10 Ways to Use Autumn Leaves

Written By Lara Wadsworth

What do you think of when you think of fall? I think of colors like orange, red, yellow, and brown. For those of us who live in regions with many trees, autumn means fall color and eventually… Raking. I live in Michigan, and although this area is known around the world for its colorful treetops and abundance of forests, for us residents, this also translates to lots of fallen leaves. My neighborhood specifically has an abundance of oak trees. This means that each year, around November, we have a lot of leaves to dispose of. It really is impressive how many leaves we accumulate despite how small our yard is! In my city, the leaf clean-up is left to the residents, and you have to either bring it to the drop-off location yourself or purchase bags from the city which they will then pick up for you. My husband and I usually don’t want to do either of those things. So, we have gotten pretty creative with what we do with the leaves. Here are some of our best ideas so far!

1 - Mulch

The most obvious way to use leaves, in my opinion, is mulch. Whatever ways you would use bark mulch, you can use leaves too. But it’s free! Cover your garden or landscape bed with them in the fall. The leaves will compost over the winter and add nutrients back into the soil while also preventing weeds from coming up in the off-season. Similarly, you can use it as mulch around perennials to protect their roots from frost. Many gardeners will buy straw for this purpose, but you can use leaves for free! You can use any kind of leaf for this. The only difference is that some leaves will break down faster than others. Maple and ash will easily be gone in less than a year, but oak and holly will take longer. There are pros and cons to each kind, but they are all usable.

2 - Compost

Instead of putting them straight into the garden, you can compost them first! Dried leaves make fantastic compost. I won’t go into too much detail about it here. Suffice it to say you don’t need much space to create some high-quality compost for your plants to benefit. Dried leaves are considered ‘brown matter’ in the composting world, and you typically need a lot of them to compost correctly. Use your leaves along with kitchen scraps or weeds and turn trash into gold… black gold!

3 - Leaf Mold

Creating leaf mold is similar to composting but less complicated. Leaf mold is a rich, crumbly compost made entirely from decomposed leaves, often used by gardeners to improve soil quality. To make it, gather your leaves and pile them into a corner of your yard, ideally in a fenced area or contained bin. Allow them to decompose over several months to a couple of years. The length of time depends on the thickness of the leaves. Fruit tree leaves and maple leaves will take just a couple months whereas oak and other, thicker leaves may need a full year to break down properly. Leaf mold retains water beautifully, which can enhance soil moisture and improve soil structure. It’s especially beneficial for amending garden beds, potting mixes, and vegetable patches.

4 - Leaf Mold Tea

Have you ever heard of compost tea? Well, leaf mold tea is even easier to make! Leaf mold tea is a liquid plant booster filled with beneficial microbes and nutrients. Fill a burlap sack with crushed leaves, submerge it in a large bucket or barrel of water, and let it sit for a few days. The resulting "tea" is a nutrient-rich liquid that can be poured over soil or used as a foliar spray on plants. It can give both indoor and outdoor plants an extra nutritional kick, especially in times of stress or growth. The exact nutrient profile of the tea will depend on which leaf type is used. This is a great way to get a free liquid fertilizer alternative!

5 - Garden Pathways

Killing weeds, turf, and other plants in order to make way for pathways and other walkable structures costs homeowners hundreds of dollars each year. Between excavators, herbicides, and manual labor, it is often a financially daunting task to turn a patch of grass or weeds into a pathway. If you have a tree and some time to wait, you can do it for free! Similar to creating a new bed with lasagna gardening (see below), you can pile leaves up in the shape of the pathway you wish to have in your yard. Over the next months, these leaves will smother the grass beneath and then break down themselves. The following summer, you can cover it with bark mulch, gravel, or stones to create a gorgeous path! The layer of leaves should be at least a few inches thick to adequately smother the plants beneath.

6 - Decorative Leaf Bags

A fun way to get the leaves off the grass entirely is decorative leaf bags! If you like to decorate for Halloween or autumn with pumpkins, hay bales, and similar objects, this could be a great option for you. They sell them in all sorts of different styles nowadays, and many of them are even biodegradable. The ones that I have are even compostable. The sun helps to break them down over the few weeks they are on your property, and then you can throw them into a compost bin to break them down all the way. Next year, there will be no trace of them. How cool is that?

7 - Create a New Garden Bed

A method known as lasagna gardening or sheet mulching is gaining popularity more and more these days. To be concise, it is a method to create a new garden bed and enrich the soil at the same time. Leaves are one of the main layers of this method, and you can complete it in the fall to have a garden bed ready to plant by springtime! It is an easy way to kill turf or other plants without herbicides while enriching the soil with high-quality organic matter to make way for a thriving spring garden!

8 - Crafts

While this is not really a way to use up a lot of leaves all at once, I have to mention it! If you have kiddos at home, it is so fun to do a fall scavenger hunt to see who can find the most leaf types. Or, anyone (kids or not) can string up the leaves with thread to make an autumnal garland to bring inside. Another idea is to lay out some tape in a cardboard frame and have the littles (or just you) stick leaves to the tape. Then, secure the back with more cardboard, and you have made a framed fall art piece. The ideas go on and on. Comment below any more craft ideas you have involving leaves!

9 - Mushrooms

Leaf litter is an excellent medium for cultivating certain mushrooms, like shiitakes or wine caps, which thrive in damp, organic-rich materials. Set up a mushroom bed by layering leaves with wood chips or logs, then inoculate with mushroom spawn. With the right conditions, you may be able to harvest homegrown mushrooms directly from the fallen leaves in your garden. To do this outdoors, be sure to choose a mushroom that grows naturally in your region. Leaf litter is not recommended for growing mushrooms indoors unless by professionals due to contamination potential. Read more about this on Mycelia.

10 - Leave the Leaves

Lastly, when possible, it is best to leave the leaves where they lie. The leaf litter is home to many different critters and creatures. While this doesn’t sound appealing, all bugs and animals play a part in the balance of the ecosystem. When we eliminate the habitat for one, we hurt all. A natural leaf layer provides a winter habitat for beneficial insects, spiders, and pollinators, including caterpillars and beetles, which in turn attract birds and other wildlife to your garden. While doing this will prevent grass from growing next year, try to find as many places as possible to let the leaves lie! It will also save you time and labor, of course.

Notes of Caution About Using Leaves

Avoid using any leaves or needles that come from a diseased or unhealthy looking tree. If your tree had any kind of illness or invasive pest this year, it is best to destroy the leaves and wait for next year. Keeping diseased leaves around can perpetuate the issue. Do a bit of research on the particular kind of leaf you are working with. For example, walnut leaves should be given 2-3 full years to break down if you use them for compost or mulch before planting near them. The leaves have a compound that can inhibit plant growth if not broken down first. Leaves like oak can be used but have a bad reputation for decomposing too slowly. Circumvent this by shredding them first.

Happy raking!

Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer

I am a native of Southwestern Michigan, where I also reside, and I love all things plants! I got a Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture and found the first work-from-home job I could get. Now, I spend my days writing for TLM, playing with my dog, eating delicious food with my husband, and plotting my next landscape or gardening move. I believe everyone should get down and dirty in the soil now and then. Happy Gardening!