How To Use Leaves In The Garden. The Dangers Of Using Leaves Incorrectly. | Gardening In Canada

Old tree leaves are a staple of fall but it seems wasteful to simply throw them into the garbage. However, applying these to your garden the wrong way can be equally as damaging to your soil nutrients. This article looks at how to use old tree leaves in your garden properly.
Why Are Leaves Valuable For The Garden?
Leaves provide two things to garden soil. The first being different forms of nutrients and the second is a diverse group of microbes. Most forms of organic material are decomposed using bacteria. With leaves, the main decomposer is actually fungi. This means when decomposed leaves are added to a garden we increase the biodiversity of the soil.
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PLEASE SUBSCRIBE if you are wanting to know more on gardening in Canada & gardening in Colder Climates in general. My methods apply to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 1 - Zone 6. As a soil scientist I always try to incorporate science into my videos. Soil science can be over complicated so allow me to guide you.
Leave a comment and let me know where your are gardening. And let me know what videos you would like to see in the future!
Ashley is an agronomist who has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan.
At first, her second love, animals, was the career path she chose but while doing her undergrad she realized that her education would take her elsewhere. And with that, four years later she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor’s degree in science and a major in Soil Science.
Some of Ashley’s interests are KZbin, in which she posts informative videos about plants and gardening. The focus of Ashley’s KZbin channel is to bring science to gardening in a way that is informative but also helpful to others learning to garden. She also talks about the importance of having your own garden and the joys of gardening indoors. Ashley continues to study plants in her free time and hopes to expand her KZbin channel as well as her reach to up and coming gardeners.
#gardeningincanada #canadiangardener #soilscience

[@GardeningInCanada]

Here is a follow up video to this idea: Using LEAVES To Make Potting Soil!? kzbin.info/www/bejne/laeylH1jas-Agqc This article will help you understand how too use leaves with your houseplants as well. gardeningincanada.net/leaves-for-houseplants/

[@veronprehay1002]

Yep thanks much

[@LittleRapGuy]

Great video... :0

[@alfonsomunoz4424]

Too?

[@LittleRapGuy]

@@omeshsingh8091 The leaves that have dried out have also had their nitrogen and stuff pulled back into the trees before they fell. If they're still green then they have nitrogen also.

[@LittleRapGuy]

@@yx5881 The process of the bacteria and the fungus breaking down the leaves, mostly carbon, per many videos, people at nurseries, it pulls in nitrogen from around the earth around the compost if it doesn't have enough nitrogen for the decomposition. Green things have nitrogen in them.

[@groussac]

Iowa Zone 5a. I take my neighbors' bagged leaves, dump them in a line on my lawn, run the lawn mower thru them in mulch mode, run the lawn mower through them again in bag mode, and dump the pulverized leaves on top of the garden. By June, the pulverized leaves have turned to leaf mold. This easy process accelerates the conversion of leaves to leaf mold, increases the amount of leaves I can add to the garden, eliminates loose leaves blowing around the garden and covering up spring plantings, fertilizes the lawn where I mulch with the lawn mower, provides the garden bed with a protective cover over the winter, and saves my neighbors money that they would have to pay the city to haul off their leaves. Everybody wins. My process probably doesn't jive with your explanation of what we should be doing, but I'm getting good yields from my vegetable garden. I do use grass clippings when available, and compost, but the primary addition is the fall harvest of shredded leaves.

[@andrewjames6676]

Here in NE France I use leaves 2 ways: directly on the soil for winter coverage (I never leave the soil bare), and composted in just the conditions you describe. I get fine crumbly leaf mould after one year. I'm lucky to have a good supply of leaves! Over a period of over 40 years I've changed a difficult chalk-loaded soil into a fertile tilth. 1/4 ton of squashes this year! And the blackbirds just love beaking around in those leaves.

[@suellenw561]

We live in Michigan on the edge of USDA Zones 4 & 5. A friend in town brings us her oak leaves. Husband "mows" them to shreds & puts them on the gardens - some composted already & some as mulch for things like strawberries & asparagus. depending on how long they've been here. We all benefit. She disposes of leaves at no cost. Husb gets lots of exercise. I get to play in the "dirt" each summer. Thanks for the info.

[@CyberSERT]

How has KZbin hidden this channel from me for this long? I binge on gardening and soil videos every day, and I live in Canada. I subscribed 20 seconds in and created a list of a ton of your videos to watch over the coming days and weeks.

[@cherylmosher6026]

Great to have Canadian experience with lower zones 🇨🇦

[@kimmanning4989]

Montreal, Canada zone 5a . We used to make leaf mold our cycle was about 8 months. Now I mow like before and use as mulch before winter. In spring I check to make sure it’s nice and fluffy lift any large leaves leftover from fall. By fall clean up I have no more leaves on beds. That said I have noticed a couple beds have needed nitrogen. But on the whole way less work and great results. It’s easy to add a little nitrogen when needed.

