# Oak leaves in compost?



## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

I have a MASSIVE oak tree in my yard that makes a gorgeous pile of leaves every year. The kids love it. I was wondering if they could be used in compost for my garden or laid directly on the garden to rot away over the winter? A couple years ago an older gentleman told me that oak leaves are a big negative for my garden because of a chemical the tree naturally makes similar to juglone of Black Walnut. Is that true or are they safe to use?

Also, for all you dog lovers: Most literature online says that canine refuse is also not to be used in compost/gardening. Why? It would not be used as a source of nutrients, rather a way to remove the 'bombs' from my yard without a plastic bag and trash can.

Thanks!

Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Oaks have tannins in them. But that being said, the majority of the trees in my yard are various types of oaks, and I've used them for years in my garden w/out a problem.

As for the dog poop,here's a quote from an outside source.



> Pet wastes shouldn't go into compost piles because they can contain organisms that can potentially cause illness and death in humans. In addition to bacteria that can cause skin and gastrointestinal infections, dog feces can also contain parasitic worms that can infect humans, causing fevers, respiratory problems and vision difficulties. (See References 2, page 2) These pathogens can infect people when compost comes into contact with food crops or when you handle compost as part of routine maintenance and use. Composing pet waste requires great care in handling and monitoring temperatures, as well as keeping the compost away from children and other pets until it is mature (see References 4).


If you wish to read the whole article, here's a link. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-compost-dog-excrement-78376.html


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Oak leaves are fine to use in the garden, but they won't break down over the winter. A layer of oak leaves will still be there next spring, absorbing all the moisture and making it nearly impossible for the soil underneath to dry out and warm up for planting.

I have one walnut tree toward the rear of my yard. I usually mow and blow its leaves(which fall first anyway) into an existing wild black raspberry patch, where they can rot down and mulch them. Black raspberries are immune from juglone. Walnut leaves have "some" juglones in them, so I can find a use rather than putting them on my garden stuff. Only trees in the walnut family have juglone substance, mostly in the root zone....Oaks DO NOT.

I rake all the other leaves: oak, hickory, tulip poplar, maples, mulberry lilac, redbud, etc and carry them back to a corner of the woods. In about July, after the second cultivation of the garden plants, I then use the leaves for mulch. That supresses the weeds and holds moisture for the season. Then I till them into the soil in the Fall, or maybe the next Spring. (That leaf pile is also my source of the summer supply of fishing bait.)

You can speed up this process if you are willing to let your grass grow tall under the tree before the leaves fall, then by making several passes with your lawnmower, creating a pile of finely shredded leaves and grass clippings. If you don't overwhelm the grass clippings, you can stack this up for use next year as a pretty good planting mulch around your tomatoes, cabbage, and such. It will absorb moisture through the winter and the grass will give enough nitrogen to help offset the high carbon/lignin contents of the leaves as they slowly decompose. The tannins? The rain and snow leaches them out. I have some left over from last Fall, and it has turned into some pretty good black stuff that I can use in my composting pile.

geo


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I put a 12" layers of oak leaves over my potatoes when I plant. It doesn't seem to hurt anything although I could see them lowering the pH.


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

dizzy said:


> Oaks have tannins in them. But that being said, the majority of the trees in my yard are various types of oaks, and I've used them for years in my garden w/out a problem.
> 
> As for the dog poop,here's a quote from an outside source.
> 
> ...




Thanks Dizzy. Much appreciated

Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

Excellent to know. I may try to throw every leaf I have into a compost pile for the next 10 months, apply it to my garden after next years harvest. 

Thanks! 



Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I chop them up with my mower and throw in the compost pile.After my veggies come up the following year they go in as mulch down the rows.....

