If you are a home gardener, chances are that you know the importance of using compost in your garden. Compost, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land.” Compost adds organic matter to the soil, provides nutrients needed by plants, and improves the soil’s Cation Exchange Capacity – this is the capacity of a soil to hold exchangeable cations. On top of these great benefits, compost can also aid gardeners in aerating the soil and improving water holding qualities, and provides a sustainable way to get rid of many types of waste – like kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, and newspapers. One great compost ingredient that is used readily by Mother Nature, but often overlooked by the home gardener, is fallen leaves. Leaves are plentiful in the Ozarks, easy to gather, and make a great base for a successful compost pile.
Brown to Green Ratio
When creating a successful compost pile, it is important to make sure that you have a good ‘brown to green ratio.’ Janet Carson, the Horticulture Specialist at the University of Arkansas Extension Office, said, “Leaves are the “brown” component and make up the bulk of most composting.” Green matter can include things like grass clippings, vegetative kitchen scraps, and dead plants. Paul Spangenberg, owner of P T Gardens in Republic, Mo., said “Leaves can add a great carbon source for the compost pile, and they are wonderful for keeping the moisture in the ground and adding nutrients as they decompose.” This is why the forest floor in a natural setting is always so rich in composted material – a trick of Mother Nature that can easily be replicated in your own compost pile.
Pile It Up
There is really no right or wrong way to add leaves to your compost pile – it can be as simple as bagging the leaves you rake up in the yard and tossing them in, or as complex as trekking out to the woods and filling a pickup bed with crunchy, compostable goodness. You can choose to dump your leaves onto your compost heap all at once and leave it to sit, or layer the leaves and mix them in with a pitchfork. Or you can even take them straight to the garden bed and skip the compost pile – Spangenberg noted that he likes to use fallen leaves as natural mulch. The leaves will still break down and add nutrients to the soil just as they would in a compost heap. “Shredded leaves break down much more quickly than whole leaves,” said Carson – keep this in mind depending on how quickly you plan on using your compost. After you’ve added your leafy brown component, be sure to give your compost heap a stir and add some water every so often to ensure that the proper microbial breakdown action is taking place.
Using Your Leaf-Based Compost
Once the leaves and other brown/green matter in your compost have finished breaking down into a rich, dark, moist humus mixture, it’s time to put it to work in your garden. There are a variety of ways to apply compost – it can be spread in a thin top layer for plants like lettuce to grow up through, placed into a deeper hole to provide a growing base for tomatoes, or shovel-turned into the soil to make a prepared bed for sweet corn. Another popular way to use compost is by watering plants with steeped compost ‘tea.’
Leaves can be a gardener’s best friend when it comes to compost – so the next time you rake the yard, you’ll be contributing to the health of your garden soil
Compost This Issue
Add this issue of Ozarks Farm & Neighbor to your compost pile after you’ve finished reading it – simply tear into strips, mix into your compost and add water. You’ll be doing the Earth, and your garden, a favor.
