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Now, you're watching this after the 1st of the year, but Christmas is still on its way as we do this, so our book club will expand this episode.

We're gonna give away a bunch of books, beginning with "The City Homesteader," written by my good friend Scott Meyer, who was one of my editors at Organic Gardening magazine and now works for PHS, the people who put on the Flower Show.

The postcard that goes with this book is from Lisa Billow in Norfolk, Virginia.

And when this one came in, I asked Tavia, did we have any interesting postcards?

And she said, "Yeah, we got a weird rodent."

Well, actually, that's a James Audubon drawing of what he thinks a fox looks like.

So I know you're gone to that, you know, big menagerie in the sky, Jim, but, you know, stick to the birds in the future.

Time for another giveaway.

Yeah, we're giving 'em away.

You send a postcard in, you got a good chance of actually getting a book, 'cause my library is still much too big.

Alright.

This one goes to -- I better pronounce this correctly.

Nancy Fuchs in Burgess, Virginia.

And it's a kitty cat.

On the front, it's a very cute, little kitty cat, and I don't know why I decided that, but I thought the book "Taming Wildflowers" would go well with a kitty-cat postcard.

And as I said, we is overflowing with the holiday spirit, so check out this postcard.

It took me a minute to figure out what was happening here.

Looks a little bit like SpongeBob gone mad.

It was sent in by Karen Yancy in Milsboro, Delaware.

And go in tight on this, guys.

This is a hugely funny postcard, because it looks like something you'd have in an aquarium at home.

But if you look carefully, it's all squash and broccoli and banana peels, making this -- And there's a big sprig of rosemary coming up.

It is hilarious.

I'm not sure what the little fish is made of.

I'll have to look at it more carefully.

The turtle is definitely a squash.

So I thought that was just so ingenious.

We're sending her "Living with Herbs" by Jo Ann Gardner.

I have no idea if that's her real name or not, but it is what it is.

So, everybody wants to learn more about herbs, and it's a great book, but I got no room in my library, so we're giving it away.

So, again, clever postcards are getting our attention.

So, you know, choose wisely, 'cause we're gonna keep giving books away until I can actually have walking lanes in my office.

Next up is a postcard from... Joanne -- J-O-A-N-N-E. Is that "Joanie"?

Megan in North Hills, PA. And she has a very -- I love these historic postcards.

This is Wilbur and Orville's first flight.

Very cool.

And just imagine, I mean, 10 years after this, there's planes taking people over to Europe already.

It's just astounding.

So we are sending Joanne, or Joanie, a guide to landscaping, which we can tell I read because it still has sticky notes on some of the pages.

"Landscaping: A Five-Year Plan" goes out to Joanne, or Joanie, in North Hills, PA. And, finally, Jane Snyder in Nashville writes, "Love your show, and I don't even have a garden."

So I thought about what book to send Jane, and this lovely -- It's not credited anywhere, but this seems to me be an impressionist painting of roses.

So we're sending Jane Jackson & Perkins' "Rose Companions," which tells you all the different things to grow around roses.

Maybe we will encourage her to start a garden, or she just might like looking at it or she'll regift it to someone else.

But anyway, it's out of my library, which was my first goal.

Alright, that's a bunch of books gotten rid of and a bunch of people who I hope are happy.

We're certainly happy to have been entertained by your postcards.

Keep those cards comins at 833-727-9588.

-Hi.

-Well, "Hello, Mary Lou."

Was that Everly Brothers or Ricky Nelson, that song?

-Everly Brothers.

-Yeah.

-Or, no, I think Ricky Nelson.

Yes, yes.

Ricky Nelson.

-I remember Ricky Nelson, yeah, on the old "Ozzie and..." -I liked them both.

What can I say?

-Yeah.

Alright.

So, Mary Lou, where are you?

-I'm in Mahoning Valley.

Christmas-tree country this time of year.

Outside of Lehighton.

-Oh, in Pennsylvania.

-Pennsylvania, yes.

-Alright, very good.

What can we do for Mary Lou in and around Lehighton?

