The smell of pumpkins, the crispness in the air, apple cider ... there are many great things about autumn, but cleaning up leaves doesn't rank highly on that list. Read on for tips on fulfilling this outdoor chore in an earth-conscious (and fun!) manner.
First things first...
Jumping in a pile of leaves never gets old, no matter how old you may get. So make a pile and take a leap before bidding your leaves adieu. If you have kids, go on a hunt for the prettiest or biggest leaves around and make them into an art project. Check out some of these leaf craft activities for kids for ideas.
Much mulch
Protect your garden from harsh winter weather by spreading leaves over bare garden soil during winter — it creates an extremely cost-effective, eco-friendly mulch. Decaying leaves will deplete garden soil of nitrogen, so in the spring, make sure to add an organic source of nitrogen like Neptune’s Harvest Organic Hydrolyzed Fish Fertilizer.
Don't dread shredding
To keep bags of leaves out of the landfill, gather dry leaves into low piles with a rake, then mow over them with your lawnmower. Leaves will decompose on their own, eventually turning into compost. If you spread them evenly over your yard, they’ll disappear in no time!
What's that smell?
Even though you may have seen neighbors burning huge piles, torching leaves isn't a good idea — even small piles of burning leaves can release large amounts of toxic fumes that can aggravate respiratory problems, among many other issues.