[Glentarki]

How do you make it?…..Over the years I’ve tried a few times and failed miserably!…. I just gathered heaps of leaves stacked them up and thought hey presto Id have some nice rich compost………….Nay chance lol…. Not sure what I’m doing wrong ,but the leaves  they never seem to rot down.

Now I know its not Autumn but we have just removed 16 very aged trees with years of leaves all composted down now revealed…. it looks fantastic and ready to use i.e. around the garden……Thinking ahead with so many trees around here and wishing to improve the ground any advice about producing some compost/mulch from all those leaves would be much appreciated

Dave

[RUSTYME]

you already did it ... pile them up and let them rot . They will do so in the end, but it takes much longer than making ordinary compost with veg waste etc.
 Make your pile as big as possible and make sure that the leaves are well moistened , then just leave them for 2 -3 years ...sorry about the long wait , but it does take a while. Oak take a long time , as do pine needles . You can speed it up by mixing the leaves in with other organic stuff such as veg waste and grass cuttings and manure , but it must all be kept moist , not wet or dry . This way , just treat as normal compost making . A mix of 50% leaves and 50% other organic stuff would be ok .  Mix it all well , pile it up , then after it heats up , a few days if there is plenty of manure in , then shift the pile over onto a spot next to the original pile . This makes it all heat up again . A few days later do the same again , making sure you mix all the outside bits well into the rest .Continue till it doesn't heat up anymore , or until you can see that it has changed from what it was into compost . This will give you usable compost in a few weeks , and it will make you fit too, or give you a heart attack , one of the two !!
You can also make it moist by adding pee.... either collect it , or , as long as your place doesn't back onto something like a school ...horror stories ... just pee on the pile when you need to go . You can water the pee down as well , it will kick start the leaves into action , rotting down in less time than if just left to their own devices .
 It is best to contain the leaves in a chicken mesh surrounded area , saves them blowing all over the place in the wind.

hope that helps ..

 cheers

Russ

[HappyHippy]

Hi Dave,
You can buy special bags for collecting them all in and keeping them together if you want http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/gardenboutique/product/leafmould_compost_bags_pack_of_3_ or you can use black bin bags with a few holes in, I think the method described here http://www.ehow.com/how_4529245_compost-leaves-plastic-bag.htmlis quickest and easiest of all.
HTH
Karen

[bloomer]

pure leaf mould can take 2 years or more if you don't activate the pile.

best to use fresh fallen leaves not dried out ones, build as big a heap as possible, we use chicken mesh on 4 posts about 2m x 2m on one of the sites i work at we start piling the autumn leaves in in october and every time i go the pile has collapsed enought o add the next lot I clear up through till aout febuary. The pile is then covered over with more wire to stop stuff blowing off (its a formal garden we have to be tidy you might not) this pile is then left for 18 months and broken open in the autumn for mulching beds etc. we have 2 piles on the go at any one time as one is broken open and emptied it is then refilled to start over.

for smaller scale black sacks stuffed as full as possible with leaves with a couple of small holes poked in them and stuffed under a hedge out of site for 2 years is perfect (this is what i do in my own garden)

[Glentarki]

Thanks all as usual great advice ......Ive been too impatient in the past not leaving it long enough I can see that now!........ Ive got my eye on several areas around the garden where I can see this working well discretely rotting down over time

Cheers
Dave

[ellisr]

I use a leaf blower/vaccuum which shreds them as they collect in the bag, then pop them away in a corner normally in a mesh container and wait it takes over a year but it is quicker than whole leaves.