Leaf shredding
Nov. 18th, 2007 01:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elhoffIt seems silly to me to put all my leaves out on the curb for the city to collect and compost, then have to buy mulch for my planters. So I have been looking at buying a leaf shredder lately. I would love to have something to both shred leaves and chip small branches, but those cost a lot of money for one that actually works. I also hate having a dedicated piece of equipment around that I only use a couple times a year.
It turns out that the commercially available leaf shredders are just a string trimmer mounted upside-down in a tube/funnel. I found some plans online for making one from an old string trimmer and a trash can. Saves the money, but still has the storage problem.
So I had the idea to try putting a bunch of leaves in a tub (muck bucket), and stick my string trimmer in there and whir them around a bit. Like a giant blender. It actually works quite well. It flings a few leaves around your patio (wear a face shield) and can't handle any sticks, rocks, etc. I wouldn't try it near any windows either. It takes 3-4 minutes to mulch up a muck bucket full of leaves, which I assume is not fast as these things go, but I already have everything necessary, and don't have to store any dedicated equipment!
So now I have a new solution for my annual leaf piles. Back to the raking I guess!
It turns out that the commercially available leaf shredders are just a string trimmer mounted upside-down in a tube/funnel. I found some plans online for making one from an old string trimmer and a trash can. Saves the money, but still has the storage problem.
So I had the idea to try putting a bunch of leaves in a tub (muck bucket), and stick my string trimmer in there and whir them around a bit. Like a giant blender. It actually works quite well. It flings a few leaves around your patio (wear a face shield) and can't handle any sticks, rocks, etc. I wouldn't try it near any windows either. It takes 3-4 minutes to mulch up a muck bucket full of leaves, which I assume is not fast as these things go, but I already have everything necessary, and don't have to store any dedicated equipment!
So now I have a new solution for my annual leaf piles. Back to the raking I guess!
