Archive Tip of the Week
TIP OF THE MONTH
November 2009
Love Those Leaves
If you’ve got less-than-ideal soil, the best amendment is probably scattered about your lawn right now in the form of fallen leaves. So this year, rather than raking them up to be hauled off to the landfill, gather them and put them to good use.
As they slowly decompose over the winter, leaves are transformed into what’s known as leaf mold. And hands down, leaf mold is the best stuff on the planet for improving and enriching soils of all kinds, whether in the lawn, ornamental beds, or veggie gardens.
In the lawn, a mulching mower will shred leaves into tiny pieces, adding both organic matter and nutrients. They also serve as mulch. Leaves do likewise elsewhere in the garden, although it’s usually best to shred them first to increase their surface area, which hastens decomposition, and to prevent them from matting.
The simplest way to shred leaves for ornamental beds, veggie gardens, or the compost pile is to first put them in a trash can, insert a string trimmer into the center of the can, and let ‘er rip. It’s like using an immersion blender in the kitchen to puree a soup or sauce. Once shredded, you can apply a thick (2” to 4”) layer to exposed soil, topping the leaves off with a thinner layer of organic mulch to prevent winds from blowing them elsewhere. (You can also buy gas- or electric-powered leaf shredders, which do a great job as well but aren’t nearly as fun.)
When adding leaves (which are practically pure carbon) directly to the compost pile, it’s a good idea to sprinkle a few pounds of blood meal (which is practically pure nitrogen) and keep the pile relatively moist. That’ll keep things cooking even during the winter months in most climates. And if you’ll turn the pile every now and then, you’ll have leaf mold at the ready by the time spring planting rolls around.
Finally, don’t worry about leaves affecting the pH of your soil. They won’t.
