Old Leaves - Compost?

[Helldozer]

If you go to a hardware store and buy bagged "Claybreaker" ...open it up and look...dang I just paid X dollars for composted leaves.

 
Haha. 

Compost them and next season you can use them in place of peat moss for a homemade soil mix.

The problem with city compost is that it contains lots of paper which introduces large amounts of lignin that needs to be broken down.

Oh, darn it. Sorry, scratch that. It wasn't from the city. I WAS going to get it from the city, but went with a local business who sold compost/humus. HOWEVER, I do believe I researched it, and they actually got theirs from the city....which is supposed to be nothing but yard waste. It being from the city, you NEVER know what is in there.

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

 

The problem with city compost is that it contains lots of paper which introduces large amounts of lignin that needs to be broken down.

 
     Lignin is one of the most important things you can add to soil if you want to support a healthy microbe population, as well as create good soil structure and CEC. Over time it is oxidized to form humus.