By the way - which is better blood meal or bone meal as some type of source for the nitrogen? - Thanks again - Carrie

A compost pile is a place to recycle trash organic material. You're not supposed to buy things to put into a compost pile. Any source of nitrogen you buy would be a waste of a good source of nitrogen. I use horse manure as a hot green.

Blood meal is a very hot source and should be used with great care. Bone meal would be easier to work with.

Here is a link that might be useful: NPK of stuff

Thanks, dchall - That link is very helpful...

I do want to clarify, though, that we do have a "compost pile" in which I constantly add veggies, coffee, eggshells, etc. along with leaves and other browns.

My question was mainly what to add to the soil that I scraped under the leaves in the woods - which is mainly composted leaves which turned into very black "soil"... I wondered what I could add to that in order to put in some nitrogen. Your suggestion of bone meal rather than blood meal is very helpful. I will probably have to carefully work in it and not add too much.

Thanks - Carrie (always learning....)

Carrie, I hope you finally get an answer to your question as I'm also planning to do this process as well as add coarse riversand from the frequently flooding creek nearby.

The link provided to check nutrients of various compostables is a wonderful resource.
Just finally got a method of grinding up dried peanut shells and anxious to add to my soil mixture. Thanks

dottie - I probably should have realized (from just common sense) that the "soil" under the leaves (the browns) need to be mixed with "greens" - I guess I was hoping that there would be more nutrients in that "soil" under the leaves - but it's probably just carbon - with a bit of clay if I scrape a little harder - which have some nutrients. I think I am going to grind my peanut shells too - with an attachment from our Vita Mix - but i also want to buy a large bag of bone meal to keep on hand.

I love going into my woods and having an abundant supply of this beautiful "dirt" "soil" "composted leaves" - whatever you call it - - LOL

Carrie

I think you would enjoy reading about humus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus

I don't think that you should think of the dark stuff simply as a C source. It probably doesn't provde much of a carbon source, at all - and therefore shouldn't enter into a consideration of "how much nitrogen to add" --- but it provides soil benefits nonetheless.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia Humus entry

okay - please help me out on this - I obviously don't remember any of my science... but I thought that leaves were considered "browns" (and that's what the dark stuff is - composted leaves (right? maybe not, maybe yes..) and when composting - and believe me, I don't know anything about this - don't you need the mixture of browns (leaves) and greens (which help with nitrogen)? Is the dark stuff composted leaves with other nutrients - Basically, what nutrients do leaves actually have?? Thanks - Carrie

Dumb question on my part: It probably depends on what kind of leaves they are....

Hi Again,

:)I hope you get a chance to visit the link I provded above.

Think about it this way.

You need a certain C:N ration for the leaves to decompose in the first place. What you are "harvesting" is ... decomposed leaves. The C:N ratios were taken care of - obviously - because the leaves already decomposed. Make sense?

It sounds like your black stuff is humus. Humus is more or less inert ... it's the stuff that doesn't easily decompose, because most of the "goodies" in terms of easily broken down stuff, were used up when the leaves decomposed to begin with.

But humus is a great thing to add to gardens.

my thoughts anyway - maybe someone else has other input.

Don't add anything else, to do so may interfere with the soil organisms which are as or more important than the product you are taking from the forest.

Wow - thanks so much - both esther and patty - You explained it so well - When I read your post, patty - I said a "Duh" to myself. Of course, the ratio was there all along - -

Carrie

The leaves dropped in the forest compost themselves over time without getting the temperature high enough to kill either pathogens or weed seeds. I have yet to notice any weeds growing in my woods. The shade of the trees and the acid of the decomposting leaves covering the soil eliminates weeds. The resulting compost, referred to as 'cold composted' is great in the garden. In my case I never remove leaves from the forest because I have so much falling on my private road that needs to be removed and composted.No chopping just as in the woods they are mot chopped. It just takes longer. Al