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Week 3:
Don't waste those autumn leaves

If you have deciduous trees (the ones that lose
their leaves in winter), you're sure to have
found that your May garden is awash with fallen
foliage.

It's tempting to sweep the leaves into a heap
and toss them in the bin, but this would be an
almost criminal waste of one of Mother Nature's
most valuable gifts. At the very least the leaves
should be raked up and spread over garden
beds to form an instant layer of organic mulch.
After all, this is what happens naturally in those
great deciduous forests of Europe and North
America.

But it's even better if you can go all the way and
turn those fallen leaves into compost. The end
result will be rich, crumbly and sweet-smelling,
and will create an organic additive that can be
used anywhere in the garden.

Start by constructing a container to hold the
leaves. Obviously its size will vary depending
on the volume of leaves you're likely to collect.
A simple, basket-like arrangement made with
steel fence-posts and wire mesh may suffice
but the wire sides can make it difficult to work
with. Something with hard, straight sides will
make life easier, especially when it comes to
turning the heap. It's a good idea to have the
container open at the base so that the leaves in
the heap have contact with the soil.

Check the size and consistency of the leaves
before you put them onto the heap. Certain
types of big, tough leaves can take a very long
time to break down. Plane tree leaves, which
can still be intact a year after falling, are a good
example. So, before they go into the heap,
hasten the breakdown of tough leaves by either
putting them through a shredder, or mowing
them and collecting the remnants in the grass
catcher.

Alternate each layer of leaves with a thin
sprinkling of manure – chook, horse or cow,
whatever's easiest to get hold of. Then scatter
a handful or two of Biogold pellets or blood and
bone on top of each layer (sounds a bit like
making a gigantic leaf sandwich, doesn't it?).
Finally, sprinkle enough water to make sure the
heap's evenly dampened. When your heap's
as high as you can make it, give it a final
watering, cover with a sheet of plastic and leave
it in peace.

At the end of the first fortnight, use a fork to stir
up the whole jumble, mixing the various layers
together. Keep stirring every couple of weeks
and make sure that the heap doesn't dry out
completely. By the time spring arrives the
leaves will have turned into crumbly, sweet-
smelling compost.

Make the most of the compost by digging it in
when preparing garden beds for new plantings.
It will probably be a bit too heavy to use as a
mulch by itself, but will be perfect if mixed with
straw, dry grass clippings or some un-
composted leaves.

Don't worry if a few wrigglies appear in the
compost heap - they're part of the breakdown
process. And earthworms that make their way
into the heap from the soil can be gently
transferred to a garden bed at the same time as
you're spreading the compost.

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