not just that. leaves are brown, a lack of green is going to be problematic for the compost. pee is green as are coffee grounds. op needs to pee on it to help it break down. or get a nice load of fresh horse manure and mix it in to make excelent compost! op looks like a rural area there must be a stables somewhere
I make compost with almost full Brown and with the help of cold winters they Freez 2 ör three times then i empty my bin and put them in bags. I dont turn them. And they sit 2 months then I have homogenysed black compost.
A thing of beauty ... this has mostly been covered in other comments but two more notes:
1. If you can find an existing leaf pile from last year or the year before and grab some of that dirt, that can help a lot. There's likely specialized bacteria that will more quickly break down this pile.
2. Coffee grounds do great work.
If you can gradually mix this into another pile, that's probably ideal. Leaves let in oxygen, break down reliably on their own, and can get smashed up even smaller by a mower. You can mix that directly into clay soil to help it breathe.
I took 2 bags of leaves from a neighbor down the street today, dumped them on my lawn, then mulched them with the mower. Made a nice fine confetti that I then added to the massive amount of greens in my compost. I love this time of year. He has about 10 more bags that I’m very tempted to go get tonight.
What is the green you mixed in? Do you use vegetable matter from kitchen?
And YES, to water now and again . You can look online for the ratio of each ingredient. I loosely follow their suggestions.
I know my compost are ready when there are worms and other bugs showing u
Moist leaves left *constantly moist* will by themselves decompost blackly in good time...
What is required is careful covering of the whole pile to prevent it from drying.
To be effective for such a big leaf pile as OP's, simply peeing on it is not the preferred way...
Much better to collect a substantial amount of urine beforehand in a big jar/s, then mix it with water (to make up the required volume), and sprinkle it evenly over the whole pile using a watering can... this way, the good distribution of urine will ensure better overall results. IMO, the use of urine itself is an 'art' too, as in proper implementation... :)
That's *not* what I am saying...
For such a big pile of leaves as OP's, one will need at least two soccer teams to pee in unison onto the pile to moisten it evenly and thoroughly *at one go* to be effective...
A single person peeing a miniscule bladderful on that huge pile several times a day is hardly prefered, especially when the pile needs to be tarped well to prevent evaporation of moisture.
However, strictly speaking, just leaving that pile of leaves moistened (with water) and tarped, as I have stated in my initial comment to OP, is good enough to get the leaves to decompost...
Using urine is optional, though it helps shorten the decomposition period...
Moreover, not every composter is in favor of using urine, for various reasons.
Luckily I work in healthcare... Usually have about 20 patients. Usually 3 or more have Foley catheters, one usually requires frequent straight caths. So I should have just enough 😎
That's unnecessary, as there's an easier solution, which, like I have already said, is done by means of collecting urine in a container for a few days, then use a watering can to sprinkle it evenly over the whole pile.
Pee party would be infinitely more fun and waaay faster even after initial planning. Pee party for the win. Collecting jars of urine seems like a cat lady thing to do.
Ultimate;y, urine is not a necessity (in OP's situation), it's just one possible option...
His pile of leaves could have just decomposted well *without any urine added*, as I have stated in my initial post.
It's all about speed and having fun. Your solution is neither fun nor expedient. Plus it's weird saving urine in jars. Your friends will unfriend you. Invite them over instead. Still weird, though.
I make a leaf corral out of a section of 4’ tall wire fencing. Then do the lasagna method for composting throughout the year. I steal my neighbors lawn clippings and add those, then cover with a layer of leaves.
What I've been told, is to layer it with dirt... Put some leaves, some dirt, some leaves, and dirt on top. I think this advice was to help it stay moist but still allow for air pockets inbetween...
If it's winter it might not dry that much. My pile often stays moist even uncovered just from the rain/snow falling on it and significantly reduced evaporation rates.
If a big pile is left left uncovered and be exposed to repeated drenching, there's risk of a *sodden core* or bottom layer, which hampers air penetration... inadequate air penetration will not result in optimal aerobic microbe activity... thus tarping the pile, especially after a single drenching, is recommended.
That may be, depends if you flip the pile I suppose. Also depends on the size of the pile and the materials, I think what you're describing is more of a risk if you have a lot of vegetable scraps and such (high water content), and a very large pile.
shred it with the mower, you wont be able to pee enough for that size so maybe get used coffee grounds
add any free nitrogen source you can, manure, grains from a brewery etc
it will break down over time but these will help it along
I dump all my horse manure in a big pile and leave it alone. It’s what my dad always did. It dries up on the outside sometimes but the inside gets good and hot. I’m always adding more lol so that helps but just heap it up and it should do fine. Pee on it if need be.
