Cathy Isom fills us in on how to turn that great big pile of Autumn leaves into compost. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Autumn Compost
The leaves are turning beautiful colors and many of them falling – which means it’s time to clean them up and turn them into compost. Some helpful tips to get you started: collecting and choosing the right kind of leaves. Maple, Birch, Ash, Beech and fruit tree leaves are fantastic to compost. Next you’ll want to shred the leaves, using a shredder or mower and finely grind the pile into tiny pieces. Then, add a Nitrogen source to your leaf compost pile. Such as fresh cut grass, or, chicken, rabbit or horse manure. Use a 5 to 1 ratio. For every 5 wheelbarrows, buckets or bags of shredded leaves you add to the pile – mix in 1 wheelbarrow, bucket or bag of cut grass clippings or manure. The final step is to turn your compost pile about once or twice a week, so it heats up and breaks down quickly. And keep it as moist as possible – like the consistency of a damp sponge.