12 Ways to Use Fall Leaves (Fun Stuff!)
Some things to do with fall leaves were recommended in this article about decorating your home for fall. Here are 12 more things to do with fall leaves that you may not have considered.
Make “bouquets” with them. If you find some leaves still attached to a small piece of tree branch, you can stick it into a mason jar for a long-lasting centerpiece.
Use them as mulch. While you CAN use them whole, if you shred the leaves, you create a nice protective mulch to put around the base of perennial plants to feed and protect them over the winter. If you don’t have a leaf shredder, you can run over a pile a few times with a lawnmower.
Make leaf mold for your garden. These composted leaves are actually a great soil amendment. Here are specific instructions on how to make a leaf mold compost.
Make an autumn leaf garland. Go for a nature walk and pick up the prettiest and most colorful fall leaves. When you get home, use yard, twine, or some other kind of cord to make a pretty garland. Simply tie the leaves to the cordage by the stem, then hang these over doorways, windows, banisters, and mantels.
Leave them in the yard. Leave them (get it) in the yard so that they can feed your lawn all winter long underneath the snow. Go over them with a lawnmower to break them down.
Use them in your root cellar. If you have a root cellar or basement, dry leaves can be used instead of newspaper for layering the vegetables you are keeping fresh down there. (Make sure your leaves are dry before using them for this purpose.
Insulate baby trees. If you are growing some new fruit trees or other perennial plants, encircle them with chicken wire or another malleable wire fencing. Then stuff leaves down into them to protect your plants from the harsh winter.
Make leaf art. Use those floating frames with glass on both sides and choose the most beautiful leaves you discover to turn them into art.
Cover your garden with them. When you rake up your leaves, put them in your garden. You can lay plastic tarps over them to help them break down over the winter and nourish your soil.
Add them to your compost pile. Put your leaves into your compost pile and stir them in for added nutrients.
Make falling leaf window décor. Collect a whole bunch of pretty leaves. Get long pieces of transparent fishing line and tie leaves randomly to the line. Hang each line from your curtain rod. As people move through the room or a breeze passes through, the strands will move and give the impression of falling leaves.
Make a pile for jumping in. Duh. This probably should have been first! Is there any better fall activity than jumping into a huge pile of freshly raked leaves? Only laying in the pile or burying each other in it. It’s a great way to spend some time playing outdoors whether you’re old or young.
https://thefrugalite.com/ways-to-use-fall-leaves/
Last year on our “new to us” property we shredded leaves where we could, left some in place, and blew some onto edge of road where poisin oak hangs out...I swear doing so killed a lot of poison oak. And last year we also had some large scrub oaks cut down...yay.