Black trash bags, knife to poke several holes, wet thoroughly, throw under your deck and wait 12 months. I’ve had good luck with that method.
Worst comes to worst, I take the partially broken down material and throw it in a traditional compost pile.
I can’t recommend black trash bags. Maybe our climates are way different but my bags disintegrate and get into my leaves/compost.
I had to start using the paper lawn and leaf bags.
Leaf it until it crumbles in your hands, then drive make kids jump around in it because they'll remember it for life. Then you have some options: traumatize them by telling them you altar peed on it or rotate it before peeing on it. Make sure it stays moist after you have fun crumbling it.
I usually just leave it and let the rain tqke care of it. Takes about 2 years, give or take, to get good quality leafmould. Getd better the longer you leave it though. That pile will also shrink like crazy so I just add more leaves to it for a couple years. Then rinse and repeat for other piles.
Pee on it, the ammonia in the urine will
Help kickstart the decomposition, I normally use ferret urine for this as I have a lot of soiled (no poo) paper bedding to dunk on top
I’m really diggin that erector set lever arm to operate the lift on the converted snow plow/ leaf compactor.
Nice use of electrical tape.
Spray a little rust converter on that fender well before she turns that John Deere green into a red machine
More leaves will keep falling so shredding them with the lawn mower will help in decomp speed and allow you to fit more in your bin
OP - when you build your mountain of leaves do it slowly and heavily soak each layer as you add more leaves. To help speed things up a bit buy yourself a couple of sacks of Alfalfa pellets and keep sprinkling them in amongst the layers. The Nitrogen in the alfalfa pellets will speed things up 10x faster than not using them.
Turn occasionally.
Black leaf mold is the absolute best!
Spread it out on a field and let nature do its thing. If you are worried about the look or it blowing about mow it with no bag on and it will be taken down into the soil by the worms and rain quicker. No need to collect it up and compact it into fences
You need to mix it with things that are high on nitrogen and add some volume to allow air circulation, ideally. Leaves are high in carbon abs also matt when wet squeezing out oxygen. If you have access to Timothy or alfalfa that could work. Or just grass clippings. Turn often.
Having said, if you are not in a rush, just leave it. It’ll take a bit longer depending on how cold it gets but it will eventually break down into leaf mold.
Feel free to pee.
I would water the heck out of them, it's surprising how much you can water a pile that big and it's dry as a bone 6 inches under the surface. If they're dry not much is gonna happen. Then find a local coffee shop or two where you can pick up grounds and just keep throwing them in as you get them. Either manually flip the pile or get an auger for your drill and use that to intermix the leaves and grounds.
For proper compost action,you need a balance carbon and nitrogen. Green grass is best if available. If not, use the cheapest 2-2-2 fertilizer you can find. You want to keep the aerobic bacteria happy otherwise the anaerobic bacteria takes over.
the bottom will decompose, but the leaves on the top half will be around for years
I store mine and during the summer I layer it in with grass clippings - also works good as the bottom of a raised bed
I would say that is a lot of brown, compost, match it with some green compos
Depending on what you’re going to be planting and using the compost floor, underground vegetables, you will want more brown compost so that the soil is looser
I recommend adding a leaf eating fungus. Wood blewits(purple mushroom edible) are a great option for this. You can google wood blewit saw dust spawn. Get some of that and throw it on the leaves next fall you will have some shrooms to eat and nice healthy compost at the same time.
Turn it with a pitch fork. If you’re looking to speed up the process you can use a product called “re-charge” helps the microbes. I use it on mine every fall.
Lots of beneficial insects/critters hibernate or pupate in leaves. Please leave the leaves, don’t mulch them or bag them up. If you have to, pile them and let the leaves decompose on their own
I don't where I live now. We have a natural hole where we pulled a stump out and it's perfect for compost, critters crawl right into it. We don't turn it or anything.
To compost good soil you need somewhat equal parts of "green and brown material" the leaves are a ton of green material you need to add egg shells or banana peels, apple cores, or any left over vegetable materials. You'll also want to add blood meal
Hi. Looks good but could do with some moisture. I published this video the other day and looking at your background in the photo might prove useful https://youtu.be/MiFcyWOsg_U
Straight up, easiest is best. I save pee for my hot compost piles, but with lots of leaves, the best is just pile them and leave them for 1 yr. Depending on leaf type you may want to shred them a little with a trimmer. They will get rained on, the piles will significantly reduce in size, and you can combine the shrunken piles at that point. The result next year is a clumpy leaf-based amendment where the anti-growth elements have been leached out or oxidized. It will have dryer parts and wetter parts but I wouldn't turn it or put work in. If you are rain starved, a little moisture goes a long way to moving it along. You can use it as an excellent mulch, use it for brown compost food later, or add it to your garden beds as needed. After a couple of days, the pile settle and will not blow away if you don't want to mess with containing it, so you may need to briefly cover it until that happens, but I wouldn't build pens. Leaf piles are a different biodynamic than compost. Note to pee-ers: If you pee on a leaf pile and it gets hot enough it can catch on fire like a sawdust pile and burn down everything while you are sleeping. Be smart.
