Does leaf mould have to be made in bin bags?

[Omalleyshaircut]

Hi lovely gardeners!

I am planning to use horse chestnut tree leaves to make leaf mould this autumn and the only place I will be able to stash it will be visible from a seating area in the garden. I don't really want to look at wet slimy black bin liners for potentially two years while it breaks down but everyone seems to recomend using bin liners with a few holes poked in them. Can I use a normal compost bin and just fill it with leaves and leave it? The space is between a shed and fence and a triangle shape so I might even make a simple bespoke wooden box or similar, which would look better but the wood might rot too! It will be sitting on paving slabs. Or should I just use bin bags and screen it off?

I've never done this before so any advice welcome! Sorry to make you think about autumn leaves in a heatwave!

Following/bumping as I'd like to know about this too..

There's some info on the RHS website about it...

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=478

you can use chicken wire by the looks of it...

Are you sure your Horse Chestnut doesn't have leaf blotch? All of the ones around here do, they also have leaf mining moth so double whammy.

You can leave it in a pile and it will eventually make leaf mould - the container doesn't matter if it has air can get to it.

I agree with Enb76 though - if you have any problems with your tree it potentially might affect future plants grown in or around it. What are you going to use it for?

Don't forget that mowing the leaves first means it breaks down quicker; might also help in slicing any harbouring leaf miner bugs up...

I just dump mine in a pile and it works fine. In one place I propped a couple of pallets up to contain it a bit, and another pile has wire mesh around it. A regular compost bin would work fine too. There is no "wrong" way as leaves will rot down as long as they're not too dry - nature manages very well! The worst case scenario is that it takes a bit longer than you expect.

I don't think horse chestnut leaf miner moth would really be an issue here as the larva lives in leaves while they're on the tree, then pupates and emerges. By the time the leaves have fallen, they've flown away to mate and infest another tree.

Next time you see a horse chestnut tree with leaves turning brown early, look for the tracks. You can often see the larvae inside the leaf and can peel away part of the leaf to see more clearly, and perhaps find a pupa too.

Thank you so much everyone for your replies, much appreciated.

Gosh, I hadn't even thought about the tree potentially being diseased. The leaves are covered in brown marks, I will take a photo tomorrow and update.

It isn't actually my tree but in an access alley at the bottom of my garden. It is huge and overhangs a lot, there is always so much to clear up all year round from leaves to flowers to twigs and conkers (at least they are fun!). I wanted to make some use of all the millions of leaves so I am getting some benefit from it. I was hoping to use it to mulch around roses and hydrangeas and in mixed borders but perhaps not if it would be damaging.

P.s. I love how knowledgeable everyone is on here

Photos of the tree and leaf - doesn't look good. Should I just discard the fallen leaves in autumn? I don't want to cause more harm than good!

That's just horse chestnut leaf miner moth damage. No reason not to compost the leaves - it won't affect your other plants, and by the time the leaves fall, the moths will all have flown.

Thank you NewEltham! I will give it a go then

Leaf mold is better if you have a mix of different kinds. I go out on the street to collect different leaves, to the bemusement of the neighbours, who are only too happy to let me sweep up their leaves.

Agree about keeping it moist, I've had some bags going for two years in Melbourne and let them dry; in fact the bag perishes before the leaves break down.:o

Great idea echt - I am going to be the crazy leaf lady on my street!

Is it autumn yet...? I can't believe I am wishing the summer away, I was so desperate for spring to come this year, I always seem to want it to be the next season already.

I go out on the street to collect different leaves, to the bemusement of the neighbours, who are only too happy to let me sweep up their leaves.

Me too - but I mow them up...i mow them off of neighbour's gardens too.