"K" wrote in message
Jim Paterson writes

Leaves should be kept separate to be used as leafmould when ready.
( They
rot down by fungal action as opposed to the composting process
which uses
bacterial action) Having said that, a FEW leaves won't hurt. hth

I've never really understood this. Why should tree leaves rot down
any
differently from grass leaves or weed leaves or cabbage leaves?

Or is it that leaves in quantity settle into a soggy mass that isn't
aerated enough for the bacterial action?

For some reason, the leaves from Plane trees are very hard to break
down in a compost situation, but I've not had problems with other
types of leaves if well mixed with other materials. Anything that is
too dominant doesn't seem to be a good idea (at least that's been my
experieince - mix and it's fine).