Leaf Mold - 32 cubic feet of

[VirginVegGrower]

OK chaps/chapesses, I have roughly the above amount of leaf mold. I know I can bag and store, which I propose to do. But, the soil in the poly could benefit from some - so fork in or lay on top? I will incorporate some into my composted pile of course. Could the allotment beds benefit? Ideas please, thanks in advance. I've only ever put it into compost before...

[alldigging]

I'd lay it on top.

You could either compost it all on its own or use it as a mulch.

Where did you get it from? And is there some more for me?

[VirginVegGrower]

I'd lay it on top.

You could either compost it all on its own or use it as a mulch.

Where did you get it from? And is there some more for me?

It's collected garden leaves over the last year. That's all, put in a cage and watered/rained on. I'm doing the same again this year, hence I have to move it. We get a lot of leaves It is a big cage. Mr VVG built it big and to think I told him it was too big

You're a bit too far oop ^^^ to collect

[Scarlet]

I use mine as a mulch too. I don't dig anything if I can avoid it

[VirginVegGrower]

I don't like to dig either, but I thought maybe hoeing in or forking in would be beneficial. We are quite exposed on the allotment and everything blows around. I may mulch on top and then poly sheet?!?

[hawthorns]

i have my leaves packed into a 1/2 tonne builders bag which have been rotting down for nearly a yr.

i also have 3 more builders bags of horse manure rotting down

[VirginVegGrower]

It's lovely stuff with quite a few worms in it. Have just spread six trugfuls over half the two polytunnel beds. I don't think I'll have trouble using all this up as a mulch, given at the rate it's gone on that bit. Looks lovely stuff. Definitely makes my blisters from raking last year, very worthwhile. The wind is coming at just the right time

[Two_Sheds]

I've tried it all ways (oor er missus)

- laid on beds as a mulch: takes ages to rot down
- in the compost heaps, ditto
- in black plastic bags: tucked out of the way, behind the shed for a year, makes superb leafmould

I'd always go for the plastic bags now, I have plenty of hidey places to stash it. It rots down quicker if you can mow it up with grass clippings, all together

[VirginVegGrower]

I used to black bag it and it does work extremely well, but we have so many that we'd have a garden full of black bags so we built this big cage.

As for doing it all ways, ooh er indeed

[redser]

I chucked mine all over the lawn and ran over it with the mower too. Have about 20 black bags and coming along nicely. I need to use it up to make room for this year's lot. I think I read that it holds a few hundred times its own weight in water!! (Cant remember exactly). So I'm going to try use it in specific areas, especially in the tunnel where watering is more demanding. Like at the bottom of pea and bean trenches. Planting holes for toms. Because it is so water retentive I think it would be of more use in/under the soil surface where it cant dry out from evaporation. So maybe turning it in would be a better use and then mulch with weeds/card board/compost??

[Two_Sheds]

maybe turning it in would be a better use and then mulch with weeds/card board/compost??

Putting carbon in the soil (digging in) uses up any available nitrogen in the soil in its decomposition ~ which possibly could lead to depletion. Sometimes it never rots at all, due to anaerobic conditions (peat bog man springs to mind).
I've buried whole newspapers hoping that they act as a sponge, but they don't: they just sit in the soil, dry as a bone, not rotting down.

imo, it is always better to use mulches: any mulch traps water in the soil

[Dusty Rhodes]

I work leaves into the soil to improve the texture.

[Glutton4...]

Over two winters I had collected in the region of fifty black sacks of leaves. They were all stacked neatly in the lee of a big conifer hedge, out of sight, happily breaking down and doing nobody any harm. They had been there two years, and I was looking forward to using them in my new garden.

I say had, as my clever father decided recently, to chuck them on his bonfire. Bags an' all. Oh and a couple of tyres, for good measure.

He knew what they were, and what I was keeping them for, he's just an @rse.

[agnes]

Hi this is an interesting subject. I collect mine in my electric leaf collector and the ground up pieces I put in plastic bags with lots of holes and store under shrubs, if the winter is cold I find I have a great leaf mould in just under a year and use to mulch beds. I find it works better if the leaves are dry when collected which is not an easy thing to do! I also put paper from my shredder in the compost and find this works well. I put newspaper in the bottom of my bean trench which I find helps to retain water, but I found it needs to be soaked before filling in.
I am new to this site and do not understand go advanced?

[rustylady]

Hi Agnes, welcome to the Vine. Go advanced gives you more options with your post. You can add photos, smileys, etc.

You say you are in the UK, but whereabouts? This helps when giving advice or understanding your local conditions. You can see from this post that I am in Lowestoft (as far east as you can go in UK without getting your feet wet)