Gardening expert explains how fallen leaves can cut costs in the garden, from frost cover to natural feed

Got a garden covered in autumn leaves? Don’t bin them — put them to work instead

Garden expenses can mount up quickly, but some of the best budget-saving ideas are already underfoot. Autumn leaves are a perfect example.

Whether you want to trim spending this season or make your garden a little more sustainable, reusing fallen leaves is a simple place to begin. Gardens naturally produce materials that can be repurposed for mulching, feeding and composting.

Gardening expert Ish Kamran has shared on his Instagram account, @gardening.with.ish, several ways to reuse fallen leaves and save money on garden essentials.

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When spring bulbs need planting and mulching is needed to shield plants from frost, the colder season can become an expensive time in the garden. Fortunately, there is a low-cost answer falling all around us.

“Leaves on the ground can save you hundreds in the garden. But the fact of the matter is, all these fall leaves are jam-packed full of nutrients and what a lot of people do is simply throw them away, but actually there are quite a few uses for these magnificent things,” Ish says.

“First of all, you can line the bottom of your planters with just this. You can chuck it straight in, put a layer of compost over the top, and you’re saving a third in compost just by shoving this underneath. And this will still break down and turn into compost,” he adds.

“You’re also saving money on mulch as well; it may be a bit messy on the top here, but leave it at the base of the soil, and it actually works as a really nice thermal layer. Help retain moisture on the drier parts of the months but also less soggy on wet months. And as it breaks down, it’s a feed,” Ish points out.

Mulch can be especially useful in colder weather, helping hardy perennial plants make it through until spring with little extra effort.

There are benefits to leaving leaves where they fall, but collecting and storing them can also create nutrient-rich material for the garden.

“You can shred these up, leave them in a bag with holes in it, or even pop them in a wire cage, and let them break down into leaf mould and add it to your compost heap. This counts as brown material, so add it 50/50 to green material to create a nice organic compost,” Ish explains.

“You can also break these down, soak them in water and create your own natural feed. So there are so many things you can do just with a pile of leaves that are sat on your garden floor,” he says.

Instead of throwing garden leaves away, use them to care for your plants without spending extra.

Keeping piles of leaves in the garden can also support wildlife by offering shelter through the colder months.