Forest Litter as Compost

• According to the Vegetable Gardening Guru website, compost should consist of green matter -- chopped leaves and grass, eggshells, vegetable matter -- and brown matter -- pine needles, dead leaves, dead foliage. Forest litter is the ideal mix of these two categories.
  
  

Compost Bins

• Gardeners who have compost bins should add the forest litter to the bin, to turn it in with their existing mixture. Garden and yard scraps like dead leaves, needles and grass clippings are an important part of any compost bin. Once compost is ready, gardeners turn it into the soil around their vegetable plants.
  
  

In the Garden

• Gardeners can also use forest litter as a direct compost by working it directly into the soil around their vegetable garden. Items like dead leaves, pine needles and grass clippings also make valuable mulch on top of the soil, to keep the soil warm and moist for the vegetables. Any plant matter breaks down over time to add vitamins and minerals to the soil for the plants to use.