Leaf mould

Throwing away and burning leaves is a waste - you are throwing away an excellent material that could really benefit your garden.

Leaf mould is made from decayed autumn leaves by the slow action of fungi. Unlike the bacterial activity in a well-aerated compost heap, fungi do not create a significant rise in the temperature and leaf mould therefore takes longer to make. For this reason, large quantities of autumn leaves should not be added to your compost bin.

To make leaf mould, collect the leaves after it has been raining, so they are wet, and simply heap them into a wire cage. If they are dry when you collect them, just add water to the heap. Once you have collected the leaves the heap can be left untended. If you only have small quantities of leaves, put them in a black bin liner with a few holes in it and leave them under a hedge.

You can use leaves from any deciduous tree. Leaves from conifers and other evergreens acidify the leaf mould, which can be an advantage if you are trying to make compost for acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas. The type of leaf you use will affect the rate of decay. Plane or sycamore leaves tend to be slow to break down and beech and oak are traditionally thought to make better compost; so most gardeners mix all their leaves together.

Shredding or chopping the leaves will speed up the rate of decomposition. After a year the heap will have sunk considerably and the leaves will be partially rotted. The young leaf mould can be spread over or dug into the soil to improve its structure.

If you leave the leaves to rot for another year you will get a finer product that could be used instead of peat as potting compost for container plants.

Using leaf mould

On the vegetable patch

Particularly valuable as a winter cover when applied in the autumn to vegetable beds that are not having a winter cover of green manures.

In the fruit garden

Particularly valuable for young trees, those that are on dwarfing rootstock and trees that are under stress. All fruit will benefit from an occasional layer of leaf mould around the base of the plant or tree.

On container plants

Apply a thick layer to the top of the soil in the autumn.