5 autumn garden uses for plastic buckets
November 21, 2013 at 4:57 PM
Within these very pages of the H&O website, we have provided all manner of uses for the plastic bucket and some of these have been seasonally-related, usually summer. So we started scratching our heads, looking out of the window and contemplating what use there might be for the plastic bucket in these autumnal months. And then, as we traced a leaf as it detached from a tree and floated down to the ground… it dawned on us.
Leaves now lie all over the ground… and whilst they are rather pleasant to kick through, instilling that lovely feeling that autumn is upon us, winter is coming, and we are caught within the continuum of nature, they can also cause something of a nuisance. So here are some ideas for how the plastic bucket might be used in both the collection, and storage, of autumn leaves.
1. Collection. Given a good-sized bucket and a big pile of leaves, you might use the bucket as a scoop, to collect them up and perhaps transfer them to your green bin or garden compost.
2. Storage. Leaves… even older leaves… can be very useful for adding to compost. A good compost is about the right balance of carbon and nitrogen material; in other words, brown and green matter. Too much of the green and you’ll gave a damp, whiffy compost. Better then to store some leaves in a bucket, in a dry shed or outhouse, let them dry further and then add them to your evolving compost pile, as you might with paper or cardboard.
3. In complete contrast...... store your autumn leaves in buckets but shred them. Let them get damp, start to rot and ‘mulch’ down. As they decompose, add them in a two-inch layer to your veg beds. You won’t need to dig them in, simply lie them over the surface and let the earthworms do the work for you, breaking them down and allowing the nutrients to feed into the soil. It will do your Christmas dinner sprouts no end of good!
4. Leaf mould. If you really like the sound of mulch and like to plan your gardening well ahead, really go for it and step it up to leaf mould. You’ll need to give this two years, however, for the leaves to really break down into a crumbly, rotted, dark matter. Once your mould is ready, you can use it to improve your soil, breaking up the earth to allow your plants to bed it better. Leaf mould also helps the soil retain moisture and thereby allows plant roots to reach the nutrients they need.
5. Compost. Leaves can really help ‘up’ the balance of carbon in your compost. Here, use your bucket to scoop up the necessary quantity of leaves and liberally distribute them over your compost, making sure not to overwhelm your compost as leaves take a lot longer to decompose than fruit and veg scraps. Try to layer your compost (rather like a kind of garden cake!) with leaves, veg scraps and grass clippings. Remember to keep turning the compost, and to cover it with an old bit of carpet, to keep in the heat.
And there we have it… five autumnal uses for the plastic bucket. So get out into what can be beautiful autumn conditions, collect those leaves… and get them working for you!
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