Anyone with a garden urged to stock up on autumn leaves this October

As the pavements fill with crunchy piles of amber and gold, one gardening creator is urging Brits not to bag them up for the bin - but to save them. Far from being waste, fallen leaves can become one of the most powerful natural resources for your garden, helping to boost soil health and fertility well into next year.

In a recent TikTok video shared by creator @nettlesandpetals, who has more than 238,000 followers, viewers were shown three easy ways to make the most of autumn's abundance. "By mulching the garden, we can mimic the natural processes that occur to create a healthy forest floor," he explained. "Leaves are a great autumn mulch for garden beds or pots, helping to keep your soil covered, suppress weeds, retain moisture, and boost fertility as they break down."

The idea is simple: instead of clearing every leaf away, gardeners can layer them directly on beds and pots to act as a protective, nourishing cover.

Over time, the leaves decompose, enriching the soil beneath and creating the same fertile conditions you'd find on a woodland floor. It's a low-effort method that's especially useful during wetter months, when the mulch helps to keep the soil in place and prevents nutrients from being washed away.

Another method shown in the video is making leaf mould - a centuries-old gardener's trick that's often easier than traditional composting. Unlike compost, leaf mould doesn't need regular turning or maintenance. "All you do is put them in a big pile, bag them up, or put them into an empty compost bin to break down," he said.

"I keep them damp to speed up the process." Over time, the pile transforms into a dark, crumbly material that improves the structure and water retention of soil, while also attracting beneficial fungi and organisms that keep it healthy.

The third approach is to use leaves as a carbon-rich 'brown' layer in a standard compost heap. Mixing them with fresher green materials, like kitchen scraps and grass cuttings, helps to balance the compost and attract the right microbes. "I just store them nearby and add a layer in between green materials when I have them," he added. This simple step creates a richer, healthier compost that can be spread back over garden beds in spring.

For those planning to collect leaves, the advice is to gather them from paved areas where possible, rather than from woodland or grassy patches where they provide natural habitat for insects and wildlife. And crucially, gardeners should always leave plenty behind to keep ecosystems thriving. He urged in the video: "Get collecting this amazing autumnal resource and enrich that soil."