Composting Fall Leaves

Falling leaves are in full effect! You probably have an overabundance of leaves in your yard and are wondering what to do with them. We have posted several blogs about options other than just bagging up leaves and throwing them away. This week, we want to tell you about composting. Composting leaves is yet another option that helps your yard and can save you money in the long run. 
 
Leaves are rich in nutrients and can make effective mulch for winter and summer. Decomposed leaves are super beneficial to the soil. The leaves of most trees contain TWICE the mineral content of manure!
 
While it is beneficial to blow all of your leaves in the direction of your garden, if the leaves aren’t shredded, it may take years for them to decompose. Leaves will decompose and become compost quicker and more effectively if you shred the leaves first. Pile all of the leaves together and go over the leaves with the lawn mower a few times to create finely shredded leaves. After you have your leaves shredded, add a nitrogen source, such as grass clippings. For every five wheelbarrows of ground leaves, add one wheelbarrow of fresh grass clippings. Feel free to add other components such as coffee grounds, fruit peelings, and egg shells to make your compost pile even healthier. Try to go out once a week and stir up the compost pile to add oxygen to it to help the decomposition process. Add some water if the compost pile ever gets too dry. 
 
We hope this has given you another helpful idea for putting your fallen leaves to good use this season!
 
By: Hannah Raines
Copyright ALL Outdoors 2018