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Springfield, Missouri

Our city collects grass clippings, leaves, and garden scraps to make compost. Is this ok to use? Should there be fear of herbicide laced compost, or diseases from other gardens?

I have 5 or so truck loads of maple leaves, would it be better to make my own compost?

11/2/2014 11:05:48 PM

Partlow,Va

I would use my own leaves. Till them in now. Worms like em and they will make good soil. Anything from the dump will be full of weed seeds and who knows what else and will be too green to use.

11/3/2014 9:18:39 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

It depends on how the compost is made. I'm trying Cedar Rapids compost this fall. Their compost is well aged, turned regularly and tested and certified. The piles really steam after being turned, and the final product is screened before being given/sold to the public. It does have a small amount of very fine wood chips in it, so I am not considering it a source of nitrogen. I figure that the N in it will be tied up while the wood breaks down over the next growing season and only be available to the plants a little at a time. But it is a source of P and K, organic matter and a good source of calcium.

Maple leaves are good because they break down quickly in the soil. They might tie up as little N while they decompose. The problem with leaves is they are so fluffy that you don't get much weight in a truck load. But I like how they loosen up the soil and use them myself. I like to bag them up with my riding mower so they get chopped some and mixed with some grass clippings so they don't blow around so much.

11/4/2014 6:49:19 AM

Central Illinois

I have collected leaves for 2 years at our city municipal I have noticed if you get your leaves early they will have more litter(paper bottles etc) ours are sucked up by a street sweeper.

There is also less grass and other plant scraps later during the pick-up.Ive been trying to get the city to unload a full bale onto my trailer but havent had a response from them, it would sure save trips to the collection area.

I told my wife I would have happy pumpkins in 2015 after finding a bag of bath salts in my leaves, it was called Happy Times

11/4/2014 8:35:10 AM

valparaiso, in

Our city gives away compost every year made up of leaves and tree branches. I have been using it for at least a decade with no issues. I just screen it before I put it to use.

11/10/2014 9:05:41 PM

churchville, ny

swaintech    
churchville, ny
--- Logan, this is a post of mine from 2010 after I had the Rochester NY leaf mulch compost tested by U Mass - thought you might it interesting ---

These are the numbers from 1 year old leaf mulch compost - looks like a black crumbly soil.(Many maple trees in this area). WHAT DO YOU THINK? Present pH is 7.3, OM is 4.3 I'm adding 15 yards to 6400 square feet. Grew 1338 lb. in 2010

pH 8.1 I thought composted leaves lowered pH
buffer pH 7.4
OM 35.7%
N 37 ppm
P 237
K 2317
Ca 9824
Mg 1377
boron 12
manganese 19
zinc 5
copper 0
iron 2
sulfur 159

CEC 115 K=9, Mg=17, Ca=74

11/27/2014 1:56:59 PM

Whitehall Montana

Our municipal compost is full of tumble weeds.They do use it on hiway project though.I compost my own leaves and grass clippings.

11/27/2014 3:28:28 PM

Hot West Tennessee

Some add bio waste , I would ask. I make my own leaf compost.

11/27/2014 6:03:06 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Leaf compost is slightly alkaline due to all of the calcium. Same reason wood ashes are high ph. They are also high in potassium. I think that the big windstorms that have gone through the area the past couple of years and blew down lots of trees and limbs are why the compost I got has wood in it.

11/27/2014 9:39:29 PM

Columbia, Kentucky

You can get a free sample and test it. I used it and have had great results. How every there are more weed seeds. I don't mind as I till twice in the spring and use cover crop. If you have resources to have a pile to cook all year I would prefer that. I live in the city and don't have the room. Good luck!

11/30/2014 8:24:37 PM

Eugene,OR

If they test and certify it, then why not? Ours is OMRI certified. I use it, Pingrey uses it. John Hawkley used a bunch of it a couple years ago.

12/1/2014 12:24:43 AM

anytown U.S,A,

Did you guys do a soil test on this compost or an actual compost test?

12/1/2014 5:42:06 AM

churchville, ny

Al - My results from above are a test of the actual compost sent to UMass for a soil test of it.

12/1/2014 11:32:09 AM

Eurasia

I make grass silage the whole season in 500 liter buckets.
The best silage accrues in fall, when the yard trac supplies all kind of leaves mixed up with grass.
I do not use a rotor tiller for my loam with too muchg clay in it. I spade up 40 cm deep or more with some layers of silage, some layers of ripened city compost and only a little dolomite+chalk, because I do not want to raise pH too much.
For one acre I need 5000 liter silage and 20000 liter city compost (more wood then greenery) a year.

12/1/2014 3:20:01 PM

Eurasia

...5000 l silage are pressed silage equal to 20000 l lawn grass with fall leaves.

12/1/2014 3:41:33 PM