Don't put them in teh garden in the fall, your garden will stay soggy and you'll have to rake them up to allow the soild to dry


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I use a mower with a bagger and add 4" to the top of my raised beds with 3"-4" of compost over that, every year. I plant right into it in the spring. I don't work my soil at all. I also add the shredded leaves to my compost piles, it gets mixed with manure, grass clippings and anything else that will compost. I like maple leaves better but by themselves make a slimy mess and need turned more often, oak leaves mixed in break down much better. Shredded oak leaves tilled into the soil well in the fall, makes great soil in the spring, more mellow than just the garden soil, even better than with compost worked in well. I find 2" of shredded oak leaves spread on my garden keeps the soil from packing down and dries out quickly in the spring, It collects the warmth of the sun and is very friable by the time to work the soil on sunny days in March....James


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

i put on garden then till them in. no problem next spring


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

So the key here is to shred or chop up the leaves first, no matter what. Ok, good deal.


Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

If they are in the black or red family, the surface of the leaves will be harder than the white since they are glossy on both sides. If not shredded a bit, they'll take quite awhile to break down. I find it easiest with a mulching/bagging mower. Run over them once without the bag and then collect them the second time. 

White oak leaves will break down quicker since the surface isn't as hard and the undersides are not glossy. They are my favorite with potatoes, both for mulching or directly into the soil. They also have enough nitrogen that they will compost by themselves rather than take years to turn to leaf mold. I maintained a warm pile all last winter with almost pure white oak leaves and most were whole.

Martin


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

Excellent, thank you. I'm not sure what kind of oak it is. Up until now it wasn't of great concern. I will find out soon, as the tree still has well over half of its leaves left.


Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Old saying about how to tell red oak from white oak. "Red man shoot pointed arrows, white man shoot round bullets." Red oak family have points on their leaves while white oak leaves are always rounded. 

Martin


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## moeh1 (Jan 6, 2012)

I read with surprise years ago that oak leaves are very low in nutrional value to actually put in the soil, but ash is supposedly the best. I don't have the source available, maybe someone else does. I think they would be fine for mulch if they grow in the area.


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

Paquebot said:


> If they are in the black or red family, the surface of the leaves will be harder than the white since they are glossy on both sides. If not shredded a bit, they'll take quite awhile to break down. I find it easiest with a mulching/bagging mower. Run over them once without the bag and then collect them the second time.
> 
> Martin


Looked briefly this morning - its cold and very wet outside - and it appears that I have a red oak. Any tips for shredding and collecting without a bagger on the mower? My tactic, for now, will be quite tedious. Haul the leaves from front yard to back where the bin will be. Spread them out on the ground and then mow them away from the pile and again towards it. Then attempt to rake or sweep shredded leaves into compost bin. Woo!

Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

moeh1 said:


> I read with surprise years ago that oak leaves are very low in nutrional value to actually put in the soil, but ash is supposedly the best. I don't have the source available, maybe someone else does. I think they would be fine for mulch if they grow in the area.


Don't know who would claim that unless they were comparing oak leaves to something much richer in nutrients. For total NPK, oak leaves contain 1.3% which is the same as pig manure. For nitrogen, they have more than horse, cow, or pig. 





FaithFirst said:


> Looked briefly this morning - its cold and very wet outside - and it appears that I have a red oak. Any tips for shredding and collecting without a bagger on the mower? My tactic, for now, will be quite tedious. Haul the leaves from front yard to back where the bin will be. Spread them out on the ground and then mow them away from the pile and again towards it. Then attempt to rake or sweep shredded leaves into compost bin. Woo!
> 
> Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


You have to use whatever tactic works best. I have a neighbor who just piles her leaves on the garden and goes over them a few times with her mower. Then they are tilled in. They are silver maple and break down rapidly in the soil.

Martin


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

You have to use whatever tactic works best. I have a neighbor who just piles her leaves on the garden and goes over them a few times with her mower. Then they are tilled in. They are silver maple and break down rapidly in the soil.

Martin[/QUOTE]

That's a good idea. Pile them on the garden site and mow them twice. Looks like I might get lucky enough to have some dirt brought in yet this year. I'll spread the dirt around on top of the leaves and till it under in the spring. I'll also have a couple wet straw bales to till in as well. They are currently serving as the walls of a hotbox for a butterfly bush. Come spring they won't be good for much else.


Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## moeh1 (Jan 6, 2012)

The info I got likely came from a Cornell or Penn State forestry webinar...
Here is another source i located that recommends some tree species over others. Oak is less preferred on their list, but it is still better than doing nothing in my book.
http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/composting-leaves.html#leaves



Paquebot said:


> Don't know who would claim that unless they were comparing oak leaves to something much richer in nutrients. For total NPK, oak leaves contain 1.3% which is the same as pig manure. For nitrogen, they have more than horse, cow, or pig.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I have a mix of several different species of oaks, and I never do anything to them but put them in the garden. I've never had a problem w/them breaking down.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

The main difference noted in the Compost Gardener site is their ability to break down faster due to higher lignin content. There is considerable error in mentioning only maple since it very much depends upon the type. Also it states that brown leaves should be avoided. It's the dry brown leaves upon which the NPK value is rated. It also rates cherry as a good one at 0.6% nitrogen over oak's 0.8%. Ideally, one would have lots of apple (1.00%) or raspberry (1.35%) but not grape (0.45%) 

A Clemson University study showed that average forest leaves were 0.76% nitrogen, 0.26% phosphorus, and 0.42% potassium per dry weight. Pure horse manure, dry weight, is officially 0.7, 0.3, and 0.6 NPK. Of the 3 most common farm animal manures, horse is atop the list in NPK value. When that is comparable to the average forest leaves, it isn't hard to find where to place them in relation to cattle or hog manures.

Martin


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Cornell seems to think that leaves are good. Their C:N chart coincidentally has horse manure and oak leaves right next to each other and only oak leaves listed. Horse ranges from 20:1 to 50:1 while oak is 40:1 to 80:1. 

http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/compostbrochure.pdf

Leaves also are known to have twice the amount of minerals as manures. Penn State Extension Urban Forester is quoted with a very interesting comment on this site:

http://learningandyearning.com/fall-leaves-a-valuable-soil-builder 

Martin


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

Thank you. Good reading material for the next couple days. Thank you.

Faith, Family, Worship, Work.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

For more than just a couple days of reading on this topic, get the book _The Complete Book of Composting _by J. I. Rodale and the staff of Organic Gardening. 1,007 pages and the source of information for most reputable gardening writers. By having that on hand, one would know just how much misinformation is on the Internet. For example, oak leaves are supposedly bad because they are acidic but maple leaves are good. White oak leaves are pH 4.40 while sugar maple are 4.30 and red maple are 4.70. White ash are the among the least acidic at 6.80.

Martin


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

Paquebot said:


> Old saying about how to tell red oak from white oak. "Red man shoot pointed arrows, white man shoot round bullets." Red oak family have points on their leaves while white oak leaves are always rounded.
> 
> Martin


Yep and that rule worked pretty well for me until I got to Florida. Lots of those oaks have no lobes.


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## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

All this talk of which leaf or manure is better than another is, for most people, moot. It doesn't matter; you work with what you have. If you compost the leaves with some dirt, moisture, and grass clippings, manure if you have it, they will break down to a wonderful garden amendment. If you pile them without any other inputs, they may take well more than a year. 

What ever leaves you have are a good compost input, and it will take a lab to prove whether yours is minutely better or worse than your neighbor's. 

As to dog poo, if you have a sufficiently large compost pile, like 6 ft high and 15+ ft in diameter, you can compost virtually anything that comes from animal or plant. NYS requires roadkill deer to be disposed of by composting in big piles of wood chips. The reason you need a big pile is so that it will get hot and stay hot for at least several days. Small piles often lack the volume to sustain a good heat cycle in order to kill the bacteria in dog poo. If you think about it, in order to thrive, fecal bacteria need a steady temp close to the 100 F range. In a hot compost pile that gets to 130 - 160 F, all those bacteria are killed. It is also advised to allow the compost to sit for 6 - 12 months when you have cat and dog poo in there. If you look at the extreme composting thread, you'll see we have HTers who compost whole cows and horses. Within a year they have nothing recognizable left except for bare white bones.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

One common way for kennels to be "green" with the disposal of animal wastes is pit or trench composting. It's a great way to reclaim marginal soils for later establishing orchards or similar. It's no different than the old human system of having an outdoor toilet. When full, the toilet was moved and the pit topped off with dirt. Quite often a tree was planted where the toilet had previously been. The soil bacteria doesn't care if it's human or animal as it's consumed equally. I had up to 3 dogs here for almost 30 years and their only droppings not left here were when hunting. Cat manure is scooped out and goes into the compost. Naysayers may come up with all sorts of reason to not use them and most about as sound as the fact that I could be killed by a falling meteor while carrying the cat manure to the tumbler. 

