beech hedge

[fumanchu]

We have about 12 feet of beech hedge at the front. I just cleared up a load of lfallen eaves from it now the snow has melted and chucked them in the bin. I feel sure there's something far more useful I could have done with them... Is there?

[Green Aura]

Make leaf mould - like compost but takes a bit longer to rot down. Excellent stuff. All you need is a wire mesh frame round 4 2x2 posts or anything that will keep them in place (they like to blow around a lot Even a bin liner will do. They take a year or two to rot. I think it makes good potting compost but I'm sure someone else will put me straight if that's not right.

Unfortunately I've never had enough trees to bother collecting it ( we left the leaves from our fruit trees on the lawn).

[fumanchu]

Is just hedging, not trees. Two years is a long time.. need ask the OH if he will make a bit to keep them in, thanks pet !

[Green Aura]

If you stop cutting your beech hedges, they'll become beech trees quite soon!!!

[fumanchu]

well. I suppose then at least they'll be growing and not dying ! LOL! I didnt know.

[oldfella]

If you put the leaves into bin bags and keep them in the dark then you find they can be dug at the end of the year, but maybe it only works in warm climates, but I do it every year;

[fumanchu]

I will try !

[ADG]

grandad used to line his potato trenches all leaves then put his seed pots on top of them before covering over, he then used to pull the cleanest most even pots you have ever seen

[fumanchu]

Any more I get I will save, I promise. I wish I hadn't chucked them now !

[spider8]

It works for us here in Orkney, just put the leaves into bin bags but make a few small holes in them so some air can get in, pile the bags up in a corner and forget about them and in about 2 years you'll have lovely leaf mould .

[phil55494]

About 2 years if you want really well decomposed leaf mould - makes very good seedling compost if you mix it with a bit of loam or sand.
In about 1 year though you can it should be decomposed enough to used as additional organic matter for the soil. Not much in the way of nutrients so you won't be adding any oomph to your soil with it, just building up a better structure.
From what I've read, ideally the leaves should be damp when you put them into the sacks and they do need a bit of air to decompose properly.

So all in all, find a corner and chuck em there next year, come back a year later and spread them round the garden.

[fumanchu]

ok, will do. You learn a lot in here eh ? TY !

[tizzy]

This thread has given me an idea........I guess that's the general idea though

We are surrounded by a tree planting scheme like many up here. The forestry commission make the farmers plant belts of hardwoods to improve the look of it. We could go and collect as many sacks of leaves as we wanted each Autumn and make leaf compost.
If we put it under the potting bench in the polytunnel would that be dark and warm enough to speed up the decomposition process?

[grahamhobbs]

Under the bench they will probably dry out. They need to be damp.

[Annpan]

You might also want to bear in mind that rotting leafy matter will be an essential part of naturalising a recently planted forest area. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to take a bit, but leave some behind for the insects and plants ....