[Fuusmchat] Leaving the leaves?

[Tom Cunningham]

Hi all,

I've always built my compost pile using cyndrical "structures" made from old chain link fencing (see photo of my current pile). The material composts better as this allows air circulation. Since moving to Vienna, I have a great source of maple leaves (my neighbor), which allows me to store a good bit of the leaves for next year's compost, using a couple more of these chainlink circles.

I have 3 extra chainlink cylinders that I can contribute if they would work to store our FUUSM leaves, promoting some composting. When filled with leaves, they are 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet high. If we want this, let me know, and someone tell me where to put them on our church property.

As a footnote, the best compost comes from not 100% leaves, but a mix of brown and green, plus water, air, and optimally. occasional turning. But I've found that one of these circles filled with leaves still seems to break down fairly well, maybe with the occasional stir, and makes a decent mulch, if not actual compost.

Tom

On Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 10:53 AM, Fuusm Office Assistant via fuusmchat <[fuusmchat at fuusm.org](mailto:On Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 10:53 AM, Fuusm Office Assistant via fuusmchat <<a href=)> wrote:

> Dear FUUSM family,
>
> As I am writing to you, our hard-working, conscientious, and very sweet building steward, Wendy, is sucking all the leaves in the FUUSM courtyard into a bag for disposal elsewhere. Soon, she will blow all the leaves under the trees into a pile and haul them off, too.
>
> Recognizing that leaves hold eggs of beneficial insects, and that leaves decompose to build hummus, and eventually, the soil, “Leave the leaves!” is the new mantra of ecologists.
>
> I can’t in good conscience let the leaves that have fallen on FUUSM property be carried off with out objection. But neither can we leave the leaves on the city sidewalk, or on our steps or walkway or courtyard, where it would kill the grass. Would it be best to move those leaves onto the vegetation of the walled areas beside the courtyard? Or maybe under the tall conifers, to the right of the bike rack?
>
> What is the ecologically right thing to do with fallen leaves in an urban area with no suitable “brushpile” site?
>
> Surely we UUs want to do the ecologically right thing, and hauling off leaves is NOT it. But what do we do with them?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dawn Hewitt
>
> Office assistant
>
> First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta
>
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