-I have been gardening over 40 years and feel I'm pretty knowledgeable, but this past year, I noticed my Japanese maple, which has been doing great.

It's a small one, but it's in there at least 5 to 10 years.

I don't know.

But established already.

And this summer, I noticed the bark is splitting all around the -- coming out of the ground and going up.

And I went online, and I really don't see any remedy to try and save it.

-Let's talk about the split.

The split is up and down, like, vertical, right?

-Yes.

Oh, yeah.

It kind of fell off completely around now.

-The bark has completely left the tree?

-Yep, yep.

It split in, well, a big strip not totally 360 degrees around.

But I'd say about 5%.

-That's good to hear, because if the bark is removed from the tree in a complete circle, the tree will die, because that bark is what takes the nutrients up and down from the root system to the canopy.

And you say the tree is shaded, but I'm gonna guess it's shaded by deciduous trees?

-Yes, yes.

-Okay.

-One that's not too close, so I know, you know, it's not root-bound, at least.

-No, but I think you do have sunscald.

Sunscald doesn't happen, oddly enough, in the summer when the tree is actively growing.

Sunscald happens in the winter when it's freezing-cold out but then the sun coming from the south or the east is very strong and heats up the bark, and then that night, when the temperature drops rapidly, the bark splits.

It's a very common problem.

If you go to a commercial orchard, you'll often see that they have painted the bark of their trees with white latex paint to prevent -- -Right, right.

-To prevent this sunscald and splitting.

And that's what I think has happened to your tree.

So if it's just 5%, that's great.

Don't try to fill in the gap.

Don't try to heal it.

But do protect it from the winter sun, and you have two choices.

You can either put on a coat of white latex paint or you can go to a garden center -- and do it soon, because, you know, they'll be closing.

You might have to go to a big-box store, but you can buy tree guards that are white plastic and they're kind of wraparound, and it's very easy to put them on a tree.

And it prevents sunscald by reflecting that winter sun, and it also prevents deer from coming up and velveting your tree, you know, rubbing their antlers to get the fur off of it and can do a lot of damage to trees and actually can split the bark if it's the right kind of situation.

So I would like you to, next time it's a nice day, go out there with a hoe and see if you can expose a little bit of the root flare at the base of the tree, you know, pull some soil back.

But more importantly, before we get any deeper into winter, I want you to either wrap that with a tree guard or paint it with white latex paint.

-Okay.

Yeah, I didn't know what to do.

And, temporarily, I did a -- Are you familiar with an ice-cream bag that has the heavy white on the outside and the foil on the inside?

-You mean something you would take to the store to bring home ice cream?

-Something they would give you.

-Yeah.

And -- -It's just a heavier plastic bag with, like, a foil inside to keep it cold.

-Right, but you've got the foil against the tree and the white facing out.

-I tried to wrap it so the foil is against the tree and facing out just to maybe prevent some wind, you know, damage for winter.

-And the outside is white?

-The outside is white.

The inside is a foil.

-Yeah, that sounds fine.

-Yeah, 'cause I was trying to save it.

It was a rough year this past year -- health issues, my husband passed, so I was... -Aww.

-I don't know when that happened, but I wanted to try and do what I could to try and save that tree for me.

-Well, first of all, condolences.

-Thank you.

-You know, when something like that happens, there's no shame in neglecting your garden or neglecting anything while you try to come to terms with what happened, you know, if we ever can.

But it sounds like you've done a good cowboy job protecting it.

And I would just leave that on and take it off in the spring once the tree starts to green up.

And, again, don't try to fill in the gap.

The tree can do that better than you can.

-Okay.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate that information.

-Alright, Mary Lou.

Thank you.

And, you know, keep your chin up and do whatever you can to feel better about your circumstance.

At 833-727-9588.

-How you doing today, Mike?

-I am just ducky.

Thank you for asking, Rog.

How are you, sir?

-Wonderful.

Wonderful.

-And where is Roger wonderful?

-Weehawken, New Jersey.

-What can we do for Roger in Weeeee-hawken?

