Autumn is now well established, quietly giving way to the winter season. Most deciduous trees have already shed their multicolored leaves...all over your beautiful yard. But don't despair! Fallen leaves, widely regarded as another annoying annual chore, are more beneficial than their reputation suggests (not to mention making children and dogs happy, who just want to jump joyfully into the pile!). Here are some highlights about fallen leaves, your allies!

They nourish and protect

First of all, it's important to know that when they are thrown away and sent to the landfill, fallen leaves produce methane, a greenhouse gas harmful to the environment. Fortunately, it is possible to do all sorts of things with them, for example... Nothing at all! You read that right. Leaving the leaves on your yard, or placing them on your flowerbeds before the snow falls, will protect your plants in addition to helping to fertilize your soil with the nutrients they contain. Nothing prevents you from picking up what remains when spring returns! To speed up the decomposition process, you can mow over them to shred them into smaller pieces.

Fallen leaves in compost

Fallen leaves also make excellent compost. Use them to feed your garden next summer! If you insist on getting rid of the leaves, only put them out at the time of the collection scheduled for this purpose by your municipality, which will compost them.

Do not burn them

Be sure to remove leaves that accumulate in gutters, on drainage grates, and other places where their presence could block or hinder the functioning of a drainage or air circulation system.

You should also avoid burning them. Indeed, when burning, they release polluting and irritating smoke for those who inhale it. There is also a strong chance that your municipality prohibits open burning.

Whatever you think of them, autumn leaves are an inevitability of the season. Why not take advantage of this fall to make peace with them?