[@michaeleeten7783]

The city sweeps the streets in the fall and brings me truck loads. I use them the second spring. I lay whole potatoes on the beds and deep mulch with the leaf mold. I rotate through the 32 beds season by season.

[@iamoraal]

I have used leaf mulch for years now on my garden! Just run the lawn mower over them with the bag on, then toss them on the garden, usually at the end of the year when I can collect them from the neighbours. Putting them on your garden plots in the fall keeps the plots covered - I don't leave my plots naked, they are always dressed with mulch. It does great to keep the weeds down too!

[@baneverything5580]

We still have green grass here in Louisiana, Dec. 23, so today I ran my electric mower with a bag over brown oak and sweetgum leaves and green grass and made piles and long deep rows with it in my garden. I added some organic potting soil over it along with a small amount of urine and sprayed it with the hose a few times. I mixed leaves, green grass and urine to a large pile of pine straw too. Here in Louisiana these things break down very rapidly.

[@leochiang6659]

This is the most detailed, scientific, yet simple explanations of leaf mold I’ve encountered. You have a knack for these types of topics!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha well thank you!

[@frederickgleaton1410]

I think I missed something. Are you introducing mold into your leaf bags or does it appear naturally? If you are adding, what exactly are you adding?

[@kelliefarkas2095]

🎉❤😊

[@ttb1513]

@@frederickgleaton1410 The "starter" is present naturally on the leaves.

[@Lochness19]

I took some partially broken down leaves out of the roof eaves last November, left them in a corner of the backyard over winter, and used them mixed with peat and sand when I potted my peppers and eggplants in late May and they did great for me this year.

[@GardeningInCanada]

thats so interesting how that can make a difference

[@ronaldandolsek4637]

I totally agree with you. For the past five plus years, I have driven my garden tractor backwards to shred the leaves, then blow them into piles. I learned this from a friend, who works at a famous cemetery, where the "old timers" taught him how to grow grass on a fresh grave within seven days with leaf mulch and burlap. I wish that you had asserted your expert and correct premise at the onset, then explain the damaged that whole leaves will create. You are 100% correct. Thank you for your expert explanation. I appreciate and respect you.

[@teebillingsley9643]

I collected leaf mole in the 40’s with my mom and have been making my own the last forty years. I thank you for the explanation why this works so well. You did an excellent job. I will be back.

[@nicolasn4702]

Hi Ashley! I'm Nicolás, I study Agroecology at Universidad de Rio Negro in the Argentinian Patagonia. These are topics that I really love to study and practice! Thanks a lot for making these highly dense and informative, yet incredibly simple to assimilate videos! In fact, since our climates are very similar, we at the far south can take a lot of useful stuff out of them. There is a huge lack of good, accessible scientifically correct information and education about soil science around here, specially in relation to cold weather agriculture. Fortunately, I'm trying to establish myself as a professional English to Spanish translator, so maybe I could help a little with that ;) I would like to translate this particular video to Spanish (and maybe some others too), so I can share it with my university colleagues and friends from our gardening project... For free, obviously. I'll send you the file when it's finished, so you can upload it. Would that be OK? Thank you again. Have a happy spring! 🌺🌻🌼🌷🌱

[@lisat9707]

WOOWW. Nice offer! I hope this comment boosts yours up so she can see it. Your english from what i could see is impeccable. Good luck!

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

What a great way to share this amazing information to Spanish speaking gardeners !!! Blessings to you !!!

[@kaleyjanenigh]

I hope you ended up doing this! ❤

[@islandgardener158]

We mow the grass that is deep in maple leaves, shredding as finely as possible. Making a row of leaves is better than a pile. Living on the ocean we make several trips to the beach and collect kelp. So before we bid our garden good night for the winter we put a layer of kelp on the raised beds then and 2-3 inch layer of shredded leaves. Then off to the lumber yard to pick up discarded lumber wrap and cover the boxes. The worms love it all and feast all winter long, creating beautiful soil. Save those leaves they are great mulch in the following summer during hot spells. Shredded maple or oak leaves are the best.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Love this setup!

[@islandgardener158]

@@GardeningInCanada works really well, we have been doing this for 7-8 years. Our soil is just beautiful, full of life, couldn’t be better

[@annieem5693]

I'd like to do this too. How do you rinse the salt out of the kelp?

[@islandgardener158]

@@annieem5693 depends on the kelp/seaweed if it is dripping wet dump it on a tarp/the ground and spray with a garden hose, if it’s dry, we don’t bother, shake it when picking it up and dump it in the beds. I like it about an inch thick. More than that, it doesn’t break down by spring. Worms have to work harder on the kelp than the leaves

[@rap5374]

I just learned that kelp contains heavy metals, arsenic and lead surprisingly. Not at toxic levels but enough to be in your plants.

[@monicaburton7230]

You make sense a out of all my composting confusion! Thank you.