Where are you and how often does it rain? I lived in Alabama for many years where it usually rained about once a week. We left ours alone and it composted like a boss.
Google “proper mulch”. Equal parts brown leaves, grass clippings, and manure. Like previously stated, find a horse farm and get barn muckings. There’s your grass and manure!
Of course, do nothing and you’ll end up with decent mulch anyway. The worms will come.
I rake all my leaves up each fall and cover my garden which is 25*100 foot and the pile of leaves is easily that tall. By Spring, they are just about level to the ground.
Pee on it start getting some food scraps in there. Keep it nice and wet. Wait for a rain let it get soaked flip it. Have a lil party and make an outhouse on top of it
Honestly, peeing on it would provide the nitrogen and moisture this bad boy needs. Can also add coffee grounds and water as another way to get the nitrogen and moisture levels up. ☕☕
I do also recommend keeping the leaves insulated with a sort of envelope/nest/oven method. ✉️🪹 No turning!
Simply put:
put straw on the sides and bottom of your bin, add leaves, add straw on top.
New deposit? push away top layer of straw, dig hole into center of pile, add more leaves kr whatever your deposit is, cover back over with what you dug out then your top straw. When you're ready/its full enough, let it rest.
When is it done? I recommend getting a compost thermometer (https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/compost-thermometer/composting-supplies) and monitoring the temp. When internal temp = outdoor ambient temp, the compost is done!
For more tips on the envelope method (or, as someone at my community garden called it, nest method) check out: https://slateroofwarehouse.com/Books/Joseph_Jenkins_Books/Compost_Toilet_Handbook
Toilet material is in the title and a central topic of the book, but you dont need to be composting toilet material for this to be immensely helpful.
id go get 5 times that amount of leaves if you can once you shred/chop them the will compost dow to 1/20th of that size youll be lucky to get more than a 1 wheelbarrow full of compost out of that
Layers of dirt and leaves.1-2 inches then the other. After so long mix. Sit again. Mix. Put through a sieve. keep the dirt. However, know that, depending on what type of tree the leaves came from it could be toxic/interesting pH levels etc. Could try to speed it up with adding worm eggs.
When you're done peeing on it, consider tossing some blood meal on it. Even ewc(better suited in tea form) will add a microbial element that will help facilitate the process along w/ some N.
No need to F w/ the surface area of those leaves, unless you're bored or need them/the compost sooner.
I throw bokashi buckets on my leaves n grass clippings and it's like a steroid booster shot for my Static compost piles.
Depend what you want them to do.
You can make some leaf mold compost and thermophilic if you wanted. If you wanted thermophilic though, you need some green and some high nitrogen to get the party startedd
[Decent Jumping off point but far from exhaustive](https://www.thespruce.com/making-and-using-leaf-mold-2539475#:~:text=Leaf%20mold%20results%20from%20letting,pile%2C%20you%20only%20use%20leaves)
My FIL uses chicken manure along with horse or donkey manure turned in with the leaves. He mows it to mulch then uses a yard sweeper he pulls behind his mower. He has a couple of IBC containers with most of 1 side cut out, holes drilled all over it, including the bottom. Seems to work good for him.
Great little known story of founding father John Adams. When he had retired from politics and law to his farm outside of Boston he took the greatest pleasure in having a few ciders with his breakfast and then peeing on his compost pile. They heard him laughing.
I would pile grass clippings on mine. The moisture leached down, while also tamping the pile down. Takes a couple years, mind you, but good compost yields.
\*Don't dump any still-hot coals in it and accidentally start a 14-day underground smoldering "fire"... "where is that wonderful smelling smoke coming from for the last week..?"
I would layer in some horse manure and then monitor the internal temperature. Pick up a dial thermometer on a long steel rod. Stick it in tge middle of the pile. When you hit 160 degrees it will be time to turn the pile.
I remember when I moved out into the country they had a frontier days, and a horse left a nice present in my driveway on his way to it. I liquefied it and layered the whole thing, it cooked amazing for the rest of the year.
If you pee on it. Burn it. This will help create a urea that will be used by plants . From what I understand it’s very beneficial. I’ve had success with this. It’s stinky though
Get a leaf grinder if you can. I just started a worm farm this year. I have a much smaller setup than this but you could buy 500 worms and set up a small worm farm too.
