What to Do with Autumn Leaves on the Dacha: 5 Ideas

With the arrival of autumn, the entire dacha plot is covered with leaves. Usually, they are collected in plastic bags and thrown away at landfills, thereby polluting the environment. You can use biodegradable paper bags or apply fallen leaves for household purposes. We found five useful ideas by looking at Western landscape designers.

Important note: no matter which method of leaf processing you choose, you must first chop them up (using a mulching mower or vacuum mulcher).

Add to Compost

Chopped autumn leaves make an excellent addition to compost. They are rich in carbon, which is essential for plants. Mix chopped leaves with vegetable and fruit scraps, weeds, and grass and leave them over winter. If you visit the dacha before spring, periodically turn the compost.

Use Leaf Mold

Another excellent soil amendment. Making it is even easier than compost: just pile the leaves in a bucket and moisten them with water. Don't forget to cover the leaves with a tarp to maintain humidity levels. Leave the leaves to decompose (this may take 6–12 months).

You can then add the mold to the soil just like compost: it improves soil structure and helps retain moisture.

Use as Mulch

Leaves are one of the most popular types of mulch. Apply a 1 cm layer of chopped leaves on garden beds without touching the trunks and stems of plants.

Mulch retains soil moisture and prevents weeds from growing. In addition, leaves enrich the soil with beneficial microelements.

Save for Later

In spring and summer, you only have young green leaves, which are less useful. Collect and store a couple of bags of chopped autumn leaves for later use – in spring you can add them to compost (and you won't need to add shredded newspapers to dry it out).

Pass Over the Plot with a Lawn Mower

Often, leaves are swept from lawns, but it is much easier to pass over them with a special mulching lawn mower. The chopped leaves will nourish the soil on your plot all winter. As a result, you’ll have fewer weeds in spring.

If done at least once a week while all the leaves are falling, you won't have to spend effort constantly gathering them throughout the plot.