OK...I have been reading a lot lately about the importance of making "good" compost and have been advised that, if the only ingredient in the pile is leaves, then the end product is "leaf mold." It's not good compost, it's not bad compost, it's not even compost, it's just lowly leaf mold.

My issue with this is that my primary reason for composting is not to make compost but rather to divert organic materials from a landfill. The end product - whatever it is - benefits contributes to healthier soil and greater biodiversity. So when I read that I must make "good compost" (p.s. is there such a thing as "bad compost"??) I become concerned that people may allow leaves to go to a landfill simply because there are not enough "greens" and "high nitrogens" in order to make "good compost."

I have two questions: 1) What is more important, making "good" compost or diverting the maximum amount of material from a landfill even if the end product is only "leaf mold?" and 2) Have experiments been performed that prove that "good" compost produces "better" crops than leaf mold, and 3) If so, is there any way to supplement leaf mold with nutrients to make it equal to "good" compost?