How to Use Leaves on the Garden as Mulch
- 1). Mow over fallen leaves with a mower equipped with a bag to catch grass clippings. The blade of the mower will shred the leaves. Shredded leaves make a more suitable mulch as they do not mat as easily.
- 2). Rake up the leaves if you don't have a mower with a bag attachment. Shred the leaves in a leaf shredder, or use them as they are if you do not have access to a shredder.
- 3). Spread layer of 2 to 3 inches of the leaves over the garden bed. Leave a 1-inch space between the mulch and herbaceous plant stems, and a 3-inch space between the mulch and woody plant trunks and stems.
- 4). Pile dried leaves at the base of woody plants, such as rose bushes, in fall after the first freeze. Completely cover the crown of the plants with the leaf mulch. The leaves help insulate the crown and protect the plants from winter freezing. Remove the leaves in spring once the plant begins to grow.
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