Leafmould

[wbmkk]

Hi

I think I might be getting an allotment, after a 4 year wait.

Anyway .. I am thinking positive.

With the autumn on its way and the thousands of leaves, if not millions which always gather near my door (end house of a cul de sac) I think I should collect these, to use later as a form of organic matter.

Every year I gather about 15 bags of leaves, which I just stick in the garden, behind the greenhouse and shed, so they can rot down in their own time.

I'm thinking this year, I could collect more, bag them up and stick them in the greenhouse (after I remove the tomato plants) It's a cold greenhouse, which I only use for the tomatoes.

Surely, the leaves would rot down a little faster if I bag them all up, puncture each bag and stick it in the greenhouse. I could spray the bags with water every so often.

Maybe by springtime 2014 I could have a decent quantity of organic matter to dig into my new (fingers crossed) allotment.

Any thoughts on my idea would be greatly appreciated.

thank you

PS Would it be worth adding seaweed to the bags of leaves, maybe to speed up the rotting process. I could pee into the bags too .. I think that is supposed to help

[Capsid]

Leaf mould as the name implies rots by the slow action of fungus (mould) not through the faster aerobic bacterial process in compost heaps. So you can't really speed it up. You should have your 15 bags that you collected last year for the allotment, don't you?

[wbmkk]

Leaf mould as the name implies rots by the slow action of fungus (mould) not through the faster aerobic bacterial process in compost heaps. So you can't really speed it up. You should have your 15 bags that you collected last year for the allotment, don't you?

Thank you for the reply.

15 bags probably won't go very far on an allotment, but at least it's a start.

I did't know that leaf mould and normal compost were formed in different ways, so thank you once again. I knew leaf mould took longer, but I just imagined it was because the leaves are usually dry when collected so are more 'woody' than nice greens from the kitchen, or indeed lawn mowing clippings.

[Bill HH]

You could go several different ways with this, If you making raised beds then tip some in the bottom of each and it can do its rotting there, add it to you compost heap (you may have a lot from clearing the new allotment) to act as browns, or dig it directly into you new beds as a soil conditioner.

[Veggielot]

You are probably looking at 2015 for any leaves you collect this year. You will end up with a relatively small amount but it is supposed to make good potting compost.

You can speed it up if you shread the leaves first. If they are dry when collected water them when you bag them up.

[Two_Sheds]

15 bags probably won't go very far on an allotment

No, and because of that it's quite a precious resource. Why don't you use it as potting compost instead? (cheaper than shop-bought MPC)

I also use leafmould to grow scab-free spuds

[DannyRam]

How is that done, Two Sheds, please. Sounds interesting!

[Compo72]

Don't forget to if possible shred them before you back them up .

Perhaps I'm a bit confused .
Leaves left out naturally over winter tend to rot down as well.
Therefore unless making compost why bag them up !



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[Two_Sheds]

How is that done

What, the spud-growing? Just plant the seed spud in a container filled with 2 year old leafmould

Is that what you meant? *confoozled*

[Compo72]

these days I get confused at most things my wife tells me
Perhaps I need therapy .

if you put leaves in bin bags for two years .
Or just put them in a heap outside for the same time
Would there be much difference to the final product .

has anyone compared whether bagging leaves up , makes that much difference . Given how leaves break down .





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[Capsid]

Putting leaves in a bag will generate humid conditions that will promote fungal growth. In a heap the edges will dry out and the fungus won't work and you'll be left with dry leaves not leaf mould.

[Two_Sheds]

In a heap the edges will dry out and the fungus won't work and you'll be left with dry leaves not leaf mould.

Or the leaves just blow around the garden. A lot of people make leafmould in a chickenwire cage, but only the bottom of the pile turns to leafmould, with the top remaining as dry leaves.

You can see the effect at the edge of tarmac/concrete paths, where leaves have fallen. If the leaves aren't cleared away, the underneath is basically soil, where leafmould has been created. If this is left on the paths, weeds will germinate and take root, and the path gets covered.

It's a constant problem on cycle paths, because the council don't sweep them like they do the roads. I gather 30+ black sacks of leaves from our cycle path every autumn (good for my garden, good for keeping the cycle path clear to use).

[Nightshade]

To make leaf mould a lot faster shread the leaves and mix with coffee grounds (Freely available in quantity from Starbucks ask for the large sacks and collect for several weeks before making the pile) this is a well known formula and all you have to do is mix the leaves with the coffee grounds as you build the heap and add moisture along the way.

I have myself have made a super large heap this way a few weeks ago. To give you an idea of the size of the heap I collected leaves for a whole day to make the heap. Size is about 2 meters cubed