{"id":611971006790,"date":"2025-10-16T16:41:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/uncategorized\/how-to-make-leaf-mould\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T08:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:41:37","slug":"how-to-make-leaf-mould","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/gardening\/how-to-make-leaf-mould\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Make Leaf Mould"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Leaf Mould?<\/h2>\n

Raking up leaves is part of a gardener\u2019s life.
The best way to make use of all those leaves is to keep them as mulch, compost, or leaf mould<\/strong>: that crumbly, airy, free draining<\/strong> stuff that improves soil, and makes a superb potting medium<\/strong> for seeds and cuttings.<\/p>\n

Which Leaves Should I Use for Leaf Mould?<\/h3>\n

All leaves and conifer needles will make leaf mould \u2026 eventually.<\/p>\n

The best leaves to use as leaf mould<\/strong> are the fastest to break down<\/strong>: smaller and\/or thinner leaves like beech<\/a>, oak<\/a>, hornbeam<\/a>, ash, birch<\/a>, cherry<\/a>, elm<\/a>, lime<\/a>, poplar<\/a>, or willow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The worst leaves to use as leaf mould<\/strong> are slow to break down: thick, big leaves like horse chestnut<\/a>, sycamore<\/a>, maple<\/a>, or magnolia, tough little hawthorn<\/a> leaves, or any evergreen.
They could be shredded to speed things up, but usually they are better for mixing into a normal compost heap, unless you have nothing else.<\/p>\n

Pine needles take years to break down and tend to pass through shredders mostly intact, so aren\u2019t really a practical choice for leafmould.<\/p>\n

Making Leaf Mould Instructions<\/h3>\n

If you don\u2019t have masses of leaves for a big leaf mould pile, the simplest thing is to bag them up<\/strong> in old compost bags, bin bags, etc.<\/p>\n