How to Make Leaf Mold: Turn Fallen leaves into gardener's gold

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Leaf mold is made from decomposed leaves and is one of the best soil improvers you can treat your garden to.
In this short video we’ll show you how to make your own leaf mold and use it to produce an abundant supply of soil improver, mulch, compost material and even great seed-sowing mix!
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[@bayoutown1990]

We mow over our leaves, rake them up again, and mow over them again. We do this about 3 - 4 times until they are well ground up and we use the soil it makes immediately. Works beautifully! We have 7 acres and 6 of them are forest but we have trees all over the 1 acre where we live. We have an abundance of leaves and they are the basis for all of our soil that we grow in. Once you mow over the leaves several times, wet it and you will be surprised at the "soil" you seem to have almost instantly.

[@GrowVeg]

Very good advice, thanks for sharing. Yes, chopping leaves up like that will speed up their decomposition very, very quickly.

[@MarkThompson184]

Do you add nitrogen? Fresh high carbon material will draw nitrogen out of your soil as it decomposes.

[@VictoryHardy]

If this works it’ll save me a lot of money

[@dawnpettiglio6930]

​@@MarkThompson184it only takes from the top quarter inch if you use it as mulch and don't work it into the soil.

[@dlighted8861]

Mixing grass clippings into composting leaves will help them compost faster and make it a better fertiliser.

[@davidisaacson9328]

Regular composting(C:N) is broken down through bacterial processes. Leaf mold is broken down through fungal processes. Both composting methods are advantageous to one another, by adding both bacterial and fungal organisms to the soil.

[@dawnteskey5252]

We dump tons of leaves in the garden along with used straw from the chicken coops in the fall and let the chickens dig around in it all winter. By spring it's ready to plant in. Chickens are amazing helpers.

[@Kait2478]

I raked up a bunch of leaves and made a huge pile at the bottom of my three year old's backyard slide. She slides into them, demands I raked them up again, and this goes on and on. The result at the bottom is leaf confetti so fine I have trouble getting it out of the grass haha. All this to say chickens and children are both amazing helpers 😂

[@alluring1one]

2 years!!! I’m trying to plant tomorrow son! 😂

[@abinaslimbu3057]

American

[@Herhighness211]

It’s been 2yrs! How’s it going?

[@rspruill1422]

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" a quote from Audrey Hepburn

[@TheLiquidCat]

Hey mate, your leaf mold is ready!

[@RichZuHaus]

@@Herhighness211 I dunno about that guy, but 2 falls ago I filled a 100gal smart pot with leaves, covered it with cardboard...and now it is perfect leaf mold with some nice castings in it. I checked it several times up till now and it had TONS of worms in there at one point. Not so many now, but it is fluffy and gorgeous stuff...also had mycelium spread all through it. Any gardener would be stupid not to do this every year ..you will never buy compost or mycorrhizal inoculant again.

[@ironleatherwood1357]

I am starting a new garden bed so in the fall I mixed leaves, grass clippings together and put coffee grounds and kitchen scraps on it all winter long. I turn it one to two times as week as weather permits, it has been a mild winter.

[@maryannklein2235]

I layer my fallen oak leaves with my organic kitchen scraps . Keep it turned and watered. Perfect compost.

[@adeleganolayisade1904]

Adding fallen leaves helps keep the compost bin warmer during the winter and the worms keep active

[@wmoy8507]

I make leaf mold also. I stop making a container to hold the leaves because it is hard to rotate the leaves at the bottom. Instead I just make a big pile and put two fencing or chicken wire pieces on top to prevent wind blowing leaves away or raccoons from digging into looking for by food scraps. The worms help break it down faster and we get worm castings as an additional benefit.

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

Add a few shovels of garden soil & compost and it will decompose much faster.

[@flatsville1]

@Revolvin Goatt Vegs by & large grow best in bacterially dominated v fungally dominated soil. I simply add old chicken yard material to rows which need a more bacterially dominated base. It's easier to direct sow into & then cover with coarser leaf mould post seedling stage for weed supression. Do you have a good link or list to those vegs which prefer bacteria? I don't recall ever seeing one.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

I use an outdoor upright vacuum made to mulch leaves into a handy bag on board. It’s nice!

[@tennesseenana4838]

I used my leaves as a top mulch on my plant containers to help them this winter. I also put them in big garbage bags, but didn't know about poking holes in them, so will be sure to do that. Thanks for that tip!

