Gardening gold in that thar mould

While there can be few experiences more enjoyable than walking in a forest rustling through fallen leaves, the same cannot be said of doing the same along the street.

For many people, clearing up autumn leaves in the garden can also be a bit of a chore.

Traditionally, many autumn leaves have been disposed of on a bonfire. As a child, I found the smell of the autumn bonfire particularly memorable, quite unlike those at other times of the year.

However tempting this method of disposing of leaves, it should be avoided at all costs.

Domestic bonfires are perhaps one of the most polluting sources of combustion, producing cancer-causing chemicals that would not be allowed from an industrial source.

Putting leaves in the dustbin is almost as bad, since they take up landfill space and are far too precious to just throw away.

Rotting leaves produce a rich, brown, crumbly material known as leafmould.

If you go to any woodland, below the top surface of leaves you will find leafmould in huge quantities.

Although formed through a natural process, it is easy to replicate this in your own garden and produce a soil conditioner that is far better than any home compost.

All sorts of autumn leaves can be used to make leafmould, including beech, plane, oak and walnut.

These can be collected from your garden or pavements of quiet streets. Don't be tempted to collect leaves from parks or natural woodlands as this is against the law!

It is also best not to collect leaves from busy streets as these can contain unwanted contaminants.

If you have only a small quantity of leaves, these can be put into a home composting unit and they will help to balance wet and soggy materials like kitchen waste and grass mowings.

However, autumn leaves are mainly rotted down by the slow and cool action of fungi rather than the quick action of bacteria that produces a lot of heat.

Rotting them in this way produces far better results and if you have large quantities in your garden it is worth remembering this and setting aside an area specifically to deal with leaves.

Shredding the leaves and putting them in black bin liners can accelerate the process.

Make sure they are well watered beforehand to help them rot.

Make a few holes in the sides to allow moisture to escape (otherwise the leaves will putrefy) and leave them for one or two years.

The resulting leafmould will then be useful as a mulch or soil improver.

Leaving it for longer will allow the leafmould to be used as potting compost, alleviating the need to buy peat-based products.

If you would like further information about making your own leafmould have a look at the Henry Doubleday Research Association website at www.hdra.org.uk