[@johnjude2685]

I ran lots of leaves into my 8 hp mulcher chipper and grass clipping and garden foliage waste and had about 3 inches of these in a mulch about 3 inches on my peppers bed last season and this spring after planting seedlings that had worm casting and micorizomes ( believe best seedlings ever).planted double row of peppers and 27 bell peppers top them with brown paper to help against then top with 2.5 inches compose for protection from weeds produced bells starting July 1 all season and after counting pass 250 still producing believe I got 300.but certainly very near.I never did as well Mid Ohio zone 6a Had a large bag for my local firefighters. Thanks always listening to you very hard.

[@terrireis2093]

Thanks for sharing this information. I am learning more about gardening each day.

[@roncaldwell699]

Sandy compacted soil benefits from organic matter such as leafs cut up or whole and worked into the soil. Nitrogen levels in the soil can easily be improved using a variety of nitrogen additives but the composition using leafs significantly increase the viability of Sandy Loam soils but not Clay loam.

[@B30pt87]

Hi! I loved this. You gave me insights I hadn't connected before, and you did it easily. Many thanks. (I'm so glad I found your channel. I'm in California, not Canada, but the actual differences are minor.)

[@misslissa783]

Love this video! Going to rake up some leaves… spring for me, as I live in Florida. 🍁💚

[@GardeningInCanada]

There you go! everywhere has leaves

[@janetbeach2762]

Hey im in Florida. I have a huge oak tree. I have been doing leaf mold for many years. Luckily here its relatively fast. Thanks for the info.

[@ricardopelc-wesoly3483]

Extremely informative and just added a bit more knowledge to my data bank and my growing bank as each year on the narrow country lane where we live I always sweep up the fallen oak and beech leaves with a covering of pine needles and a few broken branches straight into large black bin liners, I could count around one hundred at the end of the week, then off to the north facing polytunnel where they sit for a year and a half waiting for that day when those bags are opened to a smile and delight. It stops the cars from skidding with all those leaves on the road as there is quite a relative slope and at the same time keeps me naturally active in the winter months.

[@tomgatum4330]

Just discovered your channel two months ago...I do gardening as full-time job since 2019, with very limited knowledge... thanks for your videos..great information.. following from Malaysia

[@sassyknitter5418]

I don't have a lawnmower, but I do have a leaf blower/mulcher, so I mulch my leaves that way. I top dress with them to fight weeds and keep the soil cool and moist below them. Looking forward to trying to compost leaves this year.

[@thekitchengarden3056]

So helpful! Thank you. Love the knowledge and you answered questions I didn’t even know I had 🌱

[@charlesbale8376]

Wonderful tutorial.

[@mrittenb]

Really want to give this a try on the small houseplant level

[@JogoShugh]

This is very encouraging, thank you! I just spent an hour shredding leaves and then just used them for mulch around the side of house instead of paying to get ripped off on pinestraw... but now I will look more into using them to cover the raised garden beds.

[@bryansteen2219]

I live in Jamestown NY, zone 5 and collect shredded leaves and top my garden in fall, let it sit on top all winter and till it under in spring. It helps to keep the soil lighter for growing root vegetables, and adds nutrients. I also fertilize when tilling.

[@DavidWilliams-ju2ln]

Very infomative. My zone is warmer, being in California. I should be able to see results by spring. Thank you!

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

That’s all good sense! I shred my leaves and add them to my compost over time as the carbon layer.

[@lindam9018]

This is great information, thanks!

[@GardeningInCanada]

glad you enjoyed!

[@alreynolds4152]

Great information. I liked this video last year but it makes more sense now.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@evasternak6228]

Great info - thanks!

[@robingraham7910]

I am happy to get this information, I will be watching. Thanks so much

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

I live in zone 3 in the USA, northern Minnesota and it is hard to find cold climate gardening information…..so thank you !!! I subscribed because I love your content !!! Blessings

[@GardeningInCanada]

Welcome aboard

[@milkweed7678]

Once a week I get the leaves for 4-5 weeks. Shred with the garden tractor and use the yard sweeper. Pack down by walking on them in 3, 3 sided pallet bins. There is always some grass clippings mixed in. Takes about 1 1/2 years for it to be totally composted with no turning it. The total volume of compost ends out being about 1/2 of 1 bin or about 1/6 of what I started with. Neat video.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thats a long time! but lots of people will find that comment helpful

[@jdoboy6835]

"There is always some grass clippings mixed in." EXACTLY! That is the key point,, whether piling, binning, or bagging. AND then flipping or mixing the pile even once a year, will certainly speed things up. Too many people BLOW their (oak & Nut) leaves into piles, & 5, even 10 years later wonder why the leaves are not totally broke down into humus. I chop them up good with the lawn mower & make sure that there is enough grass & water mixed in,,, then I bag 'em. Usually, one or even two years later, the mixture is very broken down, the unwanted grass & weed seeds are fermented & the mixture is ready to deep till into the garden,,, WITH triple 10 & LIME. I read somewhere, where it takes 100 years to build 1" of top-soil in a forest, & only 10 years if the acreage is grass & legumes,,,, & is mowed down every fall! ASHLY,,,, I'd like you to make a vid showing the difference/ acids/ tannins in certain leaves. Say Maple vrs NUT & OAK leaves. Like a rolling compost bin of each, with so many pounds of greens add to each. THAT would be scientific!!

