Improve Your Garden: Make Leaf Mold

 

Looking to improve the appearance and functionality of your garden come springtime? You won't need to look far to find an answer to how to make this happen; just look at your yard!All of the trees in your yard may be annoying once they drop their colorful leaves, but those leaves can actually act as a mulch-like agent to keep your soil healthy and your plants looking young and fresh in the spring and summer months.What you need to doAfter you've called up your local professional landscaping company to come and rake up the leaves and trim back any dead hedges and brush, you can opt for them to cut the leaves into smaller bits. The smaller the leaves, the quicker the decomposing process will be to turn them into leaf mold. Many companies over this step in the leaf removal process.Storage stepsMaking leaf mold is much easier to create than regular mulch. Simply pile the leaves into a remote corner of your yard and wait for decomposition to do it's job. To help out the process, you've already shredded the leaves into smaller pieces, but also make sure that the pile isn't covered in any way. You want oxygen to circulate through the pile, as that is a decomposing agent.Usage of leaf moldOnce the springtime rolls around, spread your new leaf mold on top of bare soil. This layer will help keep the soil from compacting after a rain storm and will also prevent the base layer of soil from drying out in the hot summer sun. It will also absorb any nutrients that will help your flowers and plants.For leaf cleanup and getting your yard ready for the winter months, be sure to call a professional landscaping company in Rhode Island this year. Professional landscapers will get the job done quicker and more efficiently. They can also answer any questions you might have about leaf mold and the decomposition process.