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Collecting Leaves for Composting
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Posted by
a2zmom Z6 - NJ (
My Page) on
Sat, Sep 1, 12 at 17:10
| I'm planning to buy one of those wire bin composters to hold my leaves. My only question is the area the bin will go into is very, very weedy, I assume that putting a layer of cardboard down under the bin would do the trick in keeping weed seeds out of my leaf mold. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| Make sure it composts leaves, many of many mulchers will cut hardwood or softwood but will skip leaves. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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At just over 2 feet square that is just barely large enough to get started with. Better would be 12 feet of fence fabric that would make about a 4 foot diamter bin.
The pile of leaves, once over 6 to 8 inches, on top of those "weeds" will deprive them of access to the sunlight all plants need to grow and those "weeds" will die so ther is no need to put cardboard, or any other material for the same purpose, under the bin |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| You are right that a layer of cardboard will prevent weeds growing through. I've found that weeds don't grow into my compost pile, in fact it kills every growing thing under it so as I turn it onto a new area the old one is completely free of plant growth. However I don't only use leaves and have a larger pile so it's best for you to use a cardboard barrier. Kimm is right that that compost bin is too small. It's also IMO too expensive and wire fencing is a less expensive way to go if you can get it in small lengths. An easier way to use leaves IMO is to mulch them with your mower and use them on top of the soil as mulch. They will break down quite quickly and also provide useful weed deterrent for the soil. Much less work overall. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| I like the idea of making my own leaf collector. Would this work? Also, would do I use to keep the circle closed? Luckygal, I can get free hardwood mulch from my county, so I plan to use that as a weed suppresent. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| Chicken wire is, in my experience, not sturdy enough for a compost bin. Go up a level or three and get hardware cloth, 1/4" to `1/2" gauge. HD has it in several heights and lengths. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| There are "S" hooks you could use or the fence fabric itself might be used, the ends of welded wire fabric. A piece of wire wrapped around the ends to hold them together, even some string or twine could be used. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| Zip ties are easy too. The best part is that in the off season after harvesting and prior to leaf fall, you can take the bin down and roll it back up for storage. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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..
Two pieces of wood, one for each end can be use on the chicken wire thing. Using a couple of structural size pieces running the length of each end will provide a little support to flimsy chicken wire and done right, keep you away from the sharp ends where the chicken wire was cut when you go to open and close the the thing up. S hooks or latches can be fastened to the wood. Maybe you don't need to cut the chicken wire down to length. The 10 foot length of the roll will make a circle about one meter in diameter. The 16 cu ft thing will work fine too. 16 cu ft might be smaller than ideal but it will work. I've done many at that scale. At that size, it might be more manageable if you're turning it regularly. What works best is what works for you. to sense
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RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| Whole leaves do shrink rapidly after being placed in a wire mesh bin. I filled one up last week, probably a heaping cubic yard of mostly cottonwood leaves. We got 2" of rain over the weekend, and it's now less than half full. I'll keep adding leaves as they come. So you do need some good space to begin with, especially if you're not shredding them first. |
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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- Posted by jolj 7b/8a-S.C.,USA (My Page) on
Wed, Sep 5, 12 at 19:15
| This link show a hand made compost pile full of leaves 5th pic & next 6th pic is leave mold. It looks like concrete enforcement wire, but it might be large animal fence wire. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Go to 5th pic lazygardens
RE: Collecting Leaves for Composting
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| First things first. Do you want to make compost or leaf mold? They are two somewhat different products. If you want to make compost, are you interested in cold or hot compost? If you wish to make hot compost, then the bin size is important, as was mentioned earlier. I like a four foot diameter bin, about two feet high. Large piles are four by eight feet. Cardboard or other material can reduce intrusions in the compost pile. They will not keep all the roots out. |
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