[@chesterhobbs7244]

I've come to the conclusion that you cannot create a mediocre video. Thank you so much for your efforts!

[@GardeningInCanada]

HAHA oh my goodness thats a huge compliment

[@johna8973]

​@@GardeningInCanadau R gardening 🪙 Gold

[@veronprehay1002]

Thanks for the information keep up the good work

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks, will do!

[@blackgunsandgardens]

Very informative..I appreciate you sharing…Salute!!!🍃🍃🍃

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dougzale9611]

Hello and good day. This is my third year of collecting and composting leaves. It takes about that long to get results. I mean they serve so many uses as we use them. I can now see a difference in my soil and plant health.

[@Julian_Wang-pai]

Wow! Your video added two vital jigsaw pieces to my understanding of soil science; that leaves have very low nitrogen content and fungi need cool (soil) conditions to develop. Thank you.

[@MareSimone1]

Thank you Ashley, really valuable information here I've started to create some leaf mold and I've learned a lot from watching your video. I'm also using a compost system from Japan, called Bokashi. Have you heard of it yet? It creates compost from kitchen scraps in a super fast and efficient way by fermenting, using an activator that speeds up the composting process. I'd love for you to do a video on it especially how to make your own Bokashi ''bran'' and liquid inoculates. It just takes about a month to create compost this way.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea! I have one video on it but i can do more

[@wendyburston3132]

Thanks for the info

[@keithbenjamin8545]

Thanks for the video. I double shred leaves, put them in large black trash bags and give them a good soaking. I let them sit in the sun for a week with a couple cups of spent coffee grounds in the middle of the bag. After 7-10 days, they are moved to the shade until the Spring. Living in northern IL, I find this helps breakdown the leaves for use the next season.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I love that idea!

[@sejfok3704]

THANK YOU for the well put and super easily understood video explaining LEAF MOLD !!! You 're awesome !!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@farhanashome3202]

Great upload thanks

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for the visit

[@johnduffy6546]

Very helpful video

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you think so!

[@ebradley2306]

Down in Texas making leaf mould from oak trees which typically takes longer than other tree leaves. To keep the leaves cool and moist in our crazy heat while they break down, I cover them with a layer straw. The straw is easy to move to the side if I need to get into the pile and then move back. Cheers

[@hermanhale9258]

That sounds like a good idea.

[@IsabelleIsabelle01]

I had a heart problem si I did not touch my compost pile for the last 2 years exept adding to it. I cannot wait to see how it looks like next spring

[@uzoodiari3018]

Hope you are much better now

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

We use a bagger on the mower and it chops up the leaves nicely. I make leaf mold mixed with my compost, but I also put a 10-12 inch layer of leaves mixed with grass clippings (for nitrogen) on each of my raised beds every fall. We let the grass grow a little longer than usual before we bag to shoot for a good C:N. It breaks down a little over the winter, but it also acts as mulch for most of the growing season, helping to control weeds and retain soil moisture.

[@janw491]

I put old dry leaves into the chickens run. The girls loved them. Then after the leaves were shredded and 💩 on I put them in the compost then on the raised bed in the fall.

[@Val-ee4hd]

I mulch with leaves every year. At the end of the year when I take out my old plants I till them in and with any leaves left in my pile. When the leaves fall again I mow them up and make a pile. To keep weeds down through off season I cover my garden with the shredded leaves. In spring I can push those back and plant my plants. I prefer putting my leaves in the garden so as they break down all that goodness goes into the soil below for my plants. All excess leaves go into a pile to break down and be used for weed control as they break down in my garden through the growing season. Smaller pieces of leaves do not blow away like the whole and half pieces do. I have many leaves so this may be hard for others to do. You can ask people who bag them up if you can have them. They will more than likely say sure take all you want. :)

[@kariannecrysler640]

Thank you.

[@GardeningInCanada]

You're welcome!

[@rojilander7212]

Thank you..thought you were too young to know but your ideas here are spot on and resolved a couple years of this unsolved problem ...lack of bacteria..well all carbon maybe does take longer then I thought and not 100 percent suitable for veggies partially composted 🥳

[@GardeningInCanada]

Sounds like you made a good diagnosis!

