As we move away from summer and into autumn, you know it’s coming.
Time to rake the leaves!
Everyone fond memories of jumping into piles of leaves as children and less-than-fond memories of raking them as adults. But wait a moment! Those fallen leaves can come in handy in many ways. Here are four reasons why you shouldn’t dump those leaves into a waste bin and wait for a truck to pick them up.
1. Leaves can be used as compost.
In a previous blog post, we mentioned the advantages of making your own homemade organic compost to treat your lawn and garden. In case you missed it, a large pile of leaves can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost in a matter of months. Just mix in grass clippings, kitchen scraps, weeds and soil and start building your compost heap to become a greener gardener.
2. Leaves can be turned into mulch.
Similar to compost, fallen leaves can be gathered and spread around garden beds to provide insulation for plants. All you do is gather the leaves into a pile, shred them with a mulch mower and cover the garden with one to two inches of leaves. In time, the mulch will integrate with the soil to create a richer source of nutrients and water for your garden.
As a side note, you can also do this for trees. Scientifically speaking, this is why leaves fall in the first place. Fallen leaves helps sustain the very tree they grew from. Making mulch is just doing that to other plants or trees that need to grow.
3. Bags of leaves can be used for insulation purposes.
If you must rake leaves and dump them into a plastic bag, don’t just place them on your sidewalk to be taken away. Use these leaves for insulation. If you have a hole in the wall somewhere in your house, plug it up with a bag of leaves. If you have electrical equipment in your garage you don’t want to freeze up during the winter, surround them with bags of leaves to keep them warm. Think of the possibilities!
