Growing a vegetable garden is a rewarding and relaxing pastime. However, everyone can agree that a green thumb may not come automatically to every wannabe gardener. Successful gardeners know the answer to this question: is leaf compost good for vegetable gardens?.
What is leaf compost?
Leaf compost is the by-product when tree leaves and other foliage breaks down into a compost which is also known as Black Gold. The leaves are most often shredded first to speed up the breakdown process. Leaves are the main component in leaf compost, but other natural elements are added as well. Grass clippings, non-meat food scraps, water, and fresh compost all aid in the process of creating new leaf compost.
As the leaves and natural elements break down, they are regularly turned and stirred. Once the leaves have decomposed, the nutrient-rich leaf compost is ready to be added to a garden.
Is leaf compost good for vegetable gardens?
Vegetable gardens are usually grown for their harvest as well as the enjoyment of tending to them. Natural ways to improve the quality and growth of food, like the use of leaf compost, are highly regarded by serious gardeners.
Leaf compost is an excellent addition to a vegetable garden. Leaf compost allows the food produced in the garden to be organic and without chemical treatment. Additionally, compost creates a hospitable growing environment for the vegetables, creating a better crop.
How does leaf compost benefit vegetable gardens?
While not technically a “fertilizer,” leaf compost acts like one because it transfers nutrients to the soil. Keeping a garden fed with nutritious soil and compost with appropriate water and ample sunlight encourages healthy growth.
Leaf compost also creates a substance called humus. This aerates the soil and allows water to get to the roots of the growing plants. Growing vegetables need nutrition as well as space in the earth to mature, and compost naturally encourages this healthy growth.
Can I use all types of leaves for leaf compost?
Creating a healthy mix of leaves is crucial for making the most of leaf compost. A few types of leaves should be avoided. Walnut, eucalyptus, and horse chestnut tree leaves can all create toxins when they break down. These are best left out of the compost. Instead, choose these to make a healthy, nutritious leaf compost:
- maple
- birch
- ash
- cherry
- fruit trees
- oak (sparingly)
How long should I compost my leaves before adding them to the vegetable garden?
Compost, like gardens, doesn’t happen overnight. It is best to start a compost pile at the end of the growing season so that the leaf compost will be ready at the start of the next year’s planting season. When you are digging your garden over or tilling it to put to rest for the cold weather, your leaf compost can be started.
Many types of leaf composts, if tended regularly, can be ready for use on the spring vegetable garden. Some leaves take longer to compost and may take up to two years to break down. Shredding the leaves and adding in fresh compost to the pile, however, can usually aid in speeding up the process.
Should I add anything else to the composter to make leaf compost?
Creating a healthy leaf compost usually means adding in extra nutrients. A variety of leaves is a great start, but other nutrient dense items help the composting process.
Vegetable-based food scraps are an easy kitchen by-product to add in, as are coffee grounds. Animal manure is another ingredient that can be beneficial to the composting pile. Water is a simple but necessary ingredient that needs to be added to the leaf compost pile, this moisture encourages the organic material to break down quickly.
Lastly, but not to be forgotten, is fresh air and sunshine. Added when the pile is turned and stirred around, fresh air helps the good bacteria on the organic material to grow. Sunshine contributes warmth to the pile, another growth encourager that supports the growth of a healthy leaf compost pile.
A compost tumbler is a great way to mix and stir your leaf compost.
How much leaf compost should I add to the soil?
Now that you have made the healthy leaf compost for your vegetable garden, it is time to make sure it helps your vegetables grow. A good mix ratio of compost to soil is to incorporate about 2-3 inches of compost material into the top 6-8 inches of soil in a new garden. The right balance of compost to the soil is approximately 1/3 compost to 2/3 soil when adding in compost to an existing garden. Of course, this ratio can be switched up to match the natural richness of your existing soil.
When is the best time to add leaf compost?
Vegetable gardens are inescapably tied to the seasons of the year. Spring vegetable gardens like cool nights and warm days. Summer gardens thrive in warmer temperatures coupled with long hours of sunlight. Knowing when to plant your chosen vegetables is key to a strong harvest, and timing when to add leaf compost to your garden simply pairs up with the planting season.
Southern climates tend to utilize two growing seasons, so composting at the start of both plantings works best. Northern climates, with a significant freeze likelihood over the winter, only need to apply compost once per year to gardens to feel the benefits. As compost is a boost to new growing plants, mixing compost with the soil at the start of a garden’s growth is simply the most important aspect of timing the use of compost.
Conclusion
Creating our own rich organic material through leaf composting is a simple way to enrich your vegetable garden with minimal cost and a little time. Utilizing the nutrients already provided in leaves is a way to turn the beauty of old leaves into a delicious, gorgeous vegetable garden in a few short months. Instead of raking and bagging up all the fallen leaves in your yard, think about what you could do with them. Could a leaf compost pile be in your future?
