fall leaves

Uses For Fall Leaves In The Garden

We all know what the autumnal season means whenever it rolls around. That’s right, all of the fall leaves that you’re going to have to rake up into piles soon. Fall leaves tend to build and build the more you prolong raking them. Sometimes it might seem like you have way too many leaves to deal with and can’t keep up with putting them in trash bags for the next pickup day. Some people have to wait for the street sweeper to come and clean up the gutters of all the fall leaves that are stuck in the storm drains. However, there are some other uses for fall leaves that might help lighten the load this cold season. After reading this article, you’ll have some alternative options for your fall leaves instead of having a ton of full trash bags in your yard.

Alternatives To Using Trash Bags

If you have a compost bin or area in your yard that you pile up compost, you can dispose of any remaining fall leaves you haven’t packed away. If you haven’t started a compost bin yet this is an awesome way to help you get started. Depending on how big your compost bin is you might not be able to fit every single leaf. However, this is a great way to get rid of your fall leaves without having to bust out another bag. You can also compost most organic materials and items later that you don’t have to worry about throwing in your trash. Which is also technically a greener way of dealing with your waste. The soil that your compost produces after a while will be perfect to use in the spring.

Another great method that you can try is turning your fall leaves into mulch. Much like the composting method, you can make huge piles of leaves then mowing over them. You can use a regular mow if you don’t happen to own a mulching mower. The fragmented pieces of leaves are beneficial to the soil of your garden or potted plants. Obviously, this works a lot easier if your piles are spread out enough for your mower to pass over. This task may require you to pass over your pile of leaves a handful of times before you’ve ground up every leaf. It’s also a good idea to do this sooner rather than later so you can wait for more leaves to fall.

Enriching Your Garden Soil With Fall Leaves

This method is really for those who have huge yards with big gardens. After you’ve removed your spent plants from the year, you can use fall leaves to plow into your garden soil. The leaves will decompose over time which will enrich everywhere you’ve plowed them with the dirt. This soil is perfect for your vegetable seeds in the springtime as well as any flowers that you plan on growing.

Leaves are still a very big part of the cycle of plants and are one of the natural ingredients to make nutrient-rich soil. Of course, having so many that you’re tired of raking them is understandable. You are more than welcome to make use of fall leaves in whatever way you see fit. However, this article is to encourage you to try different methods that benefit you in the long run. Why not make use of what the land has to offer you in this beautiful change in nature? Hopefully, this information helps with your future gardening and lawn care!

Cody Medina
Small Scale Farmer
Hi there! I'm Cody, a staff writer here at The Garden Magazine and a small-scale farmer living in Oregon. I've been gardening most of my life and now live on a quarter-acre farmstead with chickens, ducks, and a big garden.