How to Build Your Own Garden Mulcher

Mulching on the Ground

• 1

  Place a tarp in your yard. Stake the corners down tight so the tarp does not move at all.

• 2

  Rake a pile of leaves onto the center of the tarp. The pile should only be slightly higher than the front end of your lawn mower.

• 3

  Check the wheel height of your lawn mower. Raise the wheel height slightly if the mower blade is too close to the surface of the tarp.

• 4

  Start the lawn mower. Push the mower over the top of the leaf pile. Push and pull the mower back over the leaves until the leaves are shredded into as fine a mulch as you prefer.

• 5

  Lift the corners of the tarp together and carry the mulch in the tarp to the area in which you will use it.

Mulching from Blocks

• 6

  Place a tarp in your yard and stake down the corners. Put four concrete or wooden blocks in the middle of the tarp.

• 7

  Place an old lawn mower on top of the four concrete or wooden blocks. Remove the wheels from the mower if it will not sit securely on top of the blocks. The added height of the blocks will allow you to shred more leaves and produce a larger pile of mulch.

• 8

  Place one end of a PVC pipe or rain gutter piping on top of the deck of the lawn mower to make the loading chute for the mulcher; use a pipe or gutter that is at least 6 inches in diameter, and at least 24 inches long. Trace the outline of the pipe with a marker. Remove the pipe. Cut out the circular outline of the pipe with a pair of metal shears.

• 9

  Insert the pipe into the hole you just cut. Do not push the pipe too far down or else it will get chopped apart by the blade. Make sure the pipe is securely inside the hole. Use some duct tape to help keep it in place if it is even slightly loose.

• 10

  Start the mower. Grab a handful of leaves and drop them down into the loading chute. The leaves will fall down through the blade, and will be shredded into mulch. Continue shredding leaves until you have as much mulch as you want.

• 11

  Turn off the mower, and remove it from the blocks. Remove the blocks from the tarp. Bring the corners of the tarp together and carry the tarp full of mulch to the area in which you need it.