There are many types of leaves that are rich in minerals.You can use leaves from your backyard or public park to make inexpensive compost every fall.If you want to speed up the leaves decaying process, try grinding them up with a shredder or lawnmower.Compost can be used to re-use food scraps and other organic items that would otherwise go to waste.
Step 1: A pile of leaves should be at least 4 ft by 3 ft.
You will need a large amount of leaves to create a compost pile.As leaves decay, they tend to break down and shrink in size, so an amount of leaves that looks huge at first may end up losing half its size over 6 months.It won't generate enough heat internally to kill off weeds and disease-causing organisms if you rake together a leaf pile that's much smaller than 4 feet across and 3 feet tall.
Step 2: If you have access to the leaves, include them.
These leaves can be used in a compost pile.They have high calcium and nitrogen contents and will break down in a year.While you can make compost from any type of leaves, these varieties will break down more quickly and give you the most nutrition for your compost.Some leaves are great to use in a compost pile.
Step 3: You should limit the amount of leaves in your compost pile.
The leaves that have relatively little calcium can take as long as 2 years to break down, making them poor candidates for a compost pile.holly, magnolia, oak, Birch, and beech should not be used in your compost.Also avoid leaves that can affect the growth of other plants.Oak leaves take longer to break down.If you find that oak leaves comprise the majority of your compost pile, shred them more thoroughly than the other types of leaves to make sure they compost well.
Step 4: Take leaves from public parks.
You can visit wooded sections of your town in late fall if you only have a few types of trees on your own property.You can help the city by taking the leaves for your compost pile.To fill as many garbage bags as you can, bring 4–5 large bags with you.Before you start raking leaves, make sure to get permission from your neighbors.Ask your neighbors if you can bag up leaves or take their weeds.Before raking leaves from public lands, check with park officials.The leaves can be used in the city or county compost piles.
Step 5: You can shred your leaves with a lawnmower.
It is not a good idea for your compost pile to have leaves that take many months to decay.If you want to speed up this process, run a lawnmower back and forth over the leaf pile.The quicker the leaves start decaying, the more finely shredded they end up.It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to shred the leaves.Try to work with a friend or family member.The other person should pile the leaves.If you don't have a lawnmower, you can shred the leaves with a leaf shredder.
Step 6: Grass clippings can be put into your compost pile.
It would take over a year for the pile of leaves to decay.Adding nitrogen-rich grass clippings will speed up the process.You can add grass clippings to the leaf pile by taking bags of clippings from your lawnmower.1 measure of grass for every 5 measures of leaves is the ratio.
Step 7: If you don't have grass clippings, mix in animal waste as a source of nitrogen.
Grass clippings and grass mulch are the most accessible sources of nitrogen for many people, but others may not have access to grass.The next best option is to use manure.Add manure to your leaf pile at a 1:5 ratio.If you have 5 wheelbarrow loads of leaves, add 1 wheelbarrow of manure.Purchase it at a gardening-supply store.If you live near a livestock farm, talk to the owners.They will probably let you take some of their waste.
Step 8: Kitchen scraps can be thrown into the compost pile.
Adding more organic material to the pile can be done as the grass clippings and leaves decay.Vegetables and coffee grounds can be thrown into the leaf pile once a week.If you mix the new organic material with a pitchfork, it won't stay on top.Don't add dairy products, dense breads, or meats to your compost pile.
Step 9: A chain link wire fence is 3 ft across.
The compost pile needs to be contained within a single space, and chain link wire fencing is the ideal material to use.It will allow air to circulate through the leaves and hold them together so that they will stay damp and compost quickly.The ground leaves and grass bits should be put in the chain bin.You can use wooden slats if you don't have access to chain link fencing material.The slats should be put into a 3 ft square.Oxygen can get to your compost from either material.
Step 10: The compost pile is on a patch of ground.
The compost pile may turn to mush if it stays too wet.The compost pile should be placed on a soil that will drain excess water from the compost into the ground.It is important that the pile is not located in an area that is prone to developing puddles of standing water.Compost piles should never be found on concrete, cement, or asphalt.
Step 11: The compost pile should be placed in a shaded area.
If your compost pile is exposed to direct sunlight for more than a few hours a day, the leaves and organic matter will lose their hydration.A location that gets partial sun will help keep the compost moist.This could be behind a large tree or a wall of a backyard shed.The pile will be prone to blowing around the yard when you first start it.The compost pile should be placed in an area where the wind won't blow it away.If you can't build a container, cover the compost pile with a plastic tarp.
Step 12: Sprinkle the pile with a hose every week to keep it moist.
To keep your compost pile moist during dry weather, water it with a garden hose.Don't create standing pools of water.Only a few drops of water will leak out of the compost when you pick it up and squeeze it.If you are in the middle of a rainy spell, you may not need to water the compost pile for weeks at a time.Make sure it hasn't dried out by checking it every few days.
Step 13: The compost should be turned every 2 weeks with a shovel or pitchfork.
If you want to mix the compost, dig the tip of the pitchfork or shovel into the pile.Continue until the whole pile is turned through.The leaf compost should be fresh and wet on the top.The compost pile can be turned to allow the leaves to break down uniformly.The heat in the pile of leaves and clippings is called cooking.
Step 14: After 4 to 9 months, add the compost to your garden soil.
When the material is ready to be used, it will have a rich smell and feel thick.You shouldn't be able to pick out single leaves.The compost can be deposited on top of the soil in your garden or flower pots.You can mix the compost with your fingers.Compost is a great way to increase the organic content of soil, but it doesn't have the same nutrition value as a store-bought product.