{"id":84,"date":"2013-11-04T13:53:16","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T19:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=84"},"modified":"2025-09-30T11:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:00:02","slug":"what-to-do-with-autumn-leaves","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/what-to-do-with-autumn-leaves\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do With Autumn Leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are lots of options to bagging ’em!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Raking<\/a>
\u00a9 cladio calcagno \/ Fotolia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Each fall, homeowners blessed with mature trees struggle to find ways to deal with their autumn leaves easily, quickly, and in an earth-friendly way. Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Mow ’em over. <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Put the bag on your mower and just run over them. The resulting finely chopped leaves take up less space, break down more quickly, and are less flyaway and easier to handle than unchopped leaves. Chopped leaves also make a good mulch for perennials beds and borders to protect them from winter\u2019s extremes. Gently pull or rake off in early spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Compost them<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Leaves\u2014especially chopped leaves\u2014are a great addition to the compost pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Create a pit compost<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you have a good place for it, dig a big hole or trench and fill it with leaves. Spread the excavated soil over the top and surrounding area. Over time, the leaves will break down and you can add more\u2014or simply fill in with more soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Create a temporary leaf pile<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Use chicken wire, boards, or other handy materials to corral a big leave pile. By spring, the leaves will be broken down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Dig them into your vegetable garden<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By spring, they\u2019ll break down and feed the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Give them away.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, some gardeners are looking for fall leaves for all of the above reasons. Post in online freebie and gardening groups. Also check and see if your community has any free yard waste or leaf collection days. Many communities then compost them and make them available for the public in the spring and summer. If you don’t have a pickup to haul leaves, an easy alternative is to buy a soft-sided demolition dumpsters<\/a> and load them up into the back of your SUV or even your car. If you’re really lucky, you live in one of the communities that have days that you can rake leaves into the street and a giant vacuum\/shredder truck will come buy and collect them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might also be interested in:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulching Cheaper and Better<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall Garden Cleanup<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please do not use content from this site without express permission from The Iowa Gardener. Click here<\/a><\/span> to request permission<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are lots of options to bagging ’em! Each fall, homeowners blessed with mature trees struggle to find ways to deal with their autumn leaves easily, quickly, and in an earth-friendly way. Here are some ideas: \u2022 Mow ’em over. Put the bag on your mower and just run over them. The resulting finely chopped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2011,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-information-for-iowa-gardeners","category-garden-know-how","category-trees-and-shrubs"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat To Do With Autumn Leaves - The Iowa Gardener<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/what-to-do-with-autumn-leaves\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What To Do With Autumn Leaves - The Iowa Gardener\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are lots of options to bagging ’em! 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