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Now that autumn is here it's time to deal with all those fallen leaves. Instead of overfilling your compost bin why not turn them into really useful leaf mulch.

Leaf mulch is a dark brown, pleasant smelling, crumbly material that makes an excellent soil improver and lawn conditioner. It can also be used in seed and potting mixes.

Making leaf mulch is easy...

Step 1: Use a bin liner, old gardening bag or similar.

Step 2: Fill up your leaf mulch bag with leaves.

Step 3: Leave your bag in an out-of-the-way place in your garden for about a year. By then you will have a bag of leaf mulch that is ready to use.

Top tips

• Before adding the leaves to the sack make sure that they are a little damp, add water if necessary.
• Be patient - leaves breakdown by fungal action - this is a slower process than the bacterial breakdown that occurs in composting.
• Find out more about leaf mulch from |Surrey Waste.

^{* Available to Surrey Residents only while stocks last.}