Batya, I've been wondering who fights slugs and who apparently doesn't. So.. slugs in Israel. I share your pain. Until just this last month, I too had no way to shred my leaves. And I have so many trees I'm constantly up to my ears in leaves. I've tried to compost ( 5 bins ) , stash, and send lots out to our yard debris recycling ( about 90 gallons every two weeks, year round) . But still they grow. I always dread the colors of the leaves turning. Oh noooo ... more. :( As I'm getting older all that going out to stuff the recycling bins in the cold and rain is just way at the bottom of my list of really doable. I've been starting to miss a few weeks and the results sit here while I try to turn the compost way too often..and it's still just partly broken down. No where to put this years leaves at all. So... I spent a lot of time looking and reading reviews of chippers and shredders. The negative reviews revealed as much as the positive ones. It seems people try to use their small, inexpensive, machines not for the intended purpose. A shredder will not chip branches and a chipper is just not designed to shred leaves. I found pictures of the parts that do the cutting, to clear this part up in my mind. What I ended up with is the WORX brand shredder. It has the highest wattage, a good company, and fits together so compact I can easily carry it in and out with little effort, and it stores in a small space. For leaves.. this is perfect. I started shredding into sturdy plastic bags, thinking storage till a compost bin opens up. But then as time went on, what I'm doing now is shredding brown, brown, brown, green, brown..adding a bit of chicken manure, brown, brown ... repeat... I will either be able to dump the bags in a bin later.... or I may open them up during some rain and let the process begin. Close the bags and let them compost right in the bags. I really, really like this. I'm enjoying the process, and adding the leaves to the shredder in small enough amounts, they are shredding pretty fine. Now I can use the recycle bins for branches and twig only. Being in the city I have no interest devoting the space it would take to wait for those to break down. Here's a link in case you might find any such thing where you are. Here is a link that might be useful: WORX WG430 13 amp Electric Leaf Mulcher/Shredder

many of the badly shredded leaves have already fallen off. I'm already seeing signs of new growth down below. the plants seem to be handling the problem pretty well on their own. I'm sure the heavy dose of fert helps a little bit though. weather is supposed to start clearing up after today, it's sunny out right now. fingers crossed, hoping I'll get to move them out into the sun tomorrow.

Imagine a conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis on the subject of lawns. The part about leaves is a little farther in so bear with me. God: Hey St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the Midwest? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect "no maintenance" garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles. St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. God: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? St. Francis: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. God: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy. St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it... sometimes twice a week. God: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay? St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? St. Francis: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. God: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? St. Francis: Yes, Sir. God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. St. Francis: You are not going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. God: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life. St. Francis: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. God: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose? St. Francis: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. God: And where do they get this mulch? St. Francis: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. God: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. Sister Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? Sister Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a real stupid movie about..... God: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Shredded leaves may temporarily tie up some nitrogen, but leaves break down very readily in comparison to other, more dense, carbon-rich materials. Before I had my compost-making process set up to produce all I needed for the expanding garden, I often turned whole leaves, that had been sitting out all winter, directly into the garden each spring. A few weeks - to a month - after I turned them under, the worms would have a feast on those decomposing leaves. They'd be gone in no time. Now, you have stock tanks, and I have no idea how active the soil web is, but I don't see it as too much of a problem. Just be aware that they will hold a lot of moisture, may slightly interfere with air-holding capacity, and will further raise your level of organic matter in the soil. If though, you have a lot of biological activity in those tanks, then I'd say that shredded leaves won't last long before they break down. Like with all containers though, the breakdown of organic materials doesn't happen as it would in a biologically active area of native soil.