Learning how to make mulch from leaves will save you a lot of money and make your garden grow better. Fallen leaves are a free organic, sustainable resource that will improve soil fertility, drainage, promote airflow, reduce weeds, prevent erosion, and attract earthworms.
Make good use of the leaves that fall off your trees by transforming them into free mulch.
Rake Them Up
We spend hours in the fall of the year raking the fallen tree and shrub leaves off the lawn. If the leaves are left on the lawn, they will smother the grass. Use that same principle in the garden.
Rake them up and place the leaves on top of the garden soil to smother the weeds.
The leaves will smother any existing weeds and weed seeds so they won’t germinate the following spring. The soil covered by fallen leaves will also be protected against erosion during the winter months.
Mulch The Soil
If the leaves have not decomposed and are still recognizable when the weather warms up in spring, rake them off the garden and place them in a secured location nearby. Amend the garden soil and plant the seeds. When the seedlings are 6-8 inches (15 – 20 cm) tall, place the leaves back on top of the garden soil around the plants. The leaves will act as a mulch to prevent weed growth, keep the soil cool, and help the soil retain moisture.
Bag Them
You can create leaf mold to use as mulch and fertilizer by raking the fallen leaves up and placing them in a plastic trash bag for the winter. They will partially decompose over the winter and be ready to improve the garden soil and mulch the plants in spring.
Partially decomposed leaves are called leaf mold. It’s the brown, crumbly material that smells earthy. The leaves won’t fully decompose and turn into compost because they are not receiving enough oxygen or nitrogen inside the plastic trash bag.
Leaf mold is an organic, sustainable soil conditioner that improves water retention, enhances soil structure, and creates a habitat for the soil’s micro-and macro-organisms.
After seedlings reach 6-8 inches (15 – 20 cm) high in the spring, apply the leaf mold around the seedlings. The leaf mold will quickly decompose and create a nutrient-rich mulch that will slowly work its way down into the soil.
Mow Them
Most lawnmower brands have mulch blades that will chop fallen tree leaves up into small pieces. These small pieces make ideal mulch for flower beds and container vegetable gardens.
You can place the small leaf pieces on top of the garden soil and turn them under as a free soil amendment. Add the whole leaves on top of the soil to prevent erosion.
Compost Them
Fallen tree leaves decompose quickly and make a good addition to the compost bin. When the compost is ready, it makes a great mulch of plants. Compost will feed plants, prevent weed growth, prevent soil compaction, and attract earthworms.
Any way you decide to use this free, sustainable, natural resource in the garden will be good for the soil and the plants.
How To Make Cut Flowers Last Long
