Leaf Mould

I would be interested to hear from anyone who uses, or who has used, leaf mould as a potato fertilizer. I am thinking of using it this year to see what happens. Is it any good? I remember my father used it a long time ago for the garden, but can't remember what he used it on.

 

Leaf mould doesn't have much in the way of nutrient. What it does have in abundance is humus and is a fantastic soil conditioner which will help with its structure, moisture retention and also encourage worms.

For potatoes you will need something more though as they are heavy feeders so dig in a load of well rotted manure as well. Ideally your vegi patch should be prepared in the autumn but providing you dig well in and distribute your leaf mould and manure evenly it should be OK.

 

I used leaf mould once in the poptato bed and the crop was scabby, and not very good at all.
went back to well rotted manure dug in, in the autumn, wont try that route again.
well rotted leaf mould ideal as a soil improver, especially on clay soil, or as a mulch.

 

I am trying to build up a supply of leafmould, which to me, will be useful as a base layer under plants to retain moisture. Didn't think it provided much goodness? Oh, and very cheap!

 

Working on large estates I decided to build 5 large leaf bins, 20'L X 20'W X 10' high, as prior to this all the leaves collected were burnt or tipped in the wooded areas for the wind etc. to dispose of.
the leaf bins have provided a usefull addition to the bulking up and improvment of impoverished soil areas.
They were collected by machine,which chopped them up which helps them to rot down much quicker.
4 of the 5 bins were filled and packed, after a month we watered the bins once a week and covered with black plastic. after 3 months the bins were turned using a digger bucket, first one into the empty bin and so on.
this is done every 3 months until september, the leaves have rotted down enough to be able to get all the leaf mould into 1 bin, leaving the other 4 to put the next lot of leaves into.
When it is time to repeat the process, the leaf mould has rotted enough to add to the ground as needed.
In all small gardens the principles are the same but naturally on a smaller scale.

 

In a previous house I had a large apple tree, the leaves of which covered the lawn in autumn, so I put them into a plastic dustbin and fitted the lid (a tight fit) and left them until the following autumn, when, from a binful, I had about a third of a bin of lovely leaf-mould ready for use.
Strange thing was, there were hundreds of tiny red worms in there. Where did they come from, I wonder?

 

Magic how they appear - I used to put my leaves in black bin liners under shrubs etc and had the same thing. Either they find their way in somehow - cos the plastic does tend to split - or they were already present on the raked up leaves. Whatever they are very welcome. :D