[greenthumbomaha]

My former growing partner used to take his trailer around the neighborhood and pick up tons of leaf bags too. He didn't do the cardboard, just heaped them on. The soil was wonderful. He didn't even chop them up.

Nan, last year I spread a layer of shredded leaves over the garlic bed, and I held them down by laying tomato cages over the garlic beds. The leaves were gone bu spring, either by decomposition or swept away by the wind. The first inch of soil was very crumbly. I literally had to chisel each bulb out of the heavy clay soil by getting under each bulb with the shovel. It was a ton of work.
Another amendment I used was bagged worm castings. I had purchased the bags the prior season at Walmart at a very nice price. Each planting hole got a handful of castings at the bottom, but the surrounding soil was still rock hard.

It was a great year for large sized bulbs and I have an abundance of garlic but not enough space to plant all the seed size bulbs. I may press my 4X4 raised box full of aged used potting soil and black cow into service. The dwarfs loved this spot, but I wonder if the mix is too wet for bulbs. Maybe shredded leaves mixed in to the rescue?

- Lisa

Still weighing options.

What a fun idea, Brownrex. Can't do around here with all the lawn services dumping chemicals and trees being treated for emerald ash borer.. Makes me queasy when I see little kids playing on the grass when there isn't a weed to be had on the entire yard.