Compost bins

[MrBloom]

i have managed to get back in touch with an old friend who is big on the allotment scene and is a well known professional gardener. he has gave me a good tip on making brilliant compost and i was wondering if any of you guys have tried this stuff.

apparently i need some scaffolding poles and a load of pallets which i can get in bulk any ways but the stuff he has encouraged me to make is called Leaf Mould. just wondering if you guys use this stuff and what results have you had from using it because he has been racking my brain about how brilliant it is but i feel it is always good to get a second opinion.... thanks guys

[MrBloom]

and he gave me another top tip as well. i have been looking all over for a cheap rotovator but he has warned me not to use them because apparently it destroys the texture of the soil and destroys it on a cellular level. he told me the best thing to do is to spread mustard seed all over and let them grown to around 4 - 6 inch high and then turn it all over because they are very good for breaking down the soil making it all lovely and smooth

[veggiechicken]

I think most of us make leaf mold when we can get the leaves, Mr Bloom! Here's a recent thread http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eet_68147.html

[MrBloom]

so it really is good stuff then

[rustylady]

so it really is good stuff then

And free

[roitelet]

Yes, leaf mould is really good stuff for improving the texture of the soil. The only thing is that it takes time to make. The leaves from one year will be ready for use two years later but then I do rot them in a metre cube bin if you do them in bin bage the process will be quicker. I use it with seived soil to make potting compost as the stuff I can get hold of is rubbish.

I do agree with you friend about rotavators and I have never used one. Double dig once and then green manure after that. The roots of the manure plants help to break up the soil as well as the digging in.

[BertieFox]

Leaf mould and compost are two different things. Leaf mould has very few nutrients but is very useful for making your own seed and potting composts if you add in some kind of fertiliser (in very small amounts) or use it to mulch or lighten soils. It takes a while to break down and you need to be a bit circumspect in which leaves you use, as some, like poplar, can inhibit the growth of other plants and seeds.
Good compost, on the other hand, can be made in a variety of ways, but the only real way is with the 'hot heap', which means a box with closed sides, at least 4 cubic feet, into which you put your collected compost in the right proportions of green waste, woody material, cardboard etc. so you have both nitrogen and carbon. Covered over and moist, it will heat up and destroy both pathogens and weed seeds. Much easier to write about than actually do... and you will need to turn the heap a couple of times too.
Leaf mould is easy to make in comparison if you have a source of very many leaves.

[Two_Sheds]

Leaf Mould.

Nope, never heard of it

[Potstubsdustbins]

Ah 2Sheds maybe we can get one of our friendly members to explain the process to you.

Going to get me hard hat now.


Potty.

[pepsiman01]

If i decided to make some leaf mold can i use it on my blueberrie plants and will it make any difference at all?

[Bigmallly]

If i decided to make some leaf mold can i use it on my blueberrie plants and will it make any difference at all?

If you can get hold of some shredded conifer leaves they may benefit more due to the acidic nature of the chippings.

[alldigging]

If you can get hold of some shredded conifer leaves they may benefit more due to the acidic nature of the chippings.

I've got three bags of these next to my compost bin. Where they'll probably stay forever. But someone said it's good for bee smoke when it's very dry so I will be experimenting with that.

[veggiechicken]

How much bee smoking do you do? We used to use dried lavender stalks and grass (lawn grass!)
And a bit of hessian sacking.......

[alldigging]

How much bee smoking do you do? We used to use dried lavender stalks and grass (lawn grass!)
And a bit of hessian sacking.......

Probably not very much. But I have got a bag of lavender stalks, some very rotten crumbly wood, and tons of this conifer stuff. (And a lawn!)
I figure the lavender will smell nicest though.

[veggiechicken]

The lavender was supposed to calm them - or was it me?