“Hi there, I love your book, but noticed there is nothing about using shredded leaves as mulch… I’ve come across this concept of using shredded leaves online, and it seems brilliant. I have tons of leaves, why wouldn’t I use them? Is there a reason you don’t mention them in your book?”   Michelle

Hi Michelle-

Thanks for your note. I love leaves. I use them all the time. But mostly I add them to my compost because there is no better way of balancing all those greens you will add to your compost pile. And you are right – shredded leaves are even better than whole leaves. In my experience with whole leaves placed right on the garden, they mat down and form a stiff layer on top of the soil. It takes a while for that leaf mat to dissolve and add nutrients to the soil.  This is why composting really is my favourite use of leaves. We discussed mulching with straw and hay because it stays light and takes ages to pack down or integrate with soil. In other words it simply acts as a mulch to hold in moisture. It doesn’t quickly become one with the soil.

Although leaves are great, the high carbon content of leaves means you need to add extra Nitrogen in your garden to balance the soil after heavy additions of leaves. I suggest balancing the addition of leaves with the addition of blood meal or seed meal to add extra nitrogen.  I have been really concerned about mineralizing my soil and never want to add anything that takes anything else away.

If you have rich good soil packed with microbes ready to break down shredded leaves then add the leaves right away. The leaves will disappear quickly.  If you are not sure if you have a microbe packed soil, then add a small layer (1/4 inch) of high quality worm castings on top of the shredded leaves so you are inoculating your leaves and soil. Worm castings are like pro-biotics for your garden. They add the micro-organisms that are missing.  Sadly most of the composted and commercially sold manures have been sterilized so they can no longer play this pro-biotic (innoculant) role.

It is the microbes that eventually break down the leaves and microbes need nitrogen to do the job. Nothing stands alone in the garden. It is a tangled web we weave.

That is super helpful, thank you! And I will for sure sign up for the newsletter.

Thanks again,
Michelle