[@mariansyrjamakikuchta5455]

I put a "leaves wanted" sign in my yard....I live on a busy street....and the neighborhood drops off bagged leaves.. I get hundreds of bags.....then friends and I haul them to the community garden. There we use them to lay on pathways, till in to the garden soil, or build a huge compost pile.

[@AtlantaTerry]

Back in the '90s, I worked for a company that had several vans. In the autumn, I would borrow a van for a weekend then drive around town picking up leaves and grass clippings from curbs in front of people's homes. I had a HUGE wire enclosure about 10 feet across where I dumped everything in.

[@mrjones4249]

Great for everyone

[@FoodForestLiving]

Love that!! More need to do this. Save community leaves instead of handing it over to the city to sell back to you in a much more resource exhausting way.

[@ILkaterlyn]

You should ensure no “spraying” where leaves grew...

[@luro5375]

It definitely works! I used decomposed leaves in my vegetable garden this year and the yield was unbelievable! Specially my greens!!!

[@jimwilleford6140]

LuRo Greens really love leaf mold!

[@avrilneilson8005]

Don't forget wood chips are great for spreading to subdue weeds and keep in moisture. They're also great added to the heap.

[@user-sk6wt5dr2v]

Wow your soil looks so dark and rich! Amazing!

[@PercussusResurgo]

Great video as always and perfect timing as the massive maple trees in and around my garden have just covered everything. Thanks

[@Boz1211111]

Literarly top quality content cant belive im watching it for free. I learned so much from you although it took mi bit time to discover this channel amongst others

[@rexmonarch2]

In the Autumn I like to pile mowed leaves about 1 foot thick on top of the garden a let them break down over the winter. It insulates the garden so the soil doesn't get frozen. An added bonus is that it feeds the worms and keeps the fungi active during the winter. In the spring I turn the soil over -- and it's time to get the garden going.

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, that's a great way of using leaves, and brilliant for soil fauna.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Evergreen needles don't result in acidic soil. They are acidic themselves however by the time they decompose the acidity is neutralized. Great video on leaf mold.

[@saemushailstorm3135]

wrong - toss on lime

[@GFD472]

You are correct. The needles are no longer acidic after turning brown and decomposing.

[@mitchspurlock3626]

@@saemushailstorm3135 Everyone claims they don't just like used coffee grounds, and it's total horse shit. They definitely do just not an extreme amount. I dump a bag of starbucks grounds on my aunt's hydrangea every year and it gives it lots of color.

[@fishmut]

Turn your leaf pile every couple of weeks .... not months. Turning every couple of weeks will result in a faster leaf compost oh and keep moist or wet also cover it up with a tarp or something to help it retain moister and break down. That’s it. This is what works for me.

[@kayscarlett3772]

Me too!

[@DawnMorganCyprus]

What a great idea to mow to chop and collect the leaves! Thanks for that great idea. Best wishes to you from sunny Cyprus.

[@laurawoolley5812]

I found this very useful! I'm going to give this a go this year 👍🏻

[@robinhazeslip1800]

Love this video! Thnk u! I have lots of leaves but no room for actual compost pile/spot. Letting "nothing go to waist in the garden" is my goal😊

[@FelisTerras]

Thank you so, so much. We are drowning in dry leaves I piled up to a couple mounds to mould, but there almost too much. Now I know I can turn and shredd them to tidy up the back line of our garden where our blackberries grow.

[@PleasantPrickles]

Great demo, thanks! I put them into my compost piles and turn often. 🍁🍁🍁

[@ilepacheco3993]

Thank you so much! I will start to keep my garden’s 🍁 🍁 🍁 too!🍂🍂🍂

[@mindakahn9964]

We haven’t purchased anything to mulch leaves, but all leaves are blown into our woods and down a landscaped hill. I don’t like bagged mulch because it comes complete with slugs. Unfortunately I have to mulch the dog run. But this fall I’ve been watching all the monarch caterpillars bedding out for the winter in my garden. My ground cover is now a combination of leaves, coffee grounds and egg shells. Happy plants in the spring.

[@flaviusnita6008]

Even better is to cover the compost bunker filled with leaves with 20-30cm of soil. Keeps inside compressed and moist!

