Creative Ways to Use Fallen Leaves!

If you are a property owner with trees surrounding your house, you will most likely have an abundance of leaves this fall! Many homeowners try to remove the leaves from the ground to help maintain a healthy lawn. While removing them is a lot of work, with some creative energy you can use those leaves for many other things. Read on for some creative and useful ways to recycle your fallen leaves this autumn.

One of the greatest reasons to remove your fallen leaves is to prevent your lawn from being overtaken. Leaves can form a very thick layer that may drown out and suffocate the grass growing underneath. Left to their own, the leaves can cause the death of your lawn you have worked so hard to establish all year long! You can just mow over the leaves to break them down, but removing them is the best way to assure your lawn will be strong and ready to grow in the spring.

One great and fun way to take advantage of the cool fall weather and your leaf covered ground is to rake all the leaves in a pile. Rake till the leaves are gathered and then be ready for some fun. Jumping in and out of the leaf pile is so much fun for kids to do, and tons of fun for the adults to watch! I can remember jumping in leaf piles almost every fall throughout my childhood. Invite the neighbor kids over and have them bring their own rake to help you help them have fun!

After you've raked your leaves into a pile you can then bag them. Many stores sell bags that were manufactured just for this purpose. These large leaf bags are decorated and colored to resemble giant pumpkins. You can find jack-o-lantern faces, black cats, plain harvest pumpkins and even hay bale colored leaf bags. Toss a few in a pile and you can create an instant harvest décor area.

Another wonderful use for your fall leaves is to place them into your compost pile. Oak leaves are exceptional for compost, but any leaves will help create vibrant compost for the year to come. Combine your grass clippings and some horse manure for a wonderful simple compost mix.

Leaves also make a great choice for organic mulch. If you have a garden, you can cover the garden with the fallen leaves in the fall. They can serve as a mulch to prevent weed growth after the growing season is done as well as prevent early spring weed growth before you till and plant the garden. Leaves work well for garden mulch because you never have to remove them, you can just till them into the garden and they will decompose and enrich your garden soil. You can also use leaves for mulch in large flower beds, and any landscaped area on your property.

If you have no other creative use for your leaves that have fallen, you can simply rake them and watch your local ad paper for the yard clean-up day. This day is designated for homeowners to be able to clean up leaves, sticks and any other yard waste. The local waste facility will bring trucks to pick up your refuse and they will use the leaves and other materials as they need.

Autumn is such a special time of the year as the weather is cool and comfortable. Take advantage of a nice fall day and head out to the leaf covered ground with a rake. Your lawn will thank you and your kids will have a lot of fun!