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Question about 'garbage bag' leaf composting

I wanted to ask those of you who do the "garbage bag" leaf composting technique: How many holes do you put in? Just enough for the rain to get in or lots? The heat of composting kills any weed seeds this way, right? Will it still work in shade? Will it be compost by spring or does it take longer?

I can maybe hide a few bags under the evergreens out back. The yard is small and theres really no place to hide them except there. We made a big wire bin in the back corner against the wooden fence, but it was full immediately.

Thanks!

Comments (7)

  • bobby1973
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    i don't think it'll turn into black compost by spring time if you simply just store the leaves in leaf-bags. i can relate to what you're saying about having limited space and not really being able to set up a traditional compost bin/pile. what i do is simply rake my leaves into a big pile, and then shred them with my electric mulch blower. then i empty out the ground up leaves collected in the blower and spread them out all over my beds. by shredding the leaves up into smaller pieces, it's easier and quicker for them to decompose into the ground. give that a shot and let me know how it works out!

  • alexis717_df
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I do almost the same, I get all the leaves on the driveway and mow them into the bag and then dump on my beds. They breakdown and add nutrients back into the soil, they look better IMO than bare earth and since their in little bitty pieces they stay put and don't blow around. As an added bonus, no raking off come spring. Just plant in it.

  • goodhors
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't think you can get true composting done in plastic bags with rain water added. Compost has to get VERY hot, to kill weed seeds. You need to turn the piled foliage, get air into it, in a good compost pile. Not a static thing, creating compost, but can be real work. The bags would melt at those composting temps, which are way over 100 degrees when done correctly. Compost piles smoke from the heat of working organisms. The bags DO help "tenderize?" the leaves with water and sun heat on the dark plastic over winter season. May reduce them to a more wet, sludge type mass for spreading in spring. More broken down than fallen leaves, but not crumbled dirt. I don't think you could call bag contents compost though.

  • duluthinbloomz4
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just leaves in a plastic bag wet down by rain water will not become compost - it will eventually become leaf mold. And it's a cold process; it will not heat up and can take two to three years to accomplish in cold climates.

  • john_4b
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree, wet leaves left in bags will eventually become leaf mold. It is really good stuff, too, and it can be used to topdress beds, or as a soil amendment when planting.

  • leslies
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    To get the best use out of the largest possible quantity of leaves, shred and use as mulch. You can either spread the mulch now or bag it, store it in the garage and use it throughout the summer. A bag of shredded leaves also makes a handy source of browns for the compost pile in midsummer, when not much else is brown.