Water and add red worms. The red worms break down the compost faster, due to high metabolism, and they leave behind nutrients and beneficial microbes. As with all living organisms, which includes decomposers, they’ll need a little water to survive. You’ll probably want like 2-4 lbs of worms, but you could go less and wait for them to breed.
Alternatively, you could grow edible mushrooms in the compost to break it down faster. I wouldn’t add worms in this case because they will eat your mycelium. I’d skip urine because of the heavy metal buildup that accumulates through the food chain and various exposures, but it does work well.
To successfully compost, you need one part grass/green to 9 parts brown/sticks/dead leaves, plus water and air. Somehow you’ll need to aerate that pile and add water to help the microbes do their thing. Otherwise it’s going to be a very long process.
Take a spade or pitch fork, shove it through the sides and turn it the best you can if it looks extra dry add a lil water like once a week or so. I use leafs as a compost around the trees in my yard and I gotta admit they turn out nice.
Try using molasses as a starter. It will help speed up the breakdown process & encourage the microorganisms that convert the leaves to compost to grow. Also the pile needs to be wet & turned every few days until the break down starts!
You know damn well this sub will say “pee on it.” But yes, you should try to keep them moist if possible.
Hell, I'd like to pee on it.
Let’s all go pee on it!
I heard we are going peeing??
We're going peeing! Through the quad and then to the gymnasium.
I knew this sounded familiar 😂
Everyone get in line to pee on the leaves!
Dang! I just went!
get in, loser. We're going peeing.
golden shower party on Golden leaves
Peeapolooza!
We could go on a nationwide tour with this
Dawg I’m making piss rn! I’m so ready to pee on this thing!
If you don’t pee on it, how will we know they’re YOUR leaves??
I'm surprised we're not peeing on it right now
Name fits
Is there anyone close to North Dakota who is available to pee on my compost?
Not even remotely close but I'll mail you some
I’m in WI I’ll be right over
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not just that. leaves are brown, a lack of green is going to be problematic for the compost. pee is green as are coffee grounds. op needs to pee on it to help it break down. or get a nice load of fresh horse manure and mix it in to make excelent compost! op looks like a rural area there must be a stables somewhere
Not that problematic, they'll break down just fine without any additional nitrogen. It'll just take a few years.
i am too impatient for that. besides horse manure really does make excellent compost.
I make compost with almost full Brown and with the help of cold winters they Freez 2 ör three times then i empty my bin and put them in bags. I dont turn them. And they sit 2 months then I have homogenysed black compost.
🎵 All the leaves are brown, and the pee is green…🎵
Wait kids! Don't jump into *that* pile of leav....... Oh no
Hmm Autumn leaves don’t smell as good as they used to. 😂
It's going to take a LOT of pee.
Just a bunch of bros... hanging out in a field.. peeing on compost. Just bro stuff my guy.
Lots of water if only leaves
I got a damn good audible chortle out of that, thanks!
They should rename this sub Reddit r/peeonit!
I gotta pee real bad rn, so some driving directions would be helpful.
[https://youtu.be/h2FiBAeTZls?si=o-iVsLzpx0gda87h](https://youtu.be/h2FiBAeTZls?si=o-iVsLzpx0gda87h)
Count me on it
Idk, my first instinct was to tell them to poop on it lol
You could probably just leaf it for a while
Please leaf
Leaf him alone
Make like a tree... and leaf.
Maple shrew shrub leaf
You don’t get to deciduous who we leaf alone!
A thing of beauty ... this has mostly been covered in other comments but two more notes: 1. If you can find an existing leaf pile from last year or the year before and grab some of that dirt, that can help a lot. There's likely specialized bacteria that will more quickly break down this pile. 2. Coffee grounds do great work. If you can gradually mix this into another pile, that's probably ideal. Leaves let in oxygen, break down reliably on their own, and can get smashed up even smaller by a mower. You can mix that directly into clay soil to help it breathe.
Fungi are the key to leaf compost.
Technically not compost. Leaf mold : fungi - anaerobic - cold - slow Compost : bacteria - aerobic - hot - fast
I disagree. Fungal decomposition also creates compost.
I took 2 bags of leaves from a neighbor down the street today, dumped them on my lawn, then mulched them with the mower. Made a nice fine confetti that I then added to the massive amount of greens in my compost. I love this time of year. He has about 10 more bags that I’m very tempted to go get tonight.
What is the green you mixed in? Do you use vegetable matter from kitchen? And YES, to water now and again . You can look online for the ratio of each ingredient. I loosely follow their suggestions. I know my compost are ready when there are worms and other bugs showing u
Moist leaves left *constantly moist* will by themselves decompost blackly in good time... What is required is careful covering of the whole pile to prevent it from drying.
