Compost and Leaf Mold

Compost and Leaf Mold

All soils benefit from the addition of homemade garden compost and leaf mold - add them when you are digging or planting or use them as a mulch. Both are easy to make and they don't cost a thing.

You will need something to contain the compost heap - either a commercial bin or a homemade one, such as a timber or wire-netting enclosure. Compost bins also are easily constructed from spare timber.

Almost any garden and kitchen waste can be turned into good compost if properly mixed. However, you should never add meat or fat - you will only attract rats and other vermin.

One of the secrets of ensuring rapid decomposition is not to allow large quantities of one particular material to build up in the heap.

Leave of deciduous trees and shrubs can be composted on their own to make leaf mold, which is rich in plant foods, especially nitrogen. A fast, space-saving alternative is to pack the leaves in black polyethylene bags that have been perforated to allow in air. Tied at the top and kept in an out-of the way corner of the garden, the sacks will form good leaf mold that can be used the following spring. Leaves that are kept in open bins may take longer to decay.