-I just wanted to say I love your book on composting, and now I understand that I should have not used a shredded hardwood as a mulch in my flower beds.

But I already have it down, and I've been shredding leaves in the backyard from the two pin oak trees.

I don't have any large trees in my yard, but I get plenty of leaves from the neighbors' trees.

-Good.

-And I was curious on what you suggest, seeing that I already have the mulch -- the shredded hardwood -- down, should I just put a layer of compost on top in the spring or use my shredded leaves now that I've already kind of ventured into this world of putting the wrong thing down?

-Is it dyed mulch?

Is it black or -- -No.

-No?

-No, it's not the dyed mulch.

It's a double-milled shredded hardwood like I used to grow up getting down in Texas.

You know, it was a big steamy pile, and it was scooped up and put in the back of my pickup truck.

And it's a rich black, natural black and brown.

It kind of turns gray after it sits out for a while, and I just kind of mix it up.

-Mm-hmm.

Honestly, I mean, to get the best growth out of your plants and to avoid any kind of nuisance fungus, you know, I'm always going to recommend at least scraping away or hoeing away as much of the hardwood as you can.

And then, because you have shredded leaves right now, which of course haven't had time to become compost, I would put some shredded leaves down on those beds to serve the same purpose of preventing weeds and eventually breaking down.

Also, one of the major advantages of shredded leaves over any kind of wood mulch is earthworms are going to cultivate the soil underneath shredded leaves 'cause that's their natural habitat.

Earthworms live under the leaf litter in the forest, and they love being under there.

They chew the leaves.

They make new soil.

They chew your lousy clay soil and poop out really good soil.

And the best way to encourage tons of earthworms is to simply have nothing but shredded leaves on top of your soil.

They will come and feed your plants, aerate your soil, improve your soil, not because they like you, but because they like being there.

So I would love to see a removal, and then what you can do is take that mulch -- Again, if it's not dyed, just pile it up in a corner somewhere, and it will compost down, especially if you add some coffee grounds in there, as well.

-Yeah, I've got my compost pile.

I've got a lot of coffee going in there.

And definitely some mulch has been scraped up while I'm picking up the leaves.

And if it goes into my compost pile, is that a no-no if I have some of that shredded hardwood non-dyed mulch in there?

-It is not a complete no-no, but it won't break down as readily as the shredded leaves.

When that compost is ready to harvest, there is gonna be a fair amount of wood in it.

Now, if you want to go for the PhD class, you can screen your compost.

-Right.

I remember you talking about that.

Now, if I'm shredding up basically, you know, leftover clippings and things like that, do you want me to put that in the compost, as well, or is that a no-no 'cause of the nitrogen-sucking wood, as you call it?

-It is.

It will suck up nitrogen, and it can stop a compost pile cold if there's too much of it.

But what I do with branches and limbs and things like that is I just put those into a big pile and forget about them, and then in the years where I'm a little shy of compost at the end of the season, I go move that pile, and I'll have wheelbarrows full of finished compost at the bottom.

-Shredded wood?

Do you shred it?

You put it through a little chipper or something and just leave it in the pile?

-No.

-Okay, perfect.

-Do I look like a guy who works hard?

-No, no, no.

I'm not one, either.

-Yeah.

I just pile it up -- -Oh, great.

-And everything composts on its own schedule, so it'll be a couple of years, but if you're patient or, again, if you just ignore it, maybe forget it, and then remember it's there, you'll be amazed at not only the amount, but the quality.

-Oh, thank you very much, sir.

And I really enjoy the show.

I really enjoyed the book.

I've shared your book with a friend of mine who's really enjoying it now, as well.

-Excellent.

Excellent.

Alright, Roger.

Thanks for calling.

Alright, cats and kittens.

It is time for the Question of the Week, which we're calling "Where should you leave your leaves?"

Teresa in Stillwater, Oklahoma, writes, "I know you love fall leaves.

So do I.

However, I'd like to suggest that you update your information on leaves.

Leaves left alone provide habitat and food for creatures that nourish birds, butterflies, lightning bugs, and numerous other species.

