What is leafmould?
Leafmould is made from the break down of autumn leaves by fungi. It creates a nutrient-rich soil improver that can be mixed with compost for pots or used as a mulch.
If left for two years, it will become very fine and you can even use it for sowing seeds. It is especially good as a mulch for woodland plants.
Leafmould is free, easy to make, suitable for all soil types and is of course peat free!
Can I use any leaves?
Birch, oak, beech and willow are some of the best leaves to use as they breakdown very easily and quickly. Sycamore, walnut, hazel, horse and sweet chestnut will take much longer to breakdown.
Pine needles are acidic, so collect them separately when they fall in spring. You can use the same process below to make an acidic leafmould to mulch plants like rhododendrons, camellias and blueberries.
Making leafmould
When the trees start shedding their leaves in autumn, choose a still day to rake them into a pile and collect by hand. I have a pair of pre-loved leaf grabbers, but a couple of pieces of cardboard work just as well. The leaves need to be wet, so either collect them after rain, or add some water to your leaf pile. If you have lots of leaves, you might want to use a leaf vacuum – these work better with dry leaves.
You can either put them in a separate compost bay or make a container with stakes and chicken wire to stop them blowing away. Or you can put them in a sack with holes in the bottom and sides for drainage and air circulation. Old compost sacks work well as they are stronger and won’t fall apart. Tie up the top, put them in a corner of the garden out of the way and forget about them. It’s as simple as that!
How long do I need to wait?
It takes one to two years for the leaves to turn into dark and crumbly leaf mould. Check on them next autumn and if you can still see bits of leaf, wait another year. You can speed up the process by mixing them up occasionally to add air. Make sure you keep them wet – add some more water if they dry out.
Can’t I just add the leaves to my compost pile?
Yes you can, but in autumn and winter you might have large number of leaves and not much ‘green’ nitrogen-rich material to balance them. Leaves are also broken down by fungi not bacteria. This is a much slower process and so it is best to recycle them separately if possible.
Leave some Leaves
Autumn leaves are provide food and shelter for insects like butterflies, beetles, bees and moths. If your garden is sheltered, you can rake leaves off paths or the lawn into your borders. They will decay naturally over winter and feed your soil. This is also why I prefer not to shred autumn leaves, even though they would rot faster.
This funny looking creature is the caterpillar of the elephant hawk moth. He or she was happily munching on the leaves. Once they are big enough they crawl down the plant and bury themselves in autumn leaves. This is where they develop a hard chrysalis and transform over winter into a beautiful moth. The pink and green adult moths appear from the chrysalis from May to July.
Photo by Jo Milton
What if I don’t have any trees?
You can also make leafmould from the leaves of shrubs. Or you could collect leaves from street trees, but avoid busy roads where pollution will be higher.
Want more tips? Check out our guide to home composting
Replenish 
Hi Jo
I find the pearls of wisdom from Replenish really helpful and enjoyable to read. Thank you.
An impressive photo of the caterpillar of the elephant hawk moth.
All the best, Ruth (Davis)
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Thank you Ruth, your feedback is much appreciated.
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