Got My Leafmould/Leaves Today

I've always wanted to make my own leafmould but I haven't access to any large trees to collect any leaves, so I made a phone call to my Dad who still looks after the fishing lake that I used to manage in Cheshire (I used to get my leaves from there when I lived in Cheshire).

He came for a pre-Christmas visit today and brought 24 large bags (twice the size of bin liners) - bless him :D; about 16 bags of lovely oak leaves and the rest from a large pile of leafmould I started a few years ago that is already breaking down or fully broken down and ready to use - Happy Days :yess: :thumb:

 

Ooooh lovely, lucky you

 

We gardeners are such simple folk.:D

 

read somewhere that oak leaves make the soil acidic?

 

He didn't tell me that it was my Christmas present :D

 

There are two thoughts to it I believe, some say that although oak leaves have a pH between 3 and 4 by the time they have broken down they are more or less neutralised??, others say that they can effect the pH of the soil, but to what level I suppose depends on the amount used??

 

Nice one Bilbo

Been raking them up and filling the enclosure. Not many down West Bay this year as the wind had stripped most of them before they changed colour, way its been blowing you've probably got more of my leaves than I have.

Will be bagging it all up from home & taking down West Bay plot as i'm selling up in Somerset, no point in improving the soil for the next people to pave/grass over whatever:(

 

speaking of leaves

on saturday morning, I spent 3 hrs raking leaves and bagging them in black plastic bags

yesterday, I tried a leaf vacuum thinghy that shreds the leaves .... problem is that it struggles to pick up wet leaves

may have a look at a billy goat next year

Billy Goat VQ1002SP Hard Surface Litter Vacuum

big money to buy, but can be rented per day for cheap .... might be worthwile lining up 3-4 jobs on a day, then renting one ... some of the properties I work at are large with loads of leaves

 

Leaf it alone John. He`s got bags more to go.:D

 

tried the mower but the leaves were wet and got shredded .... only half were picked up .... and the other half remained on the grass (shredded)

did not want to lower the mower....

 

I made a leaf mould area at the Allotment a few weeks back, then made a trip localy to collect some from by the roadside under some Beech trees.

I probably collected about the same as Bilbo, took them to the plot and emptied into the new area and watered them in. Since its rained a few times since then it's amazing how fast the level goes down, I have room for another twenty bags or so already, so will have another couple of trips out if I can once I've finished collecting all the manure I want for future use.

Leaf mould for home use has always been mown to chop them up, but I'll let MN work on this years Plot supply as it's industrial quantities!

Steve...