By Erica Timm

One of my favorite things about autumn is the explosion of fall color along our city streets that seems to make every walk a natural artistic adventure. While the leaf color change is surely a benefit of trees, the leaves eventually fall off the trees and can sometimes seem more of a burden than a benefit. In hopes of inspiring myself (and others) to embrace the falling leaves, and transition discarded leaves into a productive new path, I’ve compiled this list of ways to give your fallen leaves a new life.

Mulch with leaves

Leaves can be used as an alternative to commercial mulches. Leaves tend to break down quicker than courser mulch material, which means your soil gleans the nutrients more quickly, creating a richer soil.

If you are mulching your entire yard, the leaves can simply be left where they fall and mowed over to discourage matting and enable the leaves to break down more quickly. Another option is to rake the leaves into a pile and then spread them over the areas to be mulched. If the leaves are large, a shovel can be used to chop them up into smaller pieces before spreading.

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