Another really useful video Gary, thank you. I’ve just got my leaves piled in a tub at the moment, so I’ll get hold of some wire to make a bin 🗑️ like you have 💚
I personally use a 50/50 mix of finely shredded leaves and grass clippings mixed together . I have found this mixture works well to be cultivated into soil and also as a top dressing mulch ! I love leaves 🍃 ❤
Thank you for your comment Sean. By combining leaves (carbon) and grass clippings (Nitrogen) you are effectively making a compost where the decomposition is bacterial rather then fungal. I make my own compost as well and I agree once decomposed it makes an excellent mulch. Kind regards. Gary
Did I hear you say that leaf mold could be the only amendment you need to add to the soil? Some say leaf mold is low in nutrients, yet others say it’s rich in nutrients. I gathered 50 bags of leaves this fall, shredded them with the lawnmower, piled high into ballet bins, and sprayed with water. This is my first time to make it so I’m excited for what will happen with my dry, packed soil.
Hi Carolyn. Yes, leaf mould differs from compost because it contains mainly carbon and is therefore low in nutrients. What leaf mold is great for is the improving the soil, structure, improving drainage and encouraging micro-organisms into the soil eco system. Kind regards. Gary
Carolyn, i did the same last summer. I shredded lots of leaves and mixed them into my soil. I noticed the following spring that my soil was a better consistency, less clay-like. I just did it again hoping for even better soil next spring. I think it takes a while to improve soil
@@andrewsnow1933 absolutely, leaf mold is a great additive to your soil especially if you have clay or poor soil. It improves consistency, improves drainage and encourages micro-organisms into the soil. Kind regards. Gary
Thank you very much for your question Shanti. Walnut leaves will compost down although maybe a little slower than other types of leaves but over time many types of walnut leaves will be ok for composting. Eucalyptus leaves will also compost very slowly however because they are thick and have waxy skins they will also release allelopathic compounds which are toxic to plants and soil organisms which will contaminate the compost, so these are not recommended. I hope this helps and kind regards. Gary
Lisa, Thank you for the comment. The snow won't do a great deal of harm because moisture is need to help the de-composition process, however it may help just to cover the leaf bins over prolonged periods of snow and ice. I hope this helps. Kind regards. Gary
Hi. I have seen on different videos on leaf mould that urine and horse manure along with water are added. Do you have to do this? And I almost don't want to ask this one but what type of urine do you use- Animal or human?
Thank you for the message Trudi. You do not need to add anything to the leaves apart from water to make leaf mould, however human urine contains nitrogen and if you do add it it can help to speed up the de-composition process. Kind regards. Gary
@@TheAllotmentGardenandKitchen how much would you need? And do you use fresh horse manure or rotted? In one video, it stated you add urine, horse manure and water to it. You put the horse manure in a cloth bag and let all the fluid soak through into a receptacle, then add this and the urine to the water and water it onto the leaves. No measurements were given. Can you help please?
@@trudibond6733 hi Trudy. With leaf mould I collect the leaves, add a little water and leave them in a leaf mould container (as you see in the video) and let nature do the rest. If the weather is particularly dry, I will add some more water but it really is a case of checking only occasionally. Another way of making leaf mould is to put the leaves in plastic bags, give them a good soaking of water, tie the bags then puncture them with a garden fork to allow air in and just leave them. When you start adding manure and other additives you are then starting to make compost, not leaf mould. Compost breaks down via a bacterial process, while leaf mould is more of a fungal process. For compost, if you are using horse manure it does not need to be well rotted, as this will take place while it is decomposing and composting. I don’t really measure anything for my leaf mould or compost, I just throw it on and let nature do the rest. This always seems to work! I hope this helps and kind regards. Gary
They didn't put the manure in it but let the fluid drain through a cloth and then used the fluid with the urine and water to it. You way sounds SOOO MUCH easier and less work so I'm going to give your way a try first. Thanks for all your prompt replies and great advise. Take care and stay safe.
