Autumn’s red and yellow harvest of fallen leaves, once broken down, is a gratis bonanza of mulch and compost
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
Every year in mid-autumn, large bags of leaves would turn up stacked in our garage, raked up from beneath the large oak trees in a friend’s garden.
It may seem an odd gift, but my mother’s garden lacked deciduous trees, so she missed out on nature’s valuable annual offering.
When she mentioned it to her friend, who had more leaves than they could manage, the annual gift started to arrive.
The leaves went into a leaf bin to break down into leaf mould and top up the compost, to be used as mulch straight onto the garden.
The autumn leaves that fall from deciduous trees such as oak, elm, maple, liquidambar and birch are not just colourful but filled with nutrients.
In natural woodlands, leaves fall to the forest floor to form a leafy mulch cover which, as it breaks down, feeds the soil and the organisms that live in it. It also promotes the soil’s moisture-holding capacity.
Bag your own
If you already have deciduous trees in your garden or on the street, don’t let the leaves go to waste — and certainly don’t burn them, as people did in the past.
Leaves can be left under trees to break down naturally but, if they fall on lawns, gravel or paving, rake them up and bag them or toss them into a homemade leaf bin to slowly break down.
Large leaves such as those from liquidambar or sycamore can be put through a mulcher or mowed to reduce their size.
Later in the year, use the decomposed leaves as mulch on the garden or add it to soil or potting mix.
Availability
To add a deciduous tree to your garden, select a tree that’s a suitable size and plant it with enough space to grow upwards and across.
Deciduous trees are sold bare rooted in autumn and winter.
Make a simple leaf bin
Simply wrap chicken wire around three or four stakes pushed into the soil. An ideal size is around 60cm in diameter and a metre or so high. Locate the bin in an out-of-the-way spot and fill it with leaves. Moisten the leaves if they’re dry and add a little lime to assist the breakdown.
Leaves can also be stored in a garbage bag (put some holes in the base of the bag). Expect breakdown to take six months or more.
