Written by Penelope Hyland, Colorado Master Gardener Class of 2018

Every year, it’s the same chore of raking up, bagging and getting rid of all those leaves!  A new perspective is needed as all those dried up brown leaves are actually worth their weight in gold!  All of the nutrients that the tree pulled up from the soil went right up the trunk and out through the limbs into the leaves.  Even though they have now dried and fallen onto the ground, those nutrients are still there waiting to give back to the soil in a marvelous cycle of enrichment.  So what are some ways to use all those leaves instead of throwing them out:

• Mow into the turf: all the leaves that have fallen onto your turf can simply be mowed into the grass in small pieces; rain and snow will help do the rest.
• Allow the leaves to gather at the base of plants to help protect the roots and provide overwinter habitat for valuable insects. In the spring, crunch them into smaller pieces and turn into the soil.
• Use as mulch – can be spread as a blanket (not too deep) over soil.
• Mix in with your other compost materials or use on their own as compost.
• Bag and store – certainly bag them up, but then store in a far unused corner over the winter allowing the sun to heat the bag creating moisture inside. In the spring, you will have a lovely bag full of leaf mold to turn into the soil or spread around all your plants.
• Make a leaf garden tea: fill a 5-gal bucket halfway full of leaves, add 3 gal of water and 1 oz of unsulfured molasses; stir daily and let steep for 2-3 days; strain; use within 3 days.

As you can see, there are many ways to use all these wonderful nutrient-filled leaves.  Whatever your choice definitely amend your soil on an annual basis with your leaves and utilize this awesome source!