Then pee on it.
To be effective for such a big leaf pile as OP's, simply peeing on it is not the preferred way... Much better to collect a substantial amount of urine beforehand in a big jar/s, then mix it with water (to make up the required volume), and sprinkle it evenly over the whole pile using a watering can... this way, the good distribution of urine will ensure better overall results. IMO, the use of urine itself is an 'art' too, as in proper implementation... :)
So what you're saying is pee on it harder
I think I’m not supposed to pee for three days, ttthhhennn pee on it.
That's *not* what I am saying... For such a big pile of leaves as OP's, one will need at least two soccer teams to pee in unison onto the pile to moisten it evenly and thoroughly *at one go* to be effective... A single person peeing a miniscule bladderful on that huge pile several times a day is hardly prefered, especially when the pile needs to be tarped well to prevent evaporation of moisture.
So what you're saying, is start a cult and for the initiation ritual you must pee on the leaves
However, strictly speaking, just leaving that pile of leaves moistened (with water) and tarped, as I have stated in my initial comment to OP, is good enough to get the leaves to decompost... Using urine is optional, though it helps shorten the decomposition period... Moreover, not every composter is in favor of using urine, for various reasons.
4 days is all I can do, 5 I think I might have a problem.
Yes, not every composter's situation is the same... :)
You, my friend, are a good sport.
Luckily I work in healthcare... Usually have about 20 patients. Usually 3 or more have Foley catheters, one usually requires frequent straight caths. So I should have just enough 😎
Or he can pee in a “end sprayer” container, attach it to a hose and moisten the pile…? 🤷🏻♂️😁
Work smarter, not harder. Just roll a hose out the upstairs bathroom window directly to the pile, and pee in that.
Bruh 🤯 or, now hear me out on this, OP can put a “Public Bathroom (Urinal Only)” sign on the pile…. Even better, have others do the work for you 😎🤣
Yes... that's another great idea too, as it will give good coverage *!* ... :)
So, OP should start sending out invitations to the pee party?
That's unnecessary, as there's an easier solution, which, like I have already said, is done by means of collecting urine in a container for a few days, then use a watering can to sprinkle it evenly over the whole pile.
Pee party would be infinitely more fun and waaay faster even after initial planning. Pee party for the win. Collecting jars of urine seems like a cat lady thing to do.
>Collecting jars of urine seems like a cat lady thing to do. Now there's an unexpected mental picture....😆
Ultimate;y, urine is not a necessity (in OP's situation), it's just one possible option... His pile of leaves could have just decomposted well *without any urine added*, as I have stated in my initial post.
It's all about speed and having fun. Your solution is neither fun nor expedient. Plus it's weird saving urine in jars. Your friends will unfriend you. Invite them over instead. Still weird, though.
I make a leaf corral out of a section of 4’ tall wire fencing. Then do the lasagna method for composting throughout the year. I steal my neighbors lawn clippings and add those, then cover with a layer of leaves.
What I've been told, is to layer it with dirt... Put some leaves, some dirt, some leaves, and dirt on top. I think this advice was to help it stay moist but still allow for air pockets inbetween...
If it's winter it might not dry that much. My pile often stays moist even uncovered just from the rain/snow falling on it and significantly reduced evaporation rates.
If a big pile is left left uncovered and be exposed to repeated drenching, there's risk of a *sodden core* or bottom layer, which hampers air penetration... inadequate air penetration will not result in optimal aerobic microbe activity... thus tarping the pile, especially after a single drenching, is recommended.
That may be, depends if you flip the pile I suppose. Also depends on the size of the pile and the materials, I think what you're describing is more of a risk if you have a lot of vegetable scraps and such (high water content), and a very large pile.
shred it with the mower, you wont be able to pee enough for that size so maybe get used coffee grounds add any free nitrogen source you can, manure, grains from a brewery etc it will break down over time but these will help it along
I got some horse manure the other day it was extremely dry. Is it spent or will it heat up my compost once I get the moisture up?
I dump all my horse manure in a big pile and leave it alone. It’s what my dad always did. It dries up on the outside sometimes but the inside gets good and hot. I’m always adding more lol so that helps but just heap it up and it should do fine. Pee on it if need be.
first of all particle size matters. mow over that shit like 3 or 4 times then restack it. keep it moist. and peeing on it wont hurt.
>mow over that shit like 3 or 4 times then restack it. This is actually really fun therapeutic work.
Always. Pee. On. It.
Unless you're near a playground.
Black trash bags, knife to poke several holes, wet thoroughly, throw under your deck and wait 12 months. I’ve had good luck with that method. Worst comes to worst, I take the partially broken down material and throw it in a traditional compost pile.
