Those pretty red, orange and golden leaves have, or will soon be turning brown. Instead of gracing the hills and back roads with their beauty, they will fall to the ground, draping our yards in an unwanted carpet. What is to be done? There is the obvious choice depending where you live. You might rake them into bags provided by your city or town for them to pick up curbside on a designated day. If you live in a more rural area you might use a leaf blower to blow them into the woods or tree line along your property. Or perhaps your mower has a bag attachment that allows for easy dumping. But are there other options? Read on…

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, leaves are the best organic matter providing numerous benefits, including feeding earthworms and microbes, mulch for vegetable and flower gardens and insulation for tender plants during the winter months. As a matter of fact, many top agricultural sites recommend using leaves for mulch, as a cover for less hearty plants and to boost your compost pile as the leaves are rich in carbon.

Have an abundance of leaves and you’ve already checked off all the boxes above? Let’s have some fun. Leaves can be used for a number of craft and decor ideas. Whether you’re looking for some kid friendly art projects or some more involved creative ideas, there is a whole host of DIY projects where you can use your fall leaves. Country Living for example, has no less than 44 options from Leaf Print Wall Art to Silver Leafed Pumpkins.

This autumn, you can look at all those falling leaves as a chore, or you can look at them as an opportunity!