Below is an interesting list of NPK values and which is often referred to. It's another which lists oak leaves specifically since they are virtually the same throughout the entire Quercus family. 

www.lundproduce.com/N-P-K-Value-of-Everything.html 

Martin


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## casusbelli (Jan 6, 2009)

martin:
based on what I read of yours on other recent threads, for the first time in my 5 years at my new 'stead, I put shredded leaves directly on my raised beds' soil instead of composting it first. Mainly maple leaves, with some locust and sycamore and misc. I'll top it off now and then with rabbit droppings, and hope to occasionally 'claw' it in shallowly with one of those twisting hand soil breakers that look like a torture instrument. 
If it doesn't break down sufficiently by planting time in Spring, i will hold you personally responsible  But i am tired of handling things two and three times, and of the volunteers and weeds in the compost (even though i dont put seed-heads in there).


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

In established raised beds, adding shredded leaves and manure via sheet composting is an excellent way to maintain soil fertility. In a regular garden, I'd prefer tilling them in in the fall so that they have a head start at releasing their nutrients. Last fall I tilled in a lot of fine-shredded oak leaves in my main garden. To make certain that they would start breaking down quickly, added some Milorganite so that it also was a leaf and manure combination. Nothing added to that one this fall but several smaller gardens have had shredded leaves and grass tilled in with a Mantis. Again, same carbon and nitrogen combination. Already they are breaking down and will continue to do so until the ground is frozen solid.

I might also add that one does not have to add large amounts of leaves to the soil every year. Leaves are a slow-release fertilizer so it's not all used up in one year. Generally the rule is 10% of organic matter added to the soil annually maintains fertility and structure. With the normal tilling depth being 8" maximum, that's less than an inch. Till in 2" and you're good for 3 years. 

Martin


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## casusbelli (Jan 6, 2009)

Martin;
thanks. 'sheet composting', yes recall that term from long ago, Mother Earth News i think it was.
One reason I may not have done it before was wanting the top few inches of my garden to freeze each winter, and kill pest eggs and hibernating adults. I feared (and fear) the sheet additives will act as a mulch and protect the little s.o.b.s. What do you think?
Secondly, I would hesitate to use Milorganite, because i think it is from sewerage treatment facilities, which means you're getting all the flushed chemicals too. Hope i'm wrong. Dont you have nearby livestock???


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Fall mulching does neither good nor bad to most insect pupae and eggs. Those insects evolved long before Man came along and don't need his help to survive. What they can not withstand is disturbance. Fall tilling may destroy 90% of them while a second spring tilling destroys 90% of what remains. Thus non-tilling actually promotes insect growth by allowing them to sleep in peace. 

Milorganite is a USDA-approved organic fertilizer which has been safely used for close to 100 years. NPK analysis is 5-2-0 which makes it a quick source of nitrogen. It also is relatively slow-release so little or no nitrogen is lost into the atmosphere. Unlike fresh manures, it may be used for root crops with no waiting time. Other than my own urine, that is the only form of non-processed nitrogen ever added to my compost piles or tumbler.

Martin


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

Gotta say Martin, you're a wealth of information. Thank you again.

Faith. Family. Worship. Work.


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## homstdr74 (Jul 4, 2011)

FaithFirst said:


> I have a MASSIVE oak tree in my yard that makes a gorgeous pile of leaves every year. The kids love it. I was wondering if they could be used in compost for my garden or laid directly on the garden to rot away over the winter? A couple years ago an older gentleman told me that oak leaves are a big negative for my garden because of a chemical the tree naturally makes similar to juglone of Black Walnut. Is that true or are they safe to use?
> 
> Also, for all you dog lovers: Most literature online says that canine refuse is also not to be used in compost/gardening. Why? It would not be used as a source of nutrients, rather a way to remove the 'bombs' from my yard without a plastic bag and trash can.
> 
> ...


