Composting 101: Turn Fall Leaves into Garden Gold

By: Mandy Hatman

As autumn leaves blanket Louisiana's landscapes, gardeners have a golden opportunity - quite literally. Those fallen leaves are not yard waste, but the beginning of "black gold" for your garden: compost.

The Benefits of Composting

• Enriches soil: Adds nutrients and improves soil structure
• Reduces waste: Keeps organic matter out of landfills
• Saves money: Reduces need for commercial fertilizers and soil amendments
• Environmentally friendly: Reduces methane emissions from landfills

Getting Started: Compost Basics

• Choose Your Method
  • Pile Method: Simple and free, but slower
  • Bin System: Contained and neater, can be homemade or store-bought
  • Tumbler: Fastest decomposition, but more expensive
• Location, Location, Location
  • Choose a spot that is:
    • Convenient to access and at least partially shaded
    • Well-drained
    • Away from wooden structures (to avoid attracting termites)

The Art of Layering: Building Your Compost Pile
Composting is all about balance. You need a mix of:

• Browns (carbon-rich materials): Fall leaves, straw, paper
• Greens (nitrogen-rich materials): Fresh grass clippings, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds

The Perfect Recipe

• Aim for a ratio of about 3-parts browns to 1-part greens
• Start with a layer of coarse browns for drainage and alternate layers of browns and greens
• Moisten each layer as you go
• Add a handful of soil between layers to introduce microorganisms

What to Compost

• DO Compost:
  • Leaves
  • Grass clippings
  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Coffee grounds and filters
  • Eggshells
  • Shredded newspaper
• ​DO NOT Compost:
  • Meat or dairy products
  • Diseased plants
  • Weeds with seeds
  • Pet waste
  • Chemically treated wood products

Maintaining Your Compost

• Keep it moist, like a wrung-out sponge and turn it every few weeks to aerate
• Monitor temperature: A warm pile is an active pile

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Smelly pile: Too wet or too many greens. Add browns and turn.
• Not decomposing: Too dry or not enough greens. Moisten and add greens.
• Attracting pests: Likely due to meat or dairy. Remove and cover with browns.

Using Your Compost

• Compost is ready when it is dark, crumbly, and smells earthy. Use it to:
  • Amend garden soil
  • Top-dress lawns
  • Mix into potting soil
  • Make "compost tea" for liquid fertilizer

By composting your fall leaves, you're not just cleaning up your yard - you're creating a valuable resource for your garden. It's a simple way to reduce waste, save money, and give back to the earth. So this autumn, don't bag those leaves - compost them!