​

I typically don't like to send more than one email about Amazon Prime Big Deal Days (which ends tonight at 11:59 pm!) but a new deal just popped up that you should know about:

I own this exact leaf mulcher and it's 29% off today, which is less than what I originally bought it for! When I got mine a few years ago, I used it to shred over 50 yard bags of fallen leaves. (Seriously... it was a task!) This mulcher handled the workload with zero problems, and I continue to use it each year to make leaf mulch for my raised beds.

(I'm using this 32-gallon collapsible leaf waste bin, which fits perfectly underneath the Worx mulcher. Don't forget safety glasses—I'm wearing these ones in the picture.)

Leaves are an excellent free mulch that you can use to protect your soil over winter, and as the leaves decompose, they stimulate microbes, add nutrients, and improve the soil structure. (This is one of the ways you can nurse tired soil back to health over winter.)

You can also use shredded leaves as the brown material for your compost pile. (Just keep a trash can's worth handy so you always have browns to toss in with your kitchen scraps.)

If you want to keep it even simpler, piles of shredded leaves will also turn into leaf compost (with just a little moisture, no other "ingredients" needed, and no turning required) in about a year. (I'm going to write about this process soon on my blog!)

This is what I get after about six months:

Shredded leaves break down faster, and it's crucial to chop them up because thick piles of whole leaves can become matted over winter, making it so air and moisture have a hard time reaching the soil. The Worx mulcher can condense 11 bags of leaves into just 1 bag, so you can easily turn acres of leaves into mulch or compost.

Prime Day deals end tonight at 11:59 pm and a few other deals that just popped up caught my eye today:

​Neptune's Harvest Tomato & Veg Fertilizer​

Amazon has this liquid fertilizer as a "Limited Time Deal" and the 36-ounce version is a really good price! (I just bought a bottle.) This formula is really just a rebrand of their usual fish and seaweed fertilizer, which I use throughout summer. I love it for giving my plants an instant dose of nutrients.

​Arber Organic Plant Food​

I originally bought this brand last year to try on my houseplants and indoor citrus trees, and so far I'm really liking it. I've also used their fungicide/insecticide combo to treat the soil of my pest-infested houseplants with good results. (You can use all of their products in the garden as well; I just haven't needed to.)

​Tiny Air Pump​

I bring this rechargeable portable pump on backpacking trips to inflate our sleeping pads and pack raft, but it also works on regular air mattresses and pool floats. It's surprisingly mighty for being so small, inflates things in just a little over a minute, and weighs nearly nothing!

​Stainless Steel Salad Bowl Kit​

I bought this at regular price last year and it's saved me from eating like crap on busy "chauffeuring" days. (Parents, you know what I'm talking about.)

This is my favorite way to tote along green salads, pasta salads, and noodles when I have to drive my kids all over town and then sit around and wait for them. I really like the nesting tray where I can keep utensils and dry ingredients separate.

​FoodSaver Mini Handheld Vacuum Sealer​

This cordless vacuum sealer actually came with the FoodSaver unit I own (this one) and I think it's so useful that I recommend it for anyone who wants to keep food fresher (but may not have space for a full-sized unit).

You can use it to seal special vacuum-seal bags (which I love, since you can get into the bag easily and then just reseal as needed) or marinate meat in minutes using the vacuum-seal containers. My FoodSaver has been a game-changer this season as I'm up to my ears in food that needs to be preserved!

If you have a little space to store a countertop unit, this is the one I use (which unfortunately is not on sale, but worth the price). It's a compact model that I actually keep in a drawer until I need it, and I've had it for two years now. I LOVE IT.

I've added all these new deals to my Amazon Prime Big Deal Days guide, and also want to remind you that I'm giving away TWO $500 Amazon gift cards!

Head to that blog post to find out how to enter for your chance to win. (The giveaway is only open to Garden Betty followers and it ends tonight!)

​