Leaf Compost

HamptonsGarden 4/28/2020, 10:26 am

I'm starting my first square foot garden and have lots of leaf compost. I get it from a local company and spreads yards of it around the perennial gardens every other year. Can I use this in my soil mix. If it's not enough nutrients, can I add something else to blend in?

**donnainzone5** 4/28/2020, 11:41 am

Yes! It can be one of your 4-5 composts! I hoard leaves to make leaf mold for this purpose, or to use as mulch.

OhioGardener 4/28/2020, 12:06 pm

Welcome from Ohio, HamptonsGarden! It is great to have you join us! Leaf Mold or Leaf Compost is very rich in nutrients since the trees bring up minerals, etc., from deep in the soil and store it in their leaves. Just be sure to have a good mixture of different types of compost as each has a different blend of nutrients and support different microbes in the soil.

Keep us updated on your progress, and post pictures of your developing gardens if you can. Be sure to check out the regional forums, such as the Mid-Atlantic Forum, which includes all but upstate New York. You may want to start your own thread there so that you can follow your progress with the SFG.

Dan in Ct 4/29/2020, 9:27 am

Hi HamptonsGarden, if you want to know, send it out as a soil sample and have it tested as you wish to know the nutrient content, you should also get your pH. Here you can have your soil tested by The Experimental Station for free and get nutrients listed as being low to high or by The Extension Service for $12 and get the nutrients by their numbers. I try to always know rather then guess if I can. If you do decide to send out the leaf compost would you be so kind as to share your report.

Leaf mold and leaf compost are somewhat different as leaf mold is allowed to sit and build up the population of mycelium/fungal and leaf compost needs to be or should be aerated. leaf mold takes a couple of years, leaf compost if done in volume can be done and finished in 6 months. As a companion to your leaf compost, i would think a chicken manure compost would be a good fit.

**sanderson** 5/1/2020, 4:59 am

Hampton, Welcome to the Forum from California. $glad you\'re here$

Leaf compost can be one of your composts. For SFG, it is recommended to have 4-5 different sources of compost. You have a leaf one. Try to find a manure compost, mushroom compost, a veggie-based compost, etc. The more sources, the better chance to have a balance of nutrients for the plants.

**Kelejan** 5/1/2020, 7:57 am

HamptonsGarden wrote:I'm starting my first square foot garden and have lots of leaf compost. I get it from a local company and spreads yards of it around the perennial gardens every other year. Can I use this in my soil mix. If it's not enough nutrients, can I add something else to blend in?

$glad you\'re here$ Hampton happy hi

From Kelejan in British Columbia :canada:

I see you already have some answers to your questions.

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