30-10-2003, 04:42 PM
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shredded tree leaves
(WARRENRN1) wrote in message ...
it is that time of year again..... and since i live at the end of a
cul-de-sac....i get covered with everyone's leaves.....
since i like to veggie garden.... what is the best way to store the shredded
tree leaves that i get from my yard.... the garden is too wet to dig them
in.... can i rototil them in next spring ?? should i be adding anything to
them (ie: fertilizer) or just let them winter over ??
They are the best possible amendment for your clay soil (the one that
will improve texture the most). They will compost a lot over winter if
you treat them right, even if you are in a cold winter area. The
freezing and thawing helps break them. And here is how you treat them
right:
1) shred them, if at all possible.
2) make sure they are wet throughout. That may involve turning them in
the bin or pouring some water into the bag and shaking, depending on
your mode of storage. In my pile (Michigan) top leaves are usually
rotten by May, but underneath I will find strata of leaves dry and
virtually intact. If you do not have a rodent problem, like I do, it
is easiest to put them down on the vegetable beds, and then next May
plant through them.
3) give them a bit of green stuff and coarsely mix. I have used grass
clippings, end-of-season vegetable plants (shredded), urea and manure.
No big difference, except that grass clippings may have seeds (though
not if you mow in late september, and them mow again in late october
and use those clipping), and discarded vegetables usually result in
dozens of small tomato plants the next year.
If their composting is behind, put them under large plants (like
tomatoes). They will be done composting by the end of next summer.
Leaf mold makes the best greens in my experience, lettuce or arugula
or chard or collard.
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