Ep 247 - Nothing Is Wasted: Leaf Mold, Mulch & Letting Go

As spring unfolds, I find myself reflecting on what remains, what falls away, and what—over time—returns to nourish us again.

In this episode, I share a walk in the woods that took an unexpected turn, along with listeners’ questions about using leaves or wood chips in the garden. From there, we explore the benefits of leaf mold versus traditional mulch—how to make it, when to use it, and why it may be one of nature’s most generous gifts.

With Easter upon us—a season that holds endings and beginnings in the same breath—I also reflect on a personal decision about letting go, inspired by the image of a leaf carried by water.

In nature, nothing is wasted.
And perhaps… neither are the moments in our lives.

Link to the Companion Blog Post: Leaf Mold vs. Mulch & the Lesson of Letting Go 

🌱 In this episode:
• How deep to apply leaves in garden beds
• What leaf mold is and how to make it
• Leaf mold vs. wood mulch (including dyed mulch concerns)
• When fresh wood chips are appropriate
• The idea of “living mulch” in mature gardens
• Lawn tips to support pollinators

🌿 Garden of Life Reflection:
What falls away isn’t the end—
It’s part of what feeds what comes next.

🔗 Learn more:
AskMaryStone.com

🔍 Keywords:
leaf mold, mulch, gardening tips, soil health, sustainable gardening, letting go, garden of life

🔗 Links to Related Posts and Podcast:
No-Mow May helps Pollinators - Blog Post

Ep 103 - No Mow May & Marvelous Moss

Early Spring Tending: What to Keep, What to Clear - Blog Post

Ep 246 - Early Spring Tending: What to Keep, What to Clear
 

More about the Podcast and Column:

 Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

 It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone 
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 247 - Nothing Is Wasted: Leaf Mold, Mulch & Letting Go

Sat, Apr 04, 2026 8:59PM • 12:30

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Leaf mold, mulch, nature's cycle, garden tending, soil microbes, leaf decomposition, wood mulch, no mow may, garden design, plant growth, composting, natural rhythm, letting go, Easter reflection, new beginnings.

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about.

Mary Stone  00:26

Hello there. It's Mary Stone on a chilly screen porch, and we're at the beginning of April. I cannot believe it. Spring is springing, and I want to thank those who reached back after our last chat, early spring, tending what to keep, what to clear. It means more than you know, to feel that thread of our connection. And today I'm thinking about what remains, what falls away, and what in time, returns to nourish us again. From a walk in the woods that took an unexpected turn to the quiet work of leaves becoming something new, we'll be exploring how nothing in nature is wasted, and neither are the moments in our own lives. 

Mary Stone  01:07

Anyway, on Sunday, I was out tending to the rest of the leaves - those lingering reminders of the last season - when I managed to take a funny little selfie video Jolie and Boo hickles joined me in the woods. It's always a joy to watch the two of them play. There's something about their carefree romping that reminds me how simple life can be when we let it. But then, Boo hickles found something. The remains of a mink. It was a fresh kill. And I'll admit, the shenanigans between the two of them made me a little queasy. Boo hickles, who I should mention is Jolie's boyfriend from up the hill. He was quite taken with his discovery, rolling in it, eating it, fully immersed in the moment, as only dogs can be.

Mary Stone  02:37

Many people don't realize that minks live here in Northern New Jersey. In fact, they live in most states, except for the arid Southwest, and they're often unseen because they're mostly nocturnal, quiet, elusive neighbors. I remember last summer walking Jolie over the bridge that crosses the pond. I saw a dark, sleek figure before she did a mink. Thankfully, she was on a leash. Otherwise, it would not have ended well. To think that Boo hickles find may have been the same little fellow gives me pause, and I wonder what would have taken it and left part of it behind.

Mary Stone  03:16

Nature doesn't always offer answers, just moments that ask us to bear witness, and perhaps to remember that life in the garden like life beyond it, is not always tidy, but it is always part of a greater rhythm, a rhythm we step into when we tend to the soil or even when we rake leaves, which leads to This week's story, which starts like this.

Mary Stone  03:42

 Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. After our chat last week about early spring tending, where I shared how I've been reconvening with the leaves that I didn't tend to in the fall for good reason, Steven of Hope New Jersey asked how deep leaves can be and the garden beds. The rule of thumb is no more than two inches, and if they are the huskier leaves like oak and tulip trees or Sycamore, you may want to make the layer a little thinner. That way the leaves won't mat and prevent water and air from reaching plant roots and the soil microbes below. But if you shred the leaves first by running over them a few times with a lawn mower, they can be up to four inches deep, and you'll be well on your way to something even better, leaf mold.

Mary Stone  04:29

Leaf mold is simply composted, leaves with remarkable benefits over time, leaves break down into a rich, dark, earthy material packed with minerals when added to the garden. It improves soil structure, helps retain moisture, feeds earthworms and beneficial microbes, and suppresses weeds. It's one of nature's most generous offerings, and entirely free.