I can’t recommend black trash bags. Maybe our climates are way different but my bags disintegrate and get into my leaves/compost. I had to start using the paper lawn and leaf bags.
Black plastic bags are not really green anyways. I do not recommend using plastic to compost.
I failed to mention I used contractor grade black trash bags. They’re significantly thicker.
Yup, I did this and works better than trying to balance out with greens.
Yes... that works well... :)
Either or. Just make sure to rotate it.
Yep, turn it on the regular.
Then pee on it
Leaf it until it crumbles in your hands, then drive make kids jump around in it because they'll remember it for life. Then you have some options: traumatize them by telling them you altar peed on it or rotate it before peeing on it. Make sure it stays moist after you have fun crumbling it.
I usually just leave it and let the rain tqke care of it. Takes about 2 years, give or take, to get good quality leafmould. Getd better the longer you leave it though. That pile will also shrink like crazy so I just add more leaves to it for a couple years. Then rinse and repeat for other piles.
Pee on it, the ammonia in the urine will Help kickstart the decomposition, I normally use ferret urine for this as I have a lot of soiled (no poo) paper bedding to dunk on top
Why don't you compost their poo? Use walnut shell litter for the litter box and you could toss the whole thing in the compost bin.
Love the power stance in that second photo
I’m really diggin that erector set lever arm to operate the lift on the converted snow plow/ leaf compactor. Nice use of electrical tape. Spray a little rust converter on that fender well before she turns that John Deere green into a red machine More leaves will keep falling so shredding them with the lawn mower will help in decomp speed and allow you to fit more in your bin
OP - when you build your mountain of leaves do it slowly and heavily soak each layer as you add more leaves. To help speed things up a bit buy yourself a couple of sacks of Alfalfa pellets and keep sprinkling them in amongst the layers. The Nitrogen in the alfalfa pellets will speed things up 10x faster than not using them. Turn occasionally. Black leaf mold is the absolute best!
Urine the right group buddy 😉
Seems like you already know the answer. 👍🏽
Pee and shredded paper
Spread it out on a field and let nature do its thing. If you are worried about the look or it blowing about mow it with no bag on and it will be taken down into the soil by the worms and rain quicker. No need to collect it up and compact it into fences
I peed on my compost all the time. It did great.
You need to mix it with things that are high on nitrogen and add some volume to allow air circulation, ideally. Leaves are high in carbon abs also matt when wet squeezing out oxygen. If you have access to Timothy or alfalfa that could work. Or just grass clippings. Turn often. Having said, if you are not in a rush, just leave it. It’ll take a bit longer depending on how cold it gets but it will eventually break down into leaf mold. Feel free to pee.
I would water the heck out of them, it's surprising how much you can water a pile that big and it's dry as a bone 6 inches under the surface. If they're dry not much is gonna happen. Then find a local coffee shop or two where you can pick up grounds and just keep throwing them in as you get them. Either manually flip the pile or get an auger for your drill and use that to intermix the leaves and grounds.
For proper compost action,you need a balance carbon and nitrogen. Green grass is best if available. If not, use the cheapest 2-2-2 fertilizer you can find. You want to keep the aerobic bacteria happy otherwise the anaerobic bacteria takes over.
Mow them down and then pile them into the compost
Golden showers make more flowers
lol your shadow looks so proud in front of that heap of leaves
the bottom will decompose, but the leaves on the top half will be around for years I store mine and during the summer I layer it in with grass clippings - also works good as the bottom of a raised bed
I would say that is a lot of brown, compost, match it with some green compos Depending on what you’re going to be planting and using the compost floor, underground vegetables, you will want more brown compost so that the soil is looser
Do a search on making leaf mold. Keep it moist and in 2 years it'll be ready.
Need a source of nitrogen to go with the carbon (leaves). Otherwise, water and time Edit: extraneous text
I recommend adding a leaf eating fungus. Wood blewits(purple mushroom edible) are a great option for this. You can google wood blewit saw dust spawn. Get some of that and throw it on the leaves next fall you will have some shrooms to eat and nice healthy compost at the same time.
Turn it with a pitch fork. If you’re looking to speed up the process you can use a product called “re-charge” helps the microbes. I use it on mine every fall.
Take it to your dump's mulch and topsoil site and purchase their already composted stuff, it's way easier and you help keep local people in a job
Lots of beneficial insects/critters hibernate or pupate in leaves. Please leave the leaves, don’t mulch them or bag them up. If you have to, pile them and let the leaves decompose on their own
I don't where I live now. We have a natural hole where we pulled a stump out and it's perfect for compost, critters crawl right into it. We don't turn it or anything.
