How Can You Mulch Leaves Without a Lawn Mower?

As a child, I remember my father spending hours raking leaves and filling up trash bags to set by the curb for the weekly garbage collection. What he didn’t realize, however, was the value these freshly fallen leaves could provide.

Fallen leaves may be an eyesore and a nuisance to clean up. But once mulched (i.e. chopped into small pieces), they offer a wealth of benefits to your landscape. Don’t let this gold mine go to waste!

Leaves are filled with important nutrients — nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium — from trees drawing them out from the soil to grow new leaves. By mulching leaves and spreading them across your lawn your garden, you’re returning the nutrients to the soil to support future growth. Therefore, you won’t need as much fertilizer, because the leaves do that job once they decompose.

Creating leaf mulch is easily done by mowing. But what if you don’t have a lawn mower or don’t want to use it for this purpose? Fortunately, there are many other ways to effectively mulch leaves.

Here are six alternatives to making leaf mulch with a lawn mower. Keep in mind all these methods work best when the leaves are dry.

Use Electric Leaf Mulcher or Shredder

The most obvious alternative to a lawn mower is a standalone mulcher or shredder, like the Earthwise LM71313 amp 13-inch corded electric leaf mulcher.

“These machines are specifically designed to break down leaves into a mulch-like consistency,” says Gene Caballero, co-founder of GreenPal. “They are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Just collect your leaves, feed them into the machine, and it will produce a fine mulch that you can then spread around your flower beds, shrubs or even in your vegetable garden.”

Place a trash can or bag below the mulcher to capture mulched leaves for use. These machines handle large qualities of leaves quickly and efficiently.

Drive Over Leaves With Your Car

While it might seem silly, driving over leaves with your car works well to break them up.

Rake your leaves into two long lines to match the width of your tires on your driveway, or a place on your lawn where you can drive your car. Remove any sticks or other large objects from the pile. Then drive forward and backward over the leaf piles about five to 10 times.

Finally, sweep the newly mulched leaves off your driveway or gather it from the lawn, and take it to where you need it in your yard.

Stomp on the Leaves

Ready to get some exercise while transforming your fallen leaves into nutrient-rich mulch? Then get stomping on those leaves! Yes, you can break up dry leaves by jumping, running or stomping on them. Get the whole family outside for some mulching fun.

“Lay leaves in a thick pile and stomp away,” says Alex Worley, a certified master gardener, landscaping expert and founder of Gardenine.com. “I recommend wearing sturdy boots so as to grind them thoroughly.

“A great hack I use is laying a tarp down, piling on leaves, then folding it over. Then jump or stomp on top of the bundle to crush the leaves.”

Use a String Trimmer

Another option: A string trimmer, like the Worx GT Revolution 20V 12-inch model. According to Vineta Jackson, owner and founder of GrowHappierPlants.com, “String trimmers are fairly inexpensive and can help mulch up leaves in a pinch.”

Fill a trash can about halfway with leaves. With the can upright, insert the string trimmer, turn it on and move it up and down to shred the leaves inside. Empty the can and repeat as necessary until all the leaves are shredded.

Jackson reminds homeowners to wear safety goggles and long sleeves. The best part? The mulch will already be in the trash can, ready to be poured into flower beds.

Snip With Scissors or Garden Shears

If you have little or no yard and just want enough leaf mulch for a few potted plants, consider garden shears or scissors.

Brock Ingham, owner and editor of Bigger Garden, suggests putting your leaves on a flat surface like a tarp or sidewalk, hold a small bunch in one hand, then make clean, quick cuts through them to get one- to two-inch pieces. Repeat until you’ve cut through all the leaves in the pile.

To prevent leaves from scattering on a windy day, place them in a container like a trash can. Then cut the leaves by reaching down into the container. That way, if you get tired, you can always take a break and come back later.

Opt for an Electric Leaf Vacuum

If you’re always up for buying a new yard care tool, consider a leaf vacuum, like the Black+Decker electric leaf blower, vacuum and mulcher. This tool can do it all!