Leaf mould is a wonderfully nutrient-rich compost. It's earthy, dark, crumbly and amazing.
In autumn, I love collecting leaves for leaf mould. Near our house, we have two beautiful big maple trees that show off their colourful beauty come autumn time. They dump a huge amount of orange, red and yellow leaves that cover the grass in a thick blanket.
A little further on there are two massive oak trees, also shedding their leaves.
Even if your street has no deciduous trees on it, I'm sure somewhere close to you at least, there is a bounty of fallen leaves. Make the most of what nature is offering, turn those leaves into the magic that is leaf compost.
What is leaf mould?
It is compost that is made up purely of leaves that have decomposed and broken down.
It's fantastic for your garden for moisture retention, as a soil conditioner and ensures your soil doesn't leach nutrients. It also contains a massive amount of minerals and provides nutrients to all the beneficial microbes you want in your garden.
Leaf mould can be used to enrich your pre-existing garden beds, just add it to the top of your soil or mix it in with compost. It can be used as a mulch around your plants to help with water retention. It can also be used in a homemade seed-raising mix.
How to make it
Leaf mould is so easy to make BUT it takes a long time, so it's not just a matter of scooping up the decomposing leaves on the grass and chucking those in your garden. The leaf mould you make today won't be ready until at least autumn next year.
Don't worry though, it takes time but hardly any effort.
So let's make some leaf mould. Firstly, collect your leaves! Fill your basket/bag/wheelbarrow as high as you can. Once the leaves start breaking down they shrink considerably so what seems like a lot isn't that much. Pile those leaves in a heap, in an empty compost bin, in green waste bags or make your own leaf mould cage with a few stakes and some chicken wire.
Then essentially, you just leave those leaves to break down. No other ingredients are added which makes this different from regular compost. This is just pure carbon.
The leaves need to stay damp and not dry out to break down efficiently. When the weather gets hotter, check your leaves to see that they aren't drying out and water as necessary. You want to keep a nice even level of moisture in there.
If you want to speed up the process, you can give the leaves a turn every so often.
What Leaves Can Be Used?
Any fallen leaves from deciduous trees (these are trees that lose their leaves each year) can be used. Certain leaves such as those from oak or birch trees take a lot longer to break down than others, such as maple. The thicker, longer-taking leaves are great in a leaf mould pile, where they can take their time to break down.
*Don't use leaves found in the gutters or on the roads as these may contain toxins and oils from cars, or have been sprayed by pesticides. My local council always sprays our sidewalks, unfortunately.
Check your leaves in autumn next year to see how they are doing. If they're dark and crumbly with an earthy smell it is ready to use.
Have you made this? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz
Kristel Coppieters says
What a beautiful way to be present for the wonderful colors and smell of Autumn! And making these dying leaves part again of a living garden is completing the amazing circle of Life ☮️
Elien says
I wouldn’t use it as is just incase those roots in there take hold and spread through out your garden. If you don’t want to waste it you can always add some to your worm farm it you’ve got one. They’ll then break down the roots and you can use it once they become worm castings.
That or sieve it really well first to remove pieces of root 😊