From Vegetable Gardener:
Here they come ~ leaves, leaves, glorious leaves! I don’t care how you use them, just please don’t shove them into bags that are bound for the trash pickup (unless you have maple leaves with tar spots on them; best to get rid of those). It’s a fate worse than death and at least five wasted opportunities. Dead leaves (pure organic matter) only comes around once a year and they’re uber-beneficial for your yard and garden.
First things first. Alway pile them up as high as you can and jump into them before you do anything else. If jumping isn’t your thing, look for a kid or a dog to do the honors. It’s right-of-passage for all kids and dogs, by the way.
1. Shred and spread
This is the simplest thing you can do with your fall leaves. Go over a big pile of them with a mower or toss them into a shredder. The finer the cut, the faster they’ll decompose. Now spread your leaf confetti all over the lawn, garden, or flower beds where they can rot and become part of the soil.
