Leave it out!

'Dead hedge' at Newland Allotments

Leaves: the sure sign it's autumn. All over the city, trees and Virginia creeper are at the end of a spectacular show of colour.
Instead of piling them all up then burning them, there are much more useful things you can do. First of all, they make great mulch for your vegetable plot or flower beds. An allotment holder told me to just sprinkle them on the ground and let the worms do the work of pulling them down into the soil - sounds good to me!
Another great use of leaves is to pile them up into a Ôdead hedge' or onto the compost heap. Both provide brilliant habitat for a range of beneficial insects, as well as hedgehogs and slow worms.
November is a great month to get out and look for signs of animal feeding activity. The distinctive nibble patterns on nuts, cones and fungi can give clues to what's been eating them. Fox poo might be more evident too, as foxes feed on bramble berries, leaving behind characteristic red-stained droppings.
As it's now dark early in the evening, a stroll out with the dog can turn into a spooky encounter if you suddenly heard the haunting hooting of a tawny owl; its hunting call is a screeching Ôke-wik'. It hides in evergreen trees and the scary sounds are like an opening scene to a horror movie - so, on dark nights, be careful out there!
If you're feeling inspired to get out there and pile leaves, the following website may be useful: www.wildaboutgardens.org *