Compost enriches garden soil and the land where flowers are planted with nutrients. It can be done without spending money on tree leaves every fall. Follow these guidelines for collecting leaves and making compost out of them to leave in your yard.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Part One: Choosing the Leaves You Will Make Your Compost With
Step 1. Rake as many fruit tree leaves as you can find
These leaves are best for making compost. They usually have a higher mineral content than manure.
Step 2. Limit the amount of oak leaves you will use for your compost
No more than 10 or 15% of all the leaves you collect. Oak leaves contain more acid than other leaves, which can make your compost less rich for your garden.
Step 3. Find and collect different types of leaves from your neighbors
If you only have a few types of trees on your property, go to some woods outside the area where you live in late fall. Ask the people you see if you can rake and take away some leaves!
- Most of the leaves in the city are collected with a sweeper. You can check the times when leaves are harvested in the fall to go the day before and grab some from the sidewalk or the street.
- Try to avoid picking the leaves at the base of the piles in the city as they may contain oil and other car debris.
- Call the garden design companies to see if they give away the leaves they collect. If so, go to their location and get them!
Step 4. Rake all the leaves together and place them in a corner of your lawn
Method 2 of 5: Part Two: Pulverize the Leaves
Step 1. Pulverize your leaves the same day you plan to mow your lawn in the fall
Adding a little mowed grass will save you time and avoid adding nitrogen later.
Step 2. Pile the leaves in a corner of your lawn
Better if 1 person piles up the leaves while the other pulverizes them.
Step 3. Pulverize the leaf pile with a manual lawn mower
Self-propelled lawnmowers are difficult to use with a bunch of leaves.
Step 4. Throw the bags of leaf mulch into a compost pile or rake it
Leaves that have been collected into powder will compost much faster than those that are still whole.
Method 3 of 5: Part Three: Choosing a Place to Compost
Step 1. Organize an area of your yard and fence it with a wire mesh
You can also use wooden sticks such as those from fruit crates. Both materials will allow oxygen to pass so that compost can be created.
If possible, build a door on one side of your compost pile. This opening will allow you to turn the compost more easily and remove it when you want to use it
Step 2. Place the compost pile in the center of your garden
Compost, when done right, takes about 6 months. You can start a compost pile in the winter and put it in the garden in the spring, before sowing seeds.
Step 3. Pile the compost in an area where it will not be swept away
When you first start the pile, it won't be too close together and may be scattered around the yard. Try covering it with a plastic tarp, unless you can build a container.
Step 4. Make sure the compost pile is in an area of soil that can drain
Don't put it on concrete or it will create standing water.
Method 4 of 5: Part Four: Add Nitrogen
Step 1. Mix approximately 20 to 25 percent of nitrogen-rich materials into your compost
The simplest method is to use bags for the grass clippings from your lawn mower.
Step 2. Buy or collect manure if you don't have clipped grass remnants
Step 3. Put some food scraps, such as vegetable peels and coffee grounds
Avoid dairy products, bread that is too hard or meat.
Step 4. Put the leaves and adding nitrogen
You should put several bags (3 to 5) of leaves in the pile and then add a lot of manure or mowed grass, vegetable scraps or manure.
Method 5 of 5: Part Five: Turn the Compost
Step 1. Keep the pile moist
In dry weather, humidify it with a pump. Avoid creating pools of standing water, which can encourage mold growth.
The compost should be moist in such a way that when you take some in your hand and squeeze it, only a few drops will come out
Step 2. Wait about 1 to 3 weeks before turning the compost for the first time
The heat that forms inside the moist pile of leaves and grass is called "cooked".
Step 3. Use a spade or pitchfork to dig halfway down the compost pile and turn it over
The top layer needs to be buried in and the leaf compost needs to look fresh and wet on top.
Step 4. Turn compost up to 3 times a week or at least every 2 weeks
The more times you turn it, the easier it will create.
Step 5. Cover it with a plastic tarp to trap the heat in the compost pile
You may need a little water every now and then, but not much or you risk mold.
Step 6. Put your compost in the ground after 4 to 9 months
When the compost turns a solid dark brown color, you know it's ready!
