Leaves, beneficial or not?

[coykiesaol]

I have been scraping up all the leaves in the

garden (very large garden, unbelievable amount of leaves!!) Was

wondering if having dumped a load of them on the veg patch for mixing in

with horse manure when they are rotted down whether this will be

beneficial or detrimental to the health (growth) of veggies next year??

Also, does anyone have a leaf blower and can they recommend them or not.

Especially when the leaves are wet on grass??

Many thanks

[Pierre ZFP]

As I was told, leaves should be composted or burnt before using  on the garden, the reason, if I remember well, is that leaves contain a lot of tannin and acid which can damage young plants.

I had a flymo blower/vacum thingy in the UK and while it was very good, I only used it in a small garden and even then if I used the leaf collection option I was forever emptying the waste bag but it was very efficient.

If you have a very large garden, how about hiring a helicopter?  [:-))]

[Gardian]

Leaves are my 'life's work', so here's my take on them.

Firstly, I use a 'sucker / blower' (no sarcy comments please!) to hoover up as many as I can. You'll need a pulverisor version so that you get something approaching chopped up material. It's best done when the leaves are as dry as possible - they just crunch up more easily and don't block the machine.

Some years ago, I knocked up a large composter out of 7mm x 7mm uprights and 15mm planks, roughly 2m square and 1m high. In to it go the chopped up leaves, with a bit of accelerator sprinkled on every so often. I water it occasionally in Summer to help the composting process. By end September, it has reduced in volume by 75% and gives me 'clean' completely composted material (well, a few twigs and bits & bobs, but nothing that you can't hook out). Also, plenty of rose chafer grubs, but it's them that do most of the work and again, they can be removed if you're concerned.

I mix this material with anything else that I've got - sawdust from the circular saw, sieved topsoil, ash from the fire and any leaves that I have had to burn.

On its own, I don't believe that leaf compost is especially beneficial, but it certainly won't do any harm. Best, as you say, to mix it with other material, such as well-rotted manure or composted kitchen waste. 

Hope that helps.

[cooperlola]

I find this thread really interesting because I have never understood this leaf thing.  I have never moved one, ever in my life, and my gardens over the years have never seemed to suffer as a result of just leaving them where they fell.  Please explain the point to me because I really do not get it.

Signed - a very lazy person who does nothing unless it's essential.[:)]

[Gardengirl]

I also have a cage for leaves in UK, having a large garden with many trees there. I used to gather them together and collect them with 2 dustbin lids, or OH would  'hoover' them up and put them into the cage. But as I gave up making compost, it just sits there, with the pile growing larger and then smaller as the seasons go by. Now we spend each autumn in France, they tend to get left to their own devices most of the time; I now find that when a good wind gets up, those that remain get blown under the bushes and even into the woods behind us - much easier!

[Gardian]

[quote user="cooperlola"]

I find this thread really interesting because I have never understood this leaf thing.  I have never moved one, ever in my life, and my gardens over the years have never seemed to suffer as a result of just leaving them where they fell.  Please explain the point to me because I really do not get it.

[/quote]

Coops ...........

Well, you're right of course and it doesn't really matter, unless:

• You've really got loads of them, like I have - if I didn't do something, they'd be (literally) knee deep after a couple of years and they get blown in to the pool etc
• You want to make use of them, hence the OP's question

But if you did nothing, the world wouldn't come to an end - they'd just eventually compost of their own accord and provide the rich humus that things like acorns fall in to and seedlings start and ............. oh Lord, I'm sounding like David Bellamy.[:'(]

[DerekJ]

But if you've a half decent lawn it will ruin it if you leave a deep layer on top.  In the UK our garden we have some big Beech and Oak trees and it's a nightmare trying to keep pace with it. I end up raking them up behind the big rows of Rhodendrum Ponticum (the Surrey weed) that we have. At least it hides them. Then I periodically fill a few wheelbarrows full of the leaf mould.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="DerekJ"]But if you've a half decent lawn [/quote]What's one of those?  No, I'm not being facetious - I mean - it's green and has a few what I guess some people would call weeds in it - the odd dandelion, daisy, clover, wildflower etc - but generally it looks pleasant and is nice to sit out on.  However, it is true that we are on top of a hill and it can get quite breezy so certainly, like GG, nature takes care of most of the leaves which fall from our 30 or so trees and bushes - hazel, oak, apple, pear, willow, walnut, plum, beech etc etc.  As I say, I'm a pretty lazy gardener and  I have a chap now since I can't do it myself but I wouldn't even pay him to do what seems to me to be a pointless job.  What the mower doesn't pick up and the wind doesn't blow away I just leave and can see no real harm has come to my lawns as a result.   But it does interest me that so many people spend time and money on kit to deal with this "problem" which nature has unfortunately forced upon our lawns![:)]

[DerekJ]

I think it depends on how thick the leaves settle. If I never cleared our lawn in the UK the leaves would be a solid carpet of around an inch or so thick with no light reaching the grass at all.