Another great idea that we did this year: We live in a small rural town and started a pallet leaf bin. Our neighbors noticed and offered us their fall leaves, and the word got out. Before long we had offers from all over town and we put up more pallets to expand the pile. We have enough for ourselves and plenty leftover to share with the community in the coming growing season. It might also pay off to take a trip around town during fall looking for bags of leaves set out beside the road.
Thank you for the comment Andrew. You are quite right, Leaf Mould can generate high temperatures, however, as the decomposition process is fungal, it can take longer to reach higher temperature compared to compost depending on the ambient temperature. Thank you again for your comment which is greatly appreciated. Kind regards Gary
@@TheAllotmentGardenandKitchen , it is cold here in the U.S. midwest. I just finished collecting a large amount of leaves. I used a leaf shredder. I mixed some of the shredded leaves right into the part of my soil that tends to be clay. I used some as a mulch on some flower beds. Last summer i used lots of those collected leaves as my carbon source to make compost. I transfer the leaves periodically into the compost bin. I'll admit they smell a bit musty but i throw them in with the kitchen scraps ( banana peels, tea and coffee, carrot peels, avocado skins etc) . I think i`m producing compost! What comes out smells fantastic. Hope I'm doing it right.
@@andrewsnow1933 that sounds great Andrew. In addition to making leaf mold I also use leaves to make compost. There are a number if videos on my channel showing how I make my compost so take a look at those as well as they may help. I love homemade compost, it’s organic, full of nutrients and it’s free! Kind regards. Gary
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Another really useful video Gary, thank you. I’ve just got my leaves piled in a tub at the moment, so I’ll get hold of some wire to make a bin 🗑️ like you have 💚
Thank you very much Charlotte. I’m really pleased you found the video helpful. Kind regards. Gary
I personally use a 50/50 mix of finely shredded leaves and grass clippings mixed together . I have found this mixture works well to be cultivated into soil and also as a top dressing mulch ! I love leaves 🍃 ❤
Thank you for your comment Sean. By combining leaves (carbon) and grass clippings (Nitrogen) you are effectively making a compost where the decomposition is bacterial rather then fungal. I make my own compost as well and I agree once decomposed it makes an excellent mulch. Kind regards. Gary
Did I hear you say that leaf mold could be the only amendment you need to add to the soil? Some say leaf mold is low in nutrients, yet others say it’s rich in nutrients. I gathered 50 bags of leaves this fall, shredded them with the lawnmower, piled high into ballet bins, and sprayed with water. This is my first time to make it so I’m excited for what will happen with my dry, packed soil.
Hi Carolyn. Yes, leaf mould differs from compost because it contains mainly carbon and is therefore low in nutrients. What leaf mold is great for is the improving the soil, structure, improving drainage and encouraging micro-organisms into the soil eco system. Kind regards. Gary
Carolyn, i did the same last summer. I shredded lots of leaves and mixed them into my soil. I noticed the following spring that my soil was a better consistency, less clay-like. I just did it again hoping for even better soil next spring. I think it takes a while to improve soil
@@andrewsnow1933 absolutely, leaf mold is a great additive to your soil especially if you have clay or poor soil. It improves consistency, improves drainage and encourages micro-organisms into the soil. Kind regards. Gary
Great info. Thanks
Thank you very much for the comment . I’m pleased you found the video useful. Kind regards. Gary
Can thicker leaves like Walnut and Eucalyptus also be added to compost heaps? I usually throw them away as I’m not sure. Please advise. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your question Shanti. Walnut leaves will compost down although maybe a little slower than other types of leaves but over time many types of walnut leaves will be ok for composting.
Eucalyptus leaves will also compost very slowly however because they are thick and have waxy skins they will also release allelopathic compounds which are toxic to plants and soil organisms which will contaminate the compost, so these are not recommended. I hope this helps and kind regards. Gary
Living in a cold snowy winter climate should we protect the leaf bins from getting covered in / soaked by snow?