We've mulched our 1/4 acre garden with oak and hickory leaves for about forty years now, and never had a problem with so doing. In fact, it helps the soil to have better tilth. 

As for the acidity, which oak leaves have, we counteract that by spreading ashes from our winter fires on most of the garden (not where the potatoes are going, though) and tilling that, and the remainder of last year's leaf mulch, into the soil in the spring.


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## casusbelli (Jan 6, 2009)

Martin:
Well that's good to know. I have used blood meal to jump start and make a compost hot.
I have used my own urea on the pile, but I don't all the time. Kinda feel i shouldn't if I'm not on a low salt diet at the time. Asparagus wouldn't mind, but....
While we're talking, any way to reduce septoria spores in the soil? Even when I rotate my tomatoes, and even with deep fresh grass mulches, my caged vines always get it. 
What a glorious world it would be without it.....


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Septoria will either always be in the soil or blow in from elsewhere. That elsewhere can be anywhere in your garden no matter how diligent one is for rotating. Best way to defeat it is not allow the spores to reach the leaves. That means a soft mulch to prevent splashing and watering in a manner which also prevents it. My choice of mulch has long been shredded maple and oak leaves. They are effective through much of the season since they break down slower due to exposure to the air.

Martin


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Septoria leaf spot can be controlled(but not killed) by Serenade, or other organic approved fungicides, when used in a planned spray program. http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/php/research/2005/tomato/

According to Cornell, Septoria is not soil borne, but can reside on previous year's tomato debris--and it is often nearly impossible to deeply bury every little piece of the dried debris. It also will overwinter on debris or living tissue of other solanaceous plants(see the article) that may be forgotten in the garden cleanup--or even from neighboring fields or gardens. It is also possible for Septoria to overwinter on saved seeds. 
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_Septoria.htm

And, yes, avoiding splashback by mulching is yet another way to help control the persistent stuff. Sometimes, though, the spores already reside on the leaves and are activated by lengthy morning dews, making a fungicide spray program the only way to enjoy your tomato harvest.......

geo


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Leaves is all good stuff. It all goes in the compost 


Sent from my iPhone using Homesteading Today


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

NickieL said:


> Leaves is all good stuff. It all goes in the compost


And some may come already almost composted. Nice thing about having a pickup truck is that one can find plenty of leaves if there's a community where one must bag them. I'm even more particular as I look for those which were picked up with a riding or bagging mower. From doing this for a number of years, I know just where to look for the best. Last night there were 2 stops where a hernia is guaranteed if one doesn't have one already. Had all I could do to get them into the truck. Both were mix of maple and oak plus some grass. Bags were already warm and the material will partially break down in the bags. The bags are going to remain intact until I need them as either mulch or to till directly into potato ground. 

Tonight I was after whole dry maple to complete an annual project. I stuff 50-gallon construction cleanup bags with dry oak or maple leaves. These are stacked around the cement foundation of the house. They serve the same purpose that straw bales used to do for the typical old farmhouses. Takes about 40 or so bags for the project. In the spring I have all that available for mulching in the gardens or shredding for the tumbler. Never have too many. 

Martin


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I've been raiding a pioneer graveyard the last few years for pine needles. Just filling a half dozen cardboard boxes every trip to work. A few weeks ago I ran into the guys who do the annual cleanup there and they said I was welcome to all of them but it would be far eaiser to just go to where they dump them at the city yard waste site. That sits 200 yards from the hockey arena. Duh, why didn't i think of that? It's not like i'm a stranger to the place, we have put out several fires there over the years. There are mountains beyond mountains of leaves, needles and finished compost. And tons of wood chips all in seperate piles. 20 semi loads would barely make a dent it. Anyway I'm hauling with every hockey practice. Raspberries are getting buckets of compost and a heavy leaf and needle mulch. The potato patch has been getting tons of white pine needles, the Mantis appreciates the finer needle. And I'm giving forerunner a run for his money!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I've got 2 regular stops where there are lots of white pine needles. One would be mixed with white oak and the other with silver maple. Missed the first one by probably an hour as the city beat me to them. Got all from the second stop twice. First time was mostly pine and that was spread thick over the garlic. Second was about half and half and went thick on asparagus, rhubarb, and raspberries. Going out to look for a load of oak this evening and doesn't matter if shredded or not. Just want to have it available in the spring.

