Make Your Own Leaf Compost

You know that old saying about how money doesn't grow on trees?

Well, any gardener who's ever made their own leaf compost will tell you it's wrong.

Every fall, hundreds of dollars in garden products drop from the trees in our yards. Most of us consider them a nuisance. We rake them, bag them, and put them on the curb for trash pickup. What we should be doing is turning this tree trash into garden gold.

By taking just a couple simple steps, you can produce your very own nutrient-rich soil amendment that will help you grow bigger and better vegetables in your garden—all without spending a dime on synthetic fertilizer. Here is your guide to making leaf mold compost.

The Benefits of Leaf Mold Compost

If you live in a manicured neighborhood like I do, then you probably see your neighbors taking all the leaves away in the fall and then covering their yards with mulch and fertilizer in the spring. Let me tell you, none of that is necessary. 

Trees are meant to take care of themselves. They pull up nutrients from deep within the soil and deposit them in their leaves. Those leaves drop in the autumn, break down with the help of things like earthworms and beneficial fungi, and become next year's soil. It's a perfect enclosed system—until we get in the way by wrapping those leaves in plastic bags and sending them to the landfill.

I'm all for the "Leave the leaves" campaign. But some of us have HOAs that force us to rake up our leaves. Also, we gardeners want to be able to spread some of that leaf wealth to other places. Leaf mold compost contains at least a dozen different types of plant nutrients that you could make available to your vegetable garden and flower beds. Those nutrients are in a form that's much easier for plant roots to take up than what synthetic fertilizers offer. Plus, spreading leaf mold compost helps soil retain moisture while also improving soil texture and drainage.

And let's not forget that recycling these leaves in our own yards means fewer bags in the landfill.

How to Collect Fall Leaves

Once your leaves start falling, all you need is a good ol' fashioned rake and a little bit of muscle. Skip the gas-powered leaf blower. Those things just make you chase leaves around the yard. By the time you gather all the leaves you scattered, you haven't saved yourself much time.

Leaf blowers also contribute to pollution, including noise pollution, which is terrible for wildlife. (And as someone who films content outdoors, there are few sounds I hate more than a leaf blower starting up.) Plus, you're going to get a great workout!

Ideally, your leaves will come from trees that haven't been sprayed with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. That way, you don't have to worry about contaminating your compost pile and garden beds. You also want to avoid leaves that are near dog waste.

If you don't have leaves in your yard, don't worry. You can still make leaf mold. Our Houston home only had pine trees, and I didn't love how long the pine leaves took to break down. So you know what I did? I drove around in my minivan looking for leaves my neighbors had bagged up and left on the curb. I encourage you to do the same! (Just don't go into people's yards and take their leaves.)

For those of you with tons of leaves, consider leaving some piles in out-of-the-way corners for wildlife to cozy up in for winter. You don't need to be too thorough raking up the leaves.

How to Make Leaf Mold

Once you've gathered the leaves, use a wheelbarrow or large tarp to move all the leaves to wherever you'll be composting them. We want to expedite the process of these leaves turning into rich, loamy soil, and we do that by putting them in a compact space. We also want to give them regular moisture and a little bit of air. That's how you turn leaves into compost quickly.

There's one extra step you could take to further expedite the decomposition process, and that's shredding your leaves first. I typically don't bother with this step.

To shred your leaves, spread them over your lawn in a thin layer and go over them with your mower. (Don't worry if you get grass clippings mixed in. They'll break down with the leaves and provide even more nutrients.) Alternatively, you could toss your leaves in a large garbage bin and then use a weed eater to chop them up. Wait until your leaves are dry to do either method, or you'll end up with a mess.

Let's look at three different methods to break down your fall leaves.

