Early autumn is not the autumn you see in the pictures, it’s May. For May is the time when most of the leaves have changed to the vibrant colours that we can all relate to. All the yellows and oranges and reds you could imagine and all the shades in between that put on such a show, relatively short-lived in terms of the year itself, but a spectacular display nonetheless. Nature’s finale if you will. And then, of course, come the fallen leaves…
Oh, the leaves. In all fairness, you really can’t have one without the other so, as annoying as all those leaves can sometimes be, it’s a fair trade-off for what most people would agree is a worthwhile event on the calendar. The key from a gardener’s point of view is to look at those leaves as something of a boon to your garden. Rake them into piles, bag them, bin them, but, if you keep them, you can break them down into an excellent soil conditioner known as leaf mould. Added to your garden beds, leaf mould will increase the biological activity in your soil, enhance moisture retention and improve the overall soil structure. And the best part is it’s all free!
There is indeed a multitude of other excellent uses for leaf mould, not least using it to bulk out some potting mix before you re-pot some of your container plants. You could also use it in a seed raising mix where its fluffy texture will aid in good, strong root development. You could even just use the leaves straight up as a nutrient-rich mulch. Cue the noisy blower and disperse those annoying(?) leaves straight into your garden beds – job done!
If you do go to the effort to keep the leaves and want to accelerate the process, you can shred the leaves first by running them over with the lawnmower. But, most importantly, they need to stay moist. A garbage bag poked full of holes and then stuffed full of wet leaves will break down a lot quicker and, before you know it, you’ll have a sustainable and valuable resource to add to your garden to help it stay healthy and grow.
Elsewhere, a healthy lawn will outcompete any potential weeds, so make the effort to feed your lawns now. While you’re at it, lift the blades a bit higher on your mower to promote a longer leaf to help it through the winter months. As you may have guessed by the sudden drop in temperature, the cold weather is on its way, so enjoy the autumn display while you can because pretty soon you’ll have to decide what to do with all those leaves!
May jobs to do now:
- Plant up some winter colour
- Give hedges an autumn trim
- Pressure wash slippery paths
- Prepare holes for bare-root trees
