How do you burn leaves?

[kcsunshine]

My husband drives all around the city trying to beat the guys picking up leaves. These go on a ginormous compost pile with horse and cow manure and then feeds our garden next spring. My chicken run has about 4 inches of leaves and the chickens mulch them faster than a lawnmower can. No wasted gasoline.

 

[debilorrah]

Around here you have to have a burn permit and call the fire department the day you want to burn. Depending on conditions, they say yes or no.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Why burn? Compost.

Lisa

 

[Gallusfarm]

Thanks for the advice all.

No burning for me!!

 

[ranchhand]

Further discouraging of burning - one year my tidy minded DH burned leaves inside the dogs' fenced area. He made the dogs stay in, had a hose ready nearby, not a windy day, etc.

Hours after it had all been burned into the ground and doused with the hose, he let the Lab out. The Lab ran joyfully through the area and burned all 4 paws. Poor baby, not bad burns but it hurt. Now we give leaves to the chickens, mulch or compost.

The chickens LOVE them!

 

[thaiturkey]

Doesn't burning garden waste make good compost in the form of ashes?

We don't burn much but when we do it's a good one. When I mow, I take the mower over the leaves and it goes with the grass cuttings for mulch or I spread it to keep down unwanted growth in the uncultivated areas. Mrs. Thaiturkey gets someone in to mow when I complain that it's too hot for me. They rake up the darned things and put them ready to burn and I have to stand around watching it because we have a gazebo and coop roofed with thatch.

Garden fires have their uses. A neighbour decided to start making charcoal at night near to our home. When the air is still the acrid smoke lingers and is unpleasant. A hint from me made no difference. When the breeze was drifting towards his house one evening I lit the mother of all fires. Later in the local shop a relative made a comment and I explained that I too was making charcoal. He moved his business to the jungle the next day.

 

[Gallusfarm]

Quote:
Interesting! I love hearing stories from chicken folks in other parts of the world

 

[NoelTate]

I never quite understood burning such a good mulch. I use my leaves and the ones I find bagged on the side of the road!

 

[mom'sfolly]

I grind mine up and dump them in the run. The girls love them, and it is free organic bedding.

 

[Tala]

I cut down all the trees. No raking/mowing/burning for me!
The leaves that blow over from the neighbors just get left on the yard, since there's not enough of them to suffocate the grass.

No seriously, I had sucky trees that were endangering the house. I wouldn't have cut down *good* trees just because I'm too lazy to rake. hehehe When we had trees I mowed the leaves.
My dad used to burn pine needles in the driveway on the gravel so it couldn't get out so easily, but others use their ditches as well. We would pile them up in a "line" that was about 2ft tall and however long, then dad would wait till evening when the wind would "lay down" (as he put it) and light one end so it didn't go up all at once. Use a rake to keep turning it or the stuff on the inside won't get enough air to fully burn. It takes several hours and you smell like smoke later but my dad is a "fire bug" so I don't think he minded the chore all that much.

My grandparents used to dump their leaves on the garden for compost, but the places that grew the best were the places that we had brush fires from cutting trees for the wood stove. I think our soil needed whatever is in the ash, so don't discount the ashes for compost value.