By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - No one rakes the leaves in the forest for very good reason – leaves left on the ground feed the trees! This is great news if you’re lazy or cheap like me, because shredded leaves also make the best mulch and fertilizer for your yard and garden.

Yes, it’s smart to get leaves off of your lawn so your grass isn’t smothered – but dragging leaves to the curb every fall and then going out to buy heavy bags of mulch and fertilizer in the spring makes no sense. You’re giving away better mulch and fertilizer than you can buy!

If you hire someone to clean up your lawn, ask them to please shred leaves to bits and leave them on the grass, and/or sprinkle them in groundcovers and garden beds. Gather leaves in a mulching mower bag, or blow them into one or more out-of-the way piles, where they can turn into that rich, dark, sweet-smelling soil amendment that will feed everything you grow. But whatever you do, don’t let anyone take away your precious autumn leaves.