Hello! Once the ground has dried this spring, can I mix the leaf coverage of my garden with manure to enrich my soil, or should I clear all the leaf coverage that I left down from last fall before amending the soil?
Hello and welcome to Toronto Master Gardeners.
Using leaves as mulch has been well documented in the Toronto Master Gardener’s guide Using leaves as a Winter Mulch
As you have specifically asked about using them in spring, I would direct you to The Morton Arboretum article here. The short answer (if you are not in the mood for extensive reading) is yes, leaves are excellent as mulch. As they say in the article;
- Use leaves for mulch. Simply rake fallen leaves onto perennial beds or vegetable gardens or around trees and shrubs. By spring, the leaves will have partly broken down and disappeared, as busy soil microbes consume them.
- Shred them if you like. Shredded leaves look tidier and won’t blow around when they are used as mulch.
- Make compost. Leaves are a major ingredient in any successful compost pile.
Mixing manure into the leaves, shredded or otherwise will only enhance the nutritious composition.
If you wish additional information specifically about the value and methods of composting leaves;
Composting leaves is an excellent way to recycle organic material and enrich your garden soil. Let’s explore how you can effectively use fall leaves as an additive to your spring compost:
- Leaf Value:
- Before bagging up those fall leaves, consider their potential for your landscape. The leaves of a large shade tree can be worth as much as $50 in terms of plant food and humus.
- Pound for pound, most tree leaves contain twice as many minerals as manure. For instance, a sugar maple leaf has over 5% mineral content, while even common pine needles contain 2.5% calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus, along with other trace elements (Penn State University).
- Composting Process:
- Composting leaves is straightforward and doesn’t require expensive bins or tumblers.
- Here’s how:
- Start with a 6-inch layer of leaves, whether shredded or not.
- Add a 2-inch layer of something green that contains more nitrogen. This could be manure, grass clippings, green weeds, or vegetable waste from the kitchen.
- If you lack green waste, add a little nitrogen source like dried blood, cottonseed meal, or bone meal.
- Optionally, spread native soil between the layers to introduce bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that aid in decomposition.
- Turn your pile every three weeks (or sooner) to allow oxygen to assist in the decomposition process.
- By turning the pile three or four times before spring, you’ll have fine compost ready for your spring planting.
- Once you have compost, use it in your garden or landscape by incorporating it into planting soils or topdressing planting beds or gardens.
- The compost will improve soil structure, loosening compacted clay soils and helping sandy soils retain moisture and nutrients (Penn State University).
- Additional Tips:
- Shred the leaves before composting to speed up decomposition.
- Consider adding a little soil to introduce beneficial microorganisms.
- Maintain the right carbon-to-nitrogen ratio by adding nitrogen-rich materials (like grass clippings) alongside the leaves.
- Leaf Mold:
- Another option is to create leaf mold. Simply allow chopped leaves to rot down over time.
- Leaf mold significantly improves soil structure, boosts water-holding capacity, and adds plenty of humus.
Remember, turning those fall leaves into compost or leaf mold benefits both your garden and the environment.