A lot of people love fall because it’s a stunning season to take awesome pictures. Yet, after you’ve got an amazing photo in the pile of colorful fall leaves, you have to do something with them. It’s not a good idea to leave them in your garden for several reasons. First of all, such piles don’t make your yard more attractive. The next reason is that they are able to contain various unseen dangers, such as garter snakes, spiders, and other creepy-crawlies. Finally, they can even cause serious damage to your house or car. If you are looking for an effective way to get rid of all that colorful stuff on your yard, you should consider the following tips.

• Don’t burn leaves!

What could be easier than burning foliage?  Yet, it’s not the right way out. Such fires produce dangerous and cancer-causing chemicals. They affect not only the environment but also your health. Moreover, a stray spark can burn your house to the ground. If you still want to start a fire, you should do it far away from the building and it’s better to wear a protective mask.  Before lighting a match, you have to check whether some creatures are hiding in the piles or not.

• Use leaves to protect your plants

It’s not obligatory to get rid of the foliage. You can benefit from it. It’s possible to add the fronds to the mulch to protect your plants from cold or excessive moisture. Moreover, they control weed growth.  If you want to get a good harvest of garlic or strawberry, it’s worth to cover the plants with chopped foliage.

• Feed your plants

If you are looking for super soil amendment, you’ve already found it. The fronds are rich in carbon.  It’s the perfect material for making compost. It’s important to add air occasionally and keep the materials warm. Such an amendment raises the fertility and diminishes the strain on landfills. Yet, you should be aware of diseased foliage that is able to spread the pathogens around the garden. 

• Store vegetables

Every farmer knows that there is no better helper for storing root vegetables than freshly fallen foliage. It’s important to sprinkle the fronds with water. The storage spot should be cool and humid. This trick works not only for home-grown vegetables. You can buy them at the nearest local market. 

• Feed the grass on your lawn

The fallen foliage can benefit your lawn grass. You may leave the fronds on the surface and run the lawnmower over them. The layer shouldn’t be too thick.  

In conclusion, it’s worth mentioning that even the fallen leaves can benefit your gardening. To keep your plants in order is not difficult but interesting.