Leaves are abundant (hello, fall!), free, rich in carbon and quick to break down. Why not add them to your compost pile? Composting leaves is a smart, sustainable way to build healthy soil. Read on to learn how to turn your fall leaves into garden gold for next year.
Why Compost Leaves?
You can’t swing a hand trowel without hitting a gardener, horticulturist or farmer who loves to talk compost. And for good reason. Compost checks two major boxes:
Good for the garden: Compost is chock full of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and other nutrients that plants need to thrive. Unlike synthetic fertilizers that hit plants with a big jolt of nutrients, compost feeds the soil slowly over time, with no risk of fertilizer burn. Adding compost to a garden bed improves soil texture; it can lighten heavy clay and increase the moisture retention of sandy, dry soils.
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Compost also helps feed and fuel beneficial soil microorganisms: those tiny fungi, bacteria and insects that are needed for healthy soil communities.
Good for the planet: When we compost our kitchen scraps and yard waste, we are recycling organic matter and returning nutrients to the soil. Bagging up leaves and sending them to the landfill disrupts this closed-loop system, throwing away valuable nutrients that our gardens could be absorbing, and contributing to the ever-expanding waste stream.
Choosing the Right Leaves
Just about any non-diseased tree or shrub leaves will make for excellent compost! Maple, ash, willow and fruit tree leaves are particularly good candidates for composting. High in nitrogen and calcium and relatively low in lignin, these leaves break down quickly.
Lignin is a natural polymer that gives plant cells their structure and, as such, resists decomposition. Leaves with a high lignin content, like oak and beech, and wax-coated leaves, like holly, are perfectly acceptable in the compost pile, but they break down more slowly.
Let’s talk about walnut tree leaves. Walnut trees produce jugalone, a biochemical that acts as a natural herbicide and gives walnut trees a competitive edge over other nearby plants. Jugalone can kill or inhibit the growth of many plants, including garden favorites like tomatoes and eggplant. So, can these leaves be used to make compost that will eventually end up in our garden beds? In short—yes. Dried, fallen walnut tree leaves contain much less jugalone than fresh green leaves or roots. Any remaining jugalone will decompose in a well-managed compost pile.
Prepping Leaves for Composting
With leaves readily available, autumn is the perfect time to collect and stockpile them for compost. Simply rake up and scoop into a paper bag, wire bin, trash can or other large container.
Whole leaves will work just fine. However, if you are short on storage space or composting time, pre-shredding the leaves before they go in the compost bin can save you both. Use a leaf shredder or simply run over your raked up pile with the lawn mower a few times. Breaking leaves into smaller pieces increases the amount of available surface area for decomposing organisms to access.
How to Compost Leaves
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There are plenty of ways to use leaves in the garden! However, if you’re looking to break them down and use them as a soil amendment, there are two primary ways to compost leaves: using them as an ingredient in a traditional compost setup or making leaf mold.
Traditional composting
1. Choose a composter
As composting has gained more universal appeal, the farm and garden market has exploded with composters of every size and shape. There are tumbling bins, countertop bokashi units that will ferment your food waste and, for those comfortable with worms in their house, kitchen-sized vermicomposters.
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If you are planning to compost leaves and other sizable batches of yard waste, however, the best option is a large outdoor bin. Simple and enclosed, a bin keeps the pile tidy and helps retain moisture and heat, two must-have elements of composting. Position the bin in a dry location that will be easy to access year-round.
2. Add to the pile
There is no special technique for adding leaves to your compost bin—simply toss them in! Leaves will require plenty of nitrogen-heavy greens to balance out the carbon that they bring to the pile. Compostable greens include grass clippings, fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds and even chicken manure. Aim for a 2:1 ratio of carbon-rich browns to nitrogen-rich greens.
3. Water your compost
Compost needs to be slightly damp, but not soggy, in order to decompose properly. Regular rainfall and humidity may do the trick, but if you live in a dry region with little rain, you will need to water the pile yourself.
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4. Turn your compost
Decomposing microbes require plenty of oxygen to do their job in the compost pile, and turning or mixing the contents regularly will help aerate things.
Leaf mold
Compost made solely from leaves is referred to as “leaf mold”. Unlike the aforementioned compost, which requires regular turning and watering, leaf mold requires just leaves and time. Traditional compost is “active”, meaning it relies on bacterial decomposers and the heat they generate to break down organic materials.
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Leaf mold is the result of “passive” fungal decomposition. A cold, slow process, making leaf mold mimics the natural decay that occurs on the forest floor. While not quite as nutrient-dense as finished compost, leaf mold is an incredibly valuable mulch and soil additive.
Making leaf mold could not be simpler: simply heap up the leaves and let the fungi do their jobs! No turning required. If you are looking to manage a large amount of leaves with the least amount of maintenance, then this method is for you.
How long does it take to compost leaves?
Composting rate depends on many factors, including the type of leaves, temperature and moisture content of the pile, and the local climate (decomposition slows down greatly in the winter). A large, unmaintained leaf mold pile can take two years to decompose. An active, “hot” compost pile can break leaves down in as little as two months.
What does finished leaf mold look (and smell) like?
Finished, fully decomposed compost is a rich, dark brown with a very mild, earthy odor. It may be chunky or crumbly, with few to no ingredients still recognizable.
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Piles that are particularly smelly and slimy are likely too high in nitrogen and moisture, and not receiving enough air. Prevent leaves from getting matted (and subsequently smothering the pile) by chopping them up and combining them with “chunkier” materials like woodchips or small twigs.
How to Use Composted Leaves in the Garden
You’ve waited months (or years), and the day has finally come: your composted leaves are ready for action.
Don’t be shy about applying your compost; composted leaves can be used in just about every corner of the garden:
As a soil amendment for new plantings
As a mulch to topdress established shrubs and perennial beds
Leaves are a valuable gardening material that can improve soil quality when mixed in or help plants retain moisture if used as a mulch on top of the soil. Moreover, garden leaves provide valuable fall and winter habitat for beneficial organisms, from pest-fighting insects to frogs and toads.
Related: How to Turn Food Scraps Into a Supercharged DIY Fertilizer for Your Lawn
This story was originally reported by Dengarden on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Gardening section. Add Dengarden as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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