This time of year, I start lecturing on “Putting the Garden to Bed.” There’s only one problem with this: I don’t practice what I talk about, something that I freely admit in my lectures.
Or, to put it another way, I discuss the two different methods of garden clean up, the traditional way and the sustainable way. There’s no “correct ” way for everyone–in other words, what I am calling “sustainable ” won’t work in lots of neighborhoods. I am just fortunate that it works for me and in my neighborhood.
And then of course there is the ” oh, you have cancer and we’re doing the biopsy today” way, which is what happened to me last year. It wasn’t quite that blatant, but that sure as heck is what happened, and then after the surgery to remove the rest of the cancer, the whole dang thing got infected so there was NO cleanup at all.
And then this spring, sure enough, more cancerous cells, so again, no cleanup. You will be surprised at how well the garden survives without you.
So for those who insist that every leaf must be mown, blown or shredded, I assure you that you are completely wrong. Leave the leaves. They make a wonderful mulch.
More on Monday.
Gardendaze 