Fall leaves

It’s time again for our annual look at the issue of what to do with the many leaves which will soon be gracing our property. What do we do with them all? Well, there are at least two ways to make leaves work for us.

One way is to take them to the garden and till them into the soil. How will tilling them into the soil be beneficial you ask? In order to understand this, we must first understand the soil.

Soil is composed of organic matter (carbon compounds), mineral matter (sand, silt, and clay), and pore spaces filled with air and water. The very best soil might consist of 45 percent mineral matter, 5 percent organic matter and 50 percent air and water.

Organic matter is an important soil component. It offers several benefits, namely increased water-holding capacity, improved friability (workability) and nutrient availability.

Most soils in the South have a very low organic matter content of between one or two percent due to our relatively high temperatures and other conditions. This is a major limiting factor in our quest for higher garden yields. If organic matter is such an important ingredient, what can we do to increase it?

Once of the easiest ways is to incorporate leaves into the soil. Fallen leaves carry 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients a tree extracts from the soil and air during the season – the carbon, potassium, phosphorus and other elements essential to plant growth.

The organic matter that leaves contribute to the soil is rich in lignin and cellulose. The fiber and glue of plants, these compounds break down slowly and have long-lasting and positive effects on the soil’s tilth, aeration, and moisture-holding capacity.

As leaves break down, they glue particles of soil together into crumbs. As the crumbs form, pore spaces are created. As a result, the soil gains a greater capacity for taking in air and water – it then takes more rain to cause waterlogging and a longer drought to cause wilting.

A gardening friend of mine in Dooly county exemplifies this concept of building the soil by incorporating many pounds of leaves in his garden each fall and winter. He testifies as to the positive difference it makes. Indeed, he grows the best garden vegetables around-thanks to the prime condition of his garden soil.

A second way to make leaves work for us is to use them in making compost. However, leaves alone will not compost well. A successful compost concoction requires a carbon component such as leaves and a nitrogen component such as grass clippings. The nitrogen material provides fuel for the composting process, containing beneficial bacteria which do the essential work of breaking down both the carbon and nitrogen components.

To make a compost pile, start with a layer of brush to hold the pile off the ground and provide aeration. Be sure the pile is in full sun so it will heat up more quickly. Then add alternating layers of slow-decaying materials such as leaves, wood chips, sawdust, and fast decaying materials such as grass clippings, manure and food waste. This way, your leaves are working for you.

Good luck dealing with all those leaves!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery and Lewis Farms Produce located on Georgia Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478) 954-1507 and timlewis1@windstream.net.

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