[@ilovemusic1047]

I use my own leaves and gather more from neighbours just to have enough browns to balance the 100+ jack-o'-lanterns I go around town collecting for my compost the first few days of November each year.

[@GrowVeg]

Wow - 100+ pumpkins! That must take a lot of effort to collect but I would imagine makes a fantastic compost.

[@ilovemusic1047]

Yes, huge effort over four days. By the time I carry them to my car, carry them to my compost, chop them with an axe, and layer with leaves, I am well and truly exhausted. Wish I could post a picture here :-)

[@yun5428]

I love music

[@ilovemusic1047]

:-)

[@src3360]

Wow, thats a great idea!!

[@Catesgarden]

Great vid. Leaves are nature's own compost and nature has done well so far with them. ;) They're perfect for "feeding" soil.

[@GrowVeg]

They are great at feeding the soil. If you are not bothered about leaving leaves on garden beds, then you can of course just leave them where they are as they will eventually rot down into the soil where they are. But usually it's worth raking them up where they will suppress other growth (e.g. on lawns) or go to waste (e.g. on paths).

[@joemcgillivray9322]

More nutrians in leaves than anything else you can put in garden, must mix with other ingredients for faster decomposition though.

[@mrafielder3573]

I'm building up my knowledge slowly as buying a new house soon. It has a good size garden and my aim is to be as self sufficient as possible food wise. Carefully looking at all the best methods so i can plan the garden out carefully to get the max out of it.

[@danielspam]

Thanks for the advice

[@brocki3918]

Great video as usual! Nice point about the break down time of leaves this just saved me from mixing into raised beds for next year.

[@chrisdahl864]

If you shred/chop your leaves into small pieces(the smaller the better) you can add them this fall for next year. By doing it this fall, you also should not have to till/turn your soil next spring, just plant your "stuff".

[@brocki3918]

Chris Dahl thanks for the tip. I'm tempted to throw a layer of grass clippings on as well, but fear it may slow down the process into a soppy mess.

[@edwardvergara5642]

Last year, watching you video, I learned how to compost leaves. I will do that again. Finally, my clay soil will be improved. As you suggested, I will put some leaves on top of the raised beds. Look forward to next Spring! Thank you for your advice and wonderful videos!

[@GrowVeg]

You've very welcome Edward, thanks for watching.

[@Cyclonut96]

Leaves would decompose more quickly if accompanied by soil which has live organisms in it, and or grass clippings (brown and green mix).

[@yunonasun]

Thanks, thorough and very usefull

[@f.demascio1857]

Three times every fall, we rake massive amounts of leaves into our chicken run. It buffers the ground for their feet when temps get low, and breaks down all winter with chicken poo, feed, yard waste; attracts bugs for the hens; is excellent dressing for Spring plantings.

[@josephrichardson4678]

I've been doing the same thing. Works really well

[@bobbrawley2612]

Yes this video convinced me not to waite 2 or three years for bonafide rotted leaf mold. I'm going to use my starter pulverized leaves as a light weight soil media fir potted fruit trees

[@tehseen]

Nice. I have been using my garden leaves same way .

[@lettuceboy2382]

That's gold Jerry! Gold!

[@ransielgalme8097]

great presentation thanks

[@Glen-uy4jt]

Where I live collecting leaves on the mountainside is a cottage industry. They are sold to nurseries who do the shredding and the mulching. The town nearby is well known for its nurseries and the local families sell plants and produce every weekend. I have a very small lot with limited sun so I have converted my rooftop, flat of course, into an open garden and also a greenhouse. I live in the tropics so I can grow many crops year round. Great video, clear send dimple. 😊

[@GrowVeg]

How fantastic to be able to grow crops year round . Wonderful! :-)

[@robklein583]

I have found a very easy method for finely shredding leaves for leaf mold or compost. Using my lawnmower I first mulch the leaves for two full passes which turns them into coin size pieces. Then I attach the rear bagger for the third pass which mulches the pieces one more time as they are sucked up into the bag. The result is a finely ground product with pieces about the size of my fingernail. It should decompose much quicker than the large chunks obtained by only mulching and bagging all in one pass as I did in the past.

[@GrowVeg]

What a great method! Thanks for sharing this.

[@hafeedkhalfan5532]

Great video. Enjoyed watching it. Many thanks

[@magirusdeutzjupiter2234]

Great video, and well explained.

