Wind Falls!

dolmen · Wind Falls!

I'm still cutting up fallen timber from last year, and already I see the strong winds of late are bringing down more of natures bounty! I only cut fallen branches and trees, I have been lucky for a few years now that I've managed to get all my firewood just for clearing it up.

Wish I had a woodburning stove rather than our open fire, but alas one can't have everything their own way.

Smile

quarryman · beech leaves

Any ideas on composting beech leaves. We use the 3 bin method for composting general garden waste and the sycamore, ash, mapel leaves etc break down beautifully in bins and netted leaf piles but the beech leaves, even from last year are still intact, like little bits of plastic.

Any ideas?

wayland

I used to collect leaves in the autumn for composting but this is a long turn job me thinks. They compress so that the air is excluded and the rotting process takes years. If I had only a few they would be mixed with the garden waste and put on the compost heap. If I had loads then a separate heap would be built and I would have to work this heap for a couple of years to get a very good sample.

dolmen

Most trees around my garden are Beech, with a few Ash, Oak and Rowan, I just put all on the compost heap with grass cuttings, cleanings out of the hen house, household scraps and I leave nature to do her work.

I tied sheding off the rain but went back to leaving it uncovered, much quicker to break down, normally ready in 12 months but I do come accross pockets of leaves not quite broken down, but the 2 year old heaps are great.

I barrow it straight onto my deep beds several inches deep come spring, and the veggies are great!

Smile