leaf mould

[hawthorns]

i have a dalek full of fresh horse manure i also have 3 large bags of leaves would it make sense to add the leaves to the manure or to leave them rotting in bags for a year.

[terrier]

Hi Hawthorns, either, I would guess. Equipoo does tend to be on the heavy side so unless you've got lots of straw in it, the leaves would help to get air into it. This last two weeks I've been mulching with this seasons rotted manure mixed with dried horse chestnut leaves. All I have to do then is wait for summer and go round collecting the horse chestnut saplings from my veg patch.

[Protea]

I would leave them seperate, the leaf mould takes ages to make, and rather than wast it mixing it with the muck - leave it and use it as an ingredient for compost or to improve a particularly tricksy area.

I kept meaning to collect all the leaves that blew off the street, round the corner of my house and piled up at the back door - shame really, but as we're moving soon i'm sure mr Protea is thankful