A smart new bin helps F&F make leaf mould.

Every autumn the beech tree in our garden dumps more leaves than you could ever imagine on the lawn. I love the colour changes through this season, and the bounty that this pile of leaves brings me. It means that I can make leaf mould, which is worth every hour spent raking leaves.

beech leaves

I’ve got a large new compost bin from Primrose, which I’m devoting wholly to leaf mould. It came plain but already treated, but when I decided to install it in the hen garden, I painted it the same colour as the coop so that it all matched. This was dead easy to put together. You needed to put in about half a dozen screws and it was straightforward, taking half an hour in total. One person could do this at a push (if they’re good). It is sturdy and of a good size.

hen garden leaf mould

And now it has four big green bags’ worth of beech leaves in it.

leaf mould pit

In between each bag load, I included a layer of comfrey leaves. And as I muck out the chickens over the next few weeks, I’ll add in their manure, stirring it into the leaf mould bin as I work. It encourages rotting and introduces more nutrients too.

This bin looks full, but with the next round of leaf sweeping, which will come next weekend, I’ll push it down so that the leaves are pushed closer together and I can fit another four bags in, and so on, until it is really full. And then I’ll leave this bin for two years before the leaves are ready. In the meantime, the chickens will scratch about on it, and eat the bugs and beasties that scuttle and wriggle in and out.

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One Response

  1. The Witney Gardener

    The chickens are going to LOVE this! Scratching around on that pile for bugs and worms will give them hours of fun each day. I want to create something like this for my girls on the allotment. It’s on my to do list for spring.

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