Compost Thanks (You for) Giving

Thanksgiving is coming, and like many households across the United States, mine will be hosting company over the holiday. So that means cleaning the house and the yard AND decorating with realistic fall decorations.

When I say realistic, I'm talking about arrangements of sumac, flowering goldenrod, and little bluestem gathered from recent hikes; surplus milo and wheat from friends' family farms; and gourds and Indian corn purchased from local apple orchards. The more nature I can bring into my dwelling, the better I feel - especially during fall.

Although my seasonal preparations often take me to forests and prairie in the area, I also benefit from the enormous red oak in my neighbor's yard. For some reason, it held onto its precious leaves longer than usual this year. It also refrained from producing acorns. If anyone has the inside scoop on the reasons an oak would have for such behavior, I'm all ears. But more directly to the point, my autumn decorating was finished by the time the red oak decided to extend its generosity to my yard, preventing me from integrating the rusty red leaves into my arrangements.

Needless to say, my lawn has graciously accepted the red oak's gifts in my stead. So, I guess I'll have to draw this tool called a rake and find some other resourceful use for all those leaves. . .

I have a compost bin. If you have one, too, then here's a few tips on using fallen leaves for compost:

• Rake the leaves into a pile.
• Use a shredder or lawn mower to chop the leaves into smaller pieces. This will speed decomposition. Note: use the catching bag on your mower to gather the shreds easily.
• Spread some of the shredded leaves near and around your perennials or in your garden bed. Don't put too much directly on the perennials.
  
• Put a portion of the shredded leaves into your compost bin, being sure to layer and mix with other organic materials like egg shells, vegetable scraps, etc.

That should give you a general understanding of the process, but if you want to learn more, check out this article about composting leaves for more information.