[@simonwatson9730]

Great video. Going to try making potting compost from leaf mould as you suggest. Hard getting peat free compost during the lockdown.

[@mypointofblue5260]

Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!

[@aceofspades5786]

just watched a guy in the states use a strimmer with leaves in a wheelie bin to chop them up and add to compost

[@GrowVeg]

I've seen this too - genius idea isn't it!

[@amandavhb1630]

Great video! Thanks so much!

[@vanessaboman8143]

I have just been given an allotment and I am collecting leaves like crazy as we have loads here!

[@viktoria2751]

wow man, that punched plastic bag composting is a great idea, how come i havent thought about it. :-) thank you

[@AtlantaTerry]

I would worry about those bags being an attractive nuisance for rodents.

[@frederic.marquis7361]

Pay attention, some trash bags are made with a pesticide ingredient to kill flies. Not the best way if you want an organic gardening...

[@VanderlyndenJengold]

I shredded leaves and the majority of it was crumbly within 10 months. I sieved it to produce fine material. Wonderful stuff. That which was left was mostly 'done' was used as a mulch to overwinter.

[@batucarumbata]

Gratitude love that.

[@princesslacson6291]

Thank you. That was good

[@streamingtv6506]

I love these tips. Can't wait to see if my lawn mower works to suck up leaves.

[@robynstewardson]

Mine aren’t on the lawn. Wonder what the best way to ‘mash’ them would be?

[@AhilianFreestyle]

Great video thank you my friend

[@JanCliftonWatford]

Great information. Thank you for posting. 🌞

[@bettyjoe93]

Thanks for all your video's

[@GrowVeg]

You're very welcome!

[@frankscales7295]

Your welcome my friend, the more you cut up the leaf the quicker the leafmould, here in ireland we get plenty of rain and lots of leaf so no shortish of leafmould as a result,i mix the leafmould with compost and chicken pellets in burlap sacks and get some early spuds[ great harvest] good luck and nice vid.

[@indiantinamorals5791]

Thank you

[@LondonWorms]

All the leaves I collect goes to make bedding for the worm bins :-) Great video. Cheers.

[@The.Ghost.of.Tom.Joad.]

Great content. I love the plastic bag idea for leaf mold. I've been composting kitchen scraps and yard clippings for years using shredded bills and newspaper for browns during the spring, summer, and winter, and leaves during fall. It works, but since the paper has zero nutrients I prefer leaves. Thing is, they're a feast/ famine thing, So this morning, I've stashed away several bags full as you suggested. I doubt I'll wait 2-3 years for leaf mold proper, but will incorporate the partially molded leaves into the compost bin as I need browns: maybe 1part leaves, 1 part shredded paper, and 1 part clippings to 1 part clippings or scraps.

[@GrowVeg]

That sounds like a good approach. I rarely leave leaf mould for the full two to three years - usually one year is enough for it to be good to spread over beds.

[@arcturus9366]

I didn't realize antifa thugs took an interest in hard work, I thought they just destroy things and terrorize people.

[@allenjeng3506]

Great educational video. I love 💕 it.

[@michaelgriffee145]

I get my leaves from a bear by town in the fall in the spring I get my acre garden ready as I lay off the rows I cover them with heay leaves then I plant my plants at the end of the gardening season I plow everything under wait on the next season

[@davecrookham2903]

Good info cheers

[@debbieporter8610]

I'm so very Lucky living in Beautiful Wales, I collect from own garden, and I'm allowed ( had permission) in a forest to collect some. I Love you channel. Thank you.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for watching Debbie.

[@brianfraneysr.5326]

I use the lawnmower technique and turn the leaves right into my fall garden soil. The worms take over and by spring my garden is growing beautifully. A little lime helps to sweeten the soil but is not needed in any great quantity. Maybe 4 cups for 100 square feet.

[@mrpad0]

Use a lawnmower mulching blade and you get very small leaf pieces with one pass.

[@danrubin4506]

I am a grower and seedsman based in Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. We call our maple leaves “black gold” because once composted they add so many nutrients to the soil. But we also rely on maple leaves for winter mulch, piling them into the upper layer of raised beds, after planting garlic and other crops that go dormant in the cold. That helps insulate them from ice, snow and sub-zero temperatures and ensures an early spring sprouting and exuberant growth. Maple leaves are a treasure, not to be thrown away. Rich organic soil is a key to good plant growth. You feed the garden, then it feeds you.

