It’s that colorful time of year: the leaves are falling, creating a golden carpet beneath your feet. Unfortunately that means you have to rake them up and do something with them. Whatever you do, don’t stuff them into plastic garbage bags and throw them out. Leaves make wonderful mulch.

Simply pile the leaves up, shred them with your lawn mower and place the leaf mulch on your garden beds. The leaves form a soft blanket that protects your plants from heavy winter rains and helps insulate the roots from cold temperatures.

Ultimately the leaves will break down and become part of your soil acting like a natural fertilizer and soil conditioner. Leaf mulch helps to break up heavy soils. So don’t throw out those leaves. Take advantage of nature’s bounty and return the leaves to the soil.