Tilling in UN-composted Leaves: Good, Bad, Indifferent?

[roo_ster]

Howdy:

I spread a bunch of compost over my garden beds a while back, but have not tilled it in yet.

Now, I am looking at a back yard covered in non-fruit-bearing mulberry leaves and I wonder to my self, "Self, why shouldn't I break out the blower, blow them into the garden, and till them in with the compost?"

I collected some leaves a while back, bagged, & tossed them.  The idea of disposing of them in my garden with minimal extra effort is awfully attractive.

The back yard is entirely of mulch & concrete, no grass.

Also, a compost bin is not in the cards, due to several reasons.

[AJ Dual]

They'll break down a bit slower, that's about all I can think of.

[vaskidmark]

At first I was wondering why the United Nations was composting anything.

Aren't leaves acidic?  Isn't that why you are supposed to compost them before mulching them into the growing medium?  My limited knowledge comes from killing off what was supposed to be a lawn by leaving the finely chopped (twice run over with a mulching mower) leaves on top of the alleged grass.  Wound up with no alleged grass and fine leaf litter instead of a thriving patch of alleged lawn.

My guess is that if you till them in with the compost already there you will have started a compost pile despite your denial of same.  It just becomes a matter of whether or not the leaves are fully composted by the next planting.  If not, could you drop a fish head in with each batch of seeds?  (Squanto said that should work.  The Pilgrims bought it and ended up throwing a 4-day holiday.)

Again, what's the United Nations got to do with composting your garden?

stay safe.

skidmark

[Leatherneck]

Sure, if you don't intend to grow anything there next year. Srsly, un-composted leaves act as a growth inhibitor, in my experience. Just find a corner where you can pile them to compost and then till them in after they break down.

TC

[RoadKingLarry]

You'll be fine. I do it that way in my garden all the time and I do pretty well. In fact I'm still picking stuff from the garden, I expect antoher small picking of okra by the end of the week and have probably a couple pounds of anahiem peppers left on the plants.
The leaves will break down quicker if you can run them over with your lawn mower before you till them in but that isn't mandatory.

[RevDisk]

Dig a hole.  Fill in leaves.  Next year, use that spot.  If you want to stir up trouble, ask folks about the value of layering your compost. 

[Ben]

Say, I've heard about the value of layering your compost. What about that?







 

[charby]

Are you fall tilling your garden?

[roo_ster]

Are you fall tilling your garden?

Yes, I plan to.  Any reason not to?

Again, what's the United Nations got to do with composting your garden?

No, you misunderstand.  UN delegates and functionaries will be compost in my garden.  I figure I'll start with the UN Human Rights Committee and work my way though UNICEF over time.

Aren't leaves acidic?  Isn't that why you are supposed to compost them before mulching them into the growing medium?  My limited knowledge comes from killing off what was supposed to be a lawn by leaving the finely chopped (twice run over with a mulching mower) leaves on top of the alleged grass.  Wound up with no alleged grass and fine leaf litter instead of a thriving patch of alleged lawn.

For years I mulched in my leaves with the lawn mower in place with fine results.  I had mostly bermuda and then mostly St Augustine grass.  Never a problem.

The acidic part is what I was wondering.

Dig a hole.  Fill in leaves.  Next year, use that spot.  If you want to stir up trouble, ask folks about the value of layering your compost. 

I just looked up "sheet mulching" and realize I have been doing that along the outside perimeter of my fence for two years by using my bagged grass clippings as as a weed smother and then doing the same with the front yard leaves in the fall.

I think the coming spring is a fine time to plant the pecan & dwarf apple trees I have been thinking on.

Sure, if you don't intend to grow anything there next year. Srsly, un-composted leaves act as a growth inhibitor, in my experience. Just find a corner where you can pile them to compost and then till them in after they break down.

TC

I read about that and it seems the leaves use nitrogen at the beginning of the composting process.

<facepalm>

OK, that might be just what I need.  I used 13-13-13 fertilizer on the garden in the spring and it was too much nitrogen, by most folks' opinions, and I had awesome plant growth, but no 'maters or corn.

Tilling in the leaves might just be the ticket to get back on track.

[Iain]

I figured the UN had created roof tiles made of leaves. Highly compressed or something... wonder if it could work.

[charby]

Yes, I plan to.  Any reason not to?

Whatever plant material that is below ground will hold the soil down when the winter winds come whipping.

I have a fence around my garden to keep the commie rabbits out and when I am done with my garden in the fall I just dump whatever organic matter that is laying in my yard until first snow into the fence. When the soil dries out in the spring I remove the fence and till every up then. Seems that the layer of grass, stick and leaves keeps the early weeds from growing until I till it.

[Harold Tuttle]

i mulch them with a mower, then put them on top of my untilled square foot plots

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

oak leaves are acidic and might stop germination.   says the guy with the oak trees and a lil over 2 tons of lime so far on the ground since i moved here

[charby]

oak leaves are acidic and might stop germination.   says the guy with the oak trees and a lil over 2 tons of lime so far on the ground since i moved here

black walnut is far worse.

I till in bur oak, white ash and choke cherry leaves with no ill side effects. I also have yet to add any fertilizer to my garden either. Also when the last crop of the fall is out, I also start throwing all the dog poop into the garden too. I know some composter will probably scold me for that.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

doesn't black walnut sawdust delaminate horses hooves if you use it as bedding?

[charby]

doesn't black walnut sawdust delaminate horses hooves if you use it as bedding?

I think it poisons the horse.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i'm a hrse neophyte but someone told me i had to be careful about it.  i know that some plants kill em too

[lupinus]

The main reason to not till in uncomposted materials is that the decomposition process sucks up nitrogen, and in a nitrogen low "brown" (dried leaves) the action has a net loss of nitrogen in the soil.

So either do it to a spot to receive plants that don't need lots of nitrogen or at the same time you till in the leaves also add lots of "green" (fresh grass clippings and the like) or a nitrogen rich fertilizer.

[Fly320s]

I think the coming spring is a fine time to plant the pecan & dwarf apple trees I have been thinking on.

Fall and early winter is a better time. Plant when the tree is dormant, that gives the roots time to get settled.