Cultivate London have leafmould for sale that they have made. 🍂 Still available: Cultivate London Leaf mould!
Roughly 50 bags left of our rich, clean, well-rotted leaf mould (from 2022 leaves) — perfect for mulching, composting, or enriching your soil.
Leaf mould still available 9 July 2025:
🌿 £7 per/ (approx.) 40L bag
📍 Collection from W3 Acton
💌 To arrange payment and pick-up, email us at:
gardenservices@cultivatelondon.org
Their leafmould is from plane tree leaves that fell in 2022, from their community garden in Acton and is a great compost for the garden. The money raised will help with community gardening that Cultivate London manage. To buy some contact Cultivate London at gardenservices@cultivatelondon.org.
Leafmould forms from decaying leaves and produces an invaluable soil conditioner. Leafmould is simple to make, see the guide below. A true circular economy for plants so the leaves on the tree become food the trees to make leaves again. Good quality, well-rotted leafmould (more than two years old) can be used as seed-sowing compost. Or it mixed equally with sharp sand, garden compost and good quality soil for use as potting compost.
London Plane Trees
The leafmould is made from the London plane leaves and is the capital’s most common tree. As a hybrid of American sycamore and Oriental plane, it was first discovered in the 17th century then widely planted in the 18th.
Did you know? London Plane Trees bark breaks away in large flakes to dispel pollutants, hence the tree’s ability to cope with high levels of air pollution and the reason for the trunk’s distinctive camouflage pattern.
To find out more about the from the Woodland Trust A-Z London Plane tree.
Leafmould for sale
To help with the Cultivate London community gardening costs, they are selling their leafmould which they have made. To buy some leafmould or for more info, email gardenservices@cultivatelondon.org.
All proceeds support our community gardening projects — be part of the circular economy and a good cause!
Benefits of leafmould for your garden:
- Improves water holding capacity
- Enhances soil structure
- Provides habitat for the soil’s micro and macro organisims.
For further information on Leafmould from the RHS
About Cultivate London
Cultivate London works to improve health and wellbeing across London by encouraging and supporting local communities to engage with their green spaces. By sharing their horticulture and environmental knowledge, they enable people of all ages to better connect with their community. They provide training giving job ready skills which improve employment opportunities for individuals.
Cultivate London is an independent social enterprise and charity. Their charitable work in the community is supported by grants. Plus most importantly through commercial, horticultural contracts for a wide range of businesses and public organisations.
Making your own Leafmould
Garden Organic gives a simple guide on how to make Leafmould yourself. Leafmould is so easy to make. Simply:
- Collect fallen autumn leaves.
- Pack them while damp into a container – a reusable bin bag or a wireframe.
- Leave them for a year or two. You will have a lovely dark brown mix that supports your soil structure.
- If you mix grass cuttings with the leaves you will increase the nitrate content of the leafmould.
What Leaves are ideal for Leafmould?
Lignin is the fibre in the leaf’s cell structure, and is slow to break down. This means some leaves – which are higher in lignin – are slower to rot than others:
- Leaves which are higher in lignin and lower in nitrogen and calcium: beech, birch, hornbeam, oak, sweet chestnut and magnolia.
- Leaves which are lower in lignin and higher in calcium and nitrogen: ash, cherry, elm, linden, maple, poplar and willow.
- Pine needles can be gathered. They take a long time to rot down, so keep them in a separate pile. They will produce acidic leafmould, which is ideal for mulching ericaceous plants, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, Pieris and blueberries.
For the full the guide from Garden Organic go to how to make Leafmould.
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