[@reidcrosby6241]

*soil scientist

[@unknown-ql1fk]

I was made a new raised bed over a grass lawn. I started by using all my leaves (15 large silver maple) shredded with a lawn mower and dumped them as a base about 2-3 ft thick in the fall and covered with a tarp. Spring time i added about 8 inches of screened topsoil on top. I planted squash seedlings and in each hole i put about 1/2 cup of fish fertilizer and 1/4 cup of bone meal. Worked like a charm. 3 yrs on and add shredded leaves as mulch each year and its a massive squash bed basically free. I do add bone meal and direct bury fish waste (yellow pearch guts/bones) kind of randomly in the bed about 8-12 inches deep

[@GardeningInCanada]

That is pretty darn cool!

[@rockyll0508]

Wow, that's great. Did you incorporate the topsoil at all with the compost?

[@davidlee8551]

Thanks.

[@GardeningInCanada]

You're welcome

[@4helex]

I've found out my two giant beech tree's leaves do not compost like most other leaves because of high levels of lignin. They seem to take 2 years so I just keep putting them in my pathways for a year or two then into my composting system. Then I found out they are allopathic and actually inhibit microbial growth. I may shred them and do some more research as I have a million leaves a year - can't waste that! Good info.

[@brandonbest8489]

I transitioned to more organic style gardening this last year.. and this channel has been a great aid :) thank you!

[@GardeningInCanada]

SO happy i was able to help

[@mischasavoie1882]

Very interesting all those videos, thanks for the advices! It makes me wonder if i am doing something not so greath after all. I put shredded left on the soil of my garden the limite weeds and help reduce water lost during to evaporation( i got underground irrigation). I never realy get it mixed with the soil.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Best of luck!

[@marklynch8781]

Great video. One thing I will say, if someone has a decent size vegetable garden and an ample source of leaves and limbs, it's worth buying a chipper shredder and building a nice size 3 compartment compost bin with a sifter box hanging over the last bin.

[@wregils]

Thank you for information I can understand and use. You have a knowledge of what you are talking about. Your presentation is great. Most KZbin videos are poor entertainment with a bit of information . I like content. Guess I am weird but mould is how I spell it.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful!

[@geraldblount4159]

Thanks something I didn't know but now I understand you got to mix brown with green to get anything out of it good

[@patdennis3751]

The best way to compost leaves is to mulch with the mower as you cut the grass in fall. What you end up with is a good balance of greens and browns.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Great tip!

[@krisyallowega5487]

I love this stuff! I make sure to soak the leaves before storing them. I find that it is way too dry here in Manitoba in the WInter. Also, I find that the freezing and thawing really shatters the leaves. The method works great on Scot's Pine needles too. I have a couple of them on my property and the fallen needles really choke out the lawn. The needles take about one extra year to completely compost but I have time. But the majority of my hot compost is leaf and pine needle based. I have found when I age my compost for 6-10 months or more I have tiny mushrooms on top of my compost. So in a way I maybe doing a little fungal decomposition as well? Again, I thank you for your time and expertise

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea that sounds like an awesome set up! Especially if you are noticing it being dry in Manitoba.

[@hermanhale9258]

Thanks for explaining why mushrooms grew on my leaf bin this year, but not other years. This year I did ignore it for a long time.

[@baneverything5580]

Here in Louisiana weird little brown wrinkly mushrooms covered the mix of pine straw, green grass clippings, and old potting soil I used to mulch my baby fig tree this year. I also added all the sunflower shells and whatever seeds the birds didn`t eat to the mix and any spoiled squash and cucumbers I had. The 5 inch fig tree grew multiple 3 ft limbs and several smaller shoots which I took cuttings from to root inside to make more fig trees next spring for me and the birds. I`m gonna plant figs in a nearby field for them. The birds help a lot with garden pests when they have babies to feed so I try to keep them fed and provide clean water each day and take pics of them to share with trail cams. The Cardinals are the stars of the show and crack seeds for their young when they get older and they get along with most other birds except Bluejays. Plus I do everything I can to create an environment for the frogs, toads, lizards, and harmless snakes and leave the wasp nests alone because wasps feed their young garden pests too and actively hunt them all day. If I hang up a couple of LED lights in my garden at night the frogs, lizards, and garter snakes swarm in to catch the bugs and have babies by the hundreds. I dug a tiny "pond" for them during the drought this summer and kept it filled and shaded. My yard was like a zoo this year. @@GardeningInCanada

[@AlvinMcManus]

Now how about a video on leaf mold: What is it? How to use it? Can you make your own? I'd love to see your perspective on this additional part of soil building nutrient enrichment on an organic level.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Great suggestion!

[@marcbergeron8690]

I am not a fan of shredding leaves with the lawnmower because it burns fuel and releases more greenhouse effect gases. To accelerate leaves composting, I pick earthworms when they hide under containers, or after a heavy rain. Just a few earthworms will multiply quickly, chomp the leaves and transform them into soil far more faster.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That is fair. There are those roller mowers.

[@mysteriousMatchStick]

Been using an electric lawnmower for the last twenty years.

