With the autumn weather well and truly established, I have finally given up waiting for the summer to come and I have decided to embrace the season. To celebrate, I went out and bought myself a pair of fluffy slippers this week and they are a great way to save on the fuel bills. I feel all nice and cosy. I think I’ll get a pipe next. Another way, I am keeping warm is to go outside and get a bit of work done in the garden.
One job that always keeps me toasty is sweeping leaves. I used to get top bonuses on the council when I worked in the parks department by saying that I swept all of the paths everyday to free them of these slippery bits of organic matter. The damn things just kept coming back though….. In reality I was warm and cosy in the cricket pavilion having a crafty snooze. Of course I am too mature now to skive off the daily duties so I am up to my neck in the soft tones of autumn. I have raked up huge piles of leaves now so what is the best thing to do with them? Well it’s not the best idea to burn leaves; it’s probably illegal now too, so I’m going to speed up nature and turn them into a useful addition for the garden. Most leaves can be turned into leaf mould, but some take longer to compost than others. Oak, alder and hornbeam will soon rot down, while sycamore, beech, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut take a little longer, but who’s in a rush?
There are quite a few conifers and evergreen plants in the grounds and these leaves take between two and three years to compost so I won’t be using many of these leaves and of course as I pride myself on being a lazy gardener, I’m leaving all of the fallen foliage that have ended up under the hedges and other out of the way areas, where they are. They are not untidy, they will add goodness to the plant when they rot down and they may be used as hibernating sites by hedgehogs and other creatures. So how do you make leaf mould?
WHAT IS LEAF MOULD
Leaf mould is a form of compost produced by the breakdown of shrub and tree leaves. Making leaf mould is a cold process that makes it different from composting. The decomposition is mostly done by fungi whereas composting relies on bacteria. I am collecting the leaves in biodegradable bags with a few holes punched in them, so let’s hope they last long enough for the leaves to rot down. After placing the leaves in the bag they will need a good watering to speed up the rotting process. I try not to collect them from the side of a road, as there will be a lot of pollutants such as oil and old crisp packets..
Due to the slow decaying nature of their lignin (cellulose) content, autumn leaves break down far more slowly than most other compost ingredients although you can still throw some in the compost bin. I will be cutting the grass soon too, this is the fastest way to get the leaves off the lawn and the mower shreds them, which helps the leaves to rot down faster,especially now that the grass is nice and wet.
The leaves I am cramming into the bags will take between one and two years to break down into rich humus with a smell reminiscent of ancient woodland. While not high in nutrient content, leaf mould is an excellent bulky and fibrous soil conditioner
TIP
If you have a big garden then a leaf bin might be an idea. All you need is some galvanised chicken wire and a few posts.
5 GOOD REASONS TO USE LEAF MOULD
It's clean and easy to handle
It's good for the soil
It cuts down on watering
It can be used on any soil
It can be used at any time of year
SO MANY USES FOR YOUR LEAVES
I’m putting the leaves into the bags and will just forget about them until next year. There are things you could do with the freshly fallen leaves though.
Newly fallen leaves
Winter cover for bare soil; handy, but may have to be removed in spring for sowing and planting. Mulch for informal paths.
Make into leafmould.
The leafmould has a multitude of uses:
'Young' leafmould 1 or 2 years old leafmould will be beginning to break up and should be easily crumbled in the hand.
Use it for mulching around shrubs, herbaceous, trees, vegetables.
Dig in as soil improver for sowing and planting, autumn top dressing for lawns and
winter cover for bare soil.
Well rotted leafmould
WHAT IS LEAF MOULD
Leaf mould is a form of compost produced by the breakdown of shrub and tree leaves. Making leaf mould is a cold process that makes it different from composting. The decomposition is mostly done by fungi whereas composting relies on bacteria. I am collecting the leaves in biodegradable bags with a few holes punched in them, so let’s hope they last long enough for the leaves to rot down. After placing the leaves in the bag they will need a good watering to speed up the rotting process. I try not to collect them from the side of a road, as there will be a lot of pollutants such as oil and old crisp packets..
Due to the slow decaying nature of their lignin (cellulose) content, autumn leaves break down far more slowly than most other compost ingredients although you can still throw some in the compost bin. I will be cutting the grass soon too, this is the fastest way to get the leaves off the lawn and the mower shreds them, which helps the leaves to rot down faster,especially now that the grass is nice and wet.
The leaves I am cramming into the bags will take between one and two years to break down into rich humus with a smell reminiscent of ancient woodland. While not high in nutrient content, leaf mould is an excellent bulky and fibrous soil conditioner
TIP
If you have a big garden then a leaf bin might be an idea. All you need is some galvanised chicken wire and a few posts.
5 GOOD REASONS TO USE LEAF MOULD
It's clean and easy to handle
It's good for the soil
It cuts down on watering
It can be used on any soil
It can be used at any time of year
SO MANY USES FOR YOUR LEAVES
I’m putting the leaves into the bags and will just forget about them until next year. There are things you could do with the freshly fallen leaves though.
Newly fallen leaves
Winter cover for bare soil; handy, but may have to be removed in spring for sowing and planting. Mulch for informal paths.
Make into leafmould.
The leafmould has a multitude of uses:
'Young' leafmould 1 or 2 years old leafmould will be beginning to break up and should be easily crumbled in the hand.
Use it for mulching around shrubs, herbaceous, trees, vegetables.
Dig in as soil improver for sowing and planting, autumn top dressing for lawns and
winter cover for bare soil.
Well rotted leafmould
2 years old leafmould will be dark brown and crumbly material, with no real trace of original leaves visible.
Use as for ‘young’ leafmould above or as a seed sowing mix.
Use the leafmould on its own, or mixed with equal parts sharp sand and garden compost.
For really good potting compost, mix equal parts well-rotted leafmould, sharp sand, loam and garden compost.
