I save lots of fall leaves, too. I have three 32 gallon garbage cans which are dedicated to storing leaves. Any excess over that gets stored in lawn bags. I use my own leaves, and two of my neighbors deliver all their leaves to me. I also sometimes cruise around in my car the night before garbage collection and collect the bagged leaves from other people in the neighborhood. Most people collect them by using their lawn mowers and bagging, so they're generally shredded when I get them.
Many people say that oak leaves are slow to break down for them, but I don't really notice it much. My next door neighbor has 2 huge pin oaks and I use all of his leaves. What's really slow for me is straw.
I don't use the hose to add water to my compost. It's too hard to control, too easy to add too much. I moisten it with a sprinkling can. My bins aren't that big, and more than a gallon of water at once would be wetter than the proverbial "moist as a wrung out sponge"
Karen
