Re: [gardeners] The End Is Near
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 14 Oct 1997 16:16:52 -0500 (CDT)
At 10:54 AM 10/14/97 +0000, you wrote:
>
>> I'm with you, Cheryl. I have a greenhouse, and love that, but as for the
>> outdoor garden, I'm focused now on soil improvement. That's true of every
>> fall, and I can't wait for the leaves to fall. Free nutrients. I used to
>> drive around neighborhoods looking for people bagging leaves so I could ask
>> if I could have their leaves for my garden. Very few were already promised
>> to other gardeners, so rakers and baggers were delighted I wanted their
>> leaves. Most even helped me load them into the pickup. I have a camper
>> top, so can hold about 25 bags (if I slam the tailgate and/or the back
>> window fast enough). Margaret
>
>This is good to hear, Margaret. I'm planning on hustling leaves this
>fall and have been worried that people would think I'm whacko (don't
>say it, George). Believe it or not, the only reason I didn't go out
>leaf hustling last year is that I was intimidated by how I thought
>people might react. Dumb, huh. But this is Idaho and I had a vision
>of folks with rifles and hunting dogs.
>
>Liz
>
Well, this is Loosiana and people here have rifles and hunting dogs too.
Anne and I go out and gather bagged leaves and pine straw for our gardening
and composting efforts. We live in the city and most folks just bag the
goodies and leave them at the curb. Never had anyone say boo to us about
picking them up and several have even offered to drop them off for us. We
use the pine straw around the blueberries, azaleas, and hydrangeas and the
leaves get chopped to add to the compost or the garden mulch. It's also a
good chance to say something nice about the plants in their front gardens
and maybe get a sample to carry home. Have traded for some nice amaryllis
this way. Shoot, go for it.
George