First, your title says feet, not inches. No big deal, I was just thinking "WOW!" when I saw it ;-)

You won't have any new soil in the spring as compost isn't soil (soil is inorganic and thus stable). However as far as compost goes I suspect you will have some and the coffee grounds will be gone, but lots of leaves left. Leaves can take some time to break down and cold weather doesn't help the process at all.

However, that isn't an issue. You can plant directly in what you have come spring without any problem. If you have a solid mass of leaves it may be necessary/desirable to rough em up a bit and if sowing seeds make a small pocket for either potting soil or garden dirt to put the seed in. The roots will grow right through the leaves and do just fine.

The only thing to avoid would be perennials which will find themselves too high once the leaves do decompose. Annuals and veggies will do great though. Perennials would be fine if you are willing to replant them after the leaves are gone. Either way the soil underneath is going to be in great shape for at least a year or more from what you have done.

Heh, yeah, 10 inches of leaves and 2 inches of coffee.
but the garden is 60 feet square though... thanks.
I hope it works out.
John

Keep the newspaper/leaves/coffee grounds moist. Not soggy. Just a bit moist. Composting cannot occur without moisture.

I don't know if it snows where you are. Where I am it doesn't snow and there can be two months in the winter without rain. You're going to have to watch your concoction and the weather. It's not a do it and forget it type thing.

>my garden is about 60' x 60' and this is a lot of leaves!

That's also a lot of coffee grounds at 2" thick! About 22 yards of coffee grounds if my math is correct.

Where did the ratio of 6 to 10 inches of leaves and 1 to 3 inches of coffee grounds come from?
The ratio of 30 parts of Carbon to 1 part of nitrogen or a pile of 6 inches of vegetable waste to 2 inches of manure has been the standard of organic gardeners for compost building for more years than I can remember and is what was outlined by Sir Albert Howard, adopted by J. I. Rodale, Lady Eve Balfour, Friend Sykes, and numerous other of the original organic movements gurus.

If you can, buy a clear plastic trap for a local hardware store and cover your mixture with it. The will keep the heat/moisture in... I use rocks to keep it in place. If you have the time / desire, once every two weeks or so, turn your pile, add fresh coffer grounds or kitchen scrapes and wet again. I live in Raleigh so like you my winters are mild, so it should cook nicely. If you leave it alone, it will decompose but not as quickly as you might like.

thanks guys!
I hope this works out well for me. I have never fertilized or anything, just used what was there and hoped for the best, so farr I have had pretty good luck with my clay.
I will put clear plastic on this and see how it fares, this won't hurt the worms will it? the clear plastic tends to collect solar heat and fry stuff. this is how some areas sterilize their ground... maybe the leaves absorb the heat and protect the earth. thanks.
22 yards? wow, cubic yards, I can't belive I hauled that much from the donut shops. not bad for the price of two kitchen trash cans and two boxes of trash bags to haul the grounds in.

I don't see what you are going to gain by covering your large garden with clear plastic. You will be blocking the needed rain and if you wish your organic matter to rot, you will have to keep lifting the plastic and adding water to keep the moisture levels adequate.

This isn't a compost pile and 60'x60' sheet-composted garden is not going to "cook nicely," covered or not. This may work for a compost pile but covering a large garden seems to serve no purpose.

Mountain, I was only following the suggestion of computer gardner above, he lives in my area. what you say seems true also. hmm. maybe I can cover 1/3 of the area with plastic, and 1/3 uncovered, (the other 1/3 is busy right now) and see what happens?
thanks

I think you've done well with the leaves and coffee grounds - I wouldn't cover with plastic as you really don't need to sterilize your soil. The very sound of it counters what we all know and agree - that is to nourish the living soil and keep the soil food web well fed and working.

John, post the right units of measurement, not feet but inches, or inches not feet :) The best rules of thumb for composting is than anything organic will compost in time. The issue for you is Springtime, and 10" + 2" of material is not likely going to be enough material to decompose over the winter. It can be done, but it requires maintainance, likely turning and proper waterering when needed.

To sum it up, if you live in the city, likely there are tons of leaves you can collect and use. Grass or coffee grinds too. Mix well, keep mixed every few days to once a week (or two depending on your needs). THe more you mix, the more you will decompose faster.

Rules

1. Diverse Materials and size
2. Mix well
3. Water to moist but not drenched
4. Mix well regularly (every few days if possible)
5. 5' x 5' and about 3-5 feet high. 4 feet is where
I have found things to really cook.

The result of this sized compost bin (as I call it, it is really a frame)... about 2-3 cubic meters of compost.

Pudgy

John, you have to check between carbon (brown) and nitrogen (green).. you may need to add more green matters to provide nitrogen in it.. and the best, cheap source of nitrogen is urine; dilute 50% and moist your compost with it.. It might help.. anyhow becareful; less water is better than too much water! don't let it be too soggy

I've been doing in situ composting for three years now. It sure saves the time and trouble of hauling compost to the site, especially when you have a large garden.

I mix grass and leaves and try to pile them at least 12" high. I have about 1,000 square feet, and that takes as you say, "a lot of leaves." I also tuck in other compostables as they're available.

Oak leaves, at least live oaks, have a tough outer layer that makes them hard to wet and break down. When I first tried this method, I had beds full of leaves do nothing for months. Then I mowed them over a couple of times, mixed in fresh grass for a kick of nitrogen, moistened and had a bed ready for seeding in about 6 weeks.

For my melon bed this year, I added 6 inches of mowed leaves and grass, then covered it with cardboard (I was smothering a grassy area.) and topped it off with six more inches of whole leaves. Even with only 1 inch of rain, I only had to water twice in four months and had the most beautiful watermelons I'd ever grown. The only fertilizer I used was a handful of alfalfa pellets per hill.

Good luck.

Actually "soil" is a mix of organic and inorganic materials.

Good reality check, southerngurl. Soil actually contains a very low percentage of organic matter.

I believe there is too much emphasis on planting in compost these days and too little on building soil.