"Srgnt Billko" wrote in message
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"I Love Lucy" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Srgnt Billko" wrote in message
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"I Love Lucy" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Danny" wrote in message
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Any reccomendations on Leaf shreaders for home owners?

My new Toro self-propelled lawn mower mulches them. I love it.
The only thing I have to worry about is a wind vortex makes a large
pile in one spot, but we just bag those up.

I love mulching the grass, too, doesn't leave a mess and don't have
to bother with a bagger.

If and when I get into composting, there's plenty of other stuff I
can throw in that.

The grass is good to include in the compost pile because it adds
nitrogen that helps the pile cook.

I'm sure you're right about that. But I have nasty memories of when
my son was a teenager and started cutting the grass for me (bless him
for that). He dumped it in the back and I had a huge mess I finally
cleaned up. We didn't know about composting then.

Composting has its benefits but is just more work and I have plenty
as it is. I was going to give it a try in a nice wide plastic bucket
type thing I found with ropes for handles. I notice it has a crack
in the bottom which would let the water drain out. Maybe it would
work anyway or I could put duct tape on it. But it will have to be
satisfied with crabgrass and weeds and if I ever get rid of that, I
don't know what I'll put in there.

I used to build bins and turn compost over like they all recommend but
now I just make very big piles and let is sit for over a year without
doing much to it. I do add garbage for a few months and pull out the
largest weeds that grow in it - otherwise it's pretty much on it's
own. But it sounds like you are a lot neater than I am so you might
not be content with stuff that doesn't bother me.

I doubt I'm neater; I'm the scourge of the neighborhood. Everybody has
their lawns perfect, beautiful landscaping, houses with everything, if
not perfect, kept in good repair, and I struggle. I could handle a pile
somewhere so long as it doesn't get junk and broken glass mixed in like
that pile did. Setting that red plastic bucket out would be a eyesore
now that I am finally starting to get some flowers and beautification
projects going again. And if I didn't read usenet, I could burn my
garage down because I was going to get it going in a handy place where
the gas cans are (accessible in the mess in there) and I already knew
that it generated heat. I don't exactly see how, but maybe it could
with fumes. Stuff is packed in there, another mess, potter's wheel I
don't want to part with, son dumped his weights on me, the guy who did
my cement work wanted to store his lumber in there. I don't care until
unless it gets to be too long. I let the grandson of the people next
door store his motorcycle in there. He left a couple of huge containers
full of dirty oil. Finally I got fed up with that and sat out there and
funnelled it into pepsi bottles, and my son took it somewhere. It took
awhile to get all that oil in those bottles and capped. I think he took
it to the recycling center, but I wouldn't count on it. A guy wanted to
buy the bike from me, but no, I didn't have the papers, didn't know
where the kid was, didn't feel like calling his relatives.

One day after more than 5 years he shows up with trailer and wants his
motorcycle. Was I glad to get that out of there.

The reason I balk at any pile is I constantly have a pile of brush I
dump behind my tree from all the trees in my hard. I can cut it up with
a chainsaw, but almost cut my finger off once, so am not so quick to get
that out, still have to get rid of it. We can burn again on certain
days, but I have to stand out there for hours and watch it. So I want
until I can get somebody to haul it away cheap. Sometimes somebody goes
through the alley wanting to pick up a few bucks. $20 is about all I
want to pay. If I have them take it to the landfill, they charge
another $10 which would make it $30. If I chop it up small enough to
put in those bio bags, I have to buy a sticker which is $1.36? Can't
remember. Bah. I'm waiting for my granddaughter's boyfriend to come
pick it up and dump it behind his workplace where they burn, but he
hasn't showed up yet and I don't want him getting in trouble with his
employer over it. Last time it went to somebody's firepit. Doesn't
matter. As soon as it's gone, there will be another pile there. I'm
sick of piles :-).

Oh, and I've spent hours cutting the bigger pieces and tying it up in
regulation size bundles. Then they will take it for free.

Couple nice cherry logs I was saving for him because he said he wanted
them. Those I can burn in the fireplace.

My little rant for the day. You used to set it out by the garbage and
they just picked it up. But, no now we have to go hi tech. We have new
garbage cans that belong to the city and a truck with an arm will now
collect the trash. That will be a disaster in the winter because the
alley doesn't get plowed. Plus an extra $8 a month (what else is new?)
and you can only have one can, you still can put out old furniture,
wood, blah blah, but if you put out one extra bag of garbage, they
really sock it to you for that. It's maddening. I'm very neat about
the way I put out my garbage. Now I'll have to hose out a damn can
because it will get to stinking eventually.