"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?

The longer period is really for pure leaf-mould, rather than ordinary
compost. If your heap is working well, I'd say it should be ready this
year. I assume you're turning your heap every now and then, and that
it's got some kind of activator in it (muck, human urine, whatever),
and has adequate air and moisture, and so has become nice and warm.

You can often get away with partially composted material as a mulch,
but it does leave you vulnerable to weed-seeds, and makes a nice home
for slugs and diseases, so I wouldn't recommend it. If you actually
need to *get rid* of the heap before it's ready, you could bury the
contents in the bottom of your sweet-pea, pea, or bean trenches/holes
and I doubt if it'd do any harm. I've committed some terrible
anti-text-book outrages in my time, and my garden has lived to tell
the tale; but it's best to follow the rules.

Mike.