Horticultural aide memoire
No.44: Make leafmould
When all the autumn leaves have fallen (they make lovely patterns on lawns), rake them into piles. Collect them up, ideally with a pair of boards, and fill barrowloads. They squash down quite nicely. If the resulting volume is small, put the leaves in with the compost, but if you have large quantities, stack them, ideally in rectangular bins filled evenly. Pack the leaves down and cover.
It takes time, but the resulting dark material can be quite beautiful: open-textured, even, light, and a joy merely to handle. It is the shrub mulch of champions. Oak and beech are best.
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What connects Brutalism and fancy pink diamonds? The Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 17, 2025Featuring more questions on collective nouns. The perfect way to start a weekend.