[@davidg813]

Mother Nature knows exactly how to break down leaves she doesn't need plastic bags and all this other stuff and everything works out just fine

[@GardeningInCanada]

The Plastic bag, increased humidity etc is all to simply speed up the process. if you are comfortable with mother nature's speed than that works too.

[@Enn-]

I always just dumped them into my compost bin with table scraps, grass clippings (not wet), and small twigs. It all composted nicely together.

[@GardeningInCanada]

yea so thats more of a bacteria type decomposition

[@Enn-]

@@GardeningInCanada I guess being near Vancouver, I can get away with it, as winters here are pretty mild.

[@briarpalek9254]

Very interesting video. We toss the dry leaves into a hammermill and they come out as powder. Excellent for the garden.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I like that idea!

[@briarpalek9254]

@@GardeningInCanada Thank you! We are currently getting ready to process our fall leaves again, hard to believe that winter is just around the corner again.

[@suekol]

Hi Ashley, just to say I find your blogs really helpful… I have collected loads of leaves and was really happy to see the result when I used the lawn mower over them. I need to ask you, can I now store them in the empty dalek composter until the spring? I live in the Irish republic, not too cold usually in the winter.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea absolutely nothing wrong with that at all

[@krustysurfer]

Leaf compost is awesomeness stuff... Most people throw away the leaf gold and then buy it back in the spring from box stores at a inflated price...... Keeps people employed right? Thanks for the video Aloha from lower western Michigan

[@rubytuby6369]

My garden is basically a leaf compost pile about a foot deep every year. By spring it’s only about 6 inches deep I never mix the leaves in the soil only leave them on top., The worms to do the rest.

[@GardeningInCanada]

nice!

[@cbak1819]

Do you cover the leaves or leave exposed? Will they break down faster covered? Thanks Ashley for all you valuable experience shared here❤

[@rodneyalberta2020]

great video can i put in platic rain pails leaves grass and totton veggies grass saw dust should i try to use the same can you over water them and should you change the water

[@Brockthedog315]

Every fall I mulch as many leaves as possible with my mower and then put them all over my perennial and shrub beds. I have so many earthworms and my soil is very friable. These leaves usually hang around until mid summer before they are gone. I’ve done this for years.

[@HatedJared]

I just dig a big pit every fall. Rake the leaves into it, and bury the leaves. Come spring they are usually decomposed because they stay warmer under ground.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Nice! That’s a good setup

[@Dingolay1]

Thanks for this video. So to verify, using dried leaves for cover mulch is GOOD, correct?

[@warreneisthen2906]

I live in Okotoks Alberta and build leaf piles every year. This year I built a 4'X4' X3' cardboard bin and filled it with maple, cotoneaster and aspen leaves. I watered it down between 1' layers and pressed each layer down before adding the next one. There was decomposition starting within three days. i expect to get at least half the volume to use next year as mulch in the garden,

[@Brokersong]

Hi. If you add water in layers like that, is that anaerobic? I'm confused about what kind of piling is considered anaerobic when there is some air.

[@livefreeordie3992]

Saw you on Canadian Prepper and immediately clicked on your vid and subscribed, will stay tuned.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Welcome!

[@user-bi6eg1lo7v]

I live in BC Canada and have been collecting a ton of leaves from the Maples and Oaks in the neighborhood and dumping them all wet from rain into a vacant pond. I found this video helpful knowing I'm not far from successfully decomposing them. I think I should take a weed whacker and shred those leaves.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thats so cool!

[@curiousbystander9193]

and add plastic from the stronh

[@user-lt1gd4tl5e]

like your chanel. good info

[@GardeningInCanada]

I appreciate that!

[@brianseybert2189]

Last fall I made a leaf mold enclosure with shredded leaves that was approximately 6' by 6' and 4' tall. I then insulated the sides and top with yet more bagged leaves. Early this spring I removed some of the bags on top and dug into the pile to see if was totally frozen. It froze down about less than a foot before I got into loose leaves. After removing all the bags in mid May the pile was pretty compressed so I did lay out some tarps and turned the whole thing. From November to May the pile dropped from 4' to less16". I observed than in the compressed section there were no worms but in areas of less compaction it was loaded with native and even red wigglers. I have my worm bins in the same area during the summer and it appears some of the escapees survived the winter in the insulated bin. I found this too in my insulated winter compost, red wigglers. I shredded the bagged leaves and used as mulch on my beds and grow bags. I started a new bin with the left overs, did not want to slow down the process started Last November. This spring I used last years finished leaf mold as a seed starter and in my potting mixes. It worked fantastic! Plus the benefit of worms in almost all of my transplants. I am hooked on leaf mold, thinking about doing 2 large bins this fall. An aside. I had to reseed a couple areas of my lawn this spring where sweet potato vines killed the grass. After I loosened up the soil, aerated it, seeded it then covered with a dressing of leaf mold. the grass grew fantastically. Glad I had some leaf mold left over. Enjoy your videos.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Interesting! Is the moisture retention semi high with the mould?

