Lessons learned about yard work

Lessons learned about yard work

       For decades we have been raking leaves out of the yard during the fall when the leaves come down. The Hemlocks area is rural and surrounded by many trees.

            We also had to add fertilizer to the yard for its obvious benefits.  Generally, my ancestors did even not do this, and the soil was poor.

 

            Then a few years ago I asked my brother what he did, and I was surprised at the answer.

 

            He mulches the summer grass and fall leaves and then leaves them right on the ground to rot and make natural fertilizer.

 

            So that is what I do right now.

 

            My test is the amount of wild violets which come up in the spring, and so far it seems to be working OK.  I have noticed more lime on the ground does usually bring more wild violets in the spring, but that is just the soil at the Hemlocks. And wild violets in the springtime are pretty to me.

 

            Now I have used pelletized lime vice powdered lime, and that works OK for here.

 

            And really, one does not need a mulching setup on the mowing deck, though it does help keep the refuse more evenly distributed.

           

            I even have two manual ways to fight the probable woods encroachment if times should get hard. It amounts to older standards and methods and cheap labor. Can anyone say "handy andy"? Others might even say things like weed wacker, or sickle.

 

            Plus I have added lime and fertilizer to the soil where I expect a hard times garden I can defend, if I need to go that route. Lord knows, I hope that doesn't happen.

           

            Even the local Indians in the old days (and where I live)  made gardens without extra lime and fertilizer, and I figure I am as smart and hard working as they were.

 

            Last, in the 1950's, I remember my mother's mother having the local city dump collected fall leaves into the garden area, and a mule drawn plow "turned" these leaves into the soil, which made a big mulch pile in today's talk. Well it also made a very productive garden. I remember mostly because I had to work in the garden, too. I would have been around the 5th grade at the time. And gardening can be hard work, though I did enjoy eating the things we grew, and my mother's mother cooked. She died of old age circa 1978, by the way.