Fallen leaves are a free resource for your garden

There are all sorts of ways to do it. The easiest is to take your cue from natural forests and take no action at all, letting the leaves stay where they fall and slowly break down.

But chances are they won’t all drop in the right places. Some will end up on paths and paving, others will form thick blankets that smother low-lying plants and prevent rain from penetrating the soil. Most of us will want to move our leaves about.

But there is no need to go overboard. By leaving at least a scattering of leaves over garden beds you create habitat for insects and other life forms while also mulching your soil. Worms will work them down deeper as they slowly break down.

As for the leaves you do remove, pile them into wire cages or plastic bags – with holes punched through to keep things aerated – and put them in a shady spot. Keep the leaves damp but not all-out wet to encourage decomposition.

While the leaves of some trees (such as elm) break down faster than those of others (such as plane) it generally takes at least a year for the leaves to reduce into a relatively fine, crumbly leaf mould. You can make the process faster by first shredding the leaves with a lawnmower. By adding blood and bone, which is rich in nitrogen, you can speed up the decomposition process even more. But it is not instant, and, like making compost, it does take up outdoor space.

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If you don’t have a lot of leaves, you can also just add them to your compost – which is made up of materials containing both carbon (autumn leaves, straw, paper) and nitrogen (food waste, grass clippings.) But you might have too many to fit because, before they break down, these leaves take up a lot of room.

On decomposing, they turn into a more dense concoction that can be worked into the soil to improve its structure and to help it retain water and nutrients. Leaf mould also encourages worms and mycorrhizal fungi.

It will work such wonders that the haul from your own garden won’t feel enough. Soon you will find yourself collecting other peoples’ unwanted leaves as well.

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