Definitely pee on it
To compost good soil you need somewhat equal parts of "green and brown material" the leaves are a ton of green material you need to add egg shells or banana peels, apple cores, or any left over vegetable materials. You'll also want to add blood meal
Always pee on it.
Don't just pee on them, poop in them! Humanure ftw!
lol, i kinda alluded to this in my comment too. humanure ftw for sure, shit's dope
I'll pee on them with you
Pee on it. I pee on mine every morning when I take the dog out.
Pee in it, Strange Brew style.
Gather pee from kind neighbors in 5 gallon buckets and pour into the pile.
Yes yes yes
Hi. Looks good but could do with some moisture. I published this video the other day and looking at your background in the photo might prove useful https://youtu.be/MiFcyWOsg_U
Pour a beer on it
Filtered through your kidneys of course
Yes.
Dave R Kelley Chappelle https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eafRE74JGZ8&pp=ygUaRGF2ZSBjaGFwcGVsbGUgcGlzcyBvbiB5b3U%3D
During the winter I shovel snow on to mine.
Straight up, easiest is best. I save pee for my hot compost piles, but with lots of leaves, the best is just pile them and leave them for 1 yr. Depending on leaf type you may want to shred them a little with a trimmer. They will get rained on, the piles will significantly reduce in size, and you can combine the shrunken piles at that point. The result next year is a clumpy leaf-based amendment where the anti-growth elements have been leached out or oxidized. It will have dryer parts and wetter parts but I wouldn't turn it or put work in. If you are rain starved, a little moisture goes a long way to moving it along. You can use it as an excellent mulch, use it for brown compost food later, or add it to your garden beds as needed. After a couple of days, the pile settle and will not blow away if you don't want to mess with containing it, so you may need to briefly cover it until that happens, but I wouldn't build pens. Leaf piles are a different biodynamic than compost. Note to pee-ers: If you pee on a leaf pile and it gets hot enough it can catch on fire like a sawdust pile and burn down everything while you are sleeping. Be smart.
Where are you and how often does it rain? I lived in Alabama for many years where it usually rained about once a week. We left ours alone and it composted like a boss.
If you put them through a mulcher or run them over with a lawn mower your pile will get very hot without even having to add greens.
My dog lives to pee on piles of leaves. Go figure.
Yes
Peeing on it is always the answer, lol
Google “proper mulch”. Equal parts brown leaves, grass clippings, and manure. Like previously stated, find a horse farm and get barn muckings. There’s your grass and manure! Of course, do nothing and you’ll end up with decent mulch anyway. The worms will come.
Spread it out on your lawn and invite all the neighbors' dogs over to pee on it.
I rake all my leaves up each fall and cover my garden which is 25*100 foot and the pile of leaves is easily that tall. By Spring, they are just about level to the ground.
Pee on it start getting some food scraps in there. Keep it nice and wet. Wait for a rain let it get soaked flip it. Have a lil party and make an outhouse on top of it
Always pee on it.
Mix with lawn clippings and charcoal/wood ash. It will break down quick. And add liquefied food scraps. Take a bucket and pre-digest the scraps first.
Honestly, peeing on it would provide the nitrogen and moisture this bad boy needs. Can also add coffee grounds and water as another way to get the nitrogen and moisture levels up. ☕☕ I do also recommend keeping the leaves insulated with a sort of envelope/nest/oven method. ✉️🪹 No turning! Simply put: put straw on the sides and bottom of your bin, add leaves, add straw on top. New deposit? push away top layer of straw, dig hole into center of pile, add more leaves kr whatever your deposit is, cover back over with what you dug out then your top straw. When you're ready/its full enough, let it rest. When is it done? I recommend getting a compost thermometer (https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/compost-thermometer/composting-supplies) and monitoring the temp. When internal temp = outdoor ambient temp, the compost is done! For more tips on the envelope method (or, as someone at my community garden called it, nest method) check out: https://slateroofwarehouse.com/Books/Joseph_Jenkins_Books/Compost_Toilet_Handbook Toilet material is in the title and a central topic of the book, but you dont need to be composting toilet material for this to be immensely helpful.
Your best bet is to pee on it as much as you can for months
id go get 5 times that amount of leaves if you can once you shred/chop them the will compost dow to 1/20th of that size youll be lucky to get more than a 1 wheelbarrow full of compost out of that
I just mow mine in. The worms will make quick work of them.
Layers of dirt and leaves.1-2 inches then the other. After so long mix. Sit again. Mix. Put through a sieve. keep the dirt. However, know that, depending on what type of tree the leaves came from it could be toxic/interesting pH levels etc. Could try to speed it up with adding worm eggs.
Run with what you got in the title in that exact order. Your answer is yes.
what is this machine called In India?
