Easy Compost

 Autumn is here, and for many of us in the north, that means hauling out the rakes and bags and getting to work raking those leaves. The lucky few will only have to gather a bag or two, a mere handful when compared to the tens of bags that others will amass. Fear not! There is a bright side to all this. That mountain of bags on your driveway waiting to be picked up can serve a nobler purpose.

The leaves in those bags are mainly carbon and nitrogen: the main building blocks of compost and healthy soil. By simply allowing the leaves to sit in a corner and rot, you will have tons of compost for the following year. Simply put the leaves into a plastic trash bag, and store them somewhere dry and out of the way. It is best to do this after it has rained slightly so the leaves will be moist; they should be neither soaking wet, nor dry. Slight moisture is best to speed up the process.

Don't be surprised if small bugs and fungi to get in the bag start growing; this is completely normal. This is good reason to keep the bags somewhere like a basement or a shed.

By next spring, you should have a big bag of compost!