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Leaf Mould!
4thPanda
Posts: 4,145
Last autumn I bagged up my fallen leaves into a black plastic sack, with holes in, and left it at the bottom of the garden. I haven't touched it since. Is there anything I should do to it before I can use it in the garden? I am aware that one small bag is but a drop in my garden, but it is my first effort at some form of compost!
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I'd have a look inside - hopefully it'll be in the perfect condition to use as a mulch or to dig in to improve the soil - if the leaves still haven't rotted down you could do what I do, and that's add them to the compost heap in layers and by late spring it'll all have rotted down into lovely compost.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Stupid question Dove, but what should it look like? I know what normal compost looks like
Stupid questions are the ones you don't ask - how you ever gonna find out? You end up just as iggerant as you started that way
Will look sort of dark browny/black and crumbly - a bit like coarse damp tealeaves - ish
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Cool! Thanks
Might brave a peek this weekend 
Hopefully there'll be lots of dark pink worms wiggling around in there too
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ooo! I love finding worms
My leaf mould is comprised of nearly all beech leaves. I store them in a chicken wire bin but I do find it is 3 years before I get a really good crumbly mix. It is worth it though as it is fantastic soil conditioner.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
3 years! Do you cut them up?
Our ash leaves are breaking down well in six months in bin bags - in a year it's fine to use as leafmould, but we actually add it to the compost heap in layers the year after gathering them (so at about 6 months) as we find it helps make the compost mix work better, and because we don't have a lot of space to keep it in bags.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I am making leaf mould in big builders bags. The oak leaves get mown up and so there are some grass cuttings in there as well. Last years have gone down by half and I have combined two bags. The leaves on top were too dry and have not rotted as well as the stuff at the bottom.