Mary Stone  04:55

You can make leaf mold by piling leaves and letting them decompose over one to four years. if shredded, the process can take as little as six to 12 months. Some gardeners speed things along by placing moistened leaves in perforated bags with a bit of soil. When you apply leaf mold as a mulch, about two to three inches deep, nutrients seep into the soil, nourishing roots.

Mary Stone  05:20

Mulch you buy is a broader topic, and one that often raises questions. Not all wood mulch is created equal. Dyed mulches are frequently made from recycled construction debris, sometimes containing pressure treated wood, which is not good for you or the plants. The dyes themselves are often petroleum based and can be harmful as well.

Mary Stone  05:41

There is also the issue of heat. Dark mulches absorb and radiate warmth, which can stress plants. I liken it to walking barefoot on a hot driveway in mid-summer, not something we choose to do, and not something our plants would appreciate either.

Mary Stone  06:26

Fresh wood chips can contain compounds that inhibit plant growth, a natural process known as allelopathy. While this may not harm established plants, it is best to allow the chips to age for several months before using them in garden beds, though fresh chips make wonderful garden paths.

Mary Stone  06:46

Keep in mind that gardens don't always need to be re mulched every year. As plantings fill in, they begin to function as a living mulch, shading the soil and naturally helping retain moisture and inhibit weeds. I adore layered gardens, a design technique that uses an assortment of plants of varying heights and shapes and textures that overlap in complementary and contrasting colors in a few years, they don't require mulching at all.

Mary Stone  07:15

 In lawns, too, small adjustments can make a meaningful difference. Keeping grass at a height of three to four inches closer to four is ideal, supports pollinators, reduces water needs and encourages stronger root systems. It also allows the tapestry of flowering lovelies, blue violets and clover in my unconventional lawn we spoke about last time to shine. Skipping pesticides and embracing practices like No Mow May offer additional opportunities to support wildlife during a critical time. We spoke about no mow may in Episode 103, I'll put a link in the show notes.

Mary Stone  07:56

Gardening like nature is not something we control, but something we participate in. The leaves we rake, the mulch we choose, and the way we tend the soil are all part of a larger cycle. One that reminds us again and again that nothing in nature is wasted. Garden dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com.

Mary Stone  08:20

And perhaps that's what I've been thinking about most of the week. Nothing is wasted, not just in nature and in our gardens, but in life. This season, Easter in particular, has a way of holding both endings and beginnings in the same breath. And I found myself sitting with a heartfelt question whether to send a card to someone who has been part of my life for more than two decades, someone who welcomed me into her family, beginning with an Easter Brunch so many years ago, when she invited me and her son asked if he could pick me up, that was our first date.

Mary Stone  08:59

And as life unfolded, I became part of their family in a way that felt real and was lasting and deeply meaningful to me. But as some of you know, that chapter has come to a close, not in a way I would have hoped, and with that ending came the sorrow of losing not only my relationship, but a family I had come to love,

Mary Stone  09:23

So, I sat with the question, do I send a card? Not to reopen anything, not to change what is, but to acknowledge what was. To say, thank you, to honor the years, to close the circle with gentleness. And what came to me was something that gardens have been teaching me all along, the lesson of the leaf like a leaf in the water, released, not abandoned, carried, not controlled,

Mary Stone  09:57

The leaf doesn't decide where the current takes it. But it trusts the movement, and perhaps that's what we're asked to do in moments like these, to offer what we've been holding with care, and then to let it go where it needs to go, because sometimes the most loving thing we can do is place what we've carried gently into the current and trust it will find its way,

Mary Stone  10:25

Not forcing an outcome, not holding on too tightly, just allowing so I sent the card like placing a leaf upon the water, with gratitude, With love, with beautiful memories and without expectation.

Mary Stone  10:42

Letting go is not the same as losing. We don't lose the love. We don't lose the years. We simply release the holding, and in so doing, make space for something new to take root.

Mary Stone  10:57

In the garden and nature, we see it every day. What falls, breaks down and feeds what comes next. Nothing is wasted, not the leaves, not the seasons, not even the chapters that didn't end as we hoped. And that may be what this time of year is whispering to us, that renewal doesn't come from holding on, but from trusting the turning.

Mary Stone  11:24

So thank you for sitting with me today and sharing this time together. I always appreciate your kind words, and I hope that the story helps you in some way today, as you go through a new change in your life, a new season of growth and a new beginning. If today's episode spoke to you, I hope you share it with a friend or two that could also benefit from the learning and growing that comes from nature in our gardens. So until next time, have a beautiful day and enjoy the new beginning of spring. 

Mary Stone  11:58

You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag. Mary Elaine Stone. Garden dilemmas delights and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.