chipper/shredder

I finally closed the bedroom window yesterday (for the first time since June) and turned on the furnace. *sigh*

We have almost no firewood. Dangit. That's the only heat in our rec room, where we spend most of our time. For some reason they didn't extend the ductwork from the furnace when they did the addition on the house. :(

And then there's the pile of animals that seems to appear when you sit/lay on the sofa. If I want to read, I have to sit up at a table. Otherwise it's all about the animals.

LOL! Yes! I've gotten pretty used to holding my book up high over whichever cat has gotten between me and it...

You're a better woman than I. My arms get tired!

Doesn't work as well when it's a big heavy book. hehe.

Sometimes can get away with laying a magazine in my lap and then reading the book. But I think Dolce's on to me . . .

We bought two of those Eden Pure heaters to heat our house last year because propane was so high. It is a very warm, comfortable heat. From what I've seen, it would probably beat the cost of firewood, plus it doesn't take oxygen out of the air or stink and make a mess.

I also get the piling on of animals. Both dogs and the cat. Amber must be on the left between me and the arm, Mindy must sit on my stomach and over the arm on the right, and Shadow lays out along my legs from hip to toe. No room for the book but I sure stay warm.

Well, at least you know where you're supposed to be, Patricia. LOL. My biggest problem is when I have an itch.

Yeah, that too.

Wal-Mart advertised $174 online.

I see a $74 used Flowtron Electric Leaf Eater on eBay. (the dual-string weed-wacker-in-a-funnel design).

Local pick-up only, East Hartford, Connecticut.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380264239288&rvr_id=141073801254&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXI7&GUID=02e3bb941270a02698632803fff8ea12&itemid=380264239288&ff4=263602_263622

I have been mulching wet/dry leaves in my galvanized trash can with my electric weed whacker. It works great. Best tip I can give is to do small layers at a time and throw a piece of screen cloth over the top to keep the chopped up mulch in the can. As I age i find I have a harder time pulling the start cord on my shredder. I guess I would consider renting one with an electric start.

I have an electirc lawn mower, and I just rock back and forth over the heap with the wheels set high. Turn the heap, repeat. Set wheels low, repeat.

I think I need to sharpen that blade!.

Corey

How does that work with wet leaves?

I have tons of big leaf maple leaves that form wet mats. I haven't yet found anything that can handle them, including my riding lawn mower (they get gummed up in the blade housing where it attaches to the bag chute).

Still hopeful that someday I'll find something, though.

>> How does that work with wet leaves?

Really, I don't know, but I doubt it would work well unless you had an underlayer of twisty stcks to hold leaves up off the ground, or a powerful enough mower that it acted like a vacuum-cleaner ...

Maybe if you set the wheels low, and mowed them over a bare spot, sidewalk or driveway, tilting the front end up while you push, so that the back end scraped or plowed the leaves up into the blades. I do that, and also pull the back end up as I drag the mower back over the pile.

The hard surface seems to help the mower suck up shreded stuff.

Try not to fall and pull the mower over yourself! I try to set my feet solidly, and then move the mower with my arms. It may be a reckless proceedure.

Is there a reason you don't just pile the leaves in a nice quiet corner and let them do their own breaking down? I've just been digging out last year's leaf collection and it is just beautifully rotted and crumbly, absolutely perfect autumn mulch. We have been experimenting with locations, and interestingly (and good news) is that the damp tucked away area behind bushes breaks down much better than the full sun purpose built bin.

May I suggest that you just drag all those nice leaves behind some big old shrubs and let them sit? No petrol, no noise, and plenty of leaf mulch.

It just takes a much longer time for them to break down when they're big and they form a mat. And it's difficult to turn them and/or incorporate them into the soil. For me, they don't really even get dry until June. Even then, they're still moist in the center of the pile so I can't crumple them up . . .

That having been said, I don't have a good way to crush them up, so that's essentially waht I do!

Kathy, The weed-eater garbage can method or the flowtron (same concept but it is a weedeater in a funnel) work with the wet maple leaves as long as you do a small batch at a time. I shred them and then immediately use them as mulch in the garden. It looks beautiful, and although it takes quite a bit of time to do, the pretty mulched garden in the winter is well worth it!

We do have similar areas - I've been watching out to see if there is a Flowtron on Craig's List (I think I should have Joey and Lynn checking for me LOL). But since I already have a garbage can and a weedeater, then maybe I need to try that method. I'd love to get the size of these leaves down so I don't have to wait for years to use them!

Give it a try. The shredded leaves that I put on my garden last fall have completely worked themselves into soil in my garden...not a sign of them left. This is how pretty the shredded leaves make my March garden by my pumphouse.....

I am looking for one, also. I have a ton of leaves that I usually chop up with the riding lawn mower. Joe does not approve of that method, though. I will keep an eye open for you, Kathy. Most of the good stuff is up north, so you might be in luck!

I still have "mats" from last fall. They are good at killing the grass where I'll eventually put new beds in, though.

Thanks, Lynn. You are the Craigslist queen!!