Hedgehog Homes, Fertilizer, and More: Making Good Use of Excess Leaves

One option is to rake the leaves together in autumn and leave them in large piles. You can effectively use these leaf piles directly to cover roses, etc., where the leaves are then secured with brushwood branches. In spring, these leaves will be significantly less voluminous and easier to dispose of. This provides effective winter protection and also offers shelter to small garden animals during the cold season.

Leaves also make great compost. That's why it's best to add them to your compost heap in spring, or even right away in autumn (if you don't want to use them as described above). Many people only have small compost bins that can only hold a small portion of the accumulated leaves. In such cases, it's helpful to simply create a pile next to it; by spring, it will have naturally shrunk and fit into the composter.

Just as leaves benefit compost, they are also excellent fertilizer and water storage for garden beds. Therefore, you can leave them on the beds in autumn and dig them under or cultivate them in spring. There, they will decompose and essentially form compost right in place. If the leaves have fallen onto mulched areas, it's best to add a new layer of mulch on top in spring. This way, the leaves quickly decompose and help replenish the mulch, which naturally diminishes through decomposition anyway.

If you genuinely have so much leaves on your lawn that you can't manage the volume, you should simply run over them with a lawnmower. This significantly reduces their bulk. In many cities, there are composting facilities where you can drop off biodegradable waste for free or for a small fee. If you have a large garden, this is worthwhile with a trailer or large garden bags.