OPL's (Other peoples leaves)

If there is a secret to my gardening success, it is OPL's, or other people's leaves. Unlike Rachael Ray who always say's EVOO, and then explains "extra virgin olive oil" I will hereafter refer to these as leaves. Each year I collect 500-1000 bagged leaves from curbsides to mulch my gardens and beds. I start in November and pick up bagged pine needles but the real scores are in January and February when the oaks start start shedding. It sounds like a lot of work, but I just leave a few minutes early for work and cruise several familiar neighborhoods that have lots of large trees. I can usually find bags of leaves on the curb and toss them into my pickup bed in just a few minutes. The next morning I take 20 minutes of gardening time to dump them into beds and gardens. When I first began this leaf adventure, I was intimidated and only stopped for leaves when no one was around and only picked up in front of homes with no cars in the driveway to indicate anyone was home. Later, as my need for leaves grew, I became more fearless. I now often stop when homeowners are out in their yards if I spy a particularly good stash. I've found everyone is happy to have their waste and labor be recycled than to go to the landfill. Usually I get a strange look when I ask if they mind if I take their bagged leaves, but when I tell them I use them for mulch, they often help load them and tell me to come by the following week when they'll have more. I'm not sure why these homeowners are not raking these leaves into beds or mulch mowing them into the lawn as we do, but their trash is my treasure. Leaves are an excellent mulch, enriching the soil as they decompose and attracting earthworms. They save time by suppressing weeds and water needs and money by providing fertilizer. Occasionally weeds or trash are mixed with bagged leaves and these are sent back to the landfill. I've also had several bags contain plant surprises that now have a place in our yard. Canna bulbs, a bromeliad, daylilies, Redbud trees, and a Loquat began life in a bag of leaves.

I used to wish I could afford to mulch our areas with pine bark or cypress,but I've grown to prefer the more natural look of leaves and pine needles and believe them to be more beneficial for the soil.

I was picking up leaves recently in a neighborhood on a school holiday when several small boys were in the street playing ball. One came up to me and asked what I was doing. I explained that I was going to use these bagged leaves to grow vegetables and flowers. He nodded solemnly and said, " We call you the Leaf Lady".

Yes, I'm a leaf thief.