PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - All those falling leaves will soon become the world’s best plant food. Removing leaves from your yard costs you time and/or money – then you have to spend more later on to fertilize your trees and lawn! So why rake at all?

Well, people rake because mats of leaves lying on a lawn can kill the grass below, before they breakdown into fertilizer. Plus, leaves can be slippery on sidewalks and decks. So, besides a compost pile, here are other ways to make use of your leaves:

Just run a lawnmower back and forth until leaves are the size of a dime. Over the winter, they’ll feed your grass as they decompose and the leaf bits disappear into your lawn.

If you have loads of leaves or large leathery ones, put a bag on your mower to collect them. Then as you go, stop and pour an inch or so of shredded leaves into flowerbeds and around trees and shrubs, covering your garden with a blanket of nutritious mulch as you put it to bed for winter.

Reported By Phran Novelli, KYW Newsradio