If you’re wondering what to do with all those leaves that fall onto your lawn from the trees each fall, why not consider turning them into mulch or compost? All that is needed is a compost bin and bags of urea. Both of these items are usually available at garden centers or in department stores that have gardening departments.

In the fall, rake up all the leaves you want into a large pile. Next you’ll need to shred them; don’t use wet leaves for this process. You can use your lawn mower, a leaf shredder or a wood chipper shredder, but you won’t get good results unless the leaves are dry.

Next, layer the collected leaves carefully in the compost bin. Make a layer of leaves 12-18 inches deep, then add urea or glass clippings, if you still have any handy at that time of year. Top it all off with a small amount of water. The intent is to dampen the leaves, but not so they’re dripping wet.

Repeat these layers, 12-18 inches of leaves, then urea or grass clippings, and a bit of water, until the bin is full or you run out of leaves. Once the bin is full, cover is securely, either with the supplied lid or a plastic tarp, so that rain and snow can’t get in, and neither can small animals.

Just let it sit over the winter months; there’s nothing to do at this time. As the weather starts to warm up in the spring, it’s time to turn the mixture using a pitchfork. By doing so you will be exposing the buried materials to the air. Now cover it up once again.

The mulch should be ready for use by the time it’s warm enough to start planting your garden. If you prefer compost instead of mulch, just let it sit a little while longer. The only real difference between mulch and compost is the degree of decay of the organic materials. Mulch is still in more of a solid state, while compost is more like nutrient-rich dirt. What you want for your gardening needs is a personal preference.

Making compost and mulch from fallen leaves is easy and can be an enjoyable way to fulfill your gardening needs.

In order to shred your leaves for mulch, why not run them through one of those wood chippers shredders that you can buy or rent. Not only will these machines break up the leaves, but you can throw in all those dead branches at the same time for some terrific mulch to keep your garden protected over the winter.

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