Should I use leaves and paper

I have an over abundance of leaves, but have been shredding paper too. Am I just overdoing the same things. Is paper a substitute for leaves, or do I need both. I hope so because I have black fingers from tearing paper.

You can 'leaf' out the paper if you have plenty of leaves. Both are 'brown.'

Yes, indeed. You need to get some "greens" in the mix. Kitchen scraps, veggie peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, alfalfa pellets, and add water so she'll start to cook!

Thanks, I am going to get manure today. And I use kitchen scraps, as much as I can get.
I just can't believe I've worked my fingers into little nubs and could have just been raking leaves

It's not a bad thing, Lorraine - it's great that all the excess paper is actually going somewhere to good use instead of filling up the land fills, but if you have leaves to use I'd say the organic stuff is always preferable, but that's more my opinion than anything else.

Once you use up all of those leaves, you can start nubbing out your poor fingers again.... >smile< ...

Oh - and Sally? You are *so* much more than that, girlfriend. Really!

I'm having an off day??
My area collects paper to recycle so I don't worry about it. Leaves would have to be better, organic food for the compost instead of processed.

Paper is good for lasagna gardening as it helps keep down the weeds while it breaks down to feed your plants. I use a lot of cardboard as we don't have much newspaper (or other waste paper) here. By the way, I buy white paper twoels and toilet paper and they go in the compost, too.

katiebear

katiebear,

How long does it take the cardboard to break down?

If it's under a bunch of wet stuff, as in a lasagna garden, it's pretty well gone after about six months. During the summer when iti's hot and humid, it goes quickly. It's colder now, but rarely below freezing so it takes longer. I really like it cause a couple layers will even block Bermuda grass. I often use old carpeting under it as additional Bermuda grass blockage.

If you want it to break down quickly you can soak it in a tub of water for a couple of days and it will then fall apart easily.

katiebear

katiebear,

Thanks, I've thought of using cardboard in my piles.

Leaves are superior to paper in compost piles because they're loaded with minerals and other nutrients from deep in the soil. Paper is okay, but it lacks all that good stuff that's packed into leaves. I prefer them by far to other brown sources. Straw is great to loosen and lighten the load, but it takes a lot longer to break down in my compost than the leaves.

Karen

maybe that straw is hard to get to soak up moisture. We used straw on new grass lawn and with the frequent watering it went away fast. I've heard that deep in the soil thing too, makes sense.

I throw massive amounts of cardboard & dozens of bags of shredded paper into my compost every year, along with lots of straw, vegetation, leaves, the occasional dead possum, every single kitchen scrap, and any poop I can get my hands on.

It works.

Shredded paper also makes terrific mulch. My garlic really loves it -- the shreddings harden into papier mache, which the garlic sprouts can penetrate but most weeds can't.

Shredded paper is also good for covering kitchen waste in the pile. I don't have time to bury it, & would quickly run out of room. We eat so many vegies/fruit that the large compost pail in the kitchen gets emptied about 2-3 time a week.
I am rich with shredded paper from work - it's mostly recycled & unbleached. Works in a variety of applications.
I don't consider it the best substitute for leaves, but it works nicely as a mulch. And because it is "white" I can always find my way through the garden at night! Which is a benefit in the dark days of winter.
With so many evergreens, deciduous leaves are not as plentiful here as they are in other regions. Makes me want to grow more deciduous trees as a "leaf" crop!

white garden at night- love that
leaf crop- you are kidding! take it from mid atlantic deciduous central (or close to it) raking is not THAT much fun

Sally - don't rake here - it's a back breaker: with all the fall rain we get, the leaves all stick together. So I blow the leaves. It's more fun, faster & easier than raking, and another activity I can accomplish - undisturbed!

I have taken down quite a number of conifers that were incorrectly sited, or diseased. They were all replaced by a wide variety of deciduous trees, both ornamental & fruit bearing. The songbirds and natives have returned, there are fewer crows & squirrels, and guaranteed supply of leaves for my orchard.

I suck up/ mulch some leaves with my leaf vac, and my husband mows the rest into the lawn. Most of my bagged mulched leaves, by far, come from my neighbors. A couple of them deliver to my house- how much easier can it get? I want the leaves and they want to be rid of them so it's a win-win.

Karen