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Community Corner

Fall Leaves Are Nature's Free Gift to Homeowners

By composting leaves in the fall, homeowners can make their own soil amendment to enrich the soil in their lawns and gardens.

There is an old saying that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. I would like to add leaves in the fall as a third item to that list. Every year most homeowners can count on some leaves accumulating on their lawns and in their gardens.

All too often leaves are considered a nuisance which have to be picked up, bagged and disposed so the yard can appear tidy. Granted picking up leaves does involve some effort, but those leaves can be beneficial to our lawns and gardens if we choose to compost our leaves instead of bagging them for pick up by the County.

According to Virginia Tech Extension, one way to easily compost leaves is to use a mulching mower to thoroughly grind up leaves that have fallen on the lawn. Let the well shredded leaf fragments stay on the lawn to be composted into the soil. This process not only adds needed organic matter to our sandy soil in this area, but the decomposed leaves also provide a source of nutrients for the lawn.

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In the fall I often collect grass clippings and leaves in the bag of my mower and when the bag is full I dump the mixture on my compost pile. The nitrogen contained in the grass clipping helps feed the micro organisms to accelerate the decomposition process which turns the leaves into compost.

Creating and maintaining a compost pile is not difficult and can be easily accomplished by most homeowners.  The University of Maryland and Virginia Tech offer instructions for homeowners that describe which yard and kitchen waste materials are appropriate for use in a compost pile. When it comes to making a compost pile, size does matter.

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According to Diane Relf, an extension ppecialist in Environmental Horticulture at Virginia Tech, a pile larger than 125 cubic feet or smaller than 27 cubic feet will prevent optimum decomposition of the material in the pile.

Providing adequate air and water are vital to maintaining a steady decomposition rate for a compost pile. There are composters available that can be rotated to neatly turn and aerate the materials inside the container. However, a compost pile can be easily turned with a garden fork and water added from a rain barrel or garden hose to keep the pile moist like a wet sponge that has just been squeezed.

There are some economic advantages associated with composting. It costs nothing to compost leaves unless materials are bought to make a compost area or a commercially made composter is purchased. Also, the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works offers compost bins to county residents free of charge at most county recycling and waste facilities. Finally, making your own compost provides you an excellent soil amendment instead of having to buy commercially produced products to enrich the soil in your garden or lawn.

If you are unable to compost your leaves please remember that Anne Arundel County does pick up bagged leaves at curbside on recycling days. Homeowners are asked to please mark their bags of leaves with an “X” to distinguish the bags from trash. The collected leaves are then recycled at county waste management facilities.

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