The leaves are falling from my trees thick and fast, so i've started to rake them up in the hope that i can use them to make leaf mould compost.
I only have a wormery and not a big compost pile, so have put them into an empty compost bag. Is it okay to keep them in athere and will they rot down, and is there anything i should/could do.
Do i need to prick holes into the bottom of the bag to allow moisture (and worms?) in/out?
Is there anything i can put in to accelerate the decomposition?
How long generally should it take?
Any tips gratefully accepted.
Thanks all
Wendy
If you can put them in a black bin bag and tie it up. Put it out of sight somewhere. You could use the contents in potato trench beds next year.
I would poke holes in the bag to let a little air in - one plunge with a fork - the leaves will gradually crumble over the year. I moved to this flat two years ago with a communal garden and large horse chestnut, which immediately shed its leaves. Knowing no better I dumped the leaves in a big pile, and they have produced lovely leafmould all the same. But bags will be tidier! ;D
My log man delivers logs in orange plastic mesh bags, I've been saving these for leaves, will they do or are barely perforated plastic bin bags preferrable?
I gather my leaves into bags and top them up with loads of water to make sure they are thoroughly wet. (Adding some grass cuttings helps with the decomposing process.) Then I make holes in the bottom to let out the water and squeeze out as much water and air as possible. Dead leaves do not need worms etc to decompose, they decompose via a fungal process so there is no need to concern yourself with allowing access. Then I just leave the bags for a year or so and hey presto, lovely leaf mould.
G x
I'm really lazy, and let the London councils people bag up the leaves for me. Then as I drive around and spot them I fill up the car and stash 'em behind the shed.
Collected around 120 bags last year!
There's often street rubbish in the bags as well, but so far nothing that's attracted rats - usually empty plastic bottles and crisp packets, though there was a £10 note!
Even only half rotted stuff forked into the bottom of trenches helps with breaking up the clay soil.
:o delboy :o that's called stealing ::)
You don't need any grass clippings, the lignin in the leaves breaks down via fungi rather than bacteria
Thanks for all the tips :D
I shall watch the local park to see if the council men collect the leaves there into piles too for me to collect up. The local dogwalkers will think i'm barmy! ;D
I had to laugh Delboy but i'll have to remember that down our road. I bet the van was puzzled when it turned up to collect the bags. Hope the cleaner didn't get the sack, for no work that day. :)
Just don't do what I did and top dress the borders in a greenhouse with them before they are fully rotted. I did and we moved house, came back a couple of years later to find my DIY greenhouse with trees coming out through the roof!
;D
We have a wood on the side of our valley through it runs a stone cobble path with a large gutter. The last time our Council cleaned the gutter was well over 40 years ago, guess who has a mountain of leafmould to get in this winter. All I have to do is to sieve the material . Last year I managed to get over a ton of the brown gold.