5 WAYS I USE LEAVES AND KEEP THEM OUT OF LANDFILLS

Trash or Treasure?

This time of year I find myself feeling overwhelmed when I walk into the garden and there are nothing but dry leaves as far as the eye can see. We have a few varieties of trees that drop every single one of its leaves in what seems like a mere few weeks. They cover patio furniture, pathways, and garden beds. They float atop water features, conceal my favorite garden tools and hide the occasional doggie doo. Often times they hide kids toys which show up at the end of the season in the compost bin. We have been conditioned to rake up our leaves and put them in shiny black hefty bags and set them out on the curb for disposal by the municipality or more recently, put in the “green bin” for city composting. But why are we doing this? Dry leaves are a valuable resource. These lovely bits of carbon can improve the health of your garden, save you time, labor and tons of money too! 

Compost Them

This may be the most obvious choice, especially for those concerned with sustainability and already composting in the traditional way using kitchen scraps, grass clippings, etc. But, for those not yet composting or who avoid it due to concerns about rot, smells or pests, did you know you can compost with just leaves? Well, you can! It takes longer but in the end you will end up with beautiful, nutrient-dense black gold that your vegetables, fruit trees, and shrubs will thank you for. I like to bag up leaves or toss them into containers to have on hand whenever the compost needs a carbon boost. If the compost gets a little too wet, slimy or heavy on the greens, it means means the pile is nitrogen-rich. The dried leaves will instantly neutralize a stinky or anaerobic compost heap. That is the easiest way to maintain the perfect compost balance. Any dried plant matter will do the same, i.e. wood chips, dried twigs, sawdust, pine shavings, or even shredded newspaper. But nothing beats the free leaves that have literally offered themselves for this purpose. Thank you dried leaves!

Mulch

This is by far the easiest use for dead leaves. When your garden is exposed to the elements the roots can really benefit from a little mulch. A thick layer of mulch in the winter can protect roots from the cold and prolong the life of plants or in milder climates, can keep them producing through the winter. In summer, extreme heat can really dry out the garden and lead to stressed out plants or dead plants. Mulching can hold moisture in, help to cut back on  watering, and keep roots cooler on those brutal days. Your water bill will look better too, as they will require less watering! It couldn’t be easier to do. Simply rake up your fallen leaves and put them directly into your garden beds. Avoid the stems of plants so that they won’t rot. But, be generous with them otherwise. Crumple up larger leaves and avoid seed pods or else you will get lots of little trees sprouting up. Leave the leaves on top without mixing into soil as they will alter the ph balance of the soil as they break down. Once they break down, they become a part of the soil itself and release its nutrients for the plants to take in. Repeat the cycle. Yay, you are now recreating life in a forest in your garden by feeding your plant energy from the sun in the form of dead leaves. Welcome to the cycle of life!

Walkways & Paths

Suppress weeds and protect the soil in between garden beds, around stepping stones or cover muddy squishy areas on paths. This is simple and beautiful. Every time you or your pets walk on it, they will break down, look nice and improve the health of the underlying soil.

Pet Bedding

This is my favorite use for fall leaves. I have spent time and money picking up, researching, and purchasing the perfect bedding for my chickens, ducks and bunny.  I absolutely love using leaves in the chicken run! It will dry up a slippery run instantly after a heavy rain, neutralize odor, and provide hours of entertainment for the chickens and ducks. They love scratching it up and looking for little buggies or seeds. All the scratching helps distribute and mix the leaves with the waste and makes the deep litter method work perfectly in our run. This is a low to no maitainance composting method that occurs right in the chicken run. We happen to have a tree growing in the middle of our run and the soil quality has gone from dry, nutrient void dust to moist, fertile soil in a matter of a few short months since I started using leaves. Best of all, it’s totally free and I don’t have to drive to the local feed store to pick it up. I still prefer straw in certain areas like nesting boxes and in the duck house. The leaves are a great bedding in the bunny hutch too. We mix leaves with straw for our bunny and she loves it.  

Ground Cover

Forget lawns! What a waste of water, energy and c’mon, bo-ring! Wood bark is great, but so are leaves. At first they will blow around and look a bit messy. But as they break down and get trampled on, rained on and just exposed to the elements they will quickly  become a part of the ground, helping to boost the overall health of the soil. Leaves are the perfect ingredient for permaculture gardening. Wood chips mixed with leaves will break down quicker than wood bark and chips alone, making the minerals and nutrients more bio-available for plants and beneficial garden insects and earthworms. Turn every inch of your garden into a permaculture dream. Since I have been incorporating leaves into our wood chip ground cover, volunteer vegetables have been popping up all over the place. Life just happens in the soil when the leaves remain in the picture.

How do you use dried leaves? Let me know! 🍃