Hidden corners in gardens are a perfect place to leave them but make your cages look good enough and those with less space can even make leaf mould on a balcony. Those with access to vast quantities of leaves will do better to pile them up into cages easily constructed out of chicken wire or into tough bags made more airy by punching holes through.

But be careful not to spread so many leaves that they form thick wads that rain can’t penetrate. Worms will gradually work the results into your soil. You can even just scatter your leaves over your garden beds and leave the decomposition to happen naturally. And – being a one-ingredient brew –it’s straightforward to make. Leaf mould does provide less nutrients than compost, which is made from materials containing both carbon (autumn leaves, straw, paper) and nitrogen (food waste, grass clippings) but it still weaves all sorts of magic. While autumn leaves had many of their nutrients leached out of them as deciduous trees reclaimed their chemicals before shedding them, they are still rich in cellulose and will turn into a carbon-rich hummus.

Add nitrogen-rich blood and bone or manure and you can cut down the rotting process to a matter of mere months.īut generally speaking, it takes a year or two for pure fallen leaves to break down into the sort of precious commodity that will enhance soil. If you have a lawn mower, by running over the leaves a few times and shredding them first you can make your pile more compact and the smaller pieces will also decompose faster.

Falling leaves mah