Not to mention nourishing the earth itself.

Now, these species are already under stress from changes in the climate, which may even cause some to die off, so we really need to be cognizant of and respectful towards these wee ones.

Thank you for your consideration.

P.S.

-- I collect leaves from neighborhoods where people don't understand this concept.

The leaves are pre-bagged, so they're not difficult to collect.

I just have to pull the odd bit of trash out of them."

Well, Teresa raises a couple of really good points.

So let's review my philosophy on leaves with the caveat that not everyone can do exactly as I do.

That's because my house is surrounded by trees, and most of the land around us is heavily wooded with a stream running through it, so I can have my leaves and -- and... well, not eat them, too.

That would be too weird, even for me.

But thanks to my landscape, I can leave some and harvest the rest.

If you could see the view from my office window where I saw two beautiful fox playing like puppies in the woods last week, you'd see that the area to the left of the house, on the other side of our stream, and beyond the fenced-in backyard -- fenced-in to try and contain the Great Pyrenees we rescue -- is covered several inches deep in years' worth of leaves.

I've never harvested leaves from the wild, with the same intentions as Teresa -- to leave wild areas wild, somewhat for the benefit of any creatures that prefer these kind of leafy habitats, but mostly for the health of the trees that derive nutrition from those leaves when they eventually break down.

But I do try and suck up every leaf that falls around the house and garden for several reasons.

The first is common sense.

As everyone who has driven on a wet, leaf-covered road knows all too well, whole wet leaves defy the very concept of traction.

Winter in the north is treacherous enough for slip-and-fall risk.

Leaving my patio covered with wet leaves would probably cancel my insurance policy, if not cancel me personally.

And leaving whole leaves on my garden beds would smother the soil, encourage mold, possibly kill my fall-planted garlic, and prevent many of my spring bulbs from emerging properly, especially the early blooming minor bulbs, like glory-of-snow and snowdrops that can come up in January.

That last part is especially important in winters when snow hits early and stays late.

I sometimes miss the window to suck up and shred the leaves over top of where my spring bulbs are sleeping, and the result is always a disaster -- a frantic effort to rescue the emerging plants from this frozen tarp of death that only results in my raking up more bulbs than leaves.

Now, my back went out this fall.

It's much better now.

Thank you.

In the middle of my shredding.

And I know that some spring bulb locations are still covered by matted-down, wet, and/or frozen leaves.

So that's number one on my to-do list -- to try and free those bulbs up on the next nice day before the early ones start to emerge.

Now, some of those shredded leaves will go into my compost piles, some will be saved in giant trash cans for garden mulching in the spring, and many will be dumped right back down where they were after being shredded.

Whereby whole leaves mat down and smother the soil, shredded leaves allow air and water through.

And plants like spring bulbs, garlic, peonies, and hosta that might otherwise be smothered by whole leaves easily push through the light, loose mulch of shredded leaves.

Okay, okay.

Hostas could probably push through sheet metal.

Just wanted to see if you were paying attention out there.

Same procedure with my garden beds.

I suck up the whole leaves and then empty the collection bag of shredded leaves right back on top of the beds to prevent weeds, erosion, and having to carry the bag back to my compost piles.

Lawns -- it is critical to get every whole leaf off of your lawn.

Early in the season, it's fine to use your lawn mower to mulch the leaves back into the grass, but do not attempt this if the ground is frozen.

Mowing frozen grass will rip the grass to shreds.

It's much better at this point to suck the leaves up with a leaf blower set on reverse and then empty the bag into your compost piles or, again, save them for garden mulch next spring.

And finally, we get to trash picking, or, as I like to call it, rescuing SPBs.

Back when I was younger, I would troll the streets of nearby Emmaus looking for SPBs put out at the curb.

If they were filled with leaves alone, I would store them in their bags for shredding in the spring.

But if they were a combination of leaves and grass clippings, I would just dump them in the woods.

Never trust clippings from an unknown lawn.

If that lawn was treated with commercial herbicides, the clippings and any compost made from them could be deadly to non-grass plants.