Lisa,
Thank you for the comment. The snow won't do a great deal of harm because moisture is need to help the de-composition process, however it may help just to cover the leaf bins over prolonged periods of snow and ice. I hope this helps. Kind regards. Gary
@@TheAllotmentGardenandKitchen thank you very much. Really enjoying your channel.
@@lisawagg2601 Thank you Lisa. That is really appreciated. Kind regards. Gary
Hi. I have seen on different videos on leaf mould that urine and horse manure along with water are added. Do you have to do this? And I almost don't want to ask this one but what type of urine do you use- Animal or human?
Thank you for the message Trudi. You do not need to add anything to the leaves apart from water to make leaf mould, however human urine contains nitrogen and if you do add it it can help to speed up the de-composition process. Kind regards. Gary
@@TheAllotmentGardenandKitchen how much would you need? And do you use fresh horse manure or rotted? In one video, it stated you add urine, horse manure and water to it. You put the horse manure in a cloth bag and let all the fluid soak through into a receptacle, then add this and the urine to the water and water it onto the leaves. No measurements were given. Can you help please?
@@trudibond6733 hi Trudy. With leaf mould I collect the leaves, add a little water and leave them in a leaf mould container (as you see in the video) and let nature do the rest. If the weather is particularly dry, I will add some more water but it really is a case of checking only occasionally.
Another way of making leaf mould is to put the leaves in plastic bags, give them a good soaking of water, tie the bags then puncture them with a garden fork to allow air in and just leave them.
When you start adding manure and other additives you are then starting to make compost, not leaf mould. Compost breaks down via a bacterial process, while leaf mould is more of a fungal process. For compost, if you are using horse manure it does not need to be well rotted, as this will take place while it is decomposing and composting.
I don’t really measure anything for my leaf mould or compost, I just throw it on and let nature do the rest. This always seems to work!
I hope this helps and kind regards. Gary
They didn't put the manure in it but let the fluid drain through a cloth and then used the fluid with the urine and water to it. You way sounds SOOO MUCH easier and less work so I'm going to give your way a try first.
Thanks for all your prompt replies and great advise.
Take care and stay safe.
Hi Gary ,where you get all these leaves?
Another great idea that we did this year: We live in a small rural town and started a pallet leaf bin. Our neighbors noticed and offered us their fall leaves, and the word got out. Before long we had offers from all over town and we put up more pallets to expand the pile. We have enough for ourselves and plenty leftover to share with the community in the coming growing season. It might also pay off to take a trip around town during fall looking for bags of leaves set out beside the road.
I usually collect most of my leaves from around my garden as there are quite a number of trees. Kind regards. Gary
Nice video. Supporting each other here. Keep it up.
Thank you. I’m pleased you liked the video. Kind regards. Gary
I don't know if he's right. I piled up quite a bit of leaves and they got hot! 110 degrees Fahrenheit
Thank you for the comment Andrew. You are quite right, Leaf Mould can generate high temperatures, however, as the decomposition process is fungal, it can take longer to reach higher temperature compared to compost depending on the ambient temperature. Thank you again for your comment which is greatly appreciated. Kind regards Gary
@@TheAllotmentGardenandKitchen , it is cold here in the U.S. midwest. I just finished collecting a large amount of leaves. I used a leaf shredder. I mixed some of the shredded leaves right into the part of my soil that tends to be clay. I used some as a mulch on some flower beds. Last summer i used lots of those collected leaves as my carbon source to make compost. I transfer the leaves periodically into the compost bin. I'll admit they smell a bit musty but i throw them in with the kitchen scraps ( banana peels, tea and coffee, carrot peels, avocado skins etc) . I think i`m producing compost! What comes out smells fantastic. Hope I'm doing it right.
@@andrewsnow1933 that sounds great Andrew. In addition to making leaf mold I also use leaves to make compost. There are a number if videos on my channel showing how I make my compost so take a look at those as well as they may help. I love homemade compost, it’s organic, full of nutrients and it’s free! Kind regards. Gary
Intro is way too long. I almost left before the video started. Great content though. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your comment and feedback which is really appreciated. I’m pleased you found the video useful. Kind regards. Gary