of these stately trees in your yard. Why? You ask. Not because you like to rake or because you like having their pollen everywhere but because they are going to save you a lot of money and make your plants very happy.

Your garden beds are probably in dire need of a new layer of mulch and that's exactly where all those wonderful leaves come into play. A thick layer of Oak leaves provides a nice "free" barrier of weed control in your beds, PLUS as they decompose they add a rich layer of nutrients to our sandy soil. Over time, they can improve the water holding capacity of our soil and provide fertilizer for your plants. All this for "FREE!"

There is one catch though. Yes, you'll have to spend a little time raking them into your garden beds. And, while you're doing that you can just keep telling yourself: I might have to rake, BUT . . .

#1 - I won't have to buy mulch and drag the bags all over the garden.

#2 - I won't have to buy fertilizer and toss some under each plant.

Do you see the savings adding up already? Keep going.

#3 - I won't have to spend time bagging them and dragging them to the curb.

#4 - I won't have to go to the gym today because I got my exercise in the yard.

Do you get the picture? 
Do you see the benefits of not raking, bagging and dragging them to the curb? 
I thought you might!

Hey, you might even try using your blower to blow some of them into your garden beds.

Now I'm really convincing you. Aren't I? 

So, garden smart and don't let all that free mulch end up on your curb. Take advantage of Mother Nature's bounty and save some $$$'s and time. And, while you're at it, sneak over to your neighbor's driveway after dark and snitch their...already raked...bags of leaves. The more the merrier!

6 comments:

daisy g said...

Oh, how I WISH I had some oak leaves to rake up! They are so good for the garden.

Julie said...

i like the idea of stealing the neighbors!!!

Backyard FL Gardening said...

We have lots of pine needles and maple leaves in our area. lol Love the oak though, when I was growing up my grandfather used them for weed control too.

Anonymous said...

LOL - I'm with Julie on this one . . . especially since I don't have any oak trees.

charlotte said...

I've been driving around looking for leaves. I put them in my chickens run and they love them. Hopefully, I will find enough for them and for my garden.

Susan said...

Daisy...Yes, at least 1 large tree saves buying mulch and it even self-mulches the beds beneath it. Even better!

Hi Julie...I agree. That involves none of the hard work of raking. Just toss them in the beds. Yey!

Hi Backyard Fl Gardening...Yes, they're perfect for weed control. A nice thick layer and you're good to go.

Hi Eli... I've even been known to drive the truck around and collect them wherever I can. I don't think you could carry too many on your scooter though. :-)

Hi Charlotte...Good for you! The garbage collector's would applause your cause.