By Mary Jo Baur
If you're looking for an easy way to make compost without the turning and shoveling, etc., try using the leaves you rake up in the fall as the only ingredient in this type of composting. Corral all your leaves in a simple compost enclosure which can be made from a three-foot tall piece of welded-wire fencing curved into a cylinder and secured with a metal or bamboo stake. A 13-foot length of fencing will make a bin about four feet across.
You can use whatever leaves are in your yard, a mix of oak and maple, or leaves from any deciduous tree. They will decompose at different rates, but you should have usable compost in about 8 months to a year. You'll know it's ready to use when you can no longer see the individual leaves. Although this type of compost is not nutrient-rich, it is a great soil amendment that will loosen heavy clay soil and improve the moisture retention in sandy ground. You can also use it as an organic mulch around your shrubs and perennials, or even under vegetables. So if you have avoided composting because you thought it was too complicated, give this "lazy man's compost" a try.
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