Hello
Last fall I mowed up the leaves in the yard and threw them on top of the veggie garden for the winter. I would say I still have 4-6 inches of leaves on top right now. (no snow last winter in MN) so they didn't compact.
Should I remove the leaves when I start planting my Veggies? Or should I just leave them be and use it for mulch for the plants? Should I till them into the soil? Will the rotting leaves rob the soil of a nutrient that my veggies will need?
Hopefully the weather here stays warmer so I can get some plants/seeds in the ground soon.
Thanks in advance!!
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- Green Thumb
- Posts: 354
- Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 4:57 pm
- Location: central Kansas
There is a potential problem with tilling-in the leaves. Leaves are "brown" (carbon rich) organic matter that will tie up Nitrogen while they decompose in the soil. So, if you're wanting to do your Spring planting, it would probably be best to gather the leaves up for your compost pile. That way, they can be a valuable soil amendment for your garden, later on.
You can mulch with the leaves too. But, as mentioned in the previous post, you'll probably want to remove the leaves for now, to let the soil warm.
You can mulch with the leaves too. But, as mentioned in the previous post, you'll probably want to remove the leaves for now, to let the soil warm.
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- Full Member
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