24/11/2025
Time to make leaf mold! Why? Leaf mold adds organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus back into the soil, it feeds and provides habitat for the soil’s biology and insects, protects the soil from intense rain and heat, and helps in moisture retention. Have I sold you yet? 😁
I have an amazing neighbor who collects and saves leaves from her big leaf maple tree for me each year. I have also used sweetgum, cherry, poplar and alder leaves to make leaf mold. These plant species are low in lignin making them easier to digest by the soil biology compared to the leaves of e.g. rhododendrons or magnolia.
I process my leaves in a leaf mulcher to increase the surface area which will also aid in decomposition. The leaves are stored in my empty thermophillic compost towers. By next spring I will have about 1.5 cubic yards of leaf mold!
