As the air gets colder, storms roll in, and the evenings grow darker, it's clear that fall is here. One of the most common fall tasks is removing leaves. But what should you do with it? In some gardens or garden areas you can leave it, in others it is better to remove it. There's something very pleasant about raking up autumn leaves. You can do something useful with all the leaves you collect. Where to put the autumn leaves? We'll answer this question below and give you some cool ideas about what you can do with it.
Use fall leaves as mulch
Herbs and leaves make good mulch when applied directly to the bed. This is a good way to work with existing beds. Shredded is bestUse foliage. You can shred the leaves by piling them up on a freshly mown lawn and running a mower over them, preferably one that catches them. Some mowers allow you to increase the cutting height, which is another way to prevent perennial weeds or seeds from getting into the leaf mulch. Then distribute the shredded leaves to a thickness of about 6 – 15 cm on beds. Keep in mind that some plants do not like moisture around their stems, stems, or crowns.
Use the leaves: Compost them
The fall leaves make an excellent brown or carbon part of the mix for the compost heap. Note that leaves take some time to decompose, so do not pile them up in large piles. Create layers with a mixture of leaves and the last grass clippings, which you mix with the usual compost ingredients. If you do thatShred autumn leaves, compost themit faster.
Cover the pile with old carpeting to keep the heat in and the rain out. Aerate the pile every now and then with a garden fork and in the spring you will havea perfect garden compost.
Autumn leaves for your lawn
You can simply mow the leaves into the lawn. A fine layer of chopped leaves will decompose over the winter and be incorporated into the lawn by earthworms. The mix of nitrogen-rich grass clippings and carbon-rich foliage creates a perfect, nutrient-rich lawn food that will spruce up your lawn in spring.
Set your lawnmower to the highest setting and turn off the grass catcher to shred the leaves into a fine mulch that will improve your lawn next year. Mow every week to create a fine mulch.
Isolation of soil plants
While you know that you can use foliage to insulate ground plants, you can also use it to insulate the entire plant. If you have a tender plant that needs a blanket during the winter months, build a cage around the plant, add leaves andlet them survive the winter. This technique works particularly well in cold but not wet climates so that wet leaves do not cause plants to rot.
Protect and store root vegetables
Fall leaves provide a good layer of insulation for hardy vegetables and root crops stored in the ground, such as carrots, kale, leeks and beets. Cover them and you can harvest all winter long.
If you have a cool, moist spot, you can also store carrots, beets, and other root vegetables between layers of crisp, freshly fallen leaves. Spray each layer of foliage with water (do not let them get wet).
Wild animals need the autumn leaves
Leaves are not only useful for us humans. Fallen leaves also provide some winter protection for wildlife, especially pollinators. Bees, moths, butterflies, snails, spiders and dozens of arthropods and pollinators overwinter in dead plant material to protect themselves from cold weather and predators. The mated bumblebee queens, for example, burrow just 3 or 5 cm deep into the soil to hibernate, relying on natural leaf litter to insulate them. Many butterflies also overwinter in pupae or cocoons that are disguised as dry leaves.
Create a pile or two of leaves and allow them to rot naturally. Leave the fall leaves whole, do not shred them. Your butterflies and pollinators will thank you.
Leave some fall leaves for the spring and summer months too
During the spring and summer months, it can be difficult to find enough brown material for your compost bin. If you store them in bags in a cool, dry place, you will have a rich source of brown material for next year.
Autumn decoration for your house
Before the fallen leaves lose their bright autumn colors, you should collect and save some of them. You can use them as a seasonal decoration both in the house andalso outdoorsuse. A quick and easy preservation method is to iron the leaves between two sheets of wax paper. The wax paper encloses the leaves and protects them. You can then cut out the leaves and use them as decoration.
Also read:“LEAVE AUTUMN LEAVES ON THE LAWN OR REMOVE THEM? HOW TO USE AUTUMN LEAVES IN THE GARDEN!”
