So this past spring I was attending a garden lecture where Jenny Rose Carey was speaking about her book Glorious Shade (buy it!) and when speaking about her own garden she spoke about these leaf mulcher machines like the one you see above in the photograph.

Now I have seen how terrific shredded leaves as mulch are on large properties like Natural Lands’ Stoneleigh and in private gardens like Jenny Rose Carey’s Northview Gardens so I really wanted one of these leaf mulchers. My husband bought me the Worx one you see above as a birthday present.

I know, I know a lot of people have lawnmowers that do this, but lawnmowers are not a tool you allow me to use as it’s a thing I truly cannot do well in the garden and I am the first one to admit it. If you let me do the lawn I will kill it. My late father one time remarked when I “helped him” with the lawn it looked like aliens had invaded. Besides I don’t want to mulch leaves on the lawn I want to use the shredded leaf mulch on my garden beds and on the edges of my woods.

You either have to put bags underneath this to catch the leaves that you shred or a giant trug bag like I used.

My husband helped me with this because I had never used this before and helped me set it up too. Ours is electric powered.

I would advise wearing goggles why you do this because bits of leaves are flying everywhere and if anything blows back out of the machine and hit your eyes it could be really bad.

You also have to make sure there are no sticks in the leaves because that could cause problems with the shredder, or just as a dangerous projectile.

Shredded leaves are a light and fluffy mulch to spread on your garden beds and it’s so good for the soil. And it’s a great way to make use of the leaves you rake up and (again) it’s a great FREE way to enrich your soil! it’s kind of like garden recycling and you don’t have to drag the giant bags of leaves to the curb – you can use them!