Method One: Wire Cage

The first method to turn your leaves into leaf mold for your garden is to build a little wire cage to contain the leaves as they break down. Here's what you'll need:

Supplies

• WIRE MATERIAL like chicken wire, hardware cloth, deer fencing, or cattle fencing (I prefer using chicken wire because it's softer and easier to work with; it's also great to have on hand for indoor floral projects.)
• 4 WOODEN STAKES
• MALLET OR HAMMER
• WIRE CUTTERS

Steps

1. Spread your stakes out to form four corners of your cage, using a hammer or mallet to secure them in the ground. You can make your cage as small or large as you need.
2. Wrap your wire around one of the stakes. Chicken wire will naturally coil in and then grip the stake. Unspool your wire to wrap around the outside of each stake. If you're cool with your cage offering a home for wildlife over the winter, start your wire about 6 inches above the ground so that little critters can come on in and make themselves at home.
3. Once you make it back to the beginning of the cage, trim the wire with wire cutters. Bend the trimmed edges inward to secure the wire to the cage.
4. Add your leaves in layers, packing them in firmly. Feel free to hop into your cage and stomp the leaves to compress them. If the leaves are dry, water them every couple of inches. It'll be fungi that break the leaves down, not bacteria, so you don't need air flow like you would in a typical compost pile.

If you've got the space, this is definitely my favorite way to make my own leaf mold compost. Your little pile will mostly take care of itself. All you have to do is water it if you haven't gotten any rain in a couple of weeks. You want your leaves to stay wet so they'll rot. Other than that, just let nature do its thing.

Method Two: Bags

The second way to make leaf mold compost is to keep your leaves in a bag. This method is ideal for those of you who don't have space for a wire cage. The downside is that these bags fill up quickly, so you won't be able to use as many leaves as you could with a cage.

The only supplies you'll need are large trash bags or burlap bags. I'm trying to use less plastic in my garden, so I've switched to natural bags made of jute. If you're using plastic bags, you'll also need something sharp to poke holes, like a pair of scissors.

Steps

1. Fill the bag to the brim with leaves.
2. Add a bit of water to the bag. Tie the top closed.
3. If you're using a trash bag, poke a couple holes in the bottom of the bag. You don't need to poke holes in a burlap bag; they're naturally breathable thanks to the large fibers.
4. Place the bag somewhere out of the way.

Method Three: Compost Bins

You can add fall leaves to your existing compost bin or hot compost pole, just not all at once. These composting bins require a lot of air to break organic materials down, so too many leaves can smother them. You'll need to add your leaves in stages and turn the pile each week.

Leaves are an excellent source of carbon (brown materials) for your compost pile. Make sure to balance your pile by adding some nitrogen (green materials), as well. I like to store some fall leaves in paper bags. Every time I add kitchen scraps to my compost bin, I throw in a couple handfuls of leaves.

You can even add fallen leaves to a worm compost bin. Just shred the leaves first and keep them moist until they start to break down.

How Long Do Leaves Take to Break Down?

The total time depends on the temperature, moisture level, and other environmental factors that might speed up or slow down the decomposition process. In the first 6 to 12 months, your leaf pile will shrink as decomposition begins. Leaves closer to the bottom of your leaf compost pile will go from crunchy to a soft but somewhat lumpy material.

Between 12 and 24 months, your leaves will completely break down into crumbly garden compost. The result should look like the dark, rich soil you'd find on the forest floor.

You can add these leaves as mulch or soil conditioner to your beds at any point, but I wait until they're finished breaking down to add them to my vegetable garden. I've found that leaving debris like large pieces of leaves on the soil surface gives pests a place to overwinter in my garden.

How to Use Leaf Mold Compost in Your Garden

Your garden could benefit from an extra dose of compost every 2 to 3 months, especially if you plant the Gardenary way (which means packing in the plants and skipping those synthetic fertilizers). I spread compost over the tops of my raised beds and around the base of my plants at the start of each new season. This gives my garden everything it needs to thrive for the upcoming season.

If your leaf compost pile is still decomposing, use a shovel to scoop from the bottom, where your leaf mold will be crumbliest. Just keep in mind that your pile might have become a home for wildlife like snakes.

Time to Compost Your Leaves!

There is really nothing better we can put in our gardens than leaf mold. Why spend money on outside resources to grow our own food when we can gather leaves from our backyard or neighborhood and turn it into nutrient-dense compost? Nature really is a complete cycle, and we can take advantage of this season after season without having to spend tons of money at the garden center.

Honestly, the more years I spend in the garden, the more amazed I am at the wonders of nature, especially the way it takes care of itself. I hope this inspires you to grab a rake and create your own soil amendments for free!

Sources

• University of Missouri
• Penn State Extension