Stop Throwing Away Autumn Leaves — Use Them Like This Instead, by NatureBuz on YouTube. 10 min 38 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 38 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour plus 6 to 24 months wai
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Rake the leaves into a pile before bagging anything. Keep them dry and clean, and set aside any that look badly diseased or come from a walnut tree.
Spread a layer of clean leaves 5 to 10 cm deep straight onto bare soil or around plants as mulch. Keep the leaves a few centimetres clear of stems and trunks.
For leaf mould, shred the leaves by running a mower over them a few times. Shredded leaves break down much faster than whole ones.
Fill a bin bag or wire cage with the shredded leaves. Dampen them, poke a few air holes in a bag, and tie it loosely.
Leave the bag or cage in a quiet corner for 6 to 12 months for shredded leaves, or up to 2 years for whole leaves. Check moisture now and then and add water if dry.
To compost leaves, mix them with greener material such as grass clippings, kitchen scraps or fresh plant trimmings. Aim for roughly two parts leaves to one part green waste.
Turn the heap every few weeks and keep it as damp as a wrung-out sponge. The green material speeds up the breakdown of the leaves.
Use the finished leaf mould as a soil conditioner, mulch or seed-sowing mix once it is dark, crumbly and smells earthy.
Tips and common mistakes
Skip large amounts of fresh walnut leaves and badly diseased leaves, as the video warns, and keep them out of mulch and compost.
Shredding leaves is the single biggest speed-up for leaf mould, so run the mower over the pile first.
Whole leaves mat down and can smother small plants, so keep mulch layers thin around delicate bedding.
Leaf mould is low in nutrients compared with compost, so use it to improve soil structure rather than as a fertiliser.
Questions
How long does leaf mould take to make?
Shredded leaves usually break down in 6 to 12 months. Whole leaves can take up to 2 years, so shredding is worth the effort.
Can I put all autumn leaves in the compost?
Most leaves are fine, but avoid large amounts of fresh walnut leaves and badly diseased leaves. Balance leaves with green material so the heap breaks down faster.
Do I need to shred leaves for mulch?
No. Clean whole leaves work as winter mulch, but shredding helps them settle, stay put and break down sooner.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
