How to Build a Leaf Composter

Building a leaf composter is almost a necessity with all the recycling going on. Instead of bagging all your leaves up into a garbage bag, why not take a few minutes and build your own leaf composter. There is not much to it and you can just dump your leaves in and let them rot away into nice soil for next year. Grass clippings will help to heat up the pile and break down the leaves quicker.

Things You'll Need

• 5-foot Garden stakes
• 15 feet of 4-foot-wide Chicken wire

Instructions

1. Pound the garden stakes a foot into the ground in a circle four feet apart. The compost heap should be in a shaded or partly sunny area to keep from drying out in direct sun. If you do have to position it in the sun, just make sure to keep it watered from time to time.

2. Wrap the chicken wire around the outside perimeter of the garden stakes and fasten them to the stakes with a little twine or wire. This will keep the contents contained and at the same time allow air to get into the pile for quicker decomposition.

3. Dump your leaves into the composter. They will decompose faster if your can run over them first with the lawn mower and shred them, but whole is fine. Any kitchen scraps can be added as well and will actually speed up the decomposition process. Any vegetable and fruit trimmings are great, but keep dairy and meat products out. Some people even add newspaper and cardboard. During the summer months, garden trimmings and weeds can be dumped in as well as grass clippings.

4. Water them initially if they seem very dry and then just wait. You can continue to add leaves until it is full. About once a month, use a pitch fork to turn the pile and allow air to get into the middle. This is an optional step as the pile will continue to break down, just a little slower. The following spring, remove the chicken wire and pull out all the composted leaves which will now be dark rich loamy soil to use around your yard. If there are top leaves that did not compost, just place them in the bottom of the new pile and pile new leaves on top.

5. Dump this composted dirt onto your garden and mix into the soil. You will not need to add any fertilizers as the nutrient boost your plants will get from this compost will be amazing. You will soon have plants that are healthy and super vigorous. The garden will not need as much water as this compost holds the water better than dirt. Weeds will no longer be a problem if the compost is applied thick enough.

Tips & Warnings

• Compost can be used in your flower beds and lawns as well.