The leaves are falling in Indianapolis, helped along by the recent winds and rain. What can you do with all those leaves? You can of course gather them to make fall decorations, press them for art projects later in the year, or make a leaf collection. Even if you do all three there will probably be leaves left in your yard.
In natural areas leaves can be left to decay naturally. You do, however, need to remove them from your lawn. You can mow over them several times, shredding them to a small size. Collecting them for curbside recycling is another alternative. If you’re a gardener, the best alternative may be to make a compost pile. You don’t need fancy equipment. You can build a compost pile by making a mound of leaves and enclosing it in a circle of strong fencing. 9.5 feet of fencing will make a compost pile 3 feet in diameter; 16 feet for a pile 5 feet in diameter. You’ll need some leaves, some soil, some water, and a source of nitrogen. If the grass is still growing, you can use green grass clippings to provide nitrogen. If not, you can use high nitrogen fertilizer, the same one you use to fertilize your lawn.
For more information on composting see:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ID-182.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/compost/
And for kids: http://sustainable.tamu.edu/slidesets/kidscompost/kid1.html.
