The Best Way To Use Leaves In The Fall – How To Use Leaves In Gardens, Flowerbeds & More: As the leaves fall, they build the soil. You should do the same. Your garden can make money off of all those leaves! We’ll show you a bunch of different ways to use fallen leaves in the garden, from making leaf mold and mulch to protecting plants.
The Best Way To Use Leaves In The Fall – How To Use Leaves In Gardens, Flowerbeds & More
It’s not called “fall” for nothing. A lot of trees lose their leaves in the fall, but before that, the colorful leaves that make us happy last until spring. Leaves that have fallen make noise when you walk on them. They have a nice smell. They sometimes make a lot of dancing shapes when the wind blows.
One eye is on the beautiful show of leaves changing colors, and the other is on how useful these leaves are and what I can do with them at home.
Leaves Are Fall’s Most Abundant Crop
Yes, Leaves are the most plentiful crop this season. What amazing living things! And it’s free. Minerals that were deep in the ground have been brought to the surface by the trees. Among other things, leaves are a great source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and more.
Soil and plant food from the leaves of a single big tree can be worth $50. For every pound of leaves, there are twice as many minerals in manure. They give off a lot of organic matter that can be used to make the soil better.
- Leaf humus can lighten heavy clay soils.
- They feed earthworms and beneficial microbes.
- Leaves increase the moisture retention of dry, sandy soils.
- They make an attractive mulch in the flower garden.
- They are a fabulous source of carbon to balance the nitrogen in your compost pile.
- They insulate tender plants from cold.
Improve Your Soil
Shred the leaves and put them right in the garden. The soil around your plants will be full of earthworms and other good bugs next spring.
You should add slow-release nitrogen fertilizers to the soil after adding shredded leaves to help the leaves break down and make sure that soil microbes don’t use up all the nitrogen.
Along with his furry friend, Ben shows us all the good things that can be done with fallen leaves in the garden and yard.
They show us how to make leaf mold, mulch, and protect plants. Stay tuned until the end for a great way to boost all the leaves you rake up!
Create a Compost Pile
Making compost is a great way to improve the soil. Now is a good time to start composting if you haven’t already. Put the fall leaves in a corner of your yard.
If possible, use chicken wire or some other kind of structure to keep the leaves from blowing away. The leaves will break down faster if you shred them with a mulching lawnmower, a chipper, or a leaf shredder.
Also See:
The 6 Easiest Vegetables to Grow From Seed
Add “green” things like grass clippings, dead plants, and kitchen scraps on top of these “brown” leaves that are high in carbon.
This “green” food gives the bacteria that will break down the leaves everything they need. Add an inch of new grass clippings or other green, leafy yard waste on top of three or four inches of old leaves.
Make Leaf Mold
That sounds like a lot of work to do. Then make leaf mold, which English gardeners love. Just gather the leaves into a big pile. They will break down faster if you shred them, but you don’t have to shred them to make leaf mold.
Fumes will take over if you keep the leaves wet. The leaves will break down into a dark, sweet-smelling soil conditioner that is high in calcium and magnesium and holds water after one to three years. It works great as an addition to potting soils and as a supplement for vegetable and flower gardens.
Make Mulch
Mulch made of leaves is a great way to protect vegetable gardens, blueberries (and other berries), and ornamental shrubs. They keep the soil moist and kill weeds at the same time. Since they don’t contain weed seeds, they won’t help new weeds grow either.