bnd777 wrote:
"David Rose" wrote in message
...
I am "new" to leaves but I have 'a ton' of them this year,
composting in layers with other material. I know they should be left
for 2+ years,.but what is likely to be the end result for my crops,
if I use the partially rotted compost later this year? Simply
failure to be effective? Or actual crop reduction? And will there be
any benefit in 2005 as the leaves continue to decompose?

David.

Leaves do indeed take longer to decompose
However if you fork out and over your compost every few weeks plus add
lashings of urine you should find when the weather warms up that the
compost is soon pretty usable
I find that the more you turn compost from one bin to another the
better it is

next year, if you have a lawn and heavyinsh duty rotary mower. Pile all your
leaves up on the lawn and run the mower over thwm a couple of times. The
will rot down far quicker in smaller bits

pk