Compost Fall Leaves this Month for a Greener Planet

by SONAM MAKHARIA
October 17th, 2022

If you’ve always been looking for ways to give back to the planet, Fall is the best time to start.  Those beautiful red and auburn-colored leaves, gently swaying in the wind, ready to snap off their branches any second, offer multi-purpose benefits such as composting material. 
 
Leaves are rich in trace minerals that offer abundant nutrients to the soil. Dependent on their varying color and type, they offer natural herbicide properties and replenish calcium and nitrogen levels of the soil. For example, green leaves are great for restoring nitrogen, while orange and brown colored leaves offer carbon-rich properties. Together they create a great mix of nutrient dense leaves ready for Fall composting. 

Step by step guide:

1.     Choose leaves carefully for composting as some may be highly acidic and take time to breakdown. Our preferred list is – maple, elm, ash, poplar, willow, and fruit trees. 

2.     Gather the multi-colored mix of leaves and roughly shred them. This step helps in increased degradation and oxygen flow between the leaves once buried. One can use a shredder or lawn mower (or scissors if you are extra crafty). 

3.     Add nitrogen-rich elements to the heap by adding green leaves, food scraps (e.g. used ground coffee, vegetable or fruit peels), or manure. One part green for every five-parts leaf is the general rule. This step is crucial to fuel all the microbes and good bacteria to your quests of decomposition. 

4.     Stack up the leaves close to two cubic yards in a designated location in your yard, and water the pile, so that its moist and allows good bacteria and microbe to grow. 

5. The last step is to wait and turn. Turning compost adds oxygen, which reinvigorates the decomposition. A compost always needs 4-5 days to get going, but after that it can be turned as often as every other day, depending on how quickly the compost is needed. If turned regularly, some composts can be ready in under a month.  

  
Composting is nature’s recycling. Lawn scraps like fallen leaves, mowed grass, or trimmed branches, can all be used for composting at home. It not only nourishes the soil, but it gives you organic manure for your plants, with less presence of harmful pesticides around your pets and children. The Earth stays greener with our green choices.