Collecting natural forest leaf mould

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'm with Bill on this one - washing blackberries in the hedgerow before eating them to get rid of the fumes is one thing (er - which I probably should, but don't, and does a rinse under cold water wash off the nasties anyway??); worrying about possible fumes on the leaves that you're going to rot down then mix in the soil in the ground where you grow your veg is another.

[Bill HH]

The old saying is "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die" There is a point where people can get so obsessed with prolonging their lives that they forget to live it while they have it.

[Raybon]

Not about me. More about my family. Would hate to think I was aiding and abetting bad health...there's dirt, and there's dirt.
I don't give my family unwashed supermarket fruit and veg either, for the same reason. My own stuff has not been sprayed with chemicals.
We are living longer, but living longer in bad health puts a burden on everyone else.
Damage limitation has got to be a good thing!

[Bill HH]

Not about me. More about my family. Would hate to think I was aiding and abetting bad health...there's dirt, and there's dirt.
I don't give my family unwashed supermarket fruit and veg either, for the same reason. My own stuff has not been sprayed with chemicals.
We are living longer, but living longer in bad health puts a burden on everyone else.
Damage limitation has got to be a good thing!

You could equally say by not being so fussy about what we eat and breathe we may perhaps die earlier thus reducing the population, saving the country millions in pension pay outs and easing the housing shortage.
Having owned and run a care home for Alzheimer sufferers I really have no great wish to live beyond 80 (my view may change as I approach that age lol) but I am more concerned with enjoying life now.

This risk averse society is doing us no favours, children are kept at home because of the one in a million chance they may be abducted for instance, I was allowed free reign to wander our village and the surrounding fields as a child and I am sure it made me a better person.

Regarding obsessive hygiene I can understand its need in commercial food production because one mistake could kill a lot of people but in home or garden we can carry it too far. Our immune systems thrive on being challenged, the more hygienic we become the more at risk we are.

In our care home I was told to get rid of my beautiful fountain because of the risk of legionaires disease!!! Now that is utter twaddle. Sure there is a risk but a very small one and it has to be balanced against the happiness and peace the fountain brought to our elderly clients.

[ButternutSquash]

Am wondering if it is legal/ethical to collect natural leaf mould from our forests?
Drove through Kent today and could see prolific amounts, already rotted down, and wondered what the consequences would be if I gathered some! Very tempted.......so much of it!
Applied some of my own to beds this year and have had the best results ever (heavy clay soil!)

Not ethical and against bye laws in some places. The leaf mulch helps support communities of insects and fungi, as well as feeding trees and plants.

[Raybon]

Not ethical and against bye laws in some places. The leaf mulch helps support communities of insects and fungi, as well as feeding trees and plants.

Yes, just wishful thinking on my part. But I wouldn't have taken it all!

[Sanjo]

Re: the collection of bagged leaves the only problem I would have with that (and much the same if it was cut grass from the verges) is the strong possibility of dogs mess collected in with it.
I know Twosheds composts her doggies doings but she uses that compost on the flower beds I think, and Twosheds knows what goes into her dogs etc.

[Raybon]

You could equally say by not being so fussy about what we eat and breathe we may perhaps die earlier thus reducing the population, saving the country millions in pension pay outs and easing the housing shortage.
Having owned and run a care home for Alzheimer sufferers I really have no great wish to live beyond 80 (my view may change as I approach that age lol) but I am more concerned with enjoying life now.
This risk averse society is doing us no favours, children are kept at home because of the one in a million chance they may be abducted for instance, I was allowed free reign to wander our village and the surrounding fields as a child and I am sure it made me a better person.

Regarding obsessive hygiene I can understand its need in commercial food production because one mistake could kill a lot of people but in home or garden we can carry it too far. Our immune systems thrive on being challenged, the more hygienic we become the more at risk we are.

In our care home I was told to get rid of my beautiful fountain because of the risk of legionaires disease!!! Now that is utter twaddle. Sure there is a risk but a very small one and it has to be balanced against the happiness and peace the fountain brought to our elderly clients.

That's where we'll have to differ then....I don't regard it as obsessive. When my grandson is old enough he can do exactly as he likes as an adult with adult choices, until then he is in our care and to put him in harm's way is a form of child abuse (in my opinion.) nothing we will do can be perfect, but we will do our best. Food and diet is just one branch of care.
Playing out.....traffic/population has increased by Lord knows how much since we were kids. Loony drivers on drink or drugs. People on false driving licences. Idiots using our roads as race-tracks. It's just not the same playing field (pardon the pun.) Sad but true.

Chemical interference with food is not hygiene. It is done for commercial reasons, not to do us good.

I do agree with the points you make re. Prolonging life,
would go with the voluntary euthanasia option. In Holland there is a Euthanasia van which will come to your house and after much consultation and examination will do the job for you, in your own home. Relieving the family from onus/stress.
A big subject - thanks for your consideration.

[Raybon]

Re: the collection of bagged leaves the only problem I would have with that (and much the same if it was cut grass from the verges) is the strong possibility of dogs mess collected in with it.
I know Twosheds composts her doggies doings but she uses that compost on the flower beds I think, and Twosheds knows what goes into her dogs etc.

Good point re. Dog poo. Had not thought of that!
Another reason for sticking to garden collection.

[ButternutSquash]

Yes, just wishful thinking on my part. But I wouldn't have taken it all!

Of course but to state the obvious it really is a case of once one person does it, we all do it. I do wonder what the law and ethics are for road side trees that fall, since I have a wood burner.

[Bill HH]

I think it is an over reaction to think taking fallen leaves from woodland or the leaf mould is going to make one iota of difference to the environment either in long or short term.

Anyone who drives a car is contributing more to environmental damage day in day out than anyone who takes a few bags of leaf mould and incidentally trees grow very nicely thank you when out in a field and no leaf mould to be found.

It seems to me people latch on to these things and completely fail to grasp the bigger picture such as our carbon fuel use and its pollution. The only cure for us all is fewer people on this planet, we are over crowded.

[PyreneesPlot]

Fewer people or the same number of people using fewer resources? The uk needs one power station just to run all the stuff on stand by.

[alldigging]

I think it is an over reaction to think taking fallen leaves from woodland or the leaf mould is going to make one iota of difference to the environment either in long or short term.

I think it should be discouraged. One person to start and then more and more ..

If it's your forest then do what you like, but if it's not then hands off.
Leave only footprints. Take only memories. (And photos)

[Bill HH]

Fewer people or the same number of people using fewer resources? The uk needs one power station just to run all the stuff on stand by.

Exactly, We seem to invest huge amounts in green policies and practices and there is an entire industry geared to being greener yet I hardly ever hear any arguments put forward for reducing the population.
Less people equates to more houses, more energy, more health care, less traffic, less pollution per person. In fact there is hardly a problem that human beings face in this world that would not be solved or eased if people would just have less children.
And at the same time we seem obsessed with protecting everyone's lives, health and safety, scientific research into diseases, seat belts, crumple zones, the list is endless. I think we need a bit more Darwinism and a lot less children to make the planet sustainable.

[dim]

I will put my hand up ....

I brew compost tea weekly, (proper compost tea using an airpump, unstrapped molasses, fish hydrolosate, worm humus , seaweed etc etc) and forest topsoil/leaf mould is one of my main ingredients ... I just take what I need (2 -3 litres) on a weekly basis ...

wonderful stuff