Re: Oak leaves

I use oak leaves all the time in my compost pile, and have built up fantastic soil over the years.  I add wood ash and sometimes lime to reduce the acidity of the compost.  (Sometimes I save some compost off to the side without these amendments for acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas.)
 
For normal pH-neutral gardening (including pumpkins), you don't want to add unlimited amounts of composted organic matter without also adding lime to keep your garden from getting too acidic.
 
The best method for knowing if you need to lime is to check your soil pH every year.  Over time, if you don't add lime, your soil will gradually get more acidic.  It's hard to say how much lime to add because soils in different parts of the country behave differently due their natural pH and their ability to "buffer" changes to pH.  Generally speaking, soils in the eastern U.S. are acidic to begin with and probably need lime periodically even without organic amendments.  Some soils in the western U.S. are so basic that even after adding organic matter, they still are basic.
 
So, don't throw those leaves away.  Compost them, then add them to your garden and then keep an eye on the pH.
 
 
Frank Peregrine
----- Original Message -----
From: m*@olywa.net
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000 2:17 PM
Subject: Oak leaves

Does anyone out there have any experience with using these?
Composted or added raw to the patch.
Good or bad?
Shellie
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