Folks are starting to ask how that ‘neighbor friendly yard’ is coming along…and rightly so since it has been some time since my post about said project. (click here if you missed that post) I will tell you in a nutshell that it is coming along slowly but surely.

Right now the hardscaping is being built. And boy, oh boy do I have lots to show you there, but it has to wait for next time. Let’s just say that you are going to want what I am putting in!

What has made its way into my yard space is a great, huge pile of mulch matter. Mulch matter? Yes, mulch does matter, but this is mulch matter. Let me explain…

The City of Greenville has this crazy curbside service where they pick up your yard waste. (I know, I was probably born in a barn.) Now that probably isn’t new to you, but I became totally fascinated by the parade of dump trucks, front-end loaders, and rake wielding soldiers that march down my street every Tuesday afternoon to whisk away the neighbors’ lawn clippings. Personally, I think this is crazy, but nevertheless fascinating. You see, in my mind those lawn clippings and fallen leaves are fodder for the compost bin and the best soil nutrition around. Why on earth would you throw that away?

My neighbor’s leaf pile.

So Curious George here had to find out where all of this wonderful organic matter was being taken. There must be a gargantuan compost pile that surely must reach to the sky, and I wanted in on the deal. Well, come to find out, it is taken to the landfill, ground up, and sold as “mulch.” So I went to investigate.

Even on rainy days the troops round up yard waste.

When I pulled into the landfill next to the mulch self-service loading area, I got out of the car, reached down and grabbed a fistful of the earthy stuff, and took a big sniff, inhaling deeply. If you are a gardener, you have done the same thing…nothing smells as good as sweet earth. And then, I looked around to see the loading crew staring at me like I had grown another head!

In the pursuing week, I tracked down a trucking company that dumped two loads on my front drive. That’s 70 cubic yards of mulch matter sitting there. And did I mention how much money I saved? Loads! (No pun intended!)

My pile of mulch matter.

So why do I call it mulch matter? Because it is made up of leaf matter, grass clippings, and tree trimmings. It is finely ground and decomposes quickly. A sort of cross between mulch and future compost. And I will show you how I am using it in another post.

Mulch matter: leaf matter, grass clippings, tree trimmings.

So now this brings me back to the ‘neighbor friendly yard.’ You just can’t imagine how many neighbors I’ve met since this huge pile arrived. Neighbors stop to gawk and stare. They ask me if I intend to spread the mulch all by myself. I’m pretty sure they snicker when I confirm my plans for that, claiming it is cheaper than a gym membership! They could very well be whispering about the crazy lady down the street, but my pile has become somewhat of a conversation piece!