SPOTLIGHT ON: FALLING LEAVES
Autumn sees many people sighing with exasperation at the prospect of six weeks of blocked gutters, slithery paving, and garden paths awash with fallen leaves.
However, not everyone is quite so distressed at the onset of this seasonal occurrence.
Wildlife lovers view it favourably – it’s nature’s way of providing good hibernating facilities for hedgehogs and insects. A few piles of dead leaves left lodged in the bottom of hedges and in odd corners round the garden will do the job. And while leaves can be a pain in the garden, for green-minded gardeners, they are a highly superior form of organic matter delivered to your doorstep for free.
Save them up to make leaf mould, which is a remarkable soil improver.
Making leaf mould is easy. Simply collect up leaves and either pile them into a compost bin on their own, or else into a “cage” made by tacking wire netting around four poles knocked into the ground to form a hollow square. If you don’t have that many leaves, simply use a bin liner with a
few air holes poked in the sides. Leaves need to be damp to help them start rotting, so wet them or spread them out in the rain before piling them up. Then compress them in their container and wait.
Most deciduous leaves turn into good usable leaf mould after a year. Leaves high in tannin, such as oak and beech, take two years.