After some deliberation in the comment section of my last post, I decided to take the plunge and experiment for myself
exactly how long a stack of leaves takes to break down.
No investment here. I simply slapped the whole thing together using materials that were on hand. I had 20" of chicken wire fencing left over from the plot build and about a dozen 1" bamboo poles lying around. I staked 7 (4 + 3 equally spaced and staggered over 2 rows) and, determined not to cut the chicken wire, simply 'wove' it around the poles creating 3 triangular bins.
Why 3 bins ? Well, every good experiment requires some sort of comparative testing, so here are the candidates:
Bin 'A' is your basic stack of whole leaves, filled to the rim using medium compaction. In other words, the archetypal two-year contender.
Bin 'B' is a carbon copy (pun intended) of bin 'A', or rather
was before being mulched. It now occupies only one third of the bin.
Much like Bin 'A', Bin 'C' is filled to capacity but with shredded leaves. It holds over 3 times more matter than its counterpart.
So over the next year or so, I'll be comparing breakdown. More specifically A vs. B and A vs. C.
The experiment will take place solely under Mother Nature's supervision. No fiddling around from my part. No heat induction or worm enhancement. Only what occurs naturally. I've chosen a semi-sunny location with morning sun and afternoon shade so that neither factor predominantly influences the experiment.
My predictions ? I figure, once the snow recedes in Spring, the stacks will have compressed down to the following: Bin 'A' to half, Bin 'B' slightly and Bin 'C' to 3/4. In my opinion, Bin 'B' will be (quite obviously) the first to break down. This modest heap of small morsels will attract lots of worms (and other insects) and I predict a 99% conversion by the end of Summer. And although Bin 'C' is tackling 3 times the workload, I sense the pile's compact nature will work to its advantage, promoting heat which will in turn accelerate the process. As far as Bin 'A' is concerned, I see a flaky pastry of wet slimy leaves, just like any old pile that slept through winter. Any serious decomposition will probably only take place in the second season.
We'll see.
