Leaf mold - faster way to make it ?

[didireallysaythat]

Is the fastest way to make a large amount of leaf mold to pile it up and cover with something (plastic, carpet) ? In the last place we put the leaves in black bags and hide the under shrubs and a year later it was great. In this place we have probably 10X as many leaves so I've got 2x2 metres of leaves in a pile (mostly beech). I'm not sure if it needs covering (after watering) or not. I'd like it to rot down within a year as we don't have space for 2 years of leaves... Oh, and we've run the mower over some of the leaves..

Yes it will work. You could make an enclosure out of chicken wire or pallets. Keep it covered to weigh down the leaves and keep the heat in and ensure it never dries out.

I don't think you can hurry good leaf mould, but I do think shredding them up and making sure they don't dry out will help keep them going. I would make sure they are good and damp then cover them to stop them drying out.