Martin


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I'm piling red pine needles next to a spot where I had piled grass clippings for the past couple seasons. My experiment will be to throw a hundred or so onion sets onto the grass clippings and then cover with 5-6 inches of pine needles. Ala Ruth Stout. The clippings have rotted out pretty well, maybe 2" deep at the most. The ground under neath should be friable, or whatever it's called. I'm thinking about spreading bone meal on half of it right now and compare the growth at harvest time.


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## crabtree (Oct 26, 2013)

I do not use holly leaves, poison plants or seed heads in compost, everything that grows can be composted.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Holly leaves are only poison if eaten. They are no problem in a compost pile other than taking a little longer than ordinary leaves to break down. If shredded, rate of decompostion would be about the same as oak leaves. 

Martin


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

Paquebot said:


> Don't know who would claim that unless they were comparing oak leaves to something much richer in nutrients. For total NPK, oak leaves contain 1.3% which is the same as pig manure. For nitrogen, they have more than horse, cow, or pig.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So far I pile mine about 3 ft high and run the hog over them. Turns em into powder very quickly.


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

FaithFirst said:


> You have to use whatever tactic works best. I have a neighbor who just piles her leaves on the garden and goes over them a few times with her mower. Then they are tilled in. They are silver maple and break down rapidly in the soil.
> 
> Martin


That's a good idea. Pile them on the garden site and mow them twice. Looks like I might get lucky enough to have some dirt brought in yet this year. I'll spread the dirt around on top of the leaves and till it under in the spring. I'll also have a couple wet straw bales to till in as well. They are currently serving as the walls of a hotbox for a butterfly bush. Come spring they won't be good for much else.


Faith, Family, Worship, Work.[/QUOTE]Yes a thin layer of dirt on top of them works very well. Worms love em that way.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

am1too said:


> That's a good idea. Pile them on the garden site and mow them twice. Looks like I might get lucky enough to have some dirt brought in yet this year. I'll spread the dirt around on top of the leaves and till it under in the spring. I'll also have a couple wet straw bales to till in as well. They are currently serving as the walls of a hotbox for a butterfly bush. Come spring they won't be good for much else.


Won't hurt anything to also do the same with the straw. Chew it up now and it will mix well with the soil when you till it in. Spread them out and should only take a day to be dry enough to shred. Especially so if you have a brush hog. I do it with my regular mulching mower.

Martin


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

casusbelli said:


> martin:
> based on what I read of yours on other recent threads, for the first time in my 5 years at my new 'stead, I put shredded leaves directly on my raised beds' soil instead of composting it first. Mainly maple leaves, with some locust and sycamore and misc. I'll top it off now and then with rabbit droppings, and hope to occasionally 'claw' it in shallowly with one of those twisting hand soil breakers that look like a torture instrument.
> If it doesn't break down sufficiently by planting time in Spring, i will hold you personally responsible  But i am tired of handling things two and three times, and of the volunteers and weeds in the compost (even though i dont put seed-heads in there).


If your compost pile has weeds growing in it, it is either done or never got hot enough. No weeds grow in my piles. Of course they're big, well OK large. One is bout 8x50x5. I'm turning another to a row pile that is 15x15x6. Have a finished peaked pile bout 6x20x4. Its by the screener. A screened pile bout 8x12x5. Have other similar piles waiting sale or use. My wheat is thick and twice as tall as a neighbors.


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## crabtree (Oct 26, 2013)

I do not use Holly leaves because they hurt my little fingers.:ashamed:
When I say poison plants I mostly mean Cashew family,poison oak & ivy, also poison sumac,which is not in sumac family (Rhus).
As for Solanum-nightshade or tomato,white potato & ground cherry,I compost them.


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