Free Soil Amendment Look at all those leaves as brown gold. The leaves of one large tree can be worth as much as $50 worth of plant food and humus. They are a rich source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals the tree roots have mined from deep in the subsoil. Pound for pound, leaves contain twice the mineral content of manure. The huge amount of organic matter they offer can be used to improve soil structure. Leaf humus can lighten heavy clay soils and increase the moisture retention of dry sandy soils. No organic gardener should pass up this opportunity for a free soil amendment. |
Composting Leaves If you are not already composting, now is a good time to start. Rake or blow your leaves into loose piles or enclose them in bins, if you wish.
If you want to speed up decomposition, mow over the leaves a few times with your lawn mower or shred them into smaller pieces with a leaf shredder or chipper. Many leaf vacs have a shredder in them to reduce the volume of the leaves being inhaled. Mix a shovelful of soil in each layer of leaves to introduce helpful microorganisms to the pile. Leaves are high in carbon but low in nitrogen so it helps to add a source of nitrogen like manure or grass clippings to help feed the bacteria that will be doing all the work of breaking down the leaves. Spent plants from the garden that were not diseased or infested with insects can be added to the pile along with kitchen scraps. |