[@GrowVeg]

So true Dan, that's a great way of looking at it.

[@davidisaacson9328]

You feed the soil...then the garden feeds you.

[@bobbrawley2612]

It's the minerals in the leaves that are useful as a fertilizer. Composting and leaf molding makes those minerals available to ones crops. So leaves could be powdered then steep like tea then just like compost tea be feed to ones crops or garden

[@flatsville1]

I have a 6 x 10 ft moble leaf mould bin I made of wire fencing & T posts. I cover it with 6 ft wide black landscape fabric on top. Every 2 years I move it down 5 ft or so & place the newly uncovered area into garden production after raking off those leaves which mostly did not decompose. The soil underneath is just about perfect. I leave the T posts & wire in place for trellising. Construct new "ends" to the bin down the line. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[@GrowVeg]

I love this method - great idea!

[@flatsville1]

@@GrowVeg It really is the laziest way of prepping soil if you are not in a big hurry. I got fancy & started digging an 18 in path down the center of the 6 ft cage before constructing new "ends" & filling the ditch path with woodchips before dumping on the shredded leaves. It seems to speed leaf decomposition likely due to fungi in the woodchips. When I rake off a section, I get two apprx 30 in rows with an 18 in path in between with the trellising in place.

[@flatsville1]

@@GrowVeg You now have me rethinking a part of this. I cover the 6 ft bin/cage with landscape fabric doubled over. It may be letting too much water/snow melt through. I may cut a piece of solid black ag tarp to fit & see if that doesn't seed up decomposirion. The worse that could happen is not much difference, but the initial incrased heat must help some.

[@shangrilaladeda]

I just started to composting this year😀

[@GrowVeg]

Fantastic!

[@carolhardin5767]

I rake my leaves, and I have lots, into my concrete driveway and mow them with my mulching mower. This decreases the volume from 3 ft of leaves to about 3 inches! I sweep them into bags and have a fantastic soil amendment and mulch.

[@GrowVeg]

Excellent idea, thanks for sharing!

[@tinabodenheimer3684]

thanks this is a great idea for me

[@jimwilleford6140]

This is much better than adding whole leaves, I’m my experience.

[@andrewswan5469]

Handy hint must thank you

[@sharkyblub686]

very informative thanks :)

[@reb4898]

I live in zone 9b and have 2 giant mulberry (non-fruiting) trees with a bizllion leaves. This year we are saving all the leaves to mulch garden in the summer. Usually use straw but at $10 a bale and unable to get a straight answer as to what has been sprayed on or not, will use saved leaves.

[@keithhoward4059]

Thanks

[@user-rc2lm2br6k]

Helpful 🙏

[@weareanimals5189]

I just mow them and spread on top of my garden beds. Works wonderfully

[@GrowVeg]

Nice and easy and no waiting - like it!

[@weareanimals5189]

@@GrowVeg Yes, it also adds structure to the soil, fluffs it up a bit (read oxygen), great for the roots I think

[@brahmeshvaram2862]

Thank you for this helpful and interesting video. Pine/evergreen needles do not acidify soil, according to many KZbin videos I've seen, which state this is a myth. I could find no evidence that the RHS says that pine needles are acidifying on the RHS site. The University of New Hampshire published an article saying that although the needles themselves are acidic, they do not acidify. Oregon State University published an article stating that pine needles acidic when alive on trees, but as soon as they fall, they start to lose their acidity, and as soon as they are brown, their acidity is gone. The RHS article,, 'Acidifying Soil,' does not mention pine needles. It is easy to search on their site. The RHS article, "Leaf Mould,' discusses pine needles, and does not say they are acidic or acidifying. I searched for articles on the RHS site about pine needles and acidifying soil, and could only find these 2 articles that addressed this important topic. I do appreciate all the other knowledge and inspiration on this video and your channel, thank you.

[@GrowVeg]

Thank you for your comment. This video is quite old and since then, and after much research, I have reached the same conclusion. I no longer recommend the use of pine needles for acidifying soil or as having an acidifying effect.

[@brahmeshvaram2862]

@@GrowVeg OK thank you so much.

