What to Do with Autumn Leaves

Autumn leaves have many uses in the garden, and here are three:

1. Bury the leaves
You can bury leaves using one bucket to one metre squared of bed without damaging nitrogen levels too much. When digging over new beds getting them ready for planting up in spring, bury the leaves two spades deep so that in the following couple of years as new plants establish themselves, they will reach the buried leaf level. In general, it is best not to bury leaves in vegetable beds because they sap nitrogen from the soil.

2. Use leaves as mulch
Leaves can also make a good mulch when applied direct to the bed. This is a good way of working with established beds and borders. Again, it is probably not so good for vegetable production as even on top of soil some initial loss of nitrogen takes place.

It is best to use shredded leaves. You can shred leaves by piling leaves onto a recently mown lawn and going over it with a mower, preferably one that collects as you go. On some mowers you can raise the cutting height and this would be another way to avoid perennial weed or seed getting into the leaf mulch.

3. Make leaf mould
A great way to release nutrients stored in leaves is to create leaf mould. This compost can be used like any other to support early plant growth. It is great as a general soil improver, mixing with other soil-based composts to fill raised beds and containers. It can also be used within a mix of general gardening compost with some sand or perlite for drainage. This can then be used for seed sowing.

To make leaf mould, bag up the leaves (preferably shredded) in black plastic garbage bin liners and create lots of small holes for aeration. If shredded, you will likely have a usable mould for general use in the following summer for seed sowing and other use.

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