Tree foliage looks majestic at fall – sporting their bright autumn colors.

But the fallen leaves are a bother. If left on the lawn the grass might burn out in unsightly patches, if its left at the entrance it can turn the pavement into a slippery danger.

The leaves have to be collected, even if we don’t feel like it, almost every day.

Let us show you how you can recycle the fallen leaves.

Eco-gardeners are well aware of the fact, that the fallen leaves are in fact a treasure and make a wonderful compost. Despite this many hobby gardeners burn the leaves or treat it as waste – although it can be turned into a nutrient rich medium with composting.

Simply gather the leaves and disperse them over the empty flowerbeds and vegetable beds.

If you want to make sure that it actually composts by spring it might be worth grinding the leaves with a lawn mower. This way they will decompose faster.

The leaves can even left untouched under bigger trees and bushes if it doesn’t bother anyone in using the garden. This doesn’t only provide your plants with important nutrients but also gives many insects an ideal hiding place.

If the wind keeps blowing the leaves off the beds, either wet them so they stick together or spread a layer of mulch or actual compost over them – this way no wind will scatter the leaves around the garden.

Do not leave the leaves on the lawn because the lawn gets spoilt under it and die out leaving brown patches behind. Pick up the leaves as fast as possible – but don’t dump it just yet, rather heap it up in a corner of the garden. It will turn into wonderful organic compost by the time spring rolls around.

It is important to note that heavy and harder leaves decompose slower, so it’s worth grinding them up before putting them into the compost. Walnut and chestnut leaves are rich in tannin acid, they decompose slower – so in larger amounts it is actually better to deal with them as waste and dispose of them.

If there is space in the garden a separate compost can be created for these, harder leaves.

And a last tip – punch a few holes on a large garbage bag. Fill the bag with leaves and wet it thoroughly. Put it into a shaded corner of the garden. Water the bag regularly. By spring you will have a sack of rich compost soil. This is how fallen leaves turn into gold.