Using leaves and grass clippings is the best way to mulch and improve your soil at the same time. In weedy places i put down cardboard or newspaper first then mulch with the leaves/clippings.

my dad always collected all our neighbors' oak leaves, and dug them into the beds. but i just use our own fallen leaves as mulch, watering it down so it doesn't blow away the first day. and, when i prune, i cut up any twigs or branches to a size smaller than a hand, making them easier to break down. once a year i call a tree service, who will dump their load of mulch for free in my driveway (fresh cut from a tree that is not diseased or a weed tree). remember, any good gardener will ...»

Caitlin, you can rake your leaves in to your natural areas or place them around trees and shrubs. Piling the leaves and grass clippings is a way of making a compost pile. Add a layer of leaves, then grass clippings then a handful of fertilizer will help it break down over time. You can add vegetable scraps and egg shells too. No meat scraps though as they will attract animals. You can get a pamphlet from your local cooperative extension agent about composting. Its a wonderful, money saving ...»

My hubby mows them twice with a mulching mower. I use what I need as a winter mulch that also nurishes the soil.

Leaves make great mulch. It's best to shred the leaves, if possible. Here are some more tips and other ideas:

http://www.networx.com/article/10-things-to-...

To join the chorus, by all means, use them!

Agree with all the above, but a forewarning, leaves are a great mulch, but decompose fast. They have to be reapplied often. ...which makes the fact that they are free so much better!

p.s. happy plants don't want to touch mulch, so leave some room around the base of each plant.

Caitlin, yes listen to all those wise people! I just started this season, as I have many hard wood trees in my yard and a plethora of leaves, mulch them up with your lawnmower once or twice then apply. I bagged alot then mixed into my soil to plant all my spring bulbs. It makes the soil nice and fluff and allows good drainage, also helps to make raised beds easier and less expensive than bringing in extra soil.

Mowing the lawn and leaves then piling the "mulch" around trees and shrubs works just fine. Over the years they decompose and the soil around the plants is much healthier. The plants in the Clapp yard have gotten that treatment for over 35 years. There is a problem if you use just grass clippings because they tend to pack down and get matted on top of the ground to the point that water does not penetrate the layer of mulch.

agree with a couple of other posters that the leaves need to be shredded/mulched somehow before using around plants...whole leaves tend to "shingle" and prevent rainwater from getting to the soil as well as it would otherwise. Whole leaves are great for wide open areas.

If you are wanting to start a compost pile ever, leaves are also a great way to get that started!

I have mowed up leaves and grass and put themin garden. I tilled it all in the followinf spring to enrich the soil and build it up

In the book "Five Acres and Independence" they give numbers on the awesome nutrition stored in fallen leaves. They are like garden Superfood!

Absolutely. The best garden I ever had happened after all of the walnut tree shed it's leaves and composted naturally. The dirt was soft and better than any bagged compost.