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Connecticut

Lately I have been raking leaves into my garden and now have a good overall covering. I began to wonder if there is any way to break the leaves down faster without adjusting my pH? I hope they will be black gold by springtime, but eight maple trees have a lot of leaves.

10/30/2004 3:54:19 PM

Canada

Myself, After all the leafs have fallen off the old maple
tree in the back yard, I run the lawnmower over them a few
times then pile them onto the patch then till in, This fall I tilled in leafs twice, then today I finished rakeing up the last few inchs of leafs that had fallen off the tree stuffed them into the compost pile and that will be tilled in the spring.

Dave

10/30/2004 9:55:03 PM

Ohio

Matt:
Leaves have a high carbon to nitrogen ratio, depending on the kind of leaves maybe 50:1 or higher. The best ratio for your compost pile is around 35:1. It will tend to break down faster. You can bring the C:N ratio down by adding things higher in Nitrogen. Most people try to mix some green things in with the leaves, usually some grass. Or you could add some alfalfa meal. Some people actually add cat litter which can be purchased in bags almost anywhere. Or you could add in a nitrogen fertilizer like urea or fish emulsion or anything high in nitrogen. The other elements needed are oxygen and water. You can aerate the pile by turning it and you can increase the moisture content by watering it. These things will speed up the breakdown. Molasses gives the bacteria a boost. If you already have the leaves in the garden just till them under and they should be ready when you are in the Spring. This is called sheet composting and works very well. Get them tilled under now though as soon the ground will cool and the breakdown will slow.

10/30/2004 9:56:16 PM