| Vermont Home Gardener Got Leaves? Make Compost! Trees made the Green Mountains green all summer and now provide the beauty of autumn across the Vermont landscape. Nature is now releasing them from their trees to add fertility and build soil. We should convert those rich leaves into compost, not remove them as is often the misguided custom. This message is all about not raking leaves and how to enrich your soil with your own compost. Since the first green buds of spring, tree roots have been pulling up essential minerals from deep in the earth to feed their growth and productivity. Those nutrient minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, etc.) have accumulated in leaves to run photosynthesis, the process that uses sunshine, water, and carbon dioxide to make the sugars all plants use as their own food. Now as the days shorten, trees prepare for winter by reabsorbing their green pigments (chlorophylls) to save for next year. The remaining visible pigments we now see as reds and yellows. Eventually even those will be reabsorbed into the tree leaving a brown leaf rich in inorganic minerals and organic matter (carbon) designed by nature to feed the soil. It is pretty amazing that plants produce their own food by photosynthesis and then feed the soil around them for all the beneficial fungi and bacteria that they depend on. It's a great design by Nature… unless we break the cycle with a rake or a fire! Great news, you do not need to rake those leaves! It's actually better for your garden plants, shrubs, lawns, and trees if you do not remove the leaves. Leaves are filled with nutrients and beneficial microbes to replenish and fertilize the soil. Why would anybody want to get rid of something so valuable? The answer is simple… shred them in place with your mower. It might take a couple extra passes to chop them small enough but that is the best way to enrich your soil, and it's FREE. If you have some extra-large maple trees, as I do, that drop too many leaves on the lawn those can be collected as an excellent raw material for your compost or mulch around shrubs. Read the full article at VermontHomeGardener |