[@brianseybert2189]

@@GardeningInCanada Actually, the leaf mold retained more moisture than the peat. Plus I did not get any algae on the leaf mold as I did with the peat. Gotta love leaf mold.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Very cool

[@crazysquirrel9425]

I use a mix of both chopped and whole leaves. Whole leaves on the bottom of the planter barrel, then mix in the chopped leaves into the potting soil and that fills the rest. I put on some Alaska Fish fertilizer, triple strength mix with rain water. I figure in 6 months of cold weather, it should be quite usable by mid spring. I will water with either sugar or molasses water mix to feed things until they get populated. I have no 'greens' in the fall. Most people don't. Note: If you put large bags of leaves next to your foundation, you can lower your heating bill slightly while keeping the leaves warm in the winter.

[@pajtognetti7531]

Hi, great information! I was wondering if I'm able to use leaves that had been previously effected by powdery mildew, or had been eaten up by insects, or that have some white flies, aphids, or other worm insects on them; I can cut them all up together, throw them in a bin, wet them down, and leave them to decompose over winter, then come spring, use them as a leaf mold mulch- or is it better to leave those leaves out as they could cause some issues for new plants? Thank you for your wonderful tutorial video and information! 😊🍁🌱🌷🌻🍅🫑👩‍🌾

[@markalford5406]

I usually just cover my raised beds with different leaves every year and maybe add some handfuls of alfalfa pellets on the beds in the fall. Around early May my leaves are mostly gone and I just mix the beds by hand and plant. My garden usually is pretty good.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That's a great idea!

[@don-cw1yz]

What would you recommend as a compost accelerator? I generally use grass clippings ,kitchen vegetable scrap waste ,coffee grounds, leaves,a bit of earth and just male urine to make my compost. I did read that a combination of flat beer and ammonia works but I have not tried it. I try to turn my compost bin and use a old broomstick to punch holes in the compost to get air circulation into the compost. Just wondering if you have any tips for keeping a compost pile hot to speed up decomposition. I recently transplanted a lot of perennials in my flower garden and used leaves as a mulch to protect the roots of those plants overwinter. I am in Ontario Canada.

[@lesliedelacruz5335]

Would you recommend a specific type of bin for leaves?

[@debsaletta9024]

I'm so glad I found your channel!! I'm new to gardening. I have no experience with composting and composting leaf mold. I have shredded leaves that are being stored in brown yard waste bags in my garage. I live in zone 7a and we get cold and snowy winters. Do you recommend I continue to store my shredded leaves in the brown bags or put in a compost bin? The shredded leaves are dry in the brown paper yard waste bags. Thanks!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Your can do either or. Separate and then adding them to add greens to the compost is the best option. This will help ensure that your compost has a good spread of carbon and nitrogen and it’s not too carbon heavy.

[@time7705]

I have been gathering leaves for adding to the fall garden. Really like the idea of making leaf mold in plastic barrels as it suits the yard set up. Do i need to DRILL HOLES in the plastic barrels as the leaf fungi does not need air(?) By not drilling holes the moisture would last longer and less dribbles on to my concrete. The barrel tops would be open, wrapped with plastic bag for seal and under a lean too.

[@DavidMFChapman]

This is my practice: I not only collect and shred my own leaves in the fall, I accept donations from friends and neighbours. The guy across the street does not even bag his, he just empties his leaf vacuum bag into my big wire bin under my large blue spruce. Tip: those leaf vacuums also shred the leaves. I shred my own leaves in a plastic trash bin using a string weed trimmer. It reduces the volume to 1/3. Shredded leaves are kept in a plastic bin next to my backyard composter, and are mixed with kitchen scraps daily. The compost never gets hot, only warm, and the worms love it. The compost never freezes in the centre over winter but stays around 10° C ( Zone 6 here). The vast majority of my shredded leaves go into the wire bin, about one cubic metre. Shredded leaves gradually decay in the wire bin, and I draw from that bin to mulch potatoes, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and other plants in the spring and summer. I never dig them in, they just continue to decompose on top of the soil. No till. I see no signs of nitrogen deficiency, and I don’t need to water or weed very much. By late summer, the leaves in my bin (now getting low) are pretty well decayed. I remove them and store them in buckets to make room for the next “harvest.” These decayed leaves seem to turbo-charge the compost. The worms are loving it and the kitchen scraps don’t last long! It’s 8°C outside and 25°C in the compost. The one thing I have not tried is adding some decayed leaves to my houseplant soil. Always learning!

