Mix leaves into garden soil before spring

Q. Last fall I put several inches of mulched leaves on my garden to add nutrients to the soil. In the spring the layer of mulch kept the soil from drying and it was late spring before I could dig the garden. Is there a better way to use the mulch in the fall?

A. Your idea to replenish soil nutrients with mulched leaves is good. Try digging your garden in the fall by doing the following:

• Thoroughly remove all plant debris; it might be infected with fungus due to our wet summer.

• Add 2 to 4 inches of disease-free mulched leaves onto the garden. To help leaves break down, add 10-10-10 fertilizer at rate of one pound per 100 square feet.

• On a nice day in November or December, dig the garden mixing the leaves into the soil, breaking up only the large clumps of soil.

The winter freeze/thaw cycles will help break up the clumps of soil into finer particles. Likewise, by digging in the fall you are exposing buried nuisance insect egg casings to the hard freeze. When the soil dries/warms in the spring, you should be able to rake it into fine till without strenuous digging.

• Provided by Mary Boldan and Donna Siemro, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. Send questions to Ask a Master Gardener, c/o Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 W. Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016, (847) 298-3502 or via e-mail to cookcountymg@sbcglobal.net.