Leaves should be composted separately to other garden waste. They can take upto 2 years to decompose properly, but, it is worth persevering because they make an excellent soil conditioner. They will decompose in plastic bags or a custom made leaf bin. Often these custom made leaf composters are made with a simple wire mesh. The advantage of using open bins is that they enable worms to enter and help the process of decomposition. It is important to have 2 bins / bags on the go at the same time, as they will not be ready within 1 year.

Accelerators for Composting Leaves.

It is possible to buy a special liquid which helps to speed up the process of decomposition. These accelerators are worth adding as they will speed up the process. Basically, these accelerators help add nitrogen to the leaves. If you have access to manure, this will work very effectively

Digging in Half composted Leaves.

If you don’t want to wait 2 years to decompose leaves, you can simply add them at the bottom of a trench and then add soil, they will naturally disintegrate over time.