leaf collection

I'm gathering white oak leaves for use in my aquariums.

Slightly different method now. Instead of bagging all leaves up in huge numbers and sorting out the ones I actually want to use months later- when most have to be discarded because they got damp and decayed or bugs in them- I'm picking them up individually by hand the day after they fall off the trees. When it's not raining.  I think it will still be plenty- I haven't yet used up all the leaves I saved last year (too many!).

I'm also raking more frequently- every two or three days to keep the grass clear and the leaf mulch pile manageable. Meaning, if I wait until the yard is very thickly littered, then I can't fit it all in the bin because the leaves are bulky while fresh. If I add them frequently, the ones near the bottom start breaking down, compacting, and I can keep adding on top as long as it's not a ton at once. So far it's working well. I hope to have less bags of leaves stored under the deck, and more composted leaf mold to use next spring/fall. Can see the stuff in process already- the darker layers of leaves in the lower half of the pile are already on their way to becoming garden riches.

I also hope that by keeping my yard raked up constantly, the grass gets stronger from having more sun exposure while it is still growing and making food for itself in fall. I noticed this season that I didn't have much of that tiny-leaved, wiry stemmed weed in my front or back lawn (I think it's lespedeza) and it's almost completely disappeared! some other weeds are much diminished in numbers, too, especially in the front. Which is where I spread all my fireplace ashes. I am definitely keeping up that routine: worm compost scattered in fall, ashes raked in for springtime.