Create Valuable Compost From Your Leaves
Mix dry leaves and 'green' kitchen and yard wastes to get your compost pile cooking.
A big pile of leaves will decompose, but very slowly. To speed things up, see our home composting guide and "Everything you wanted to know about home composting" http://www.dec.ny.gov. Leaf volume and decomposition time can be greatly reduced by shredding. Rake dry leaves into low piles and mow over them several times with a mulching mower. Up to ¾" deep of shredded leaves can be applied to your lawn.
Use Leaves as Mulch
Leaves can be used to cover bare soil in your vegetable garden during the winter and to protect cold-hardy vegetables like carrots, kale, leeks and beets for extended winter harvest. In the spring, you can turn the leaves into the soil. Decaying leaves will deplete soil nitrogen, so add an organic source of slow-release nitrogen to compensate before planting.
Shredded leaves make good mulch for garden beds and are less likely to blow around. The leaves will gradually turn into compost, enriching your soil. Avoid placing any mulch in contact with tree trunks or the base of shrubs as this can encourage pests and disease.
Municipal Composting
Your community may offer curbside collection of leaves, or allow residents to bring leaves to a central location. Leaves are then composted and the compost made available to the public. Ask your local recycling coordinator if this is an option in your community as not all landfills will accept yard waste.
Not an Option: Burning
Burning leaves is currently illegal in all cities and villages, as well as any towns with population over 20,000, in New York. New regulations have been proposed that will prohibit the burning of leaves and other yard waste state-wide.
What's wrong with burning?
- Burning leaves creates smoke that contains dangerous compounds.
- The smoke can irritate anyone's lungs, but it is especially harmful to children, the elderly and anyone with respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
- Any outdoor fire can spark an accidental brush, forest or house fire.
For more info visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov
