Learn how to make leaf mould in a minute
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| Autumn leaves are falling
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'The easiest way to collect the leaves is to rake them up and put them in plastic bin liners.'
What is leaf mould?
Leaf mould is lovely useful stuff for the garden. It's a type of compost formed exclusively from decomposed leaves collected in autumn (you can also add old compost to leaf bins, see below).
Which leaves?
Different kinds of leaves from deciduous shrubs are fine to mix together. Leaves from conifiers, and evergreens like holly, take forever to break down (about three years), so you may want to avoid them, or view them as a long-term project on their own. Shred them to speed up the process.
Activators
Leaves that break down relatively fast come from alders, hornbeams and oaks; beech, horse chestnut, sweet chestnut and sycamore leaves take a little longer. There are leaf mould activator products on the market that help the process along, which work in the same way as compost activators.
Biotal for example sells a liquid activator formulated from natural enzymes and micro-organisms for use in compost bins consisting entirely or mainly of leaves.
Bag or bin them
You can either bag up leaves, or pile them up in layers in a leaf bin. Keep these leaves separate from your compost heap – next to it is a good place if you have room.
The easiest way to collect the leaves is to rake them up and put them in plastic bin liners. Fill each bag to about three-quarters full, sprinkle with water and tie the bags up. To aerate the leaves, make a few holes in each bag (sides and bottom) and store outside where you have space.
Black bags are unsightly so you may wish to build, borrow or buy a leaf bin to collect leaves in. Try Archwood Greenhouses. These are simple structures, typically square-shaped with a wood support framework and mesh sides.
Create layers of leaves in the bin, which you can divide 'lasagne-style' by incorporating layers of compost from old containers, for instance.
Cover the top of the bin with a 'blackout' material like carpet or black plastic and weigh it down to keep in place.
The results
Be patient – leaves take about a year to break down, but next autumn, you should find they have rotted down into a rich, crumbly mixture that makes a good mulch for use around plants. Leave your leaves another year, and they've broken down further to make a good soil conditioner.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Wednesday 23 July 2008 | Help | Glossary 
