North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Tom Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>]

Hi,

Moving the leaves with a front end loader is turning them.  But I think you 
need
to do it at least once a month to make a lot of progress and speed 
decompostion.

I think if you added layers of old compost, to layers of new leaves, you would
speed up the process.  This would make it into a large sandwich of sorts, with
different layers.  Just save a pile of leave compost from the previous year to
use as a "starter" for the next years leaves.

You might want to make a few piles, and shift them around  if you have the
space.

Wish I had that kind of space.

Regards,
Tom

Ed Mashburn wrote:

> At 08:37 AM 12/20/00 -0500, you wrote:
> >   Keith: You must have mulched these leaves along with lawn  clippings eh?
> >Usually takes years to get stand alone leaves in a  pile to do anything
> >except become wet and a forage for worms along the bottom  or merely a
> >component for a good composting mix. If your outside temp is 0 and you can
> >see steam  eminating from your pile turn, turn, turn the pile. This will
> >cook it and break it  down, cook any weed seed and give you a wonderful
> >medium when done. Donna and I  are great believers in compost tea. I line
> >my compost pit with a double  layer of 6 mil plastic set on top of concrete
> >pads and tipped at a pitch towards  the front to one corner.  reclaim the
> >solution and then store it up in a big covered barrel on hand when  needed
> >and use this as a fertilizer throughout the season. I might add kitchen
> >waste to the "hot pile" now as  well. Egg shells, coffee grinds etc as
> >you've got a very valuable situation in that  it's cooking and able to
> >consume almost anything added, keep turning every  few days or so....
> >Happy Holidays! Gianni
>
> I have been following this thread for a while and now have to get in.  I am
> in a small town (Boro) in PA and the township brings me all the leaves that
> they collect in the fall. This amounts to about 70 truckloads, so is quite
> a pile. I have no way to turn the pile as it is as large as a three car
> garage. I do try to flatten the top and let the pile sit over the winter
> and collect rain and snow. I find that there are places in the pile that
> decompose very well and others that remain completely dry. I use the pile
> that has "rested" over the winter and start a new pile and let it "rest"
> for a year.
>
> This has worked very well for me and the township. They are happy to have a
> place to dump leaves (PA forbids that they put them in a landfill) Lasy
> year they came out with a large front end loader and "repiled" the leaves
> for me (that is almost like turning them). I use these leaves on the rows
> of gooseberries and currants to provide mulch, conserve moisture, and to
> provide some nutriants. Just seams like a "win/win" situation to me
>
>
> Northumberland BerryWorks
> 707 Front Street
> Northumberland, PA  17857
> Phone:  (570) 473-9910
> WWW.currants.com
> Ed@currants.com
>

--
Thomas Olenio
Ontario, Canada
Hardiness Zone 6a



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