Ten Loads of Leafmould!Is it me, or are there more leaves about this year than usual? Fallen leaves can be a problem as far as making compost is concerned. When you make good compost it should be a mixture of fresh green nitrogenous matter, and dead, brown matter which contains carbon. Just dead leaves on their own will take about 2 years to rot down into useable leafmould. I can't wait that long! A good tip would be to lay the dead leaves over your lawn and run the lawnmower over them. You will then have a mixture of green and brown - and it helps that the mower has chewed up the leaves a bit, this will speed up the process!