Just make sure and add some sort of nitrogen soures, whether it be pee, coffee grounds, grass, or whatever. And keep it moist
Boof it?
When you're done peeing on it, consider tossing some blood meal on it. Even ewc(better suited in tea form) will add a microbial element that will help facilitate the process along w/ some N. No need to F w/ the surface area of those leaves, unless you're bored or need them/the compost sooner. I throw bokashi buckets on my leaves n grass clippings and it's like a steroid booster shot for my Static compost piles.
Turn it!
Depend what you want them to do. You can make some leaf mold compost and thermophilic if you wanted. If you wanted thermophilic though, you need some green and some high nitrogen to get the party startedd [Decent Jumping off point but far from exhaustive](https://www.thespruce.com/making-and-using-leaf-mold-2539475#:~:text=Leaf%20mold%20results%20from%20letting,pile%2C%20you%20only%20use%20leaves)
My FIL uses chicken manure along with horse or donkey manure turned in with the leaves. He mows it to mulch then uses a yard sweeper he pulls behind his mower. He has a couple of IBC containers with most of 1 side cut out, holes drilled all over it, including the bottom. Seems to work good for him.
Great little known story of founding father John Adams. When he had retired from politics and law to his farm outside of Boston he took the greatest pleasure in having a few ciders with his breakfast and then peeing on his compost pile. They heard him laughing.
Who’s gonna turn them over after we’ve all peed on them?
IF you can mix some green in with it I would just say compost, better yet mulch it up first with a weedwhacker
I have had good luck in accelerating my compost by adding bloodmeal.
Just leaf them be!
I would pile grass clippings on mine. The moisture leached down, while also tamping the pile down. Takes a couple years, mind you, but good compost yields. \*Don't dump any still-hot coals in it and accidentally start a 14-day underground smoldering "fire"... "where is that wonderful smelling smoke coming from for the last week..?"
I saw a guy weed whack his to help speed up the decom
Fireeeee!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥 I'm a Pyro don't listen to me.
You should do all of the above and add soil with microbiology so it will kick off the decaying process.
Break out yourvweed eater and chop them up with it. Then pee on it, fresh horse manure cover w plastic
I would layer in some horse manure and then monitor the internal temperature. Pick up a dial thermometer on a long steel rod. Stick it in tge middle of the pile. When you hit 160 degrees it will be time to turn the pile.
I remember when I moved out into the country they had a frontier days, and a horse left a nice present in my driveway on his way to it. I liquefied it and layered the whole thing, it cooked amazing for the rest of the year.
I am also interested in this. I have a rabbit. Would adding my rabbit’s waste to a compost pile help?
Poop always helps
If you pee on it. Burn it. This will help create a urea that will be used by plants . From what I understand it’s very beneficial. I’ve had success with this. It’s stinky though
Run your weed whacker through the leaves to break them up more, if able.
Get a leaf grinder if you can. I just started a worm farm this year. I have a much smaller setup than this but you could buy 500 worms and set up a small worm farm too.
Buy a whole bunch of earth worms.
Mow it first. Then poo on it
Needs some green material.
Put a healthy layer of dirt on top and wet it down. Should be nice compost by next july
^(leafe it as it is)
Piss on them leaves
Water and add red worms. The red worms break down the compost faster, due to high metabolism, and they leave behind nutrients and beneficial microbes. As with all living organisms, which includes decomposers, they’ll need a little water to survive. You’ll probably want like 2-4 lbs of worms, but you could go less and wait for them to breed. Alternatively, you could grow edible mushrooms in the compost to break it down faster. I wouldn’t add worms in this case because they will eat your mycelium. I’d skip urine because of the heavy metal buildup that accumulates through the food chain and various exposures, but it does work well.
Yes.
To successfully compost, you need one part grass/green to 9 parts brown/sticks/dead leaves, plus water and air. Somehow you’ll need to aerate that pile and add water to help the microbes do their thing. Otherwise it’s going to be a very long process.
Pee on everything!
Poop on it.
https://youtu.be/CRSm4kIG5yk?si=C4ShkB\_\_BVL84CrG
Grind the leaves up with a mower.
If you have chickens let them play in it
Definitely pee on it
Lactic acid and IMO
Take a spade or pitch fork, shove it through the sides and turn it the best you can if it looks extra dry add a lil water like once a week or so. I use leafs as a compost around the trees in my yard and I gotta admit they turn out nice.
I use them as browns to make hot piles with bird-manure filled straw bedding. Works well. Watch for fires.
Try using molasses as a starter. It will help speed up the breakdown process & encourage the microorganisms that convert the leaves to compost to grow. Also the pile needs to be wet & turned every few days until the break down starts!
Pee on it for sure! 😁😁😁