[@GardeningInCanada]

thank you for sharing! people will find this in-depth content really useful

[@marktoldgardengnome4110]

Thank You for delineating North from South when it comes to gardening. We live in Maine, so we know frozen. It's so discouraging to watch a 25 minute video on, "The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes" only to find out it was created in Southern California. It seems there is a very fine line between "leaf mould and Compost". In simple terms (leaf Mould for dummies) what's the difference overall nutrient wise? We are in our 2nd year of covering beds, when put to sleep, with finely chopped mixture of grass n leaves, or chop n drop. Our riding mower collects 4 bushels at a time. If run over a 2nd time, turns into 2 bushels. It does only decompose by 1/2. The half that doesn't, gets spread around our ornamentals. Then the garden beds get top dressed with a seafood blend of compost, and amended individually based on type of plant. Phos for root crops, nit for leafy veg, and so on. So, since we have an abundance of grass and leaves, wouldn't we be better off concentrating on just compost? TYFS Ashley

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea you absolutely can! Nutrient difference is minimal but the microbes are different!

[@michaelmarchione3408]

Big Thumbs Up! This week I was planning to rake leaves in to a new unused garbage pail and shred them up with my Worx weed wacker. Then I thought of spreading them over my raised beds until spring. Then when I plant they would already be there. I thought they would decompose over the summer here in U.S.zone 4a. The nightcrawlers in the beds would like it too I believe. So, would this work out for this next year or just get me started for seasons to come? Should I do it? Take care!

[@GardeningInCanada]

nothing wrong with that

[@jennifergilbert9596]

This was a really helpful video. I live in Washington State in the US and I have a ton of leaves. I hate to just send them off in my blue bin.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Keep them around! very valuable

[@sharonhochberg3671]

@@GardeningInCanada I also live in Washington state. Tons and tons of maple leaves. I understand they make terrific leaf mold. By the time I collect them and bring them to my pile they are already pretty damp from the weather around here. This is my first year making leaf mold. They're just too damp to run through the lawn mower because of so much rain. It would be nice if I had something by next spring but I'll just have to wait that out and see. Question... Can you add too much water? I feel like my pile is pretty heavy because I did add some water in the beginning before the rains came.

[@rrrrrhino]

Are there any specific considerations with using black walnut leaves?

[@donmartin7460]

I should have watched this first. I covered my garden with a layer of Maple leaves approximately 9 inches deep. Currently it’s now covered in snow.Wish me luck in the Spring.

[@felixfelix6499]

Thank you. I live under a California live oak canopy (7 enormous, mature ones on half an acre). Unlike my neighbors (Facebook and Google folk), I leave the fallen leaves and find they make a nice mulch. I have been doing this for a couple of decades and I have said good-bye to my gas powered leaf blower, which is what ALL of my neighbors have their gardeners use weekly (7 per week). They are into tidy... no leaves (they are carted away) leaving mainly bare dirt (which wafts up in the blower power and covers the leaves of their plants and mine. I hose mine off so the plants can photosynthesize... the have very few plants compared to me (I am a long-time gardener). Anyway, other than the fact that the live oak leaves are very prickly, thick and hard, I wonder if you have anything to say about them. I heard they make an acidic environment. A couple of decades ago I even BOUGHT LEAF MOLD (which they no longer sell), until I realized it was decomposed versions of my oak leaves. I have witnessed fungi growing where there is water (dog vomit, and so many other types, including the white fibers) because originally I put down wood chips. I have several compost piles, but mainly throw in the decomposed oak leaves from the rain gutters and flat carport roof there and leave the rest on the property. They cover the paths and most of my yard.

[@GardeningInCanada]

leaving them behind is completely okay as well

[@OfftoShambala]

I’m assuming you want some aeration as the leaf mold is forming? Ie, keep it in aplastic bin with holes here and there, or have a ‘loose’ seal on the lid? And keep moist like regular compost?

[@LL-oc1xw]

Could you give your thoughts on something I'm trying? I have a container garden - lots of clay planters. (Zone 5a/b). Instead of standing my small garden shelves upright (as designed - I find them useless - top shelves shade the bottom too much) ... I put it on its back on the ground ... and it became a protected "fence" all around my clay pots - with the shelves dividing the "rows" of planters. I covered the shelving unit sides and top with netting for varmint control. There's a lot of empty space around my planters inside of their "cage." This year, I filled all the empty space around the pots with last fall's leaves (maple & oak mostly). The leaves are about as tall as the planters. (No leaves inside the planters - only outside) I'm hoping this will help regulate the heat swings in summer - and retain moisture better. Is this a good plan? Side note: One year I used dry leaves and fresh coffee grounds from coffee shop (multiple huge bags - several pounds each) directly in my biggest container's soil - and - that I certainly learned to never do that again! Lost use of my garden for 6 months until the stuff stopped being toxic and using up all my nitrogen. Baby plants either turned purple or just sat there not growing or dying. Once it converted, the plants began to grow. Then they were supercharged ... but it sure taught me patience! Using the leaves outside the clay pots won't allow that to happen, right? Thanks for any guidance!

[@Rymorin4]

Using leaves to protect the soil surface in my garden over the winter, but will rake them off in the spring.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thats an appropriate application