I have a few bags of leaves and I discovered they crumble really well and I don't have to chop them up much!! (I guess after 8 mos. & 97 deg temps what do you expect?!) I want to use them as a mulch under my shrubs that I normally don't mulch (cause I run out of compost by then). My compost bin is now empty and I want to use these leaves ASAP. Should I just use the shredded leaves all by themselves as mulch, OR should I toss in some coffee grinds & egg shells (teeny-tiny pieces) OR should I compost everything in the bin First (w/food scraps) for a week or so and then spread it out? (I wasn't planning to put everything in the bin & compost this time, cause it's very late in the season & very HOT!) Thanks!!!This message has been edited. Last edited by: Wavee,
Posts: 57 | Location: The Garden State ~ New Jersey ! | Registered: Jun 14, 2012
I would just use the leaves and put the other stuff in your compost bin/pile.
General Disclaimer
Any advice given here is general in nature and is not necessarily valid for your given area. If in doubt check with your local codes enforcement department for what is required when doing electrical, plumbing or structural work on your house. Permits may or may not be required in your area and home owners may not be able to DIY some tasks. I have no way of knowing if you have the skills needed to complete the tasks you are asking about, when in doubt seek professional assistance.
My advice may be worth exactly what you pay me for it. :-) For the record I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Do I understand that you don't want to start composting now because it's late in the season? If so you can bury your food scraps between your shrubs, spread the coffee grounds and eggshells around, and mulch with shredded leaves. Gets rid of everything and it all decomposes. After spreading the shredded leaves give it a watering to pack them down and keep them in place. Shredded leaves don't blow in the wind quite the same as whole ones but it gives it a good start with decomposing anyhow.
Lucky
"I have always had an aversion to the concepts of in style and out of style." ~Rose Tarlow
I also compost year round. Here in NC there is no season when I can't compost. I understand in some areas getting to the compost pile in the winter can be a challenge due to snow cover but that is rarely a problem here.
My main issue when composting is I rarely have enough browns. I'll use shredded paper when I don't have the dry stuff to add to my mainly kitchen waste stream that goes into my composter. My grass trimmings are mulched into the yard as I mow the lawn. I rarely bag them, once in a while I might bag and add these to the compost bin if I need to heat it up. I use leaves, mine and my neighbors as mulch in my wooded area of my yard. It beats buying bark mulch or pine straw. Around the house I use triple shred hardwood mulch.
Several years ago my daughter did a worm compostor project at a summer camp she went to. She grew tired of the project so I put the compost worms and all into my compost bin. It has been a healthy worm colony ever since. Last week with the 100+ temperatures I opened the bin and found the top just alive with the worms. They rose to the top to escape the heat. So I took most of them out and put them into my garden to let them find a cooler place to live. I must have pulled out hundreds of them by the shovel full.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sparky,
General Disclaimer
Any advice given here is general in nature and is not necessarily valid for your given area. If in doubt check with your local codes enforcement department for what is required when doing electrical, plumbing or structural work on your house. Permits may or may not be required in your area and home owners may not be able to DIY some tasks. I have no way of knowing if you have the skills needed to complete the tasks you are asking about, when in doubt seek professional assistance.
My advice may be worth exactly what you pay me for it. :-) For the record I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Don't over think it Just toss the leaves down. I don't even usually shred them; they take longer to decompose that way, but otherwise, work just as well!
I have not seen anything to indicate that you could make compost in less then 14 days and that process involves much more work then you probably want to do, now. I would simply plunk those leaves down under the shrubs as a mulch and forget mixing anything with them. There is no "season" that you cannot make compost, however, except when you do not have materials to make it. i make compost whenever I have enough material to make it.
The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees.
Posts: 7936 | Location: Twin Lake, MI USA | Registered: Aug 19, 2004
Just toss the leaves down. I don't even usually shred them; they take longer to decompose that way, but otherwise, work just as well!
