How Do You Make A Leaf Compost Box?
I live in New England so in the fall all the leaves fall off the trees so i rake them up every year put them in bags in bring them to the dump. There has got to be a better way. Ive heard that compost piles are a good way to get rid of them. Does anybody have plans for a decomposing leaves?
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To make a compost bin/box, simply make a square or rectangular box out of wood (scrap lumber works fine) but leave one side open. You can make a removable sliding (up and down) door for the open side which allows air to get in to do it’s business in the composting process; this ‘door’ also makes it easier to remove the composted material when you need it.
Put the compost bin in a back corner of your yard to avoid possible odors. (Odors will be minimal and if you’re a gardener, you wouldn’t mind the slight smell anyway.)
Leaves work best for composting when they’re shredded but they don’t have to be. One you fill your bin with raked-up leaves, turn them over (mix them, if you will) every so often. I’ve read that it’s a good idea to add some powdered lime to the compost but I don’t and I’ve had good luck. Vegetable and fruit peels, old flowers from hanging baskets, and shredded newspapers (not too many) can be added to your compost bin as well.
I’ve even thrown old pumpkins and squash in my bin and had them come up the next year.
Compost bins are a good way to do your part in being eco-friendly.
use chicken wire fencing, or snow fencing… some kind of non natural material -natural materials like wood will break down decompose along with your leaves- also, air flow through your pile will speed the decomposition process… also, add grass clippings, garden weeds, kitchen fruit/vege scraps; helps speed decomposition
place 4 stakes in the ground, attach your fencing to the stakes, make one side a door if you please,
or, just till them into your vegetable garden every fall like i do…that’s good stuff for the garden!
Toronto Maple leafs???
I agree with trehugr4, that driving four stakes into the ground and stapling chicken wire around them to form an open topped square is the preferred method.
Leaves are broken down by fungi, rather than bacteria and are best composted without adding any other type of material. The crucial point is that the leaves must be wet when they are put into the bin, otherwise they wont break down.