Plain shredded paper is a safe and budget-friendly material when used correctly. Apply in thin layers and top with natural mulch to prevent matting. Shredded paper can also be used in your compost bin ...

If you have a yard full of fallen leaves every autumn, you’re not alone. Instead of bagging them up for trash day, you can put those leaves to work in your garden. Fallen leaves are more than just a ...

Fall leaves are a free and valuable, and they can really benefit your garden soil and plants. Instead of bagging leaves and throwing them out, why not put these natural resources to work in your ...

Q: I work in an office that produces a lot of shredded paper. Is it safe to use it as a mulch or in a compost pile? A: First, a word of caution: Be sure that your employer permits removal of the ...

Leaves are a gardener's best friend. Consider their landscape value; leaves from one large tree can be worth as much as $50 worth of fertilizer. Leaves have twice as many minerals as manure. When they ...

Clean leaves early while they’re dry—wet piles get heavy, moldy, and hard to remove. Use tools like rakes, tarps, blowers, or mulchers to move, shred, and repurpose leaves efficiently. Compost or ...

Leaves, glorious leaves! They twirl from the trees, drift on the sidewalk, rustle underfoot. And in your garden, they do wonders. “There are many ways you can use autumn leaves to help your plants and ...

Some gardeners take a hands-off approach to leaves in the fall. But leaves allowed to remain on lawns can pack down to form a tight mat that prevents sunlight from reaching the grass, said University ...

Everybody loves a freebie: bobblehead doll giveaways at White Sox games, the candy jar on a co-worker’s desk, buy-one-get-one-free shoe sales. At this time of year, gardeners get a freebie that really ...

To mulch, or not to mulch — that seems to be the question. You will find advocates on both sides of the debate. Gardening is not an exact science, and you can find theories to support various ...