We mowed and collected any on the grass and emptied them into an old dustbin then gradually added them into the ordinary compost. I’m not bothered about creating separate leaf mould, this way they seem to compost down well as part of the general mix
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Home made wood bin for oak leaves. We bought the timber and had a local carpentry company make the slots. I copied it from a bought bin but with bigger stronger timber.
Image 2 Bagged slightly sifted one year old leaf from oaks. Image 3 One year old, wetting leaves a few times a year when seen as dry. Before rough sift/ sorting and bagging.
I no longer have that bin it finally rotted away. But took leaves from three or four trees. Jumped and packed down and wetted when needed through the year.
2 years or so here too. I've used cages and also black bags, depending on the amount I have, and the room. I never have to wet them, but I turn them if I have the need to use them quicker. The black bags with holes is a good method, although not very pretty! Shredding first with a mower does help a bit, but it also depends how you intend using them. If you want them just for mulching, they don't need to be broken down so far, but if you want them for growing on small plants etc, it needs to be finer - at least fine enough to sieve out the bigger bits.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I chop them as fine as I can be bothered and then bag them in old compost bags with some holes poked in the side. They get put behind the shed and forgotten about.
I do bag up left overs and place them by the compost heap where they get mixed in throughout the year. I also add shredded leaves to the borders as mulch where the worms draw them down into the soil pretty quickly.
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East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
We bought the timber and had a local carpentry company make the slots. I copied it from a bought bin but with bigger stronger timber.
Image 2
Bagged slightly sifted one year old leaf from oaks.
Image 3
One year old, wetting leaves a few times a year when seen as dry. Before rough sift/ sorting and bagging.
I no longer have that bin it finally rotted away. But took leaves from three or four trees.
Jumped and packed down and wetted when needed through the year.
Shredding first with a mower does help a bit, but it also depends how you intend using them. If you want them just for mulching, they don't need to be broken down so far, but if you want them for growing on small plants etc, it needs to be finer - at least fine enough to sieve out the bigger bits.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I do bag up left overs and place them by the compost heap where they get mixed in throughout the year. I also add shredded leaves to the borders as mulch where the worms draw them down into the soil pretty quickly.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Last Autumns (2023) so far