How to make DRY LEAF COMPOST - using fallen autumn/fall leaves to create leaf mold compost at home

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

Have you ever made your own leaf mold compost using dried, fallen autumn/fall leaves? I would love to hear about your experiences, successes and failures 🌻

[@pampotgieter7611]

Thank You Craig for your video. Last year and again this year I raked up bags of Maple 🍁 and Malberry leaves. We have a very tall Maple 🍁 tree in our complex. I spend about an hour raking up the leaves. I asked my husband to make gaget to hold the plastic bags open. As the wind blows the bag closed just as I am about to put a bunch of leaves in. I use 2 rakes that have broken handles. They act like 2 huge hands to scoop up a pile of leaves. I also went to the local park last year, a few mins away. At least 20 Maple 🍁 trees growing there. I am going to do the same this year. My husband with the help of our grandson built a leaf bin out of 4 x pinewood pallets last year, and a friend very kindly gave me bags 1 x cubic metre in size. My husband placed the one bag onto a pinewood pallet, also last year. I filled up many bags, I raked up in that local park last year. I checked the other day, and about a foot deep underneath the leaves, it was pitch black soil. (Black Gold) It was full of earthworms and grubs. They did a great job. Our daughter and son-in-law gifted me a vacuum/ blower to chop the leaves last Christmas. So grateful, much easier to use than the lawnmower. But the downside you get plastered with dust in the process 😄😂🤣. I had to have a bath afterwards. I did an experiment today. I mixed the chopped up Maple 🍁 leaves with coffee grounds and freshly shredded leaves from the Pride of India, which needed a trim. We borrowed our daughter and son-in-laws shredder. I put the mix into a black plastic bag, punched holes at the bottom of bag with a screwdriver. Put rain water on top and closed the top. Leaving it in a sunny place. I got the idea from Huw Richards. 1/3 dry leaves, 1/3 fresh cut grass, and a 1/3 of coffee grounds. Our grass has stopped growing, because we are going into our winter ❄️ So I used what was available. I have shared this video with family, friends and neighbours. Which I always do. Looking forward to seeing your results of your experiment. Like you Craig, I love to experiment. I always learn something and it gives me confidence to explore more options. And it's a lot of fun too, and to see the results is lovely. 🍁🍂💚🌿🍁🍂💚🌿🍁🍂💚🌿🍁🍂💚🌿🍁🍂💚🌿

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

Aw, wow Pam, thank you for writing me such an incredible comment with all of your experiences. Sounds like you have it all under control and yes, a leaf blower makes the world of difference when it comes to how quickly the leaves break down AND the mess factor 😂 really love hearing how you do things and it also helps me learn and get ideas, so thank you very much for sharing your ideas on my videos 💚🌻🌻🌻

[@pampotgieter7611]

@@MySustainabilityJourney That is what it is all about, "Loving your neighbour as yourself" is the sharing of ideas and experiences, and experiments. ❤️🤗🙌👍👋

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

Absolutely! The experimentation part being a huge part of being successful in what you do 🌻🌻🌻

[@sandrasstitches]

It’s wonderful that you can drive around the neighbourhood to collect bags of leaves 🍃 🍁 Happy composting 🪴

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

Yeah, it really is 🌻 it's absolutely mind blowing how many bags of leaves are thrown away. Hopefully this video inspires others to reduce their waste and repurpose natures abundance and put the leaves back into their gardens in the form of nutritious leaf compost 🍂🍂🍂

[@annejohnson6940]

I'm new to trying my hand at all the leafy green edibles and in my rabbit hole info dive, feeding nitrogen to the soil is so essential, with this kind of brown/green compost recommended to mulch with. Thank you so much for your videos! Very clear and concise!

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

It is such a pleasure and I'm so glad you got value from watching this video 💚 Yeah, the way you are doing it also works a charm as the leaves make a great mulch layer that the worms and microbes break down and move to the soil underneath. Keep up the amazing work you are doing by growing your own food 🌻🌻🌻

[@yvonnejackson1696]

That’s very similar to the way I compost. I use rather thinner layers of leaves and maybe a little more grass clippings. I also add veggie scraps, the refuse that collects in the last bit of dishwater (I hand wash with biodegradable dish detergent) plus anything else that will compost.-I turn it into another bin after 6 months then let it sit for 6 months. I’m interested in seeing how yours turns out.

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

Oh awesome, I'm so glad to hear that! Yeah, you can really add in so many different things and the black compost bin you can see in the video is fled with food scraps and leaves as that also makes a great combination. I also love horse manure composting and with leaf mold and horse manure you would have the best possible growing soil structure and then adding fresh, new compost made from everything else will work a treat. I tried to keep this one as easy as possible to get people to try composting at home as there are so many videos that make composting so complicated when it can be incredibly simple. The great news is the dry leaf compost heap is already building up some proper heat, so I am already starting with the next video 😁 Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment with your thoughts and experiences 🌻🌻🌻

[@sandymurray3997]

You can also add a little manure to it as well....

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

You are so right! Manure would be an amazing addition and increase the heat of the co post pile big time! Food scraps and anything with lots of nitrogen would be amazing to add in. Even things like charcoal can be good to add in 🌻

[@gailwildschut714]

Thanks for your very practical and useful video. I look forward to seeing the progress of the leaf compost in the follow-up videos. I do not have much grass clippings. However, I have lots of stinging nettle. Would this be a good substitute for grass clippings in this compost recipe?

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

It is the greatest of pleasure and I recorded the 1 week follow up today, so I am just as excited to see how this all plays out. Yes, you can 100% use nettle. They are very nutritious and will add a lot of value to your leaf-based compost pile in addition to the nitrogen it brings so go ahead and use as much of them as you can. It will make great compost 🌻

[@Ultimatefitness360]

In how many days it convert in leaf mold??

[@MySustainabilityJourney]

It depends on a whole bunch of things but you can expect anything from 3 to 6 months and even up to year 🌻