As gardeners, fall leaves are perhaps our most abundant crop.  A few years ago we covered five uses for fall leaves.  Let's take a look at some of the other many uses for fall leaves.

Insulation

Fall leaves make an excellent insulating material.  If you have ever camped in the fall, a layer of leaves under your tent can help protect you from the cold ground.  Likewise, if you grow cool weather veggies in cold frames, you can insulate around them with a blanket of leaves.  Also, if you want to go old school storing your root crops, you can pack them in layers of leaves to help keep them fresh.

Wildlife

Fall leaves are important for wildlife.  Many butterflies and moths build the cocoons among autumn leaves.  Also, many insects use piles of leaves as a refuge from winter storms and freezing temperatures.  For example, a mated bumble bee queen will burrow a couple of inches below the soil to ride out the winter.  She counts on a warm blanket of leaves above her for protection.  Consider leaving a few piles of leaves in your yard or leaving a section unraked for our little insect friends.

Art

Like leaves during the summer, fall leaves can be preserved using a plant press.  They can them be framed to display or used as a festive fall decoration.  Imagine a Thanksgiving table accented with real, vibrant fall colors.

Finally, there are photos.  As we covered previously, fall is the perfect time for photos and the leaves are the star of the show.  Send us your photos now for our Fall Photo Contest!