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, 4 Nov
It is that time of year again when my garden and drive are starting to
get covered in the orange, red, yellow and brown colours of falling
autumn leaves.
I know I have shared before the value of autumn leaves with you all,
but it is also no harm to remind ourselves of how that can help our
gardens.
With large trees along the boundary of my home many of the autumn
leaves I will gather and put in the brown bin for collection, but some
I will be keeping.
Autumn leaves are full of carbon and act as a brown or drier material
that can be added to your compost heap along with the greener, nitrogen
rich garden clippings.
Composting grass on its own leads to your heap becoming smelly and
inactive as the wet nature of this material means their is little
oxygen, which inhibits your decomposers, including worms and soil
bacteria, from breaking down the material into a fertile compost to be
used in flower and vegetable beds.
It is easy to store leaves you can choose to pack them into bags, tie
the top, punch a few air holes and leave them behind the garden shed
until you need them next year.
Alternatively you can make a wire mesh frame to store your leaves and
once filled cover your leaf heap with a piece of cardboard to keep them
damp.
Over the next few months the leaves will begin to break down but will
be perfect to add to your compost heap next spring and throughout the
summer.
You might even decide to store the leaves for longer allowing them to
break down into what is known as leaf mould.
You will still be able to recognise the leaves, but after two years
they will make an ideal mulch as leaf mould suppresses weeds and locks
moisture into the soil.
If you have not done so in the past why not store them and try for
yourself this autumn.
If you come across a wildlife species that you would like help
identifying contact me at bogs@ipcc.ie.