Five Clever Ways to Get Rid of Your Leaves This Fall

Autumn is one of our favorite times of the year.  

Leaves change color, kids go back to school, birds fly south for the winter, and more. Fall is truly a time for change and preparation.  

However, it is also the time when leaves fall to the ground and make a mess in your yard.  

The good news? Raking leaves doesn’t have to be a thankless chore anymore!  

This year don’t just pile up your leaves on the curb and pay someone to pick them up. Use your leaves to your advantage.  

For millions of years, leaves have fallen to the forest floor to die and create a fertile layer of soil to help new plants burst into being. You can use fresh leaves to get the same advantage in your yard.  

This fall, use these five clever ways to get rid of your leaves and learn how to use them to your advantage.  

Top Five Tips for Leaf Management  

Throwing away your leaves? You’re tossing out gardener’s gold! Learn how to use your yard’s leaves with the five tips below. 

Mow Leaves into Your Lawn 

So maybe you don’t have time to go through an elaborate process to use the nutrients in your leaves. That’s okay!  

If you’re short on time this fall, but still want the benefits of your leaves’ nutrients, try mowing the leaves into your lawn.  

Researchers at Michigan State University have shown that lawns benefit from a thin layer of leaves. Leaf litter lessens the need for fertilization in the spring, meaning a little work now can pay dividends later. 

Make Leaf Mulch 

This tip is good for your garden. 

Leaves make excellent protective mulch for vegetable crops, and they also help suppress weeds and retain moisture.  

Simply cut up or chop leaves into small two-inch pieces and then scatter liberally over the garden bed. 

The best time to apply the mulch is after the ground has frozen, so cut up your leaves now and leave them in a plastic bag until later this fall. 

Create a Compost Pile 

To do it right, your compost pile needs an even mixture of wet, green materials, and dry brown materials. 

Fresh green grass clippings are perfect for the first portion of the concoction, and fallen crispy leaves are ideal for the second portion. 

The leaves you rake up from the ground are ready to throw on your compost pile immediately. You can cut up the leaves to hasten their decomposition rate, or you can store leaves in a plastic bag if you have too many and want to parcel them out over the coming months.  

Enhance Your Soil 

As we said earlier, in nature, the foundation of every forest is a thick bed of leaves. You can use that same concept to give your soil a boost.  

Either make leaf mulch, leaf mold or just mix dried leaves right in with your soil.  

Any way you choose, the nutrients of the leaves will seep into your soil, only to be sucked up and used by next year’s plants.  

Remember, the best plants are grown from superior soil.  

Have a Ball this Fall 

There are many uses for fallen leaves. But perhaps the best of all is that leaves can be a whole lot of fun! 

How do you do it? We’ll tell you! 

First things first, rake all your leaves into a pile, the big puffy, chest-high kind. Then step away (15-20 feet) to admire your work. Once you have a scope of things, run at your pile full tilt. At three to four feet until impact bound into the air and come down into the pile of leaves.  

Gather any nearby children and pets and repeat the process until you have to rake again.  

Not the physical type? Leaves make great art projects too! Kids and adults can make a collage of this fall’s most vibrant leaves to enjoy for years to come. Maybe you can even cut up the most orange, yellow, and red leaves and make a collage. As they brown, nature will create a work of art that you’ll never forget.  

Take Your Landscape a Step Further with Lebanon Lawn and Landscape 

Fall landscaping isn’t easy and we could all use a little help getting the job done. Or better yet, someone could do the job for you.  

This fall, call Lebanon Lawn and Landscape. In the Fall months, you may consider leaf removal, aerating, over-seeding, or trimming back shrubs and ornamental grasses. We can handle them all! 

Keep your yard healthy through fall and winter and give it a head start in spring. Reach out to Lebanon Lawn and Landscape for fall clean-up made easy!