Can I double-dig them into my garden?
They are by no means compost or leaf mold. I just raked them up, put them in a pile, let them get rained and snowed on, and here they are.
I was thinking about digging a trench in my garden, filling it with some of the leaves, then re-filling the trench, and repeating the process all across my garden. Would this work?
I don't think it would be a good idea to just mulch with the leaved since they are uncomposted and not even shredded. I plan a mulching with grass clippings, anyway. I'd just like to make use of all these leaves and perhaps add to the organic content in the garden.
What do you think?
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Ozark Lady
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1862
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
One year, early in gardening, my husband built beds, and he put a layer of leaves, not composted, followed by manure (raw) and covered with dirt.
Immediately it did great, but then... the plants got their roots into the raw manure, and got a bit toxic, then they kept drying out badly, I dug down to see why, and the water was not going past the leaves, neither were the plant roots!
If you plan to plant on top remember, they will form a barrier to roots and water getting on down to your other soil.
If you want to control an invasive, use this to edge where you want to keep it, as long as your invasive isn't deeper rooted than your leaves are going.
You can also use them, to sort of block or channel water run off. To hold water in your area, or prevent it from getting there.
Over time, they will break down, and actually hold water and help your soil and plants, but in the dry crispy state they can do harm, unless you work with them and their natural tendencies, which is to resist roots and water. And those leaves will use nitrogen in order to break down.
I love leaves, I use them alot, but, and here is the big but, you have to experiment and find ways that are helpful, and not counterproductive to your gardening. Line a hanging basket with them, use them to keep the soil and roots in there!
As mulch, until they get to the soggy stage, they are worthless, I have volunteer tomato plants growing under about 8 inches of them at the moment. Garlic chives just shoved about 2 feet of them out of the way, and are looking really good. I had forgotten those chives, and actually thought they were dead... I guess not.
Immediately it did great, but then... the plants got their roots into the raw manure, and got a bit toxic, then they kept drying out badly, I dug down to see why, and the water was not going past the leaves, neither were the plant roots!
If you plan to plant on top remember, they will form a barrier to roots and water getting on down to your other soil.
If you want to control an invasive, use this to edge where you want to keep it, as long as your invasive isn't deeper rooted than your leaves are going.
You can also use them, to sort of block or channel water run off. To hold water in your area, or prevent it from getting there.
Over time, they will break down, and actually hold water and help your soil and plants, but in the dry crispy state they can do harm, unless you work with them and their natural tendencies, which is to resist roots and water. And those leaves will use nitrogen in order to break down.
I love leaves, I use them alot, but, and here is the big but, you have to experiment and find ways that are helpful, and not counterproductive to your gardening. Line a hanging basket with them, use them to keep the soil and roots in there!
As mulch, until they get to the soggy stage, they are worthless, I have volunteer tomato plants growing under about 8 inches of them at the moment. Garlic chives just shoved about 2 feet of them out of the way, and are looking really good. I had forgotten those chives, and actually thought they were dead... I guess not.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7419
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
Here is a really cool trick for making fast compost. Get a 55 gallon metal barrel and paint it with flat black BBQ grill paint. Cut out both ends of the barrel and set it where it will get directly sun all day long. Fill it full of compost and put on a black lid. After one month in the hot sun it will be completely composted.
I am in Tennessee and the temperature is 95+ degrees from late June to late August the barrel gets pretty hot about 150 degrees. I can start a compost and by mid July it is finished. I can start another compost in the same barrel it will be finished in August. I think the heat speeds up the compost action.
Another way to make high speed compost is pour 5 lbs of table sugar about 30 gallons of water. Sprinkle a package of yeast on the surface of the water. Water needs to be 70 degrees and the container needs to be in full shade like the north side of the house. When the yeast dissolves start adding all the compost you can. As it soaks up water you can add more. Get the barrel as full as you can. You may have to add more water. The yeast will totally eat up all the organic material in about 1 week if there is enough sugar to feed the yeast and keep the yeast alive until the compost is finished. You have to dump this out and let it dry. It will look like compost mud but it dries fast in full sun.
I think the black barrel in the sun is less work.
I am in Tennessee and the temperature is 95+ degrees from late June to late August the barrel gets pretty hot about 150 degrees. I can start a compost and by mid July it is finished. I can start another compost in the same barrel it will be finished in August. I think the heat speeds up the compost action.
Another way to make high speed compost is pour 5 lbs of table sugar about 30 gallons of water. Sprinkle a package of yeast on the surface of the water. Water needs to be 70 degrees and the container needs to be in full shade like the north side of the house. When the yeast dissolves start adding all the compost you can. As it soaks up water you can add more. Get the barrel as full as you can. You may have to add more water. The yeast will totally eat up all the organic material in about 1 week if there is enough sugar to feed the yeast and keep the yeast alive until the compost is finished. You have to dump this out and let it dry. It will look like compost mud but it dries fast in full sun.
I think the black barrel in the sun is less work.