[@margaretjaeger2064]

I got my favorite leaf trick this year...I try to sheet compost right on the garden at the end of the season. I collect all the leaves I can manage to get by using a lawn sweeper attachment to the riding mower. Then I spread the out to try fromand even cover. I've never mow mulched them but a time or two, hubby has been seen doing a mix chopping. I think they full coverage of inches if leaves especially before a rain is ideal. If it doesn't rain, and fall winds get active,,you'll have to hose them down a time or two yourself. This year, we had a lot of heavy rain and two sunny days after which was perfect for drying the leaves enough to pick up with the sweeper. Then the rains began again. By spring,,they'll be so composted on the garden, they'll seem almost gone they're so flat. But they sure improve the soil.

[@GrowVeg]

That's a great way of processing leaves Margaret. I think keeping the soil covered with leaves is a great way to build soil structure and fertility over time - it's nature's way of doing things anyhow.

[@Mark_Nadams]

I use a leaf vac or my bagging mower to give the leaves a quick chop. Then I let them sit in a bin over Winter. As Spring thaws the ground I fold them into the soil, as is (no composting), deep as I can with a broad fork. Absolutely marvelous for carrots and tomatoes.

[@GrowVeg]

Great idea - thanks for sharing!

[@PotatoStrong]

Love leaves mixed in with my compost. I don't use any animal products and the garden thrives.

[@Zone10Permaculture]

Veganic gardening for the win!

[@muellerd123]

You are an animal product

[@rdkitchengarden4359]

nice video. Very informative

[@melovescoffee]

I use it as a winter mulch. In some of my patches the worms are so active, i can barely find any organic matter to cover the soil year round, which is my goal. On some more recent patches the leaves stay until well into summer. I wish i had a working lawnmower to chop them up. :D I'm setting up a compost pile very soon. Last year i couldn't get enough browns, now i can't get enough greens, haha. Always something.

[@mikeamirault8741]

Here in Nova Scotia, Canada, I use my rear bagger mower to shred the leaves and layer them with lovely rotted seaweed. Garden gold!

[@GrowVeg]

How fantastic to have seaweed to hand - that really is great stuff!

[@Silvereagledude]

Good stuff!

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers for watching. :-)

[@antt5885]

Yup the basics

[@geradebowden3293]

I sched my leaves first and put them in my flower beds as a mulch in the fall. They usually last until the next fall and i start all over again.

[@kayscarlett3772]

I compost leaves from my wooded area with fresh cut grass from my yard area. Layered and watered and then cover with a tarp to prevent hasty evaporation in Texas heat. I check it weekly, turning it, adding more grass and water to keep it hot. I may combine two piles after they break down to half the size pile and add more grass and water. My woods have years of fallen leaves, so they are in different levels of decomposition which makes for quicker results! Wonderful compost!

[@GrowVeg]

I bet that compost is absolutely lovely stuff!

[@smallforestdweller6999]

It's also very important in bio active vivarium soil! :D

[@hilkiah6232]

I spread alfalfa pellets over a new potential flower bed area because they contain nitrogen and I didn’t have grass clippings. Then I spread leaves over the alfalfa pellets. Then I put wood chips on top of the leaves. Finally I spread more alfalfa on top of the wood chips. It rained heavily the next day so I didn’t have to water anything. Waiting to see the results.

[@victoriawalker223]

yes!!! I've got this taa

[@banjopete]

That post and wire leaf container should last through the years!……as long as the wind doesn’t blow.

[@tamararoutledge4273]

Lots of mulch for plants, tuck them all up for the Winter

[@jamesmercer2588]

I'am 78 years old, I don't have two years.

[@GrowVeg]

Pop collected leaves around mature plants James. They'll break down eventually and help feed soil fauna all the same.

[@easypeasy2991]

Do it anyway James, you could still be around...

[@thedrummondii]

I’m 80 I bury them in the garden the worms do the rest

[@artaglow]

If you believe you won’t be around, you won’t. I am your age & hope to be around much longer.

[@hawsrulebegin7768]

In that case, Maybe add yourself to the mix?

[@AtlantaTerry]

Consider adding some worms to your wet leaf collection bin or black plastic bag. The worms will help to break down the leaves.

[@elloman6624]

2-3 years ? i cant wait all this time !

[@GrowVeg]

It's still useable after one year - just a bit rougher in texture so best for mulching around plants. Making leaf mold is very much about putting something away for the future!

[@memberson]

I use it as a fertilizer

[@romafireheart]

Keep it simple.