RADAR
Leaf it to Nature
Turn autumn’s colourful castoffs into a goldmine for your garden.
By Claudia Laroye
Fallen leaves can help provide a free natural mulch, fertilizer and habitat for a thriving garden come springtime. | BACKGROUND VIDEO: TETENIO/ENVATO
THE CRISP DAYS AND COOLER NIGHTS of fall are telltale signs that it’s time to prep your flower beds and vegetable patch for winter sleep. Doing the important work now will ensure a glorious spring garden.
Autumn is the ideal time for cleaning garden beds, dividing dormant perennials and planting flower bulbs such as daffodils and tulips before the first frost.
Mulching garden beds is an important way to protect plants from sudden temperature changes. A backyard bounty of fallen leaves can become the garden gold of nutrient-rich leaf mould and mulch.
“A backyard bounty of fallen leaves can become the garden gold of nutrient-rich leaf mould and mulch.”
TO MAKE MULCH Collect fallen leaves and shred with a lawnmower. Smaller or shredded leaves will compost faster than larger leaves. Rake them into garden beds to protect roots and enrich the soil.
TO MAKE LEAF MOULD
Pile shredded leaves in a heap, or in a container or frame. Moisten the leaves and let them decompose naturally over time (one to two years), monitoring and watering as necessary. Once leaves have decomposed into a dark, crumbly, soil-like substance, the leaf mould is ready to use as a natural and valuable soil amendment. AMA
Fallen leaves can help provide a free, natural mulch, fertilizer and habitat for a thriving garden come springtime. | PHOTO: TETENIO/ENVATO