Turning Fall Leaves into Compost

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

19 Nov 2008 10:59 AM

Compost really makes sense. If you have some fall leaves just laying around (ha, ha), why not put them to work? Don't trash or burn those leaves when you can use them to enrich your garden.

You may have been following my continued ramblings about the fall leaves. First I talked about my love/hate relationship, and then I went into some of the useful things for which leaves can be used. Now, let us look at one of the most useful things of all for leaves: compost!

You can have a natural bit of compost if you have leaves in their natural state. That is what is taking place on many parts of our yard. it is mostly wooded, and years of leaves have turned the soil into a rich, dark loam that is perfect for any garden.

But if you don't have years to wait, you can speed up the process a bit and use your leaves now as composting ingredients.

First shred or chop the dry leaves. This can be done on a lawn with a mulching mower, as discussed in my earlier post, or employ your kids to shred some leaves by hand. Shredding or chopping the leaves first will help them break down more quickly.

Add some greens to your compost pile as well, such as trimmings and grass clippings. If you find yourself without greens, simply add some nitrogen to get things going. You can find nitrogen in several forms, from commercial fertilizer to cow manure. Throw a bit of soil on top to make sure that those composting microorganisms are present in your pile. Keep everything moist, stir it around every so often (the more often, the quicker the process), and you'll have your compost!

To learn more about making compost, see below.

Frugal Food Growing

A Guide to Inexpensive Composting

A Guide to Inexpensive Composting 2

A Guide to Inexpensive Composting 3

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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