In the autumn, the beautifully colored autumn leaves fall closer to us on the ground. Some find it very disturbing to see how the leaves trash down the tidy lawn and sometimes create brown spots where the sun’s rays do not get through. In addition, there is a legitimate concern for slipping on the wet leaves. It is therefore important to gather the leaves for safety purposes. But what are you going to do with all leaves ?!
We have six tips on how you can transform this glittering junk into a functional and beautiful resource in the garden and at home!
1. Cover your flower beds!
Leaves in the discount or on the cultivation surface act as a warming blanket for the soil and facilitates for worms and other degradation to work longer to improve the soil. The best leaves to put on the flower bed are leaves that dwarf quickly like fruit and petals. To ensure that the leaves do not fly away you can sprinkle some soil. In spring, you easily rub the leaves to make way for the planting small plants. Image from www.trillium.se
2. Put the leaves in the compost or create a leaf compost.
You can create your own moth by making a leaf compost. In England, foliage has taken over the role of the peat mill because it is more environmentally friendly and at the same time has the characteristics of the peat in terms of moisture retention, nutritional fatigue and stable structure. A leaf compost you easily create by placing the leaves in a shaded corner of the garden or in an open container. After three years, you can use the leafmill everywhere in your crops and directly in the soil as soil improvement. Every year, you turn around the leaves with a grip and you can also add lawn mown grass for nutrition. If you also have a food waste compost, it is also advisable to save a bag of leaves for summer to balance the wet compost waste with dry leaves. Image from www.trillium.se
3. Mix fertilizer and fill your cultivation beds for next season.
You can also mix your leaves directly with manure and fill your farming beds already before the next season’s cultivation.
4. Make a nice door wreath of maple leaves or decorate to the party!
Nypons, acorns and leaves give a nice color to the indoor environment as well as the outdoor driveway. Picture from Majka Edberg. Florist Jarlaplansblommor, Stockholm.
5. Make a living for hedgehogs!
The hedgehog is in some European countries endangered, much because of our way of cleaning in the garden. By building a small nest of small twigs and leaves, you can give place to a hedgehog and you can work together to remove unwanted insects and snails.
6. Donate to a farming association or a neighbor nearby.
Sometimes you simply have a lot more leaves than you can use. And in many cases, there are those who need more leaves than you because they have larger cultivation areas or possibilities for composting. Ask your neighbor who grows or donate to a growers association nearby. For example, Kajodlingen in Gothenburg always gratefully accepts your leaves for their crops.
Have a nice autumn day